What's the Latest Thing You Learned Playing Pool?
11/26/2006 3:39:12 AM
What's the Latest Thing You Learned Playing Pool?
What is the most recent thing you learned playing pool?
What's the Latest Thing You Learned Playing Pool?
Replies & Comments
George on 11/26/2006 12:05:04 PM
I been learning how to shoot masse shots.
asmith27 on 11/27/2006 2:28:08 PM
I've really been focusing on side english. The affects of throw and how the cue ball reacts off of the rail. Tricky stuff but when you hit it just right it takes your position game to a new level. I've always struggled with it but the more time I spend on it the better I get (imagine that).
StormHotRod300 on 11/28/2006 11:59:08 PM
Well its not actually new, I guess it just took me a while to finally figure it out lol.
Monday night I am practicing, and started off using my Sneaky Pete cue, which I had made a few months ago. All the cue is, is a House cue chopped and refinished, with a custom shaft. The same guy who made this cue, also made my custom 4 pointer playing cue.
Well after I switched to my 4 pointer, I was like man, I just don't like the way this one hit compared to my sneaky pete cue.
So now I am resorting back to my sneaky pete cue that actually cost me 50$ instead of my 500$ cue. LOL.
djkx1 on 11/29/2006 2:35:52 PMYesterday I played the ghost 9-ball and lost with scores of 2-7,7-4,4-7. Today it was the other way around with 7-1,4-7,7-4.
So the last thing I have learned while playing pool is that the ghost seems to be very inconsistent.
And yes, I think it is a pretty good way to track your progress. Traditionally it is strictly offence and sometimes that can be annoying. I suppose everyone can add their own rules to include things like safeties but I never have. I do also find it very helpful to maintain focus. If I'm just hitting balls it is way too easy to start goofing off, but the ghost helps keep me in line.
This may prove that I'm a complete idiot, but what are the ghost rules?
- djkx1 on 11/29/2006 6:24:04 PM
Basically "playing the ghost" is like playing against the perfect pool player. The rules may vary depending who you ask, but this is my understanding.
You break, then you get ball in hand, and you run the rack out. If you miss you lose. That's it.
Play a race to 7 or 9 or whatever you want.
Some people have rules for if you scratch on the break while most people I know just continue with ball in hand regardless of a scratch on the break.
Shorty on 11/29/2006 9:28:45 PMThe one thing I have learned, no matter what cue is in my hand, when I am a certain level, I can get out. Period. Does not matter. It can be a darn broom handle.
bigpocket on 12/1/2006 8:57:18 AM
What I have learned is that I rack to well. LOL. Also I am realizing that I play pretty well with a house cue.
CaptainHook on 12/4/2006 10:47:30 AMI would say that the latest thing I learned while playing pool is my 8 Ball break.
Colin posted a YouTube video that really helped me.
I was using my 9 Ball break on 8 Ball and it was not working. The Video really worked for me, as I made the 8 on the Break twice while playing for just one hour against some friends.
cfryer5 on 12/4/2006 12:11:05 PMThat's awesome. Do you still have the youtube link?
- Shorty on 12/4/2006 1:30:22 PM
I too would love to see that video. In 8 ball I mostly use a second ball break, and a side break hitting the 1 ball in 9 ball.
- cfryer5 on 12/4/2006 1:56:06 PM
I normally put the cue ball one full ball to the left of the head spot and hit the head ball full. Maybe 3 quarters of a tip below center. Parks my cue ball in the middle of table and always sink a ball. Just not the 8.
- CaptainHook on 12/4/2006 4:31:30 PM
My 9 ball break was copied from my hero Mike Sigel, with a touch of that Allen Hopkins follow through.
I break from the balkline between the center and second diamond on the foot rail. If nothing goes in I switch sides, and if still nothing goes in, I start moving it a little at a time and hope for a sweet spot.
I hit the cue ball Low dead center and aim for the points if light on the one ball, cue ball jumps back about a foot to a foot and a half and sticks, unless it gets kicked.
My other break in 9 ball is just a touch above center, so the ball goes up in the air when it contacts the one ball. That was the old break I used up until the mid 1980's when I started ripping off Mike Sigel.
A-Train on 12/8/2006 4:17:10 AMI learned that when playing pool, you must never give up on a rack.
I walked to the table tonight with a rack that had lots of shots that are challenging to me. I got down, focused a little harder and made the challenging shots that I didn't anticipate making.
Although I didn't run out, I stayed intent on making balls instead of letting my preconceived notion that I wouldn't get real far take over.
acedotcom on 12/9/2006 9:43:34 AMLearning and billiards? It's a mysterious thing. Some days I think I've learned something but next day I go back and try to apply it and discover it was all a delusion.
Anyway, my most recent discoveries have been that if I take a squarer stance - facing the shot, feet open, right shoulder aiming along the target line - my stroke is truer and more reliable, especially on those length of the table draw shots where force is necessary. It seems to be working.
In Thursday's 9-Ball tournament, I played one of the best around here, twice, and beat him 4-1 the first time, and lost 3-4 the second. I made several of those long draw shots that night. It made me competitive.
Another thing I've been trying to correct (oh, I've got so many things to correct) is the impulse to snap the cue back after contact. I read somewhere that after contact you should consciously leave the cue extended in the follow through position as if you were posing for a picture. That seems to be doing it for me.
What's the Latest Thing You Learned Playing Pool?
- Title: What's the Latest Thing You Learned Playing Pool?
- Author: cfryer5
- Published: 11/26/2006 3:39:12 AM
