Tag Archives: table billiards

(FAQ) Pool Sharking, Gamesmanship, & Other Mind Games

(About the Author)

First of all, let’s properly describe the term “sharking”. To people who lose, their first complaint (and justification for losing) was that they were sharked. Let’s set aside that notion immediately – you were not sharked when losing against someone of superior skill. You just didn’t have enough shooting competence, plain and simple. Continue reading →

(FAQ) You are obsessive about pool when…

(About the Author)

This checklist tell you if you have a pool addiction. If you discover this is a personal problem – good for you!! Continue reading →

(FAQ) What is Gamesmanship & Sharking?

(About the Author)

Random House Dictionary definitions:
gamesmanship – 1. the use of methods, esp. in a sports contest, that are dubious or seemingly improper but not strictly illegal. 2. the technique or practice of manipulating people or events so as to gain an advantage or outwit one’s opponents or competitors.

shark – 1. (v) to obtain by trickery. 2. (n) a person regarded as ruthless.

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(FAQ) Do you perform a post-shot routine?

(About the Author)

If you watch players compete, there is one habit that the winners consistently have in common. Those are the shooters who always stop after a shot and appear to be momentarily frozen in time. What they are really doing is going over their shot, comparing the new table layout with what they were attempting to achieve. These are the players that learn from their mistakes. Continue reading →

(FAQ) How do you find a good pool instructor?

(About the Author)

It is surprising, but the vast majority of pool players have never taken any kind of lesson from a qualified pool instructor – not even a basic check on their fundamentals. They will spend hundreds (even thousands) of dollars on a cool cue stick. They aren’t willing to spend $20, $50, or $100 for lessons that will improve their game for the rest of their lives. They are perfectly happy to go on for years and years (and years) believing they are just too intelligent to need an instructor. Continue reading →

(FAQ) How can your shooting game go wrong?

(About the Author)

When your shooting game goes off into failure-land and your shooting results begin to significantly deviate from your intentions, something has gotten out of kilter – usually your fundamentals. The problem is – how long does it take before you notice that something is wrong and take corrective action? Generally, by the time you do wake up, the game count is tough. You might recover – but the struggle to win becomes a low probability proposition. Continue reading →

(FAQ) How to check your stroke for flaws

(About the Author)

This is the basic setup for this self-evaluation process:

  • Five (5) striped balls
  • Line up balls about 1 diamond from short rail.
  • All shots are done on the vertical center line:
    12:00 contact is one tip above center
    6:00 is one tip below center
  • All balls are shot into one of the far corner pockets Continue reading →

(FAQ) What are some good excuses for missing a pool shot?

(About the Author)

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 →

(FAQ) What does it take to become a really, really good pool player?

(About the Author)

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 →

(FAQ) What are some bad habits to avoid?

(About the Author)

The vast majority of pool players, both casual and regular, have one or more of their fundamentals out of whack to some degree. The problem mostly arises because the player never took the time to check with someone who could show him/her how and why to do things correctly. The closest most people come to correct fundamentals is a flawed imitation of the friend who introduced them to playing pool. And that example probably had many bad habits. Continue reading →