young devoted player here

[Varsity2016]

well i had a couple questions so ill just put them all in one thread because ive been shooting serious pool for about 3 years now and i wanted to know

ok well i shoot at chris's 1 billiards on milwalke in chicago, im a 7 rating there, one thing was i needed lessons to move my game to the next level, is there anyone people know in the chicago land area that teaches good 9ball...i play real fast so i hear it would be best if my instructor was a fast player too

another is that what kind of break cue should i buy, i shoot with my joss and break with this players cue which breaks ok i guess but i want to know what will make me feel a difference in my break.

one last thing, i shoot with a open bridge, pretty much every shot i take is with a open bridge, do i need to convert over to a closed bridge to move my game to the next level. i use a closed bridge once in a while for like long draw shots

thats all thanks alot

 

[Varsity2016]

bump............

 

[JDB]

well i had a couple questions so ill just put them all in one thread because ive been shooting serious pool for about 3 years now and i wanted to know

ok well i shoot at chris's 1 billiards on milwalke in chicago, im a 7 rating there, one thing was i needed lessons to move my game to the next level, is there anyone people know in the chicago land area that teaches good 9ball...i play real fast so i hear it would be best if my instructor was a fast player too

another is that what kind of break cue should i buy, i shoot with my joss and break with this players cue which breaks ok i guess but i want to know what will make me feel a difference in my break.

one last thing, i shoot with a open bridge, pretty much every shot i take is with a open bridge, do i need to convert over to a closed bridge to move my game to the next level. i use a closed bridge once in a while for like long draw shots

thats all thanks alot

LOL no need to bump so quickly somebody will respond most likely...lol.

Anyway... I will give you my thoughts, although I am not a great player, since you an anxious.

1. I believe any qualified instructor can help you, they don't need to necessarily play "fast" like you. Could slowing down be the "something" to get you to the next level? It is worth considering. They will concentrate on your fundamentals and whether they are solid. You fundamentals can be solid whether you play fast or slow.

2. Break whatever you are comfortable with. If you are making balls and getting a good spread, your break cue is fine.

3. If you are comfortable with an open bridge, there is no reason to change it. You should be able to make any shot with an open bridge that you can make with a closed bridge. I would think that shooting "fast" may have more of a negative impact than an open bridge. However, that is just my opinion and I am not an instructor.

 

[Snapshot9]

I want to know ...

well i had a couple questions so ill just put them all in one thread because ive been shooting serious pool for about 3 years now and i wanted to know

ok well i shoot at chris's 1 billiards on milwalke in chicago, im a 7 rating there, one thing was i needed lessons to move my game to the next level, is there anyone people know in the chicago land area that teaches good 9ball...i play real fast so i hear it would be best if my instructor was a fast player too

another is that what kind of break cue should i buy, i shoot with my joss and break with this players cue which breaks ok i guess but i want to know what will make me feel a difference in my break.

one last thing, i shoot with a open bridge, pretty much every shot i take is with a open bridge, do i need to convert over to a closed bridge to move my game to the next level. i use a closed bridge once in a while for like long draw shots

thats all thanks alot

What type of rating system do they have where you are a 7.
Because here in Wichita, a rated 7 would already know the answers
to the questions you asked ...

 

[BAZARUS]

well i had a couple questions so ill just put them all in one thread because ive been shooting serious pool for about 3 years now and i wanted to know

ok well i shoot at chris's 1 billiards on milwalke in chicago, im a 7 rating there, one thing was i needed lessons to move my game to the next level, is there anyone people know in the chicago land area that teaches good 9ball...i play real fast so i hear it would be best if my instructor was a fast player too

another is that what kind of break cue should i buy, i shoot with my joss and break with this players cue which breaks ok i guess but i want to know what will make me feel a difference in my break.

