tight home table?

gpeezy

gpeezy

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I've told people that I beleive your home table should be a bit on the loose side.My reasoning behind this is:When practicing you need to be able to see progress/improvement for overall confidence level.I beleive a tight table would hold someone back even be discouraging.Which i beleive would stunt growth in ability.
Now my reason for this post is,does anyone think I am wrong on this?Would a tight table at home give you the type of stroke that would make you a better player.Now pay attetion that I'm speaking of you home table(or the table you practice the most on as a upcoming player).I played on some tight tables but for the most part played on a fairley loose playing Kasson over-sized 8.I would play some tight tables when I was in fair stroke just to dial in more.Which would help the learning process more?Just thoght this could be an interesting thread.
 
i posted a similar question awhile back when i was looking at tables. I ended up getting a table that has 4.25" pockets, and overall im very happy with it so far......i didnt buy the table because of the pockets, it just happened this was the best table i could find for the money i wanted to spend. The tables i was used to playing on were at least 4.5 or bigger, and i defnitely notice some shots that dont fall that would on bigger pockets. But overall it helps me to stay focused without inhibiting my ability to free wheel and let my stroke out too....i dont know what standard size is but to me somewhere around 4 to 4.5 would be optimum.......tight enough you dont get sloppy, not so tight you have to worry about every shot and cant run a rack
 
IMO it depends on the level of player. Advanced players will benefit from a tighter table, novices will pull their hair out.
 
I agree with the above comment about skill level. I personally like a tight table, It forces you to aim every shot instead of just shooting for the pocket. Also when you go out it feels like your game jumps up a notch because everything just goes in. Chris.
 
I understand your idea regarding confidence level in relation to pockets that are tighter than you are used to. They require increased focus and accuracy. This is attainable with a little time as long as you stay at or about 4.25" or so for most people. If you've more comfortable with slightly larger pockets, I don't see a problem with that. Enjoy the game the way you want to play it.

If I could mandate corner pocket sizes at will, they'd be 4.5" in poolrooms. I've chosen 4.25" on my home table though, given that its mostly for practice.
 
selftaut said:
IMO it depends on the level of player. Advanced players will benefit from a tighter table, novices will pull their hair out.
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That's exactly right. You need to determine the purpose of the table before choosing a pocket difficulty...and size alone does not tell the story. It depends on whether the small size is made up from shims or not.

My old AMF had shimmed 4-1/2" pockets (at the points) and it was pretty tough. I loved it. It was enough to keep me on my toes without leading to aggrevation. My family disagreed.

My new Kim Steel has non-shimmed 4-5/8" pockets and its comparatively soft. I miss the tougher pockets of the AMF. I will shim the KS to 4-3/8" whenever I replace the felt. The wife says I should keep it easier for her and everyone else that plays on it, but you know how that goes...how did those pockets get smaller??!?! Did the rails move when we replaced the felt?!?!? Yeah, that's it.

I remember reading long ago that Wade Crane recommended a loose table for practice as it built your confidence. He's the champion, so he must be correct.
 
for about $35 you can get a set of pocket reducers and make those pockets about 3" instead of around 4" to 5". then you can have the best of both worlds.

you can even modify them i believe so that you can play with them. from the factory the way they are cut wont allow you to play, the balls wont drop in. you can just practice your shots. but i believe someone on here figured out how to adapt them so they would actually have playability.

DCP
 
The place where I play league on Mon and Wed has pockets that are about 1/2 inch bigger than where I play tournies on Sunday.....ie, after playing on tight pockets Sunday, the pockets during league seem the size of a basketball hoop....the downside - I have a tendency to rattle a LOT of balls on Sundays and have yet to finish in the money....

IMHO, pockets at home should be a bit tighter than most, but still reasonable enough where you feel comfortable using english and playing leave.....but not so tight it takes everything you got to make what is usually an easy shot.....to mirror the others, when you go out to play on public tables, you should have the advantage, and not the other way around...
 
selftaut said:
IMO it depends on the level of player. Advanced players will benefit from a tighter table, novices will pull their hair out.
Click to expand...
+1.

