Anyone here play pool?

[Say Ocean]

I just started and kinda suck, need some pointers

[Fender Picker]

The first thing to learn is...
You PLAY billiards...
You SHOOT pool.
FP

[nodachi]

learn geometry. angles FTW

[Fender Picker]

Make sure your cue travels straight as an arrow when shooting.
FP

[anti-flag193]

Only the pocket version.

[Illuminatus]

First step is to get lots of practice, getting your angles right so can sink your balls. Secondly is to strategize, picture the aftermath of your shot. The key is to set yourself up for your following shot. Picture where the whiteball is gonna stop, making sure your next shot will be easy, even if that means making the harder shot first (ill risk the harder shot over the easy one to ensure this). This can be controlled by your power, backspin, frontspin even sidespins on the whiteball. Also try to practice your bankshots, they can come in very handy

[lenduffy]

As far back as I can remember I have been fascinated by pool and billiards. As a kid in San Francisco I used to skip school a week at a time and do nothing but stare through the windows of pool halls. What I saw was paradise: guys who didn't have to wear knickers, who played pool all the time, laughing and gambling and bull{censored}ting. There was a Greek joint on Kearny Street that I liked because I could sometimes sneak in and take a few shots-this was in about 1986, when I was only fifteen years old. Usually before I had time to chalk my cue the chief Greek had me by the ass of the pants and was slinging me through the door. I can still feel myself getting hoisted by the crotch and run across the floor on my tiptoes. In a year's time I gave that Greek a hell of a workout. He finally said I could stay, but only if I was with my father. My father had left the picture years before-he just walked out, my mother said-so I had to spend my school lunch money to hire one, which was no problem. Every pool hall had practically a regular staff of old geezers sitting around soaking up the heat, and whenever I showed up with change jingling in my pocket a dozen of them got to their feet and volunteered to be dad.

[riffy]

I shoot a decent stick... Cue control is the key. Shot velocity and cue angle are big things.I used to practice shooting into a plastic coke bottle. The end you drink from with the small hole...lol... Nailed it to a table and practiced sticking the cues tip into it with all types of shot hardness.... You wouldn't believe the difference that made in my cue control...

 

Next comes ball control... Whole new ball of wax!

[Say Ocean]

What are some tips on getting more control besides just plain ol' practice? I'm a complete n00blet ...

[facefirst]

I play god. does that count?

[code_blue]

Pool is not cool.

[Illuminatus]

I'm a complete n00blet ...

Indeed

[knucklefux]

first thing you want to do is get your stroke under control. you want to lock your arm at the shoulder, and let is swing freely at the elbow. you want your hand to travel in a straight line, without wobbling side to side.

 

chalk is your friend, use it before EVERY shot.

 

while learning your angles, try to strike the ball with the cue so that the tip hits dead center of the ball. once you've learned you angles, and can sink balls relatively easily, you can start learning english. you could do english now, but it would just make learning the angles harder.

 

practice...it's just like anything else...no one has a gift for it, the ones who are good at it are good because they practice. usually, they practice because they love it.

[rrrajo]

I have a disgusting collection of Custom Cues. Almost rivaling my Guitar Gear Collection.

[TU BE]

Playing 9 ball helps you learn to do more difficult shots and combination shots because you HAVE to hit the balls in numbered order.

[Illuminatus]

Playing 9 ball helps you learn to do more difficult shots and combination shots because you HAVE to hit the balls in numbered order.

 

 

True...

[BaldGuy]

Practice and don't play anybody for money for awhile.

[Zakko]

buy a table!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thenakedarab]

First step is to get lots of practice, getting your angles right so can sink your balls. Secondly is to strategize, picture the aftermath of your shot. The key is to set yourself up for your following shot. Picture where the whiteball is gonna stop, making sure your next shot will be easy, even if that means making the harder shot first (ill risk the harder shot over the easy one to ensure this). This can be controlled by your power, backspin, frontspin even sidespins on the whiteball. Also try to practice your bankshots, they can come in very handy

To hell with picturing where the cue ball will end up, make that bitch go where you want it to. Set yourself up with a string of shots, and learn when to shoot soft, and when to shoot with some power.

Also, he was right on with taking the hardest shots first in most cases, but sometimes it is better to take what the table gives you for your first shot, and then take the harder ones after you've got that first ball or two down. But always, always, be aware of where you want the cue ball to stop, and make it happen.

Very important, learn to break with power. I usually start most games up by one or two balls when I break because I break so hard. I've also won more games by sinking the eight on the break than anybody I've played with on a regular basis for that same reason, including one night where I won 3 games in one night like that. If you don't hit the cue ball straight on though it will go flying, so make sure your cue is level with the center of the cue ball when it contacts for the break. Too much top spin and that sucker will go flying when it makes contact with the balls.

I break dead on center, straight at the 1 and whack the {censored} out of them.

[thenakedarab]

I have a disgusting collection of Custom Cues. Almost rivaling my Guitar Gear Collection.

I love spanking people that come in with custom cues, their own talc, gloves, etc, using the just straightest stick off the rack and no talc. Talc is for pussies.

[thenakedarab]

first thing you want to do is get your stroke under control. you want to lock your arm at the shoulder, and let is swing freely at the elbow. you want your hand to travel in a straight line, without wobbling side to side. chalk is your friend, use it before EVERY shot. while learning your angles, try to strike the ball with the cue so that the tip hits dead center of the ball. once you've learned you angles, and can sink balls relatively easily, you can start learning english. you could do english now, but it would just make learning the angles harder. practice...it's just like anything else...no one has a gift for it, the ones who are good at it are good because they practice. usually, they practice because they love it.

 

 

Yes

 

Yes

 

Yes

 

and yes

 

Ohhh, btw I almost forgot, step into your break a little. It's like the twist of the hips when your hitting a baseball, and can make all the difference.

[Illuminatus]

 

To hell with picturing where the cue ball will end up, make that bitch go where you want it to. Set yourself up with a string of shots, and learn when to shoot soft, and when to shoot with some power.

 

 

That's kinda what I was saying, maybe I just worded it wrong.

 

And I agree with the breaking power, I smash those mofo's full rip, Ive sunk the 8 many a time off the break, its really just a fluke though, but lots of power seems to help the odds.

[thenakedarab]

That's kinda what I was saying, maybe I just worded it wrong. And I agree with the breaking power, I smash those mofo's full rip, Ive sunk the 8 many a time off the break, its really just a fluke though, but lots of power seems to help the odds.

It's just about removing the constraints, and deciding your fate.

And yes it is "a fluke" but hitting hard makes sure the eight gets outside the mish mash of the other balls and has greater odds of reaching a pocket. It also puts it up near the rail alot more often, getting it out of the middle area of the table, and thus out of the way of most other possible shots.

[Illuminatus]

It's just about removing the constraints, and deciding your fate. And yes it is "a fluke" but hitting hard makes sure the eight gets outside the mish mash of the other balls and has greater odds of reaching a pocket. It also puts it up near the rail alot more often, getting it out of the middle area of the table, and thus out of the way of most other possible shots.

Pool is like chess, you don't just make a move, you gotta think a little

As far as breaking I do the same, smash them from the center, full rip. Watch that 8 ball squirm around, I agree.

[Knottyhed]

I just started and kinda suck, need some pointers

Figure out where you need the cue ball to strike the target ball to get it in the pocket, then when you take the shot - concentrate on where you want to hit the target ball rather than worrying about where the pocket is. You should find you play better (assuming you have a clue about the angle you need to hit of course).