Johnny Is Moving

Two things of note today:

1) Blogger has finally decided to make things easy and added the ability to use templates to pretty-fy yourself.

2) It doesn't matter to me because I'm moving!!

My new blog is http://www.johnny101.com

All of my existing entries (aside from this one) have been moved to the new site.  The new site has a much cleaner look and feel, but with all of the same features. So, please, update your bookmarks/feeds/etc.

More Tournaments

I'm always be looking for ways to improve my game and one of those ways is to put myself in pressure situations.  Lately, when I've been feeling good, I've had the idea to play people for some small amount of money just to add a little bit of pressure - but that, strangely enough, hasn't really panned out too well.  Meaning, I can't find opponents that are comparable to my level.  They're either far above me or considerably below.  As such, I'm looking for tournaments, small local events primarily.  There are a few weekly events available, but I'm leery of them.  Mainly because they're all on barboxes, and I don't play as well on them as I do on the 9fts. 

Well, I've decided that I must put those equipment limitations away otherwise I'll never get any training.  There's only the hope of a random 9ft open tournament twice a year and I want to do more than that, so I must adapt my playing appropriately.  If I'm to be a good all-around player as I want to become, I must be able to adapt to the table - both in size, speed and reflections. 

I'm not sure that I'll make the weekly tournament for this week since I'm currently pretty sick right now, but next week there is a very big tournament.  A Midwest 9-ball Tour stop happening at The Break, over in Cahokia, IL.  I'll be attending probably as a spectator since I'm not sure I feel prepared to take on some of the big names that will show up.  I'd like to go tonight, if only to watch, but I know that I'll end up staying there all night and I just don't feel good enough, physically, to do that.  I would love to get out of the house though. heh

In the meantime, I'm going back to watching the Diamond 10-Ball Championships happening at the Super Billiards Expo down in Valley Forge right now!

[Pool Synergy] Pool and the Mainstream

This month's issue of Pool Synergy is brought to you by Alison Fischer of NYCGrind. Click the logo above to view the complete list of this month's articles.

The topic of discussion for this edition is "Pool and the Mainstream".  My own interpretation of this topic yields many thoughts, but I'm going to focus on how the public views pool and what the pool world can do to help itself.

Think about your city, how many places can you find a pool table? You might not even realize it, but it's probable that you could drive no more than 5 minutes and find a table. Pool tables are in nearly every bar in every town. I bet you all knew someone in highschool who had a pool table at their house. In the rich part of town, I bet most people with a big house had a pool room, complete with walls covered in pool posters and accessories.  Big company executives sometimes have pool tables in their offices, on their yachts, in their beach houses.  Pool is everywhere, but it is nonexistent in the mainstream sports world.  How can this be?

I think it all boils down to how the general public is entertained; especially in the United States.  Think of the two biggest sports in the US: Football and Baseball.  Why are they so popular?  Honestly, think about it for a minute.  The action comes in very small spurts.  Most plays are over in a matter of few seconds. How does this keep millions of people entertained for hours at a time?  Some say it's the anticipation of a big event; a 50 yard touchdown run, a 3-run homer, etc.  Basketball is a non-stop action sport, as is hockey. Yet, people seem to prefer baseball to basketball; football to hockey.  Why?  It could be because the rules for hockey and basketball and somewhat more complicated than baseball and football - to the average viewer.


It follows then that the more complicated a game is, the less entertaining it is to the general public.  I don't really want to believe that.  I want to believe that the general public is educated and perfectly capable of understanding what's going on while watching a masters game of Chess or Go.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.

People like to watch what they know - not what they have to learn to watch.

In addition to this, is the celebration that happens during an event.  A home run is very exciting when surrounded by 40,000 screaming fans, absolutely - and anyone can share in that enjoyment, regardless of skill level or understanding.  They know it was a good hit because it easy to determine based on what they can see: the distance the ball traveled.  The same follows for any "spectator sport" of this nature.  When the outcome of a play is easily determined by simple observation, people like it.