Once you get past "beginner" playing on loose pockets will detract from your game. As a practical example, assume there are only 3 sizes of pockets - tight, average, loose. If you are good on small pockets, you'll be good on virtually any table in any poolhall in America - which have average pockets. On the contrary, if you're only good on loose pockets, you won't survive in most poolhalls that have average size pockets.

Go for tight, but at a minimum go for a average.

-td
 
My Olhausen oversize 8 has tight pockets compared to most other tables I play on. I find it irratating to rattle balls hit firmly down the rail that consitently fall on other tables. Although it is nice to have increased confidence when I play elswhere. My gut feeling is that I could learn more quickly and pick up my overall confidence if my table were slightly easier to play. I see people shoot shots that I can't practice easily on my table and it holds me back. jmho
 
I agree 100 % that it all depends on the skill level of the player........

I have had many tables and all have been set up with 4" pockets. It will make you a better overall player if you are serious about the game.

Russ.....
 
One of the things that I like about having the tight pockets at home is when I go play somewhere and there is a ball blocking part of the pocket it is a lot easier now to make it clean if I need to.

Gary
 
td873 said:
+1.

Once you get past "beginner" playing on loose pockets will detract from your game. As a practical example, assume there are only 3 sizes of pockets - tight, average, loose. If you are good on small pockets, you'll be good on virtually any table in any poolhall in America - which have average pockets. On the contrary, if you're only good on loose pockets, you won't survive in most poolhalls that have average size pockets.

Go for tight, but at a minimum go for a average.

-td
Click to expand...

I agree with above. If I had a home table, it would be triple shimmed. Nothing better then a couple of hours on a tight table, even if just practicing stroke shots and then going to an average or loose table for some fun. And it's usually that, fun. :)

But I have had a couple friends buy home tables recently and when asked why they did not shim theirs, they said "Because it would not be as fun or relaxed."

I also hate hearing how people will call someone out that is shooting good on a average or loose table and force them to try the same game on a tighter table. You probably can't play that same loose fast game on a tight table, but I won't be the one backing down from that call. Bring on the tight pockets.

ez
 
My table..

My Olhausen has 4 1/4 pockets and plays much tighter than any other tables I play on. All of the bar tables in the area and a couple of tables that my buddies have are all 4 1/2. It is very frustrating to rattle shots and leave them hanging in the pockets on the table that I own, when I know they would've fallen elsewhere. Instead of being disappointed though, I practice every day. I shoot, shoot, and re-shoot shots until I know that I am going to knock them down every time. Frustrating, yes.. but discouraging, no. It encourages me to practice to the point that I am 100% confident that I will make the shot. I think mentality is what this game comes down to. I go to the table 100% confident that I will make every shot. If I miss, I take a mental note of why I missed and practice on my tighter pocketed table.
 
'

poolnut said:
My Olhausen has 4 1/4 pockets and plays much tighter than any other tables I play on. All of the bar tables in the area and a couple of tables that my buddies have are all 4 1/2. It is very frustrating to rattle shots and leave them hanging in the pockets on the table that I own, when I know they would've fallen elsewhere. Instead of being disappointed though, I practice every day. I shoot, shoot, and re-shoot shots until I know that I am going to knock them down every time. Frustrating, yes.. but discouraging, no. It encourages me to practice to the point that I am 100% confident that I will make the shot. I think mentality is what this game comes down to. I go to the table 100% confident that I will make every shot. If I miss, I take a mental note of why I missed and practice on my tighter pocketed table.
Click to expand...
Did you have this table from the start?Or at least shortly after you started?
I agree with the fact a tight table can help someone on the mental side of the game "if" they can keep the thought process of "its a tight table I would have made that ball anywhere else" and then practice on making it there.I had just always told people that a looser table is better to learn on.But I wonder if learning on a tight table would lend itself to a better eye/stroke/game in general.Just a thought.
 
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