Hi everyone. I hope everyone had a good holiday season, whatever holiday you celebrate. I hope you’ve been practicing, especially if you play in the amateur leagues. This is the biannual playoff season for APA right now. All the local championship teams are hitting the state finals now. If you are on a playoff team in the APA like I am, good luck to you all. If you’re not, keep practicing.

One thing I’ve noticed people having trouble with in the playoffs is very simple. They’re all good shooters, no doubt about it. What separates the men from the boys, so to speak, is composure. The playoffs are no different from a regular game, just more intense. How the intensity phases you is up to you. Keep your composure and shoot smart. Take a deep breath and think. Take some time between each shot, look the table over, and run scenarios in your head. Start playing the game out in your head, deciding what consequence your decisions may have. Treat it like you do life. You don’t go 90mph in a 40mph zone because you know any self-respecting police officer that may be in a parking lot a block away would nab you in a second. Think the same way about pool.

I’ve seen people taking risks and being way too aggressive. Don’t be afraid to make a killer safety. I have actually sacrificed a shot for a safety, with the knowledge that my opponent will put me in a position to run the table or that I will not potentially leave him/her in a place to do the same. Also, remember, if it’s a guess, it’s a mess. Beware thoughts during your shot of, “Oh %#@*, here we go,” or, “I’ll try this….” If it’s a guess, it’s a mess. That’s the time to try to play it safe.

NOW… if you’re just learning or have been hiding under a rock, let me teach you how to play a safety the best way I can using only words. I wish I could do a video right now for a visual. What you need to think of most is how you can leave your opponent with no good shot. Don’t rely on placement to force a kick or bank shot. That can likely result in the opponent shoving it back down your throat. Rely on blocking and nasty angles.

For instance, in the above diagram, assuming you have low balls (solids), you have two options. You could take that blue ball (the 2) up in the corner. If you miss, you leave the cue ball in excellent position for their shot in a couple different ways, or you could end up scratching (putting the cue ball in a pocket). For your second option, you could try to shoot a combo into the opposite side (bottom middle). Either one would be an acceptable attempt, but both are somewhat risky and you’re losing. The option I demonstrated with white lines is what I would do in this situation: a safety. Just BARELY skim the side of the red ball (the 3) lightly so you barely move it, if at all. Let the cue ball hit the rail and settle behind it. You’ve just blocked every shot the opponent has on that striped ball. Kudos to you. In most leagues, they HAVE to try to make contact with their ball, making it more likely you will have ball-in-hand, allowing you to run that table. Learning more complicated safeties and learning to see safeties will take time, but that is what practice is for. If you have good control over your cue ball, the possibilities are endless. You can find all kinds of cool places to hide that cue ball. Of course, you can always send me a message asking me what you did wrong or what you could do better and I will give you the best answer I have. Use the contact form for that. I will get back to you pretty quickly. Just remember that you either want to be CERTAIN you will make your shot or leave your opponent with nothing to shoot. If you can get your opponent to cuss every shot, you’ve succeeded.

I found a really good eHow article about playing safeties: How to Play a Safety in Pool. Here’s the video from the article:

If you have any questions about any of this or could use a few more safety scenarios mapped out to get the idea, please feel free to ask. Otherwise, good luck out there and stay tuned for more tips and tricks.

I know, I know. I don’t update enough. I’m sorry. I always mean to get on here more and update. I just get so busy. I think about it a lot though, because I am out shooting some stick all the time. I just forget by the time I get home. A night of pool is just so emotionally evocative. I promise, I will get back to regularly posting soon.