one last thing, i shoot with a open bridge, pretty much every shot i take is with a open bridge, do i need to convert over to a closed bridge to move my game to the next level. i use a closed bridge once in a while for like long draw shots

thats all thanks alot

Chris's 1 Billiards its a hell of the room! I've been there several times and I even won a weekly tournament once
Don't be in such a hurry to get your game to a next level, be patience and practice a lot.
Getting a good instructor in early stage of your game is crucial. First thing that you need to change is to slow down a little bit. Fast players usually don't have really good results. Playing to fast will get you in a lots of trouble.
Get the best breaking cue that you can afford. There is nice Fury break cue for about $150.00 - $180.00. Its very simillar to a Sladgehammer which cost about $350.00.
Open bridge is very good because you can clearly see the cue ball. If it works for you I wouldn't change it.

 

[royuco77]

hey, wazzup? welcome to the forum. how does a 7 rating in your room stack up against a B or A player? just wondering.

1. have you contacted BCA bout this? i believe they can help you locate a qualified instructor near your area. i dont believe that you need a fast instructor though, coz i shoot fast too but my current instructor is slow like molasses but it doesn't affect my game at all.

2. you don't have to buy expensive break cues like BK or sledgehammer to have a good spread of balls. one thing you might want to consider is changing your tip to a phenolic tip. i use a phenolic tip on my sneaky pete break cue and it works very well. i don't have to use a lot of power in order to spread the balls. the hit is rock hard solid.

3. in my opinion, you definitely should use closed bridge for most of your shots. it gives more control when shooting precise shots, helps you stay down on the shot, and provides stability on power shots (like long draw shots).

 

[Sweet Marissa]

I'm surprised after three years you still predominantly shoot with an open bridge. I think you should practise using a closed bridge. You'll notice you have better stability. You'll become more accustomed to it the more you shoot. I hope you let us know how it goes

 

[Gerry]

If you feel you need an instructor, get one.....it can only help you progress faster, or hit the road on the weekend with a friend, and play some in other rooms, watch other games. You don't have to play for $500 to get some seasoning.

As far as an open bridge, snooker players rarely use a closed bridge, and I think they might shoot fairly straight? .An open bridge allows you full sight down the shaft throught the target line. Like you said, on hard draw shots and the like, closed bridge will be more solid, so your on the right track!

..I play the same way you do, quickly paced, NOT FAST!, it's just my brains processing speed, I don't like to or need to ponder endlessly over shots. Look at Earl, can anyone argue his speed to success ratio?....not...even...

A disclaimer: I find it OK to play quickly at 9-ball, generally the table is layed out, and you go about your business. Now, 14.1 or 1-pocket, SLOW down....ALOT....these games require far too much calculation to play too quickly. I had a very hard time adjusting my playing speed from a 9-ball background to playing 14.1 then to 1-pocket., but you'll learn what works for you...

Lastly, get a teacher if you want, but make sure you don't get into a mode of needing to rely on someone else to fix your game. A great teacher will make sure you can fix your own problems down the road.....Good luck........Gerry

 

[LastTwo]

If you feel you need an instructor, get one.....it can only help you progress faster, or hit the road on the weekend with a friend, and play some in other rooms, watch other games. You don't have to play for $500 to get some seasoning.

As far as an open bridge, snooker players rarely use a closed bridge, and I think they might shoot fairly straight? .An open bridge allows you full sight down the shaft throught the target line. Like you said, on hard draw shots and the like, closed bridge will be more solid, so your on the right track!

..I play the same way you do, quickly paced, NOT FAST!, it's just my brains processing speed, I don't like to or need to ponder endlessly over shots. Look at Earl, can anyone argue his speed to success ratio?....not...even...

A disclaimer: I find it OK to play quickly at 9-ball, generally the table is layed out, and you go about your business. Now, 14.1 or 1-pocket, SLOW down....ALOT....these games require far too much calculation to play too quickly. I had a very hard time adjusting my playing speed from a 9-ball background to playing 14.1 then to 1-pocket., but you'll learn what works for you...

