Cue Sport Group

Archive for the ‘Amateurs’ Category

Watch Hoppe, Greenleaf and Willie Mosconi. You will see is them flicking their wrist into every shot they make. It’s what they do to make the cue ball dance the way they want it to. When you’re swinging all your wrist and forearm together as one, you can’t flick the wrist like Mosconi because you never cock it back so it can unload and flick into the ball.
You need to begin your stroke not by moving your forearm back, but with a back bend of your wrist that moves your forearm along behind it. At the back of the swing you then release the cocked wrist with a flick and again the wrist leads with the forearm following through the ball.
Let the arm hang loose, now bend the wrist back, farther and farther until pain hits you, then flick it hard, that is your power to your stroke. Your break shot will double in power. You goal is to see how far you can learn to bend your wrist back and that’s how you can measure the force on each shot.

Cue ball positioning is your key to get that next shot perfect. It’s all about setting up a plan until you get it all right on the pocket. Or, on the other hand, make it a tricky shot for the opponent.
Positioning of the cue ball depends on the strength of the shot, the cue ball spin whether it’s on top or base or combined with side. This affects the travel and the angle to which the cue ball will be positioned.
Tips:
Back spin – Back spin is used to stop or reverse the cue ball after impact.
Top spin – Using top spin causes the cue ball to spin faster in the direction of travel. These results in the cue ball moving further than it would naturally, following impact with a cushion or object ball.
Now remember, the cue ball position is your key to that next shot. Take your time standing, thinking, planning and making sure that that cue ball is right where you need it.

When you shoot the cue ball across the table to cut shot, it becomes likely that your cue ball falls into that side pocket. The slightest miscalculation can lead your cue to scratch in the side. Besides this, it becomes even harder to focus on leaving the cue ball on the left side of the side pocket. This shot should not be done unless you rehearsed it multiple times and are already fully comfortable and confident on not making any miscalculations.
Do not use the side spin as you may first instinctively consider on doing first. You may concentrate on doing the top and back spin instead to reduce the number of variables involved. It will also increase your consistency from table to table. When you have this mastered, you will have a feel on pocketing the 1 then positioning your cue ball for the next shot.
Avoiding the side pocket is a sound advise for beginners but once mastered, it can be a trick you can bring along with you to get you that win.

Pool is a very challenging game and that’s why we love it. If it were easy, never missed a pocket, We’d easily get tired of it. The best pool players in the world have the skills. Damn right they have “IT”. But one thing we might miss seeing that these champions have is that it requires much more than just the skills. It is, in fact, a thinking game. Physics; unlike any other game, it demand much precision. You know why? Look at it this way. Other games played on the greens do require physics but there is much space for adjustments. In pool, space for adjustments? You have 4 1/2′ by 9′, or 8′ by 4′, or 3 1/2 by 7′. There isn’t much space in there for adjustments. Given this sport being played on an area so small, you need to have focus, focus and focus. “The Thinking Position” is a very crucial part of every shot you take. Seeing the patterns, shot angles, ball paths, and layout problems. When you lean towards that table and you had the slightest feeling of doubt, go back. Stand up and go back to your thinking position. One millimetre of mistake could cost you missing that pocket. And ultimately, the game.

If you’ve been watching billiards or pool game on your television set, you may have seen some magic shots where the balls may seem hypnotized. They amazingly do turns in circles and on some instance, balls are gone in just one fast shot. These are trick shots or sometimes referred to as artistic pool.

Players may also opt to utilize some materials as props to enhance appearance and even complexity. Though you must admit that it is quite entertaining, it would leave the audience with the question on how they did it. If you are a beginner, just focus on the less difficult ones both on the execution of the shot and the set-up. As you gain experience as a player, you will learn the harder ones which might include some ball spins and air jump. So for now, just take things one at a time.

In the olden times, they had “lawn games”. More known to us now as croquet, golf and other games played on vast greens. Louis XI was fond of croquet. Billiards being very similar to the lawn game of croquet; Luis XI had the first known indoor billiard table made. He popularized the game among the nobilities of France. It soon became present in every cafe in Paris. It also became popular to the men in England.

The mace once used to prevent the ball form rolling off, now used for shots under the cushion. The game has evolved. Then the cue was finally developed in the 1800’s.

The game has gained its popularity. Tables and its equipments were built by John Thurston in Europe. From wood and clay, balls were be made from Ivory for the rich.

From Europe, it is now being dominated by a man from the other side of the world. Efren “Bata” Reyes of the Philippines has been known as the one of the all-time greats in the games of nine ball and one-pocket. Would Louis XI have ever thought that the game he loved to play and popularized was going to be conquered by a Filipino?

Once you have an idea of what a trick shot is, you may wonder if that’s all in it. The answer is no because it is a broad interesting game. Let me help you narrow down the categories under it. First is the artistic shot where a number of balls dunk in the pockets at the same time. The set-up of the balls is the vital factor of this kind of shot.

Skill shots belong to the second category where the execution gives more critical element to the play. If players were aiming for this kind of shot, the balls are expected to have some spins upon collision. If you are more inclined to one kind of shot than the other, better give more time to practice the harder ones.