I think this is why sports like golf and even bowling are as popular as they are: it's easy to determine the outcome by visual means.  "That ball is very close to the hole now, must have been a good shot." "All of the pins are down, good throw."

Pool doesn't have this luxury.  To someone who doesn't play pool, a great positional shot means nothing.  All they see is someone making a series of "easy" shots with no understanding how they ended up with those easy shots. To be able to enjoy watching pool, the viewer must already know how the game is played and what's involved in making those shots.

This is something of a catch-22 for the sport of pool.  In order to gain new audiences, they must make it available to the masses.

Fortunately for us, the foundation for this mass expose is already being laid.  There are literally hundreds of free online web-streams showcasing pool around the world being shown on the internet almost daily.  With each new stream, comes new games, new commentators, new characters for the public to follow.  Some of them are serious, some are mellow, others are lighthearted, and a select few are just downright funny.

My hope is that sooner, rather than later, someone from the big networks will see one of the larger streams and realize that the public actually likes pool. Once they stop and realize this, they'll be more eager to be the first ones to market it, nationally, globally even.

ESPN is currently the only channel that regularly shows pool on tv.  The organizers of the WPBA were clever enough to make an arrangement with them for this privilege.  I sincerely hope that other professional pool organizations (WPA, BCA,etc) follow in their path.  Bringing men's pool to tv would in the least, more than double the number of events to cover - thereby doubling the number of advertising spaces; which should make it easier to sell to other broadcasting networks at some future date.  Once the networks start making money, the leagues can start getting more sponsors - which will lead to the players earning more - which could make the dream of being a professional pool player for a young player something far more tangible than it is today.

I really think that the next generation of pool players are going to change the pool world - and even more importantly - the entire public opinion of pool.  The level of players currently found in the pro-am and junior leagues is outstanding and, hopefully, once the public gets wind of this new crop of talent they'll want more of it.

TWO!! Successfully Completed IPAT 9-Ball Layouts

So, as I've mentioned in earlier posts that I often run a number of drills during my practice time.  Several of them are 9-ball layouts, and some of those are part of the IPAT (International Playing Ability Test).  Typically when I run those drills I don't hold myself to a particularly high standard - meaning that if I miss a ball, I keep shooting just to see if I can get back in line.  But I had never successfully ran the entire table without fouling or missing before.  Yesterday, I was determined to do it.

I started shooting/warming up with 10-balls tossed out, I did that for a while until I felt decently in focus.  Then I started with this layout:

As far as layouts go, this is what most would consider "fairly easy" - but given the trouble it's caused me over the last few months, I wouldn't call it that.  Yesterday, however, I really felt confident that I can and would run this table successfully.  I almost always made it to the 6 before really getting out of line and having to start over for one reason or another, and it was frustrating to be sure, but I kept at it. Took several deep breaths before each re-rack and started again, keeping in mind the mistakes from the last run.  Not letting them scare me, but using them to let me know what I did wrong and how I fix it this time.

It took me 9 failed attempts, but on the 10th, I did it.  I ran it. I can't say perfectly because I got a little thin on the 9 ball, but I made the shot. I made all 9 shots, sequentially and with relatively decent position!  I finished it and wanted to let out of a giant YEAH!!!  but no one would've understood, so I gave myself a small fist-pump and went to write down my stats.

You can see a video of how this layout is ran here, courtesy of ForceFollow


After I gathered myself from my happy place, I decided to move on to the next drill instead of ruining this one by trying it again.  I picked up this layout from my binder and arranged it on the table:

Now this one is a bit tougher in my opinion - although on my 3rd attempt I ran to the nine and got a little cocky with it and super-stroked it, which much to my extreme dismay, left the 9 jarred in the pocket.  That only game me more drive to finish it because I came so close that time.  Unfortunately, it took me 15 attempts, but I successfully completed that one too!!  And again, I wanted to give a big HELL YEAH, but again opted for the quiet celebration.

I went on to the next layout:

But this one eluded me.  You'd think getting from the 3 to the 4 would be simple, and it should be, but since I always got too long on the 3, I ended up with bad position on the 4 to make an easy transition to the 5.  I once made it to the 7, but played it too cautiously and jawed the ball.  I went on from there as if I had made it and ran the last two easily enough - but this will be the next drill on my plate for sure.

