Tips for pool

[Brainy_89]

Evening guys,

Iv been playing pool for year know when i first started i couldnt pot one ball let alone pick up a cue and use it however i have come on along way now,
just struggling to find the drive to focus on winning as iv been loosing quite a few games now and had enough of loosing,

im practising everyday but not all the time on the table maybe go up by myself do few line ups, then positioning ect.......

Any help would be highly appreciated.

regards

Ryan

[old school]

Join a team , play better players than your own standard . Be happy when you pinch a few frames . Practice and playing quality opponents is the best way to improve , as long as you have the basics right , the wins will come . Dont give up .

[justf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRUzY-hKQi0
Try different drils. Also watch high end pool matches, potts, hill, appleton etc (depends on what rules you play on who to watch) on you tube and when they break, pause vid and think. What would you do and how? Why? Even make notes to see how you would go about a clearance. Then see how they do it. You could even pause after each shot to think what you, and they will do next. Get a understanding of the tactics and subtlies of the game. Try to incorporate into your own game. You wont play like them (yet!!!) but you can gain hints/tips from watching them. Learn also from their mistakes. Realise you have strengths and attributes, try maximise them and minimise where possible silly mistakes such as going in-off on break or over cutting pots etc. Get consistancy in your game, esp the basics, such as stance. May seem obvious but its amazing how many players, esp under pressure miss a dead straight shot as stance poor not solid and reliable when it counts. The longbomber (among others)on here has posted some great posts on here about such things. If you can afford it try getting a little coaching. If not, wherever you play, ask a more experienced player to give a little guidance. Most will appreciate that you recognise their skills and seel their guidance. Dont give ip mate, or get dispondent I have played a lot of snooker and pool, but never been anything special, i realised my limitations but it has not stopped me enjoying the games and the challenge please try do the same. Most of the battle is in your mind. One night you'll pot everything the next you'll be lucky to hit a barn door with a elephant! Enjoy the challenge. Goodluck Brainy.

[rdsalt]

Agree that a high standard practice partner who is happy to give you tips as you play is probably the best way to learn. Playing better players who regularly beat you easily is not nice but watch carefully how they go about taking out a finish, watch what they do to negotiate their difficult balls and what they do when they are in trouble. What rules do you play WR or Blackball? Unless you are a fantastic potter learning to have good tactical game, playing the percentage shot, and being prepared to wait for the right opportunity can win you as much frames as anything, far too much players pot all their easy balls when a finish is not really on then leave themselves few options, open to snookers, and give the advantage to their opponent. Try to make sure you keep the basics right, stance, bridge, etc., and if you are practicing regularly your game will come on, confidence and consistency is what you need to win.

[RogiBear]

Imo lineups are a waste of time on a pool table. Your better off just racking up and playing the clearance after the break off. There aren't any difficult shots in pool, as long as your positioning is ok. Play for areas where if you come up short/long for the ball you'd ideally like to be on you're still on another. Before you play your first visit, plan what you want to achieve in it, whether it is a clearance or fudging.

[jaffa.johnson]

The video already posted on here is a good one, that guy joined this forum not so long ago.

If you search Gareth Potts in youtube, you will also get some great videos.

Where do you play and can you play against players who you will learn from?

When you are trying to improve at anything which means changing what came natural before, you will inevitably get worse before you get better.

[old school]

I will second what jaffa says , Gareth Potts has a whole range of videos , in association with Home Leisure Direct , on You Tube , covering all aspects of the game from breaking to how to decide on which way round to go i.e. shot selection etc.

[TornadoTed]

I did the practice routines video and as I say at the start, quality of practice is way more important than quantity. I have a busy job and a baby so probably only get a couple of hours practice on a good week but I try to make the most of it. I work on my technique, if I lost a match because I jumped up on a shot then I practice staying down for example. If I am missing balls down the rails then I work on that for 10 minutes etc.

I have helped a lot of young players learn the game over the years and one major problem I see time and time again is expectation. When they start playing they improve so much, so fast, from hardly potting a ball to a decent standard in the first 1-2 years. Over time the improvement slows way down, they may have to practice for days to improve 0.001%. A lot of players mistake this slowing down of improvement as playing bad, they feel hey should be improving at the same rate and start getting frustrated and then some even quit altogether. I have seen this a dozen times at least with young players in my area.

Also the expectation of joining a team is always difficult to manage. In the beginning there is no pressure as they are just beginners, when they have been playing a couple of years and maybe have a good season then suddenly they are no beginners any more and are expected to keep up those stats. I have managed my County team for 10 years and seen this happen to quite a few players too.

It is also important to know your game. After 25 years I now know when I need to practice and when I need to put the cue away for a couple of weeks and have a break. It isn't always the best advice to 'play through it' as many suggest.

[SnkrRef]

The mistake that a lot of inexperienced players make is to pot an easy ball simply because it is there. However, you really do need to think ahead. What are your difficult balls, what are your opponent's difficult balls. Do you have a decent chance of clearing your colours, if not why bother taking the easy pot? If you can't make a clearance, then try to make it difficult for your opponent to do so.

Tactics are all important in pool, and, as has been said, playing with better players, particularly if you watch their game closely, and especially if they explain their game, you will pick things up and your own game will improve.

[Byrom]

Here is some pool technique video I found - great technique

[itsnoteasy]

I did the practice routines video and as I say at the start, quality of practice is way more important than quantity. I have a busy job and a baby so probably only get a couple of hours practice on a good week but I try to make the most of it. I work on my technique, if I lost a match because I jumped up on a shot then I practice staying down for example. If I am missing balls down the rails then I work on that for 10 minutes etc.

I have helped a lot of young players learn the game over the years and one major problem I see time and time again is expectation. When they start playing they improve so much, so fast, from hardly potting a ball to a decent standard in the first 1-2 years. Over time the improvement slows way down, they may have to practice for days to improve 0.001%. A lot of players mistake this slowing down of improvement as playing bad, they feel hey should be improving at the same rate and start getting frustrated and then some even quit altogether. I have seen this a dozen times at least with young players in my area.

Also the expectation of joining a team is always difficult to manage. In the beginning there is no pressure as they are just beginners, when they have been playing a couple of years and maybe have a good season then suddenly they are no beginners any more and are expected to keep up those stats. I have managed my County team for 10 years and seen this happen to quite a few players too.

It is also important to know your game. After 25 years I now know when I need to practice and when I need to put the cue away for a couple of weeks and have a break. It isn't always the best advice to 'play through it' as many suggest.

Thanks for this post TT, I'm not a pool player but have been playing snooker for a bit over two years and it really struck a chord with me about improving rapidly at the start then what feels like a stall in proceedings and it feeling like you are playing poorly.