Archive for the ‘Billiards & Pool Tips’ Category
Safety Shots and Defensive Play in Billiards
Author: aclazaro
Just like in any other sports, there is what you call the offensive and defensive play. According to many sport experts, for you to be successful in any kind, you must be able to master both. When it comes to defensive billiard strategies and other safety shots, Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes is the one considered to be master. Even if for the average type of audience, he just seems to be pocketing all the balls, he is really one good kind of a defensive player.
To be able to play the term called ‘safety’, this means that you should execute a defensive move that would hinder the offensive game of your opponent. This would require though to buy time to plan your own defense. To block their easier shots will really give them some mental torture and can cause them to destroy their focus and cause them to make more mistakes. Play to their emotions well too and always keep your cool. Know when to play offensive and defensive.
Photos via azbilliards.com
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Learning The Defensive 8 Ball Strategy
Author: aclazaro
If you think that you are competing with someone who is better than you are, then you might want to consider learning the defensive 8 ball strategy to help in improving your chances of winning every game. There are a few essential techniques when it comes to the 8 ball strategies like learning the winning break, the shot speed, pocket holding and the choice of group.
Winning the break is never letting your opponent to take the first break shot. When you execute it, you must focus on the medium paced break shot and steer away from the full powered ones. Just concentrate on pocketing the two solid balls right on the wide ends of the triangle. Strive hard to pocket a few more solid balls right in the inning. To speed up your defensive 8 ball strategy, try shooting with a lower level of power. Always observe where the balls of your opponents are cluttered so that you can hold a pocket holding strategy in that area.
Photos via sunburstselect.com
Doing The Shape Drill
Author: aclazaro
To be able to execute the shape drill, you must settle for a 4.5 x 9 diamond or gold crown table. Make fifteen balls in a consecutive manner without having to touch or hit another ball or hit a rail. This is really a powerful cue ball control and shape exercise that you should try to do at least once a week. If you can do it once out of ten times, you are doing great. To make the first five to ten balls is simple.
This drill really requires a lot of concentration and efforts to be successful even at the very first time. With this drill, you will get frustrated and would want to give up. But the guarantee is that if you will force yourself to perfect the drill, then you will succeed and would want to repeat it over and over again. This will surely give you ideal command of your short cue ball control.
Photos via sal2009.com
Position Play With Rails
Author: aclazaro
From the 3-ball to the 4-ball, you must get to it to steer away from the traffic right in the middle of the table. To know this, you must play the pot striking about half a tip right below the center. There is really no need to use the side for this shot. Because if you do, much can go wrong if you even do it. You must aim to hit the side rails right at the 3rd diamond at position C with a tough stroke. With this, the cue ball will continue until it reaches the position D.
It is much better to strike the shot harder rather than do it softly. If you will strike it soft, you may not always get far enough up right the table to even have a chance of the 4. But if you will strike a bit too hard, the cue ball will just bounce off the head rail and go around diamond 14 or thereabouts.
Photos via ehow.com
Putting A Spin On The Cue Ball
Author: aclazaro
In putting a spin on the cue ball, you must try it out with a striped ball so that you can see all the action coming around. You must hit the 13 ball low and you will surely see it spin backwards for just a foot or so and then the zero spin when it slides on the table for a second. Then it will also pick up some natural forward roll.
To hit the stop shot, the cue ball must be sliding into the object ball so that there is no spin on it. The follow shot then requires the cue ball to have some forward spin and then the draw shot would require the cue ball to be spinning still backwards as it hits an object ball. To hit the follow shot, you must hit the cue ball for about 1 tip diameter right above the center with some smooth follow through and a level stroke.
Photos via billiardsforum.info
Tips On Position Play Billiard
Author: aclazaro
This is a common shot in 9-ball where you are to swing the cue ball around 1 or more rails for the position. But here you are on the 1-ball, the 2 will not go past 5, and the combo, well you might as well forget about it. The only pocket that the 2 goes into is similar to the 1. After the target of the shot is to pot the 1, draw the cue ball with a right hand side. Swing it off the 2 rails and then come to rest at Position D. You should be ready to play the 2 in similar pocket.
With too much draw, you may have to finish at position A. With too much side, you may have to finish right behind the 5 snookering yourself right on the 2. This particular shot would require some good feel for the pace of the table. You may also have to adjust the stroke that depends on how the table is playing.
Photos via billiardsexpert.com
Practicing the 3-Ball Drill Shot
Author: aclazaro
The concept behind this drill is to run perfectly the three balls in proper rotation. You must first take the three balls and throw them right on the table. With your cue ball in hand, line it up on the lowest numbered ball to first pocket it. Then get in the position on the next lowest ball. The first shot is the most critical because it should not just pocket the first one but also get in the position for the next ball. This next position should be perfectly lined.
If you get to miss any of those three balls, or you don’t get the ideal angle right on the second ball, you must start over. That is the rule of the drill. This drill will really help you be strict on your tough shots and would make no room for any wrong angle. By then, you should be able to become a better billiard player in time.
Photos via pool-billards-game.com
Planning Your Billiard Shot
Author: aclazaro
To plan your billiard shots is very important in any pool game. Billiard shot planning is as important as the skill of shooting itself. It requires a lot of thinking before a few innings and focusing much on where you will position your cue ball as you can do with the actual shot. Once the break shot has been done, you, as the shooting player should really inspect the complete layout of the billiard table.
The shooting player then should also inspect the layout for any of the patterns or sequences that you plan to do for you to win the game. You should pace yourself well in between shots. This habit would allow you to have time to always get your mind in the right planning of always doing the right next shot for you to be a true effective player. Remember that billiards is not just about skill. It is also for the intelligent ones in planning.
Photos via billiardclick.com
Performing the Break in 9-Ball Billiards
Author: aclazaro
When talking about breaking in general, you should bear in mind the following tips so that you would be able to do a proper break shot:
1. Never shoot from next to the head spot right on the head strong and hit the 1-ball in the rack directly. From here, you will contact the cue ball right above its center. There are some players who still do this but with majority of the professional billiard players, they do not do this anymore.
2. Use the floating cue ball where you can move it right about anywhere along the shoot and the head-string.
3. When you hit the cue ball, make it to the tip’s height above the center and have it get the 1-ball flush. This will make the cue ball to zoom away from the 1-ball in a slight manner and arrive to a dead stop.
4. To commit a major mistake on breaking would permit a wild cue ball which can really fly off the table and cause a scratch.
5. The main key is to be in full control of the cue ball.
Photos via forum.bncc.net
Constantly Improving Your Break Shot
Author: aclazaro
If you really want to improve on your break shots, you must not always concentrate on power but on control. This is very important when breaking the balls, regardless whether you are in the beginners, intermediate or advanced stage. Do not make it a habit to hit the rack so hard without coming to a scratch. During every break, remember to always just utilize the amount of power you can control which would of course vary on your present skill level.
The side break is much more recommended and you do this by placing the cue ball about 3 to 4 inches from the rail. This can be done even without the headstring. Do not try to use English on the break shot since it can be reckless to have the cue ball follow into the rack. And another is that you could miss the chance of making the cue ball be in contact with the right one.
Photos via videojug.com