What changes that you made in your pool playing history that is memorable to you

P

precisepotting

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This thread is meant for long time players to give tips to the newer players. How one changes something in one's game and instantly become a much improve player is something that will be useful to other players (season or not).

I hope more players will contribute.

Let me start the ball rolling:

1. Accuracy in Potting. In the earlier days, I was playing satisfactory as a novice. Stance was ok, bridging was stable, but I wasn't consistent with my potting.
The turning point came when I discover this method myself. Many many years later, I found this youtube video which is very similar to what I practice: https://youtu.be/NlfJmIeqG4o.

What I do at the beginning is slightly different. I will stand in line with the object ball to the pocket, and then walk to the position behind the cue ball, with my eyes not leaving the spot that the CB is supposed to hit. If possible, do not blink [LOL]. The rest of the action, is the same as the youtube from BrandonBilliardGuy (his youtube videos are gems).

2. Frozen on Rail. Those days, object ball frozen on the rail was deemed to be a nightmare. The perception was actually quite wrong and it is due to the fact that I played snooker before switching to pool. In snooker, the corner pockets are extremely unforgiving. It is almost impossible to pot a long rail shot.

After reading from somewhere that the trick is to visualize a simultaneous contact of the OB and the rail, I tried it. Till today, OB on the rail is one of the simplest shot for me.

3. Holding of Cue. Like all beginners, I used to grip the cue. As the lower arm swings forward, a pendulum motion inevitable occurs. With a light grip, you can actually translate that into a cue motion that is parallel to the table top.

Due to this style of holding, my stroke becomes more accurate (parallel to table) and I have alot less miscues.

4. Fixed elbow position. We all know that from the plan view, our upper arm should be in line with the lower arm (which swings) and parallel to the cue, all in one straight line.

That actually isn't enough to ensure a straight line follow through motion. Most of the weaker players move our elbow down and forward in an attempt to generate more power, and it is definitely more natural. However, this action results in the elbow coming into the picture. Any slight shift to the left or right will result in a not so straight follow through stroke, and in many instances, resulting in a miss.

The trick is to keep the elbow fixed at a point in the air. Then flex your lower arm towards the ball in a pendulum motion and with the hand pushing the cue towards the ball parallel to the table, and finally the hand moves towards the joint in the shoulder blade. If you observe carefully, many pro players are doing this.

5. English. I have watched quite a few videos. Most advocate BHE whilst a few videos obviously uses parallel english. For BHE, some videos ask you to compensate by aiming away from the side you intend to spin, whilst other, advocate that you compensate towards the side that you spin. Which is correct? I have found my own method. Too complicated to explain here though.

I am sure there are many season players here who can share their tips of what changes their way of playing pool why.

Cheers.
 
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What changes that you made in your pool playing history

The biggest change was stop trying to learn pool on my own.....

I did 2 things to make change.
Scott Lee
Tom Wirth
 
The majority of my pool playing yrs (55) involved using piloted steel joint cues and
the weight of the cues I used were mid- upper 19 ounces weight & even mid-20 ozs.
When Bob Runde built my Schon cue back in '84, it turned weighing 20.4 ozs.

Then I discovered ivory when I acquired a Paul Mottey cue with piloted ivory joint and
ivory ferrules. The cue wowed me more than any other cue I owned or ever played with.
It also weighed 18.4 ounces and in contrast to my other cues, it was like a Stradivarius
violin. The cue had zero flaws, felt incredibly well balanced whether you held the cue at
the top of the wrap or below the wrap low on the sleeve......it stroked and moved the cue
ball effortlessly and the sound and feel of the hit.....your stroking of the cue ball.....had a
tactile feel and resonance that provided a very different feedback than the steel joint cues
I had been using. And the lower cue weight became so much more enjoyable because as
I wrote, it was like that Mottey cue was a magician's wand and you could make the cue ball
move and wind up exactly as you envisioned the shot.

After acquiring tne Mottey cue , which now resides in Tommy Hill's cue collection, I became
interested in ivory joint cues and embarked on changing my approach to cues. I met & spoke
with cue-makers every opportunity I had and attempted to learn as much as I could about the
seemingly remarkable difference I had personally experienced with ivory joints vs. piloted steel.

