xhopex said:
I don't know how to answer what my general skill level is...
I would say consistency was a big issue. I would do well for a few games and then play awful for the next few.
Yes, 8 ball league.
I can draw the cue ball up to a foot or two depending on the setup.
English to some degree, although throw still throws me.
does that help?
There is a saying that "it is all in the stroke". Developing a consistent smooth stroke with a good follow through is to say the least a prerequisite to everything good in pool. Drawing the cue ball only a foot or two sounds like you need to develop a little more ability to stroke the cueball. A simple drill you can practice is to put a ball in front of each side pocket exactly in the middle of the pocket, and put the cueball in the middle of the table. Try and develop enough of a stroke so you can shoot one of the balls in the pocket and draw back and make the other ball in the other side pocket. Not only are you working on learning to draw the cue ball consistently, but to draw it dead straight back to make the other ball, you are having to concentrate on hitting the object ball dead center. It might sound very simple and it might get boring, but it really is a good drill. You should focus on hitting the cue ball low, but with a fairly level cue not jacking up, following through (continue acceleration of the stroke after making contact with the cueball...that is NOT the time to decelerate). Practicing this until you can consistently draw the ball and make the 2nd ball a good portion of the time will help.
There are a LOT of different drills you can practice. A lot of them are very valuable. If the thought of practicing drills is boring and keeps you from the table, you can rack 9 balls like a 9 ball rack, 4 solids, 4 stripes, and the 8 in the middle. Break them, the table should be fairly open, and pick a suit to try and run out. That would simulate a point in an 8 ball game when you come to the table where you should run out a fair amount of time, and if you fail to, your opponent will probably run out and you will lose. Crunch time so to speak.
Once you have developed a little better stroke, using left and right english is easier because you will find you don't have to use extreme left or right, meaning you don't have to go way out on the edge of the cueball to accomplish what you want to do with the cue ball. That will help in pocketing the object ball with left and right english.
Ewa's book as someone suggested is a decent read. Maybe you can pick it up for next to nothing on ebay. The standard tape of pool and billiards are great. There are a lot of books and videos that can help your game, but a lot of great great players learned by only watching others.
Find the best player on your team, and watch his matches as closely as possible. Play the game in your head at the same time, and when he does something, or is about to do something that is different than what you would do, ask yourself why. Try and figure out if you are making poor choices about what balls to shoot at, how you try and play position, and perhaps when you play safe. After you mess up in a game, ask the best player on the team what he would have done. Sometimes by asking a good player questions, letting him or her know you are serious about learning, you can get some free valuable lessons and advice.
Just some random thoughts that might help. A person you respect who is a very good player, who will look at your fundamentals and tell you what you are doing wrong causing you to miss or get out of line might be the best thing for you, provided you listen to him and go work on those fundamentals.
Kelly
