Cue Sport Group

Archive for the ‘Tutorials & Guides’ Category

When you search online, you can find lots of instructional and tutorial videos that talk about billiard skills. But only a few get to know about the Beginner Series of Robert Byrne Instructional Billiard Video, which amongst all have received numerous reviews. There was one expert review that even said that Byrne’s instructional billiard video helped in teaching his grandma how to play the sport.

It usually comes in two parts. The first one entitled as the Standard Video of Pool & Billiards while the other one is called the Standard Video of Pool & Billiards 2. They can be purchased individually or as a set so that you can already have the two in just one buy. The Volume 1 has the step by step guide from basic to advance skills. While Volume 2 already discusses all the experts skills and techniques meant for the advanced player to discover more. There are even computer generated graphics to make it clearer.

Photos via amazon.com

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If you are in search of one of the best books you can get that can offer you the best pool playing tips, then you must get the Byrne’s New Standard Book of Pool and Billiards. According to many reviewers, in the world of side pockets and cue sticks, this can be considered the gospel. This is already the 1998 revised version. Byrne is known to be a champion player himself, a very good writer and an untiring promoter of the sport, Byrne racks the books into two parts.

The first one is a primer on the pool sport while the second is focused on three-cushion billiards. It begins with the fundamentals, and goes to run to the table with lots of other readable advice and some detailed diagrams. It demonstrates how to play solo shots which also include trick shots and strategies for eight and nine ball competitions. It also discusses the important art of shot making and other tactics for playing at every level.

Photos via amazon.com

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Who would not know Danny Basavich? Also known as Kid Delicious, he remains to be one of the biggest names in the pool industry today. But believe it or not, he did not start that way. He actually went through a tough childhood and even got depressed most of the time.

It was the game of pool that set him back right on track. Together with his friend Bristol Bob, they came to a decision to earn a living through hustling. In this book, he retold the story of all the lows and highs of the hustling life and how he made it to be a legitimate and formal pool player.

Danny was able to get his aka nickname of Kid Delicious after he defeated another player called Kid Vicious. There are rumors that this book will soon turn out to be a film. You can get this book via Amazon for only around $9.23.

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This billiard book also serves as an autobiography of Heather Byer. Coming from the Midwest part of the country, she came to New York and in an instant became a successful executive in the movie industry. But in the middle of it all, she said that she felt some kind of emptiness in her life, and so she once again returned to pool for therapeutic purposes.

In her website, Byer discusses a lot of things with how she went through this transition and need in her life. She said that she can still remember clearly her first struggling attempts to know the game that really has captured her interest for years.

She said that she felt the pool has this effect of a hypnotic pool. It was like the same as using some kind of substance. But instead, with pool, you feel being addicted to the great quest of winning.

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To be able to master the game of billiards is not something that will not require any given set of accuracy and skills. You may be able to get some knowledge of the basics from those you know who already has some background about the game. Still, they might miss to teach you the most essential tips.

The only drawback that you might experience with learning the not so formal techniques is that you would get use to it already. By the time, you learn the right techniques already, you might find it too complex to adjust. You can get a formal coach or trainer to help you out but this might cost you big time.

So the best way to learn the interesting sport is to search online for ebooks and even DVDs. You can be sure to find lots of websites that feature such affordable manuals and guides to help you through with learning and mastering the entire sport.

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You may have probably stumbled upon this question in your mind once, but just like me has simply ignored it. So now, let us confront this interesting yet disregarded question about billiards. What is the difference between pool and billiards?

Nowadays, you would notice that they can be interchanged and end up being defined the same. But if we would take it on the technical definition, there are some differences. Billiards is when you play with smaller balls. There are only three balls being used namely the red, yellow and white. The two latter colors are the ones which can act as strikers. Billiards is also known to be the pool but without the pockets. Simply said, billiard is a form of pool.

They may have their own differences, but the two are fairly grouped to be as one for they are referred to be known as cue sports. It just depends on which variety of game you would choose to play.

Photo via catur-billiard.blogspot.com

The billiard balls would always be an important billiard equipment that you should properly take care of. Without them, you will not be able to enjoy this indoor sport. Imagine having nothing to strike on. So here are some good and basic tips you should know about on how you would take care of them:

Do not drop them on hard floors. Steer away from rolling and throwing them roughly for doing this can also damage your pool table. This would save you money from always buying new ones.

Keep them clean by wiping them with clean cloth every once in a while. You can use some mild soap and water. If you want to use some cleaning agents, you must first consult your billiards store nearest you so that you won’t use a cleaning tool that might damage the overall finish of the balls.

Preserve them by keeping them in a well-kept tray.

Photo via billiardclick.com

One of the first questions being asked by pool beginners is how to shoot frozen ball to the rail. It is relatively easy to answer if you know how to consider two important things on pool game namely angle of approach and the use of English. If you have a sharper angle approach, it is more difficult to make an accurate shot. To make it clearer, take the straight shot as having a large target that goes smaller as you shot angles out. Aside from this, the distance of the target ball to the pocket also contributes to the difficulty of the shot. The running English is also important because it can make a straight shot by having contact to the rail and object ball precisely at the same time or ahead with the cue ball. The answer to this problem is more practice. So can you share your experience with this particular shot?

pic via kimvergottini.com

Have you tried engaging to a game of pool and ended up having a hard time with neck pain. This condition happened if your pool stance is improper that you cause unnecessary pressure to some tender areas of your body including your neck. So how will you avoid this from happening? Remember that when you shoot, your arms should not be contributing to your neck strain. Whenever you practice or join a tournament, you should not let any portion of your either arm to be rigid even a bit. You need to learn how to relax hand muscles as well as the shooting arm from the elbow down. This is not an easy task and this will make you a highly skilled player as you also consider in the process your bridging arm and hand squeeze. Tight ones may cause undesirable tension that will later on develop to pain of the neck and shoulder areas. If you want to have a true fun, better start taking good care of yourself.

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Some will say that the technique that is most appropriate for the pool game depends from one person to another. I would not agree more, just like on where to grip the pool cue during the game. You must identify first some factors that may affect where you should grip it like the length of the pool cue and the pool cue balance point as well as your height. Let’s define some terms first. Balance point is where the cue stick will teeters on its own while you hold it with an index finger. Once you identified these, it would be easier for you to find the best gripping point. Your height also will set some changes but generally, grip the pool cue at least 6 inches away from the balance point going towards the butt area. The shorter you are, the closer you are to the balance point. The type of shot to be executed can also affect your grip as well as the position of the pool balls on the table. Can you share your own experience?

pic via billiards.about.com