The final outcome was I decided to switch to playing with big pin flat ivory joint cues with ivory
ferrules and all the cues were made to weigh between 18.35 and 18.75 ounces. When I was
previously browsing for cues before the CA ivory ban kicked in (7/1/16), the prospect cue had
to weigh below 19 ounces and have a flat ivory joint with big pin screw and also ivory ferrules.
And more importantly, over my many years of pool playing, I also learned that the weight of the
cue shaft can be a important consideration and so when I started ordering custom pool cues to
be built, the weight of the shafts were made to be approx, 20% of the cue's playing weight and
21-22% was preferred when the shafts were13mm. But even with 12.75mm shafts, 20% was
still a criterion I asked my cue-makers to follow for the shafts made for my custom cues.

I completely realize what works best for me is likely entirely different than what others use or even
contemplate. Most pool players are just not as fussy or detail oreinted as I am about pool cues.
The reality is everyone should play with pool cues they like the most & I know what pleases me.


Matt B.
 
Instruction By A Professional.

I took a 7 hour lesson with Mike Sigel.

The best ROI of any money I've ever spent on Pool. Ever.
 
precisepotting said:
... After reading from somewhere that the trick is to visualize a simultaneous contact of the OB and the rail, I tried it. Till today, OB on the rail is one of the simplest shot for me.
Click to expand...
Well, there is another thread about this right now, and if you actually manage to hit the cushion and the ball at the same time you will miss the pot. You are evidently not hitting where you think you are hitting, but that really doesn't make much difference until you try to teach others.
 
precisepotting said:
This thread is meant for long time players to give tips to the newer players. How one changes something in one's game and instantly become a much improve player is something that will be useful to other players (season or not).

I hope more players will contribute.

Let me start the ball rolling:

1. Accuracy in Potting. In the earlier days, I was playing satisfactory as a novice. Stance was ok, bridging was stable, but I wasn't consistent with my potting.
The turning point came when I discover this method myself. Many many years later, I found this youtube video which is very similar to what I practice: https://youtu.be/NlfJmIeqG4o.

What I do at the beginning is slightly different. I will stand in line with the object ball to the pocket, and then walk to the position behind the cue ball, with my eyes not leaving the spot that the CB is supposed to hit. If possible, do not blink [LOL]. The rest of the action, is the same as the youtube from BrandonBilliardGuy (his youtube videos are gems).

2. Frozen on Rail. Those days, object ball frozen on the rail was deemed to be a nightmare. The perception was actually quite wrong and it is due to the fact that I played snooker before switching to pool. In snooker, the corner pockets are extremely unforgiving. It is almost impossible to pot a long rail shot.

After reading from somewhere that the trick is to visualize a simultaneous contact of the OB and the rail, I tried it. Till today, OB on the rail is one of the simplest shot for me.

3. Holding of Cue. Like all beginners, I used to grip the cue. As the lower arm swings forward, a pendulum motion inevitable occurs. With a light grip, you can actually translate that into a cue motion that is parallel to the table top.

Due to this style of holding, my stroke becomes more accurate (parallel to table) and I have alot less miscues.

4. Fixed elbow position. We all know that from the plan view, our upper arm should be in line with the lower arm (which swings) and parallel to the cue, all in one straight line.

That actually isn't enough to ensure a straight line follow through motion. Most of the weaker players move our elbow down and forward in an attempt to generate more power, and it is definitely more natural. However, this action results in the elbow coming into the picture. Any slight shift to the left or right will result in a not so straight follow through stroke, and in many instances, resulting in a miss.

The trick is to keep the elbow fixed at a point in the air. Then flex your lower arm towards the ball in a pendulum motion and with the hand pushing the cue towards the ball parallel to the table, and finally the hand moves towards the joint in the shoulder blade. If you observe carefully, many pro players are doing this.

5. English. I have watched quite a few videos. Most advocate BHE whilst a few videos obviously uses parallel english. For BHE, some videos ask you to compensate by aiming away from the side you intend to spin, whilst other, advocate that you compensate towards the side that you spin. Which is correct? I have found my own method. Too complicated to explain here though.

I am sure there are many season players here who can share their tips of what changes their way of playing pool why.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

#4, in red, is not really accurate. The upper arm will rarely be parallel to the cue. You want the forearm hanging straight down to the floor. Where this puts the upper arm is dependent on ones head height off the table. But, you do want the shoulder, elbow and hand in line with the cue.

edit: For #3, this is true if you start with the tip very near the cb. If the tip is farther away when the forearm is perpendicular to the floor, you will not hit where you intend to on the cb.
 
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In the beginning, learned to control draw.

Then came a solid pre-shot routine.

Dropping the power, stopped banging.

Dropped the power even more.

I watched a guy run the table on me rack after rack for over a year. The ball would just roll a few inches after ob contact to position on next shot.
 