Lastly, get a teacher if you want, but make sure you don't get into a mode of needing to rely on someone else to fix your game. A great teacher will make sure you can fix your own problems down the road.....Good luck........Gerry

There is a reason why Earl can play at a quick pace and other people cant. He's been playing the game for decades, and the majority of his shots and patterns pop into his head when he sees the layout. He most likely sees a photographic image on where the cueball is going exactly and where it's going to stop, from his memory. When inexperienced players play fast, it's usually because of their ego and they are just trying to look cool, and act like the game isn't challenging. That's why they make so many mistakes. Here is how you find your natural pace: Once you have decided on what you are going to do, get down and shoot. Don't get down if you are only half-decided or are just guessing. If you can decide on exactly what to do every shot fairly quickly, then shoot at a quick pace. If it takes you a while to figure out what to do, then so be it. But don't shoot fast because you think it looks cool. People who make dumb mistakes because they shoot too fast look dumb, because everyone knows they are trying to look cool.

 

[DDUBBS9]

I think you shound get a stinger break cue, I have seen it take people who have a weak break and make them confident in there brake stroke. the most important thing is to get a break cue you can have the most cue ball control and pocket the most balls off of the break. Also I find the closed bridge to be more consistant. try it out for a while.

 

[pooltchr]

Try using an open bridge if you are striking the cue ball above the horizontal center, and a closed one when striking it below center. Not always, but on the majority of shots, it's usually the right choice.

You can find a list of bca instructors at www.bca-pool.com/play then click on the instruction tab and you will find a list of active instructors and the city/state where they are located.
Good luck!
Steve

 

[lukeinva]

First thing that you need to change is to slow down a little bit. Fast players usually don't have really good results. Playing to fast will get you in a lots of trouble.

I knew someone would recommend this!!! I shoot fast also and everyone tells me that. I tell them that I miss just as much when I shoot slow. I mean unless your take one warm up stroke and hit away thats when you need to slow down. Some people can just see the shot and can get down and get comfortable quicker than others. we dont need to take 25 practice strokes to make sure we are lined up and we hit the cue ball right. Kid ask around your pool hall to see if somewhere knows anyone there that can give you lessons. If not ask someone who is a hell of a lot better than you play for cheap like 5 or 10 a game and when they are shooting just watch them. The hard part is going to get them to play for 5 or 10 but hey you might catch them on a good day.

 

[jsp]

I'm surprised after three years you still predominantly shoot with an open bridge. I think you should practise using a closed bridge. You'll notice you have better stability. You'll become more accustomed to it the more you shoot. I hope you let us know how it goes

Not every pro shoots with mostly a closed bridge. Look at Hohmann...I have yet to see him shoot a normal shot with a closed bridge. Also, a lot of the snooker-turned-pool players still predominantly use an open bridge. Allison Fisher, for example. I haven't seen O'Sullivan play pool, but I'd be surprised if I see him deviate away from his open bridge snooker style.

You may try it out and see if you have better control of the cue ball with a closed bridge...but usually your sighting and ball pocketing suffer when transitioning from an open bridge. Bottom line, if you play better using an open bridge, then don't switch.

 

[BAZARUS]

I knew someone would recommend this!!! I shoot fast also and everyone tells me that. I tell them that I miss just as much when I shoot slow. I mean unless your take one warm up stroke and hit away thats when you need to slow down. Some people can just see the shot and can get down and get comfortable quicker than others. we dont need to take 25 practice strokes to make sure we are lined up and we hit the cue ball right. Kid ask around your pool hall to see if somewhere knows anyone there that can give you lessons. If not ask someone who is a hell of a lot better than you play for cheap like 5 or 10 a game and when they are shooting just watch them. The hard part is going to get them to play for 5 or 10 but hey you might catch them on a good day.

I'll give you examples of 2 pro players that play very fast and tell me when the last time did they win anything:

Vivian Virallel - 1992 WPBA title?
Luc Salvas - 2002 Canadian Champion?

