What is the next level?

[Scott Lee]

Like I said, it is a difference in getting from rack to rack, which is often related to break shot setups. Someone who can run 40 consistently can be pretty easily taught to get to 80+ imo...with the right instruction. Case in point is John Schmidt's upcoming 14.1 clinic. I'm sure several people will learn enough to start running a lot more balls, if they apply what they learn, by practicing correctly. jmo

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I personally think running 40 is way different than running 80 when it happens consistently.

 

[Muffer]

I reach this level for an year of playing pool (Im 18). In our country we have only one instructor and he is teaching me with big enthusiasm. Unfortunately our billiard club (the best in Bulgaria) can't give money for the big tournaments in Europe.

Thanks for the replies I'll keep working on my game.

Did you think that 15ball is good game for practicing? Any suggestions how to practice awone?

 

[Aaron_S]

Did you think that 15ball is good game for practicing? Any suggestions how to practice awone?

I think 15-ball rotation is a great practice game, but if you want to add balls to your ghost game (which I would encourage) you also have two intermediate steps you could take before jumping all the way to 15. You can play the 10 and 12 ball ghost pretty much the same way you play the 9-ball ghost, and thus add difficulty to your ghost games in degrees. Depending on the equipment you're playing on (which, IMO, is a pretty big factor in determining your current skill level), going all the way to 15-ball rotation may be too difficult of a leap at this point; it's very difficult to run 15 balls in rotation, even on easy equipment.

Also, as someone else stated, you'll probably want to start playing the 9-ball ghost without the free break. Again, depending on your equipment, you may not be favored to beat the ghost this way, but you can give yourself an appropriate number of games on the wire to keep the races competitive. If you're not regularly squatting the rock on the break, then this simple change will make your ghost games a lot more challenging. I would still recommend mixing in some 10 and 12 ball ghost, though, because more traffic is always a good thing.

Good luck,

Aaron

 

[Aaron_S]

I also forgot to mention another practice game that I use occasionally. I doubt that I invented this game, but I don't know of anyone else who plays it. The game is this:

Break (or simply throw out) all 15 balls and shoot them in any order. The catch is that the balls must be made in groups of 3, and each group of 3 must be pocketed in the same pocket. For example, at the beginning of the game you decide to start by pocketing the 10-ball in the bottom-right pocket. That means that you must play position to pocket two additional balls into that same pocket. After that, you pick the next pocket, and the next 3-ball group to be pocketed there. You can use smaller or larger groups of balls to increase or decrease the difficulty of the game.

I came up with the game one day while playing the one-pocket ghost, and thought it was a nice 15-ball practice game that was harder than just shooting the balls down, but not as difficult as 15-ball rotation.

Good rolls,

Aaron

 

[Island Drive]

Johnny Holidays "Position Play for High Runs" is a must to those wanting 80+ ball runs, it's also a great book for 9-ball and gettin' around.

 

[TATE]

Ok.. I can run 40 balls on straight pool and beat the ghost in race to 7 (9ball) consecutive..

At what level am I?

What is the next step that I should do to get the next level..?
Any advices to handle with pressure?

It sounds like your offense is ready to start playing the best players you can find. If you can give them a game, the goal is to keep it close whether you win or lose. You're on the raod to become a good player.

The best way to now gage your game is in competition. You could find that players in your skill level beat you because of superior experience or knowledge. Trust me, the experience is really important - the seasoned players know all of the moves and the best offense in the world does nothing for you if you can't move. The only way you can gain this experience is to play numerous seasoned players, and practice the things they do in competition.

Chris