One of my Facebook fans, who is also a Facebook friend, Kyle Odell, wrote a wonderful rendition of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas that I think all pool enthusiasts, even occasional players, will fully enjoy, or find cute at least. This is by far one of my favorite renditions, and I just HAD to share it with my readers and friends. He published it yesterday on Facebook and I have published it here, with permission, of course. So, without any further, unnecessary ado…

The Hustle Before Christmas, by Kyle Odell

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the town,
It was silent and empty, no action was found.
The railbirds were nestled, all snug in their beds,
While visions of jump shots danced in their heads.
The tables were quiet, the cues put away,
I went to shoot drills, though I wanted to play.
The parking lot glistened with new-fallen snow,
And the lights from the pool room gave off a faint glow.
I stopped for a minute, ’cause I’d gotten out of line.
I bore down real hard and made a bank on the nine.
When outside the door there arose such a clatter!
I ran to the window to see what was the matter.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a jolly fat man and eight strange-looking deer.
He was dressed all in red from his head to his toe,
And he grabbed a case from his sleigh with a “Ho ho ho!”
He walked through the door and checked out the hall:
“I’m looking for action. Who plays nine ball?”
I made a small sound and he looked o’er my way.
He whipped out his cellphone and called his backers, by name:
“Hey Comet, Hey Blitzen, Hey Leroy and Scott!
I got some action, and this kid looks hot!”
He looked me up and down, in his obnoxious attire.
“Race to eleven? I’ll give you two on the wire.”
I finished the match, and beat the fat man in red,
When he smiled at his stakehorse, then turned and said:
“Do it again, kid? But I want first break….
Oh, one more thing…Double the stakes?”
I should’ve known better, but agreed just the same.
And I was amazed when I saw St. Nick’s game!
There were caroms and kick-safes before he was done,
And when he comboed the nine, I knew he had won.
So if you meet a man in red, take a moment to pause,
Or you too might get hustled by Ol’ Santa Claus.

A very special thanks to Kyle for allowing me to publish this. I hope it at least gave you a smile or a chuckle. Comments are MORE than welcome. I will make sure to pass them along in case he doesn’t come here and see them. While you’re at it, check out his friend’s awesome billiards store on eBay by clicking this link: Nielsen’s Billiards. No, I was not paid to say that. It really is a great online store. It’s too late to get a Christmas gift there, but check it out for yourself or another gifting opportunity.

Also, if you want to become my fan or friend on Facebook like Mr. Odell, please click on the Facebook logo on the sidebar and click “Become a Fan”. My profile is listed as admin on the page, so add me as a friend too. Join me on Myspace and be my friend. You can sign up for e-mail updates from my RSS feed, subscribe to my RSS feed, get my updates on Twitter… a whole bunch of stuff. I am so easy to keep up with. Go over to the subscription block on my sidebar and pick your pleasure.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year. I can’t forget my friends of other faiths and creeds, so, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever holiday you celebrate. We may celebrate different holidays, but the meaning is the same. We are celebrating something special to our faiths, and taking the time to cherish our family and those special to us. Drink lots of eggnog, and remember tomorrow is the last night before Christmas to get a few practice shots in. The bars and pool halls are mostly closed on Christmas. The cops are out and about on the holidays, so drive responsibly. (I’d say drink responsibly, but this isn’t a commercial, and who am I kidding anyway?) If you do go out tomorrow, remember… if you see a fat man in red, and it’s not me, you might be getting hustled by old St. Nick, so watch out.

Last but not least, I want to wish my friends on my old APA eight-ball team the best of luck. They hit the local playoffs and are one match away from their first state playoffs. If they make that, they win money and go to Vegas. Merry Christmas, fellas, and good luck! I’ll try to make it out there to your next playoff match!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! (Nobody sue me.)

Cheers,

Shooter

First, I would like to thank all the people who have subscribed to my e-mail updates through Feedburner. (If you have not yet subscribed, you can do that from the subscription widget I’ve added on the sidebar.) Please keep coming back and remember to start or join a conversation. You can do that in the comments section on the bottom of each post. (If you have any questions about a problem you are having with your game or need some tips, feel free to contact me through the Contact Me page or the comments. I’m sure I will be able to help, or help will come from one of the other good players that frequent the site.)

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Now, on to talking about pool. (Since that’s obviously why you’re here, right?) I got an e-mail asking how to stop a shot. Apparently this reader has had a problem with that. He says he’s run into trouble making a straight in side shot or close corner shot because the cue ball wants to roll. Well, I can tell you that everyone has had that problem from time to time, and it is arguably one of the hardest things to learn how to do. Part of that problem is the unneeded pressure you put on yourself when trying to make the shot, which will definitely mess you up. You might also be trying to hit lighter. A lighter shot makes every ball move a less amount, but after contact the cue ball will still want to move, just not as much.