Vivian does 2 warm up strokes before every shot, because she is stuborn and she tells everyone that she plays fast and thats it.
Luc hit the cue ball before it stops

There is no shortcuts in pool and this include 1 or 2 warm up strokes. I used to play fast as well and I did slowed down and I know it helps!

 

[jsp]

I'll give you examples of 2 pro players that play very fast and tell me when the last time did they win anything:

Vivian Virallel - 1992 WPBA title?
Luc Salvas - 2002 Canadian Champion?

Good point. Sometimes I think some of these really fast players just play that way because it's an identity thing for them. It's what distinguishes them from the rest of the pool world, because they know their pool skills aren't exactly "upper echelon". When we think of Luc Salvas, the first thing that pops into our head is "very fast player". Do we think World Champion or US Open champion? Nope. Maybe if Luc slowed down a bit and thought an extra millisecond or two before every shot, he'd actually be a better play and win more. It's worth a try, because he hasn't won much with his current fast pace.

Earl is a different story. He's faster than the average player, but no one can question the way he plays based on his achievements. Once Salvas begins winning tournaments like Strickland, his fast playing style, to me, is not justifiable. His fast playing doesn't look anything more than an identity thing.

 

[Cory in DC]

hey, wazzup? welcome to the forum. how does a 7 rating in your room stack up against a B or A player? just wondering.

What type of rating system do they have where you are a 7. Because here in Wichita, a rated 7 would already know the answers to the questions you asked ...

Chris's handicaps go from 2 to 9 and then "9 minus 1" to "9 minus six". Races are to your handicap, where the "minus" refers to games on the wire that you give your opponent. But a minimum of 3 games are required to win.

Ex 1: a 3 vs. a 7 is a 3-7 race.
Ex 2: a 7 vs. a "9 minus 2" is a 5-9 race.
Ex 3: a 4 vs. a "9 minus 6" is a 3-14 race.

Speed wise, the 9 minus 6's at Chris's are people like Jeff Carter, Billy Incardona, and Marco Marqez. A real good APA 6 would be around a 9 to a 9 minus 1. Most APA 7's would be in the 9 minus 1 to 9 minus 3 range. So a Chris's 7 is probably around a good APA 5, or maybe a C+ to B- player.

Also, handicaps at Chris's would drift up over time, so they would sometimes move everybody but the pros down. I.e., the scale can vary a bit at different times.

Cory

P.S. Regarding the break cue question, I'm real happy with my $50 Ebay jump/break cue with a phenolic tip.

 

[thoffen]

1) Break cue is a personal preference. I don't believe anyone should be duped into buying a cue that supposedly provides more power. As has been proven recently, the best break cue is the one that lets you hit with the most consistency.

2) If you are comfortable with an open bridge, by all means use it all the time. The only times I would suggest a closed bridge are on the rail and with significant side spin as they may help you keep your cue from deflecting. HOWEVER, there is no reason a great stroke can't overcome this. You can experiment with it if you want, but there is no guarantee it will make a difference in your game.

 

[Varsity2016]

yea about the handicaps for chris's just one thing that was stated wrong earlier, it goes from 3-9 1/2, 1/2's being u go up to the next number in the money rounds, and also in the money rounds say if its a 7 playing a 9 minus 3, the race is 7-12 because in the money rounds instead of having the 7 go down, the 9-3 just goes up to 12

 

[Cory in DC]

yea about the handicaps for chris's just one thing that was stated wrong earlier, it goes from 3-9 1/2, 1/2's being u go up to the next number in the money rounds, and also in the money rounds say if its a 7 playing a 9 minus 3, the race is 7-12 because in the money rounds instead of having the 7 go down, the 9-3 just goes up to 12

I forgot the 1/2's. The 9-minus going up instead of the 7 going down is new to me but it's been years since I played there. They must have wanted to draw more strong players into the tourney.
Cory

 

[Scott Lee]

Varsity2016...Check your PM's!