Target Pool? Use A Dime.

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I have to laugh at target pool and the likes. Put a dime on different places on the table and see if you can get real close to it W/O hitting it. Put a piece of paper down...keep folding it smaller. Almost every drill can be made into a control your CB shot. Speed with shape is a huge part of running racks or balls, but you don't need a bunch of fancy gimmicks to practice/learn it. Johnnyt
 
Where, on the dime or paper, does it suggest for you hundreds of shots with speed, english, and destination to practice?
 
Target Pool gives you useful statistics......you get to actually measure your improvement....it's a factual scorecard of your performance and skills improvement, not some recollection of how many times did I bump the coin last week, how close did I come and how much am I improving.......no one is going to recall the results of playing 100 or 200 shots using a coin......30% stopped close, 15 % bumped it, 50% were within 2" of the coin.......did I miss more often long or short....left or right of the coin......Obviously a coin is better than nothing and it just so happens that Target Pool is better than a coin.

Matt B.
 
I have a target pool setup.... it was a great tool. The ideas are many & they are already setup with score sheets. It can be used for practice or a competitive game.

There was a small tournament played on TV... it was CJ Wylie , Mizerak & a couple more. Maybe someone has a copy of that.

Dr Dave has a few shots on YouTube in a similar setup....
 
There was a VHS video of pros Kim Davenport, Buddy Hall, Leanardo Andam and CJ Wiley playing Target Pool.

The instruction book had diagrams for different shots, with cue tip placements for english needed for CB position.

.
 
I recently gifted a Bullseye Billiards box to a friend/player to help provide a structured and measured practice tool - because he always comments how he can't tell if he's really getting better with his practice sessions or if he is only kidding himself -- so after getting his new "gift", a few days go by and he is already ranting and raving how the complete Bullseye Billiards box of goodies gives him the structure he never could put together himself - and how much he looks forward to the next series of shots with his "personal trainer".

I think every training tool - whether it's a dime or folded piece of paper or the latest product to come out of a local impassioned pool player's imagination - is a step in the right direction.

Forgot your training book or notes --- no problem. There's a penny on the rail.
;-D


LIVFST
 
For me, the usefulness of Target Pool, Bullseye Billiards, and The Ultimate Pool Challenge isn't the 'gimmicky' accessories, but the drills itself. The scoresheets are helpful to keep track of progress, but the books are the real treasure.

It's too bad Target Pool is no longer produced, and the collector's value has put it out of affordable reach for many players. A new product, Bullseye Billiards has similar drills, and I believe just as useful.
 
Ummm, why now? Target pool is about 20 years old, in fact it may not even made any more.

Go back to sleep Johnny, maybe the next time you wake up to post, you can complain about those fancy gimmick low deflection shafts next. :rolleyes:

:boring2:



Johnnyt said:
I have to laugh at target pool and the likes. Put a dime on different places on the table and see if you can get real close to it W/O hitting it. Put a piece of paper down...keep folding it smaller. Almost every drill can be made into a control your CB shot. Speed with shape is a huge part of running racks or balls, but you don't need a bunch of fancy gimmicks to practice/learn it. Johnnyt
Click to expand...
 
Tony_in_MD said:
Ummm, why now? Target pool is about 20 years old, in fact it may not even made any more. ...
Click to expand...
I suppose Johnny didn't see my July 2005 article in http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2005.pdf which describes how to do your own infinitely variable version of Target Pool. I've expanded the idea in several recent articles in Billiards Digest.

Perhaps some players here already know how to get from any spot to any spot on the pool table, but in my experience the vast majority of students have only rudimentary clues about how to get from here to there. Drills similar to Target Pool (or do it on Johnny's dime) can build knowledge a lot faster than failing repeatedly in matches.
 
I played target pool a long time ago and LOVED it. As a below average player it helped me see the "HOW AND WHY" things happened with the cue ball. I grew up in a smallish town and there weren't many people with the knowledge or desire to teach others how to actually play. That being said, it isn't the right tool for EVERYONE to use. A player that has been a pro for a decade probably doesn't need this tool at all.


Oh yeah, by the way, in my imagination I don't need a grain of salt, my cue ball just floats wherever I will it to with my mind.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I suppose Johnny didn't see my July 2005 article in http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2005.pdf which describes how to do your own infinitely variable version of Target Pool. I've expanded the idea in several recent articles in Billiards Digest.
Click to expand...
For those interested, video demonstration of Bob's "card trick" can be found on the target-pool resource page. Also available are other instructional articles (including Bob's) and videos describing and demonstrating useful target-pool practice drills. Also available are free templates that can be printed and cut out as targets for practice.

The BullseyeBilliards product is also very well done, with excellent drills and a larger target (much bigger than a dime or the templates on the resource page) with different zones for scoring.


Bob Jewett said:
Perhaps some players here already know how to get from any spot to any spot on the pool table, but in my experience the vast majority of students have only rudimentary clues about how to get from here to there. Drills similar to Target Pool (or do it on Johnny's dime) can build knowledge a lot faster than failing repeatedly in matches.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Even if people don't want to buy a target-pool product, they can still benefit from their own target-pool practice.

Regards,
Dave
 
I played in both the major 'Target Pool' championships

Ralph Kramden said:
There was a VHS video of pros Kim Davenport, Buddy Hall, Leanardo Andam and CJ Wiley playing Target Pool.

The instruction book had diagrams for different shots, with cue tip placements for english needed for CB position.

.
Click to expand...

Yes, I played in both the major 'Target Pool' championships. Also was "lucky" to win both of them, probably because I liked the game......it put an emphasis on longer shots using a variety of spins and speeds.
 
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