Cheat Sheets Review

Review - About.com Pool / Billiards online magazine
(Matthew Sherman Shaw - May 30, 2011)

Cue Ball Control Cheat Sheets, I like this billiards book!

It's not a billiards book of history or a pool book filled with a cast of characters, nor is it your typical instruction book, but it's good for your game. Jump to my full book review today

The Bottom Line

My assessment is simple--get this book, one of the better pool books now in print, and bring it to your home or local poolroom table to improve your game immediately. Each shot presented can be lengthened for more challenging plays but as presented will be more than adequate for sharpening the Eight Ball, Nine Ball or Straight Pool skills of any player.

Pros

Cons

Description

Guide Review - Review Of Cue Ball Control Sheets - Pool Books Reviews

From the book itself: "This book is meant to be taken to your practice table. There are setups that will require some practice to master. Some of these setups have to be done just to prove to yourself that you can do it. The key to mastering this material is developing a set of speeds that you can apply intentionally and at will."

Amen to that, readers. The best pool books are meant to get out of the realm of theory and toward a real usage at the table. Hey, I'm not embarrassed to bring a book to the tables if it gives me that winning edge at my next match.

Another point may sound as a mere cliché to readers of this website but it's true... "Control of the cue ball is really easy to learn--when you finally realize you need to know how to precisely hit it with your cue tip."

The author, Allan Sand, is a highly experienced BCA and ACS instructor, two designations I particularly respect as BCA typically offers the best playing rules while ACS is up-and-coming with instructors and players alike for quality conditions of match and league play.

Each book page offers a cheat sheet for successful playing on a common billiards situation. Each layout has a cheat tip or two for solid results. Learn to master and manage the cue ball to your best advantage. Each situation is adaptable for handling similar and related shot opportunities.

The clock system of cue ball aim is used throughout, emphasizing safe regions of the cue ball to strike and informing the player of exactly where to hit the cue ball to maintain control of ball placement. It's good stuff (and frankly better than much inside what passes for pool books lately) and few players would go wrong with Sand's chosen method.

Added to the clock aim system, the player dials in the correct speed for the stroke (familiar speeds that translate to distances like "the distance from one end of the table to the other and back" or the "distance to go up to the short rail and back", offerings of mostly soft and medium strokes that get the job done well. Wise advice is even given on super-short, super gentle wrist strokes, creating devastating safety and other plays at will.

Working through all the many shots presented, your cue ball control will be, as the book says, "Awesome." I have no doubt that many average players as well as many advanced players would benefit greatly from using this and Sand's other pool books at the tables.

Review - Pool & Billiard magazine
(Tom Shaw - July 2009)

There's an old story about a pool player who took a non-playing friend to a Mosconi exhibition, having raved about how good Willie was. After the exhibition the non-player was unimpressed, saying, "He never had a difficult shot."

The reason is position play and that's what Sand tackles in this CD. Well over 300 table layouts are illustrated (and printable so you can take them to the poolroom) and the shots and position requirements range from simple to heroic.

The CD is branded as "skill building" and that's exactly correct. ... There's no doubt that practicing these shots will improve your position play, and even looking at them on your computer and visualizing a real table will help your game.

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