I imagine most people here are great pool shooters. I’ve come up with a bunch of tips that help improve your pool game that a lot of people just do not think about. These do not teach you to play, but they can easily help you turn a couple of those missed opportunities into incredible shots.

Counting back from ten:

10. Confidence: A lot of people do not realize it, but if you approach the table and each shot with the utmost confidence, you’re sure to make a couple of those harder shots. I’ve seen a huge difference in my game, even when playing some of the best shooters I know, just from confidence. I went into a very difficult APA match on Monday a little scared and that helped cause me a loss that night. However, I was practicing Thursday, playing against somebody much better than my APA opponent, one of the best in the tavern I go to, and I ran the table within a few minutes, simply because I went in with confidence and a plan.

9. Walk through the game in your head: That’s the plan I just mentioned. When you’re faced with your first shot, think it through. Look at all available shots and figure out what pocket each shot will go in. Figure out where the cue ball should go after that shot by the way you’re shooting it and what shots that will leave you with. Do not make a shot until you’re sure you’ve accounted for every possibility. It doesn’t take long.

8. Cue ball placement: That cue ball can be your own worst enemy. I’ve been on a roll but then stopped myself by placing that cue ball in a horrible spot behind balls blocking all my shots. If I had hit it a little harder, a little softer, or at a slightly different angle, the cue ball would have placed in a much better place.

7. Don’t show off: Yes, you’re a very good player. Nobody doubts that. You like to show off, I’m sure. I do. If you show off, you can miss a shot. Don’t be afraid to make the safer cut shot instead of a nasty bank shot if possible. I am prone to a little showing off every now and then myself, so I understand the desire to fool around a little. If you’re really trying to win that game, showing off is counter productive at best.

6. Play it safe: One of my favorite things to do is play smart. Against a better player, I like to shoot safe shots. (Playing a “safe” or “safety” is when a player shoots a legal shot that is intended to place the cue ball in a position that causes an impossible chance of the opponent making a shot.) Sometimes you can give up a risky shot or one you cannot run the table with by playing a safe, which may force the opponent to mess up and leave you in a much better place, or, even sweeter, give you a ball-in-hand.

5. Follow through: If you poke at the ball like it’s a smoldering coal in a charcoal grill, you will get nowhere. Hit firm– not necessarily hard– just firm. Follow through slightly as if you are shooting through the ball, not at it. Combined with that is not hitting too hard.

4. Chalk up your stick: You can miscue if your stick is not chalked properly. Some players chalk after every shot. I do. I do it for two reasons. The first reason is that you are much less likely to miscue. The second reason is that I can take the time to look at the table and plan while I am chalking up my stick. Taking that breathing room to chalk up your stick forces you to take plenty of time that you can use to look, think, and calm your mind down.

3. Place your hand on the stick in the right place. Too many people hold their cue stick closer to the butt of the stick. Hold your stick loosely in the insides of your fingers allowing it to tip at the heavier end. Balance it so it doesn’t move unless you do, and then choke up about three or four inches so the butt end is slightly weightier if you try to balance it. That is arguably the best place to shoot from. It may seem weird at first, but it gives you much more control and reduces stick vibration in the middle of the shot.

2. Focus: The band, music player, or jukebox may be playing your favorite song. You may be in a strip club with the obvious distractions. Your buddy may have just said, “Hey! Let’s do a round!” It doesn’t matter. Until you make that shot, the only thing that matters is that shot. From the time you have eyed up a shot until the time you complete the shot and the balls stop moving, keep both eyes and your undivided attention on the table.

1. Slow down: Don’t make shot after shot real fast. Slow down, look at the table, figure out ball movement and cue ball placement. Have you ever heard a pool player say, “bang-bang-bang-bang”, referring to making shot after shot? Don’t actually try to do it that fast. take your time, measure up your shot, check out what shots you will have when that shot is done. Chalk up your stick after every shot if it helps slow you down.

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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