I assume that you’re either hitting the cue ball really low, which solves nothing, or straight in the center. Most likely you’re hitting in the center, simply because that is how you learn to shoot. Here’s what you’re doing wrong: English is a beautiful thing… if used properly. (For those who don’t know, english is the act of striking the cue ball anywhere but into the center. I will detail that more at the end of this explanation.) In this case, you want slight English. Aim toward the center like you’re used to, but then aim the tip down slightly, just below center. Don’t be afraid to hit the shot normal speed, just hit it firmly. Don’t exaggerate your follow-through. The farther the object ball is from the cue ball, the farther low you need to hit the cue ball. If you are entirely across the table from the ball but still want to stop it, you have to hit total low english. Back spin is much harder that far from the table. Low english will just stop it.

This takes some practice, so try to get into a little corner bar on a Saturday afternoon or a weekday evening when not a lot of people are out and set up a few shots. The bar I go to has open (free) pool on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings. I like to go on those evenings to practice, when I will likely have one of those four tables to myself for at least an hour before someone I know wants a game. By then, my practicing is over.

When practicing this, first try something odd: Put the cue ball on the head space (the dot that creates the imaginary line you break from in a game) and another ball no more than two feet away from it going straight toward the breaking area. Hit the cue ball into that ball as straight as possible, firmly, not hard, with the slightly lower English I told you about. The cue ball should stop or roll back slightly after it hits. If you did it right, the object ball should come straight back and hit the cue ball again, bringing it back toward you. Don’t be disheartened if the cue ball moves backward or to the side slightly. You still basically did it. Even a professional can hit a stop shot 10 times and have the cue ball move somewhat twice. Your key here is to make sure the ball doesn’t contact and follow the object ball in the pocket.

As you have practiced that a few times, move your efforts to a side pocket or a corner pocket. Just make sure to move it to both at some point. I don’t care which one you use first, just make sure to use both before you leave. Set up an object ball about four inches away from the drop point of a pocket, just outside of the corners the rails create in the pocket’s vicinity. Line the cue ball up straight from it, and use the tips I gave you. Get to the point where you can hit the ball off the drop point and not drop the cue ball as well. If you can do this, congratulations, you’ve completed the task! If you or anyone else has any remaining questions, feel free to ask. I’ve found a video that illustrates this perfectly. I hope this helps for a good visual:

Here’s a quick english lesson. (By the way, click on the image to see it in normal size if it appears a bit too small.)

For more information on how english works, visit: http://www.squidoo.com/learnpoolshotsenglish and http://www.squidoo.com/topandbottomenglish.

If you have anything to add, please feel free to add it in the comments. I will add anything good to my post and credit you. I’d love to get the community working for us. Don’t miss my post tomorrow about pool sticks.

By the way, check out a couple things I found that can really help with someone’s pool game: Learn the best 8 Ball Secrets, Guide to Buying Pool Tables, and Develop Grip Strength.

Shooter

I went out to practice tonight, and I played nearly 30 games with several of my friends, some very good at pool, and some not so good. I decided after a couple of games that I would pay attention to the mistakes I noticed people making so I could make a mental note about them, and maybe write about them here. I figured I could not only improve my own game, but I could help to improve the way some of my readers play.

I figured out the ten biggest mistakes I’ve seen pool players make. Here they are, in the order I think they are most detrimental, starting with the least, ending with the worst:

10. Not Chalking the Stick – Never go more than two or three shots without chalking your stick. Have you ever totally “miscued,” creating a weird snap noise instead of the usual hearty “pop” sound a shot makes? Have you noticed how the ball goes all over the table and not where you expected? Chalk is free. Pick it up and rub that sucker all over the tip of your stick.

9. Breaking up clusters – The only cluster you should be in a hurry to break is the one in a triangle formation that starts the game. If you have two or three of your opponent’s balls tied up in a cluster with yours, try to prolong breaking that cluster up. Try to make your opponent break it up. There is a 95% chance that your opponent will not make anything from that shot, and it broke your balls out, very likely closer to pockets… leaving you the next shot.

