There will be times when you want to determine if you are getting more skilled as a pool player. Are you advancing or standing still? Within your group of friends are you gaining or losing your place in the pecking order? Are you being greeted with greater or lesser respect when you meet last week’s opponent on the street? Continue reading
Some pool players seem to have never learned that celebratory behavior around a pool table should be understated or otherwise subdued. These individuals demonstrate excessive enthusiastic happiness for any success – minor or major. For those individuals, this can be their natural enthusiasm and reaction to success – maybe because of a lack of happy events away from the table. In all pool halls, there always seems to be one or two groups of players who get loud and noisy at various times. Continue reading
A practical joke is a humorous prank played on a victim (you), designed to be funny to an audience (the hustling trickster and everyone around you). Your appreciation of the joke is not required and is immaterial to the joke’s success. The more public embarrassment, discomfort, or indignity you are exposed to; the more enjoyable it is to the instigator. The experience is usually shocking (sometimes literally) and always surprising. At the very least, the subsequent laughter by the audience over your ridicule is a test of your self-control. Continue reading
Here is Today’s Test Group Challenge from the book. This progressive set develops personal confidence when similar shots come up during competition – and define Comfort Zone limitations.
PURPOSE: Shoot the cue ball to stop on the designated target area.
This is the Speed Control, Slow (Intermediate) Test Group . There is also an Advanced Test Group. Continue reading
This progressive exercise to improve your shooting skills is in the book Drills & Exercises for Pool & Pocket Billiards.
This setup concentrates on progressive pocketing skills. There is no concern about where the CB ends up.
This is a multiple cue ball speed and spin drill. See Cue Ball Speed and Spin Variations. Make sure to observe the cue ball action (path from OB, any rail action, etc.) until it stops. You need to remember the results when you are in competition. Continue reading
This progressive exercise to improve your playing skills is in the book Drills & Exercises for Pool & Pocket Billiards.
This setup concentrates on stopping the cue ball from various distances (plus make the OB).
Many players need to have some handy excuses after missing a pool shot. Of course, your opponents don’t care – they’re just happy you screwed up and let them come to the table. For railbirds, player excuses for a missed pool shot can be quite entertaining. As an audience, they always appreciate the more outrageous explanations for screwing up. Continue reading
For such a small physical area of contention, played under well-light with well-defined specifications, the game of pocket billiards has a level of complexity for players at every level. Continue reading
Generally, the “volume” of verbosity and threat-level used by a person implementing this method is pretty much social class-dependent. For example, members of the upper class maintain more control over their temper in social situations, but can still manage a glowering intensity. Continue reading
All players have situations where a shot or scoring attempt was missed, or the layout of the table is less than ideal for the next attempt. This is part of the ups and downs of competitive play. Continue reading
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