Beer Magazine said:
Hey there,
I'm writing an article for Beer Magazine about how to be better at bar games. The first of the series is going to be on Billiards. I'm looking for about 3-5 tips to make any pool player better. You know the ones that you see people who don't really play pool doing that if told would improve their game.
If you want to check out the new mag
www.thebeermag.com (website is under construction) or run down to the bookstore.
Thanks for the help!
Derek Buono
Executive Editor
========================================
Here is my long winded set of tips for a true beginner.
Maybe someone can tweak it...
========================================
Like anything, playing good pool stems from establishing a good foundation. For the true beginner, there are hurdles that seem difficult, but with a little instruction (actually very little), you can move past beginner into intermediate in just a short time. Here are a few tips that can help you move past the first level. Keep in mind that every bar room has a dozen people that will "help" you play better pool - but be careful who you take advice from! Free advice is often worth what you paid for it
The first step in playing pool is holding the cue. Don't hold the cue with your thumb on top of it. Start with your grip like you would hold a baseball bat, then loosen your grip. Most humans don't have problems holding a stick, and pool is no exception
A good bridge is a golden tool, and the fundamental bridge is called the "open bridge." Lay your hand flat on the table and "lift" the middle of your hand (by sliding your finger tips towards your palm) to form a little teepee with your thumb sticking to the side a bit. Now connect the joint of your thumb to the middle joint of your index finger. Now you have a little "v" to lay the stick in. If you spread your fingers, you will have a little more stability. (this is shown at EasyPoolTutor.com:
http://www.easypooltutor.com/article48.html).
You should place your bridge a few inches from the cue ball - some people say about 6" inches is good for a beginner. As a point of reference, 6" is about the height of a beer bottle. Hold the cue as you learned above, and lay it in the "v" of your bridge. Now, slowly start to bend over without moving your bridge hand. As you do this, the hand that is holding the cue should start to move a little backwards - and your elbow should raise a little bit. Viola! The start of a stance. You might need to look at a few pictures or watch a few players, but you are about 80% of the way to playing pool now!
Now, comes the tricky part. What you want to do next is have the pointy end of the cue stick hit the cue ball (so that it can then push something into a pocket). This movement is called your pool stroke - and is by far the hardest part of learning pool. Your pool stroke comes from bending your arm at the elbow - similar to throwing a dart (only upside down). Another anology is doing a weightlifing curl. A stroke shouldn't look like you are throwing a harpoon or a football. It's hard to describe a pool stroke in words, but if you watch the locals you should at least get an idea of the motion you need. Very simply put, while bent over at the table, with the cue stick in the "v," your arm holding the cue stick should bend at the elbow, and only your hand (which is holding the stick) should move. As your hand moves forward and back, the cue stick should also move forward and back. If you are moving your elbow to push the stick, stop it!
A good example is here:
http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dga/pool/normal_videos/NV2-5.htm
As shown in the video, you should give a few practice "strokes" before you actually hit the cue ball. This will give your brain a chance to process the information it needs to execute the shot. This will take practice and patience. Some players take years to develop a repeatable and dependable stroke!
Pocketing balls comes next - and the hardest part is making the cue ball hit the object ball just right so that the object ball goes in a hole. This takes practice and repitition. But one easy way to develop aim is to understand that you can only hit an object ball in 3 ways with the cue ball - hitting it straight on, hitting it on the right side, and hitting it on the left side. Clearly, hitting the object ball straight on will make the object ball go straight ahead. And depending on how far you hit the object ball from "straight on" (called "cutting the ball"), you can make it go a little left or a lot left. Repitition will allow your brain to make notes of how to get the correct result. It will take some time, but nothing like developing a stroke!
After you get these basics down, you will have a pretty good foundation to build on! Just keep practicing!
-td