8. Unnecessary Kick Shots or Bank Shots – I’m not saying kick shots or bank shots are bad. (In case someone doesn’t know, a “bank” shot is a shot where a player hits the cue ball into another ball with the intention of hitting it off the rail into a pocket on the opposite side of the table. A kick shot is where a player hits the cue ball off of the rail with the intention of the cue ball hitting their ball into a pocket on the opposite side of the table. These shots are similar, but they differ as to which ball is intentionally shot dead into the rail. See yesterday’s videos for more on these.) I love kicks and banks. I have used them to win countless games. They have also come back to hurt me against opponents who have a killer bank or kick shot. There is a rule I learned a long time ago, “If you can cut it, don’t bank it.” (In case I have a reader that doesn’t understand what a “cut shot” is, it is simply a shot that is not a perfect straight in shot. If you have to hit it at any angle, you are essentially cutting it. Most players reserve the term “cut” for a more difficult angle.) There are so many times I’ve seen a shot someone could have just as easily cut into the pocket, but they attempted to bank or kick it. If you cut it instead, you have more of a chance of making the shot or at least sitting it closer to the pocket, if not inside the corners. A bank or kick shot has less control and can veer off, be hit too hard, or be into the opposing rail, causing a more difficult shot on that ball later in the game.

7. Talking – Talking is a wonderful thing. I love talking to more experienced players, or players that have a different view on how a shot should be executed. Two problems are wrong with that: 1. If you are playing a league game, most leagues give you a penalty for talking to your teammates unless you have called a “time out.” 2. Even if it is legal to talk to your teammates or other players wherever it is you’re shooting, you run the risk of distracting yourself. The best pool players rarely take their eyes off the table. You can tell they are having a good time, but you can see the serious look on their faces. They mean business, and as much fun as they’re having, they’re here to win. There’s plenty of time to talk. Right now you have a game to win.

6. Not Looking over the Whole Table – That speaks for itself. You may be emotionally attached to a shot you just watched line up when your opponent missed. Don’t be so quick to take that shot. It might not be your best option. Look over the table. Play a little of the game out in your head. Ask yourself, “If I make this shot, where is the cue ball likely to go, and do I have a decent shot on another ball from that location?” Don’t be afraid to walk around the table for a couple of minutes while rubbing your beard. (I don’t care if you have a beard or not. Rub it.) One thing I started doing to help me slow down and look at the table is simply chalking up the tip of my stick. While I’m sitting there methodically chalking the stick, I’m a good two feet or more in distance away from the table. I’m looking. I’m thinking. I’m not checking out the beautiful blonde playing at the next table… not right now anyway. She’ll still be there when your turn is over. Right now you want to pick the best shot you have on the table. Choose wisely. Once that cue stick makes contact with the cue ball, it’s too late.

5. Food – Try not to order any food until after you’ve shot your games, unless you know that you will be a while until it’s your turn to shoot. You pay less attention to the game, miss important calls, and frankly, people are less happy to tell you if you have high balls or low balls (stripes or solids) if it’s the fifth time they have told you in this game.

4. Extremely loud music – I know, I know. You’re in a bar. You’re trying to party. I also know that music relaxes you. That’s fine. You just have to remember that you need a little remaining concentration to shoot pool. Instead of playing your favorite Slipknot song or Down With the Sickness on the jukebox, try playing some Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, or even some Country. Save the Finger Eleven, Pantera, and Marilyn Manson for after the game when you’re just having a couple of drinks afterward, playing around.

3. Alcohol Consumption – Sure, I like a drink or two when I’m playing. Who doesn’t? That’s why almost every bar has a pool table. Alcohol and pool go hand in hand. I fully support that. I shoot with a few people on APA who swear they play better drunk than sober. Good for them. Most people don’t shoot better drunk. Even those who think they do play better drunk seem to eventually get worse after they keep drinking. There’s a reason for the DUI laws in the United States. Your perspective of a straight line is considerably different under the influence. (We could have the argument of whether or not the DUI laws are exactly reasonable or not all day long. I’m not going there.) Let’s put it this way: If you are seriously concerned about the quality of your driving due to alcohol, which prompts you to sleep in your car or find a driver, you should probably be seriously concerned about the quality of your game.

