Tag Archives: pool

(FAQ) What is pool practice – and why is it important?

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One of the “problems” of loving the Green Game is that pool practice is necessary to fix problems and improve skills. Think of pool practice as similar to basketball practice. If you don’t spend time shooting balls and developing the moves to help get baskets – how can you expect to become a better basketball player? If you are playing “horse”, you will always lose. The same applies to playing pool. You have to get on the table and work on shots and setups. When you can make shots during pool practice, you can make shots during competitions with your buddies. Continue reading →

(FAQ) What is this pool player’s “killer instinct”?

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Most of the time when you play casual matches; they are, at best, played as a matter of friendly competition or something to pass the time of day. In either case, the games and matches are rarely anything of importance or have anything of value at stake. Game wins and losses mean little to the players. Continue reading →

(FAQ) How do you analyze a lost pool match?

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Whenever you play competitive pool matches, you will once in a while find yourself on the losing side. When that happens, there are reactions. For some reason (certainly no fault of your own), you experienced this setback. Continue reading →

(FAQ) How do you warm up for a competition?

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The warm up process is designed to take you from an off-the-street condition to your ready-to-play condition. The process is a series of shots used to help find your groove, center, platform, etc. These shots dial in your feet positioning, weight distribution, arm/hand positions, bridge hand, head position; everything you need to set up for a shot. Continue reading →

(FAQ) How to shoot a straight stroke

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It is important to be able to have an exact center line stroke and hit on the cue ball. If any fundamental is off, you can be hitting the cue ball to the side as much as 3/4 of a cue tip off the center line. That is almost guaranteed to miss all but the simplest of shots. Continue reading →

(FAQ) How do you get used to another pool table?

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When you come into a pool room you’ve never been in, you need a way to quickly figure out how the table rolls and whether the rails are in decent shape. You also need to know any roll offs and the slowest speed that will overcome the problem. Continue reading →

(FAQ) Why does a new cue tip sometimes flatten after a few shots?

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When you first put a new tip on your cue, there is a certain amount of “breaking in” that occurs, even with the harder tips. When hitting the cue ball at top speeds, a lot of pressure is focused in the tip material. This compresses the tip material and flattens the curve of the tip. Instead of a nickel shape, it looks like a silver dollar shape – flat and barely curved. This, of course, does not help you when applying spin to the cue ball. The flatter curve tends to make it quite easy to miscue. Continue reading →

(FAQ) How do people get hooked on pool?

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Some individuals are introduced to the Green Game when very young, either by receiving a toy table or somehow gaining access to someone’s home table via the family or a neighborhood buddy. Others start as teenagers, banging balls around with friends, usually as a casual pastime. Continue reading →

(FAQ) How can you get over a slump?

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Just like baseball players fall into slumps, you will have similar experiences in pool. Your game disintegrates and you make playing decisions that would be embarrassing for a beginner. These times can be depressing, leading to thoughts of giving up the game – a true tragedy. Continue reading →