Pieces Of Eight - Tip Of The Week

 

Number: 51 Jim Tellier May 2012

 

TOPIC: Get Close To Your Work!

 

CATEGORY: Intermediate - Advanced

 

INTRODUCTION:

 

I think that most intermediate skill-level players have a tendency to overlook something basic that would seem to have a lot of potential to at least increase the number of balls they may be able to run out. Time after time, I see situations like this:

* you get ball-in-hand from your opponent,

* you line up your first shot on one end of the table, shooting it into the corner pocket; you make it.

* problem is, your next shot is down at the other end of the table! Sure, you can see it but its 3 or 4 feet away!

$$$ - Remember this: if the Cue Ball is more than about 30 inches away from your target object ball, the degree of difficulty for the shot goes WAY up!

And. It gets even worse if the shot happens to require any amount of cut angle!

 

What to do? At least think about trying to move your CB closer to the target OB especially in cases where you get ball-in-hand. Make the best of it!

 

 

TECHNIQUE:

 

First, although I emphasized the ball-in-hand situation above, the same thinking obviously applies to shots where youve already left yourself in a given position. Or your opponent left you there. Whatever the case, think ahead to (at least) the next ball you want to sink, and try planning to get a reasonably easy shot at it. How to accomplish that could fill an entire book on position play. But some simple goals can help you make that next shot a little easier:

 

Use the natural angle that the Cue Ball takes after it contacts an Object Ball, to plan the path of the CB.

 

Make use of that path, and also that of the CB when it comes off of one or more rails, to visualize getting the CB closer to your next target.

 

When practicing or warming up, shoot the same repetitive cut-shot several times, paying attention to the path of the CB after the shot.

Vary each one of these variables, one at a time, and do the same repetition until you get a feel for the results:

         Cut angle

         CB Speed

         Distance from CB to OB

Its important not to change more than one thing at a time, so that you can really begin to understand why the results vary.

Set up hypothetical situations where you want to get position on ball B after pocketing ball A. The number of variations is, obviously, infinite. But using just the 3 parameters listed above, and repeating the drill for the same A and B ball positions will give you a lot of information that your brain will store away, and before too long you will see those patterns come up in games and you wont even have to think about how to shoot them your brain will just pull up the images that youve created by practice. After you do that for a while, eventually you will be able to devote your conscious thought activity to strategy more than to technique while you are at the table.

Now, youre playing pool!

 

Capn Carom

 

p.s. - Theres always a lot of information on Dr. Daves site: www.billiards.colostate.edu

 

May your Next Shot be on the 8-ball!