2. Shooting Hard – Don’t get me wrong. There is a time for shooting hard. Unfortunately, 90% of the shots I see people shoot are entirely too hard. Hard shots are harder to control and are more likely to veer off of the trajectory that would place it in the pocket. I’ve seen a lot of straight in shots hit the corners of the pocket and bounce right out. I’ve seen people hit the ball so hard it hits the back of the pocket where the brace is, and come flying back into the table. The worst I’ve seen is when people hit a shot so hard that a ball, especially the cue ball, goes flying off the table out of control. (At this point, I jokingly hold my arms up like goal posts, and yell, “It’s good!”) My point here is that a harder shot has less control and you will likely hit a ball off the table or veer off course. If you do make the shot, it’s likely you’ve messed up placement for your next one, because only the God you worship will know where that cue ball is headed and if you will have a decent second shot.

1. Using Damaged Sticks – I cannot tell you how many people I played just grabbed a house stick out of the rack to use in a game without checking the integrity of the tip or the structure of the stick itself. I saw damaged tips, tips that wouldn’t hold chalk, and very warped sticks. If you want the perfect control over the cue ball, and ultimately your shot, the stick you use must be in good repair. The more immaculate the stick, the more you eliminate stupid mistakes.

If you have any mistakes to list, please feel free to drop me a comment. I’ll probably address it in a later post, plus I’d love to see a conversation start here about it.

Also, everybody check out my Cool Sites list. If you want to be on my cool sites list, just let me know and I’ll take a look at your site. Take care everybody, and happy shooting!

Shooter

Well, I play eight ball APA pool on Monday nights. It is a travel league. We play different teams at all sorts of different bars and taverns in the area, including our home tavern. (I am about to join a related nine ball team on Wednesday nights now that my Wednesday night in-house league is over.)

As promised, I’m posting about that, including anything really interesting or neat that happened that readers might be interested in. Unfortunately, not a lot happened that was really interesting, and there were no tips I could really bring anyone from that. The only thing I noticed is that many people are simply shooting too hard. I guess APA rules support people shooting too hard because the APA rules state that as long as you hit your ball first, if any of your balls go into a pocket, whether it was a planned shot or not, it’s still your turn. APA players call it “APA luck” or “APA love.”

I’ve also noticed one thing that bothers me a little. My team refuses to play “the numbers game.” Here’s what I mean: Eight ball APA players are rated from 2-7 based on skill. (Nine ball APA players can go down to a skill level of 1 if they are just that bad.) If a lower rated player plays a higher rated player, they have less wins required to win the match, based on said ratings. For instance, if a player rated 3 plays a player rated 7, the 7 has to win five games to take the match, while the 3 only has to win two games.

This is especially handy when you really want a win, and you have a very good 3 rated player. That 3, if on his game, can easily squeeze two matches from the 7, and you recorded a win. That’s called playing the numbers game. You match your players up, sometimes very unevenly, against players that are better than them (or worse than them), hoping that the numbers and some luck will see you through to a very victorious evening.

For some reason, the captain of my team refuses to play the numbers game. I’m only the co-captain, so I don’t have as much authority, otherwise we’d be taking more advantage of that, instead of playing everybody against their skill level, and praying we don’t have an unsuspected sandbagger against us. (Sandbag – To downplay or misrepresent one’s ability in a game or activity in order to deceive. A sandbagger is someone who intentionally loses matches early in a session to keep their rating low, giving an edge in the numbers game, later in the year.)

My APA team lost last night, the last night of the session, and did not make playoffs. I don’t have any active pool leagues until May, so I will be practicing and doing some research on more expert pool techniques so I can get back in fresh. I’ll keep posting here, hopefully everyday, about all of that and some other things. I want to get a forum going and get a real pool players’ community going here. Feel free to comment and feel free to contact me at: shooter(at)ishootpool(dot)com. (That was written the way it was to elude spam.)

Shooter