Hmm, I started this thread not to be told what is wrong or right in my method (although it is much appreciated). I was hoping that you could share with us one (or several) event that you remember vividly that propel you from a weak proponent at that particular skill to one that you are suddenly comfortable with.

Examples are miscuing 20% of the time while attempting strong draw shots to zero miscuing and executing good draw shots or uncomfortable with playing frozen shots to become very confident with it. What makes you better all of a sudden? This is what I hope this thread will achieve.

What is one's meat could be another's poison. It doesn't mean that what we propose are the best, but it works for us. If others question your solution, then learn from them. It is a good opportunity to fine tune our skills.
 
There were several key things to cause my game to jump, in order of importance.

1) The number 1 thing was I switched to practicing primarily on a tight table (all of the stuff below) and stopped routinely cheating pockets. This improved my game in a myriad of ways.

2) I studied pattern play and angles.

3) I started playing regularly with the best players I could find, and also sought tournament play. good players set a benchmark for my game and I learned a lot from them.

4) I studied and practiced safeties. I became proficient at defense.

5) I practiced a ton playing the ghost in 9 ball.

All of the above lead to:

6) I tightened up my pre-shot routine to more accurately aim and execute shots.
 
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1. Playing tournaments, cheap sets weekly.

2. Aiming banks and kicks as intently as I focus on tough shots.

3. Playing weird games like bank last pocket 8-ball. I can now regularly make multi-rail kicks and banks to pocket the ball (instead of just hoping to get remotely close). Also makes you focus on exactly how you're going to play your pattern to get shape on the 8. Also takes away your fear/nervousness on having to kick/bank at the 8 for the win.

4. Having no ego about my playing ability. Always be willing to try something new or different with an open mind and asking better players for advice. Conversely, always being willing to help lesser-skilled players improve helps to reinforce my knowledge and good habits as I teach them to others.

5. Learning to let go of winning and losing and focusing on executing to the best of my ability, whatever that is on that particular day. My mental game is a lot stronger now after realizing that ultimately winning and losing is out of my control, I can only play the best I can. For a long time I have struggled with fear of failure and I tend to overthink under pressure. Adopting this mindset has helped me get out of my own head and allow my subconscious and muscle memory to take over.

6. Learning techniques to calm myself under pressure. Focusing on breathing deeply and relaxing, purposefully recalling a time when I played my best and remembering how it felt, regular meditation, etc. has led me to making great strides in alleviating competitive anxiety.

7. Incorporating "quiet eye" techniques into my shot routine. Has helped increase my pocketing accuracy with the added benefit of allowing me to fall into "the zone" on a more regular basis.

Hopes this helps anyone looking to make another couple jumps in there playing ability.
 
What changes that you made in your pool playing history that is memorable to you - 06-15-2017, 10:22 PM

I quit drinking - HUGE difference, (for the better)!
 
One Pocket

The one thing that I did was start to play One Pocket.

I think the progression for most people is 8-ball, 9-ball, 10-ball and then on from there.

After I'd been playing One Pocket for a couple of years all of my techniques on aiming, banking and such refined themselves.
One Pocket allows a lesser player to get a turn at the table against a better opponent, watch what the better player does and
learn from it while his skill level increases and this increases the satisfaction with learning to play Pool period.

I recently went to a Pool School at QMaster Billiards because I'd never done such a thing and I want to be a certified instructor.
Not only did I learn a few things about my stroke that I couldn't see but I had a chance to play 3 cushion on a heated table.

The One Pocket experience was evident and and I had several 2's, and 3's in a row.

I now think that after rotation games One Pocket is the next level before 14.1.
 
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George Fels's Mastering Pool
Learning an aiming system that worked FOR ME!!
Going from 8 ball to Straight Pool, to 9 Ball, to One Pocket, to Three Cushion Billiards, to Snooker. Straight Pool being by far the best to transition to the other pocket games.
 
The biggest change came for me after buying Mark Wilson's book, Play Great Pool.

I started playing in the APA in 2013 and I won a fair share of my matches against what I thought were good players (3's, 4's, than 5's). But I couldn't beat the better players so I knew I had to change some things. I took some lessons that helped but I just wasn't making the progress I wanted to make.

While transitioning into the method taught my Mark was initially uncomfortable, it has really helped me find the consistency that I needed to build to the next level. When I first started using the approach he advocates it was almost comical how tough it was to set my feet correctly.

Being a relative novice there is so much to learn but nothing else works without a consistent approach and stroke (which is still a work in progress). So thanks Mr. Wilson.
 
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