The Ultimate Pool Challenge Game

After reading Samm Diep's review of the Ultimate Pool Challenge Game, I decided that I needed to get it.  So, I just ordered it.  With any luck, it'll be here by the end of the week and I'll have some new things to do over the weekend.  Anyone that enjoys new tricks and is looking for a fun way to challenge themselves and their friends should really check this out.  You can see a PDF containing 5 sample cards here. 

If anyone does get it, please make sure you buy it by clicking through the PoolDawg links on any of your favorite player's websites to help them out as well. For example:

Help Samm Diep.   (click the link she provides in the article to purchase)
Help Liz Ford. (just click the PoolDawg banner to enter the site then buy what you need)
Help Sara Rousey.  (just click the PoolDawg banner to enter the site then buy what you need)

More Kicking

I just have a few minutes, but I've been meaning to post this since Tuesday...  After my 8-ball league, I played a teammate some cheap 9-ball sets... it turned out to be a great time.  My 2 personal "super shot of the match" moments are below:

These were a bar-table with the usual questionably-reliable rails/cloth.

He played safe on me, and after a long while of looking around for various options and really not trusting the 1-rail kick with english (to avoid the side-pocket), I opted to go 3 rails at it.  It worked and I got a rewarded even. :)

 

A few games later I ended up nearly dead straight on the 7-ball.  Earlier in the night I hit a power-draw shot in this situation and actually overran position, so I was hesitant to do it again.  Instead, I cheated the pocket a bit and loaded it up inside-force-follow to back down-table.

I am REALLY liking my new stroking skills - as well as my new diamond systems. :)

Got Stroke?

So, last Friday night I went back to The Break and met up with Gene for some good practicing.  It wasn't an outstanding night by any means, but late in the morning he noticed some things I was doing wrong with my stroke.  So, after a lot of explaining and re-explaining and demonstrations, I think I finally got it. :)

I found the basics of a proper stroke a while ago and describe it in this post (towards the bottom) but was never able to really put any power into it.  It was almost always a finesse type of stroke.  I did see my accuracy improve greatly though and have been trying to work on making every shot this way, but I still had some issues maintaining it.  Well again thanks to Gene, I was able to work out some timing kinks in my stroke and can now put some real power into it.

After we worked out the issues, we just shot a variety of power stroke shots, including these:

 

  

  

It was really amazing to see that cue ball dance around the table, knowing that it was *ME* that was doing it. I was almost giddy shooting these things.

I gotta say, I absolutely LOVED the amazing difference in the sound of my cue - it has such a distinct *PING* to it when it's stroked.

I really can't wait to get back on a table and continue shooting these shots - along with the others from the last time we had a learning session. 

I feel like the roadblock I mentioned in this post has finally been overcome.  I had a strong feeling I was on the verge of a new breakthrough, and I think this could be it.

Now, only the last of my very serious areas of concern remain: speed control.  Just lagging up and down a table is fine, but I have to be able to quickly and knowledgeably adjust speed based on my perceptions of the table-speed, the cut angle and the english I'm  using.  I think now with my new skills and the existing drills I have, I can seriously work on this last, largely misunderstood, area.

I think I'm in prime shape to prepare myself for the tournaments coming up later this year. :)

Now I can finally get this shirt:

3-Rail Kicks: The Short Rail System

As I mentioned in my last entry, Saturday night I learned 2 different 3-rail kicking systems.  The first one, which I'll refer to as the "Short-Rail-System" (SRS), is depicted below.

The system is based on 3 simple paths: Along the target short rail: near diamond, middle diamond, far diamond.  To get to these three points, you aim for a relative set of three points along the starting short rail.  As the cue ball moves up and down the long rail, you adjust the contact point of the starting short rail accordingly.  It's much like a slide-rule actually.  I'm leaving out the specific details because it's not my system to teach; although I'm sure it exists by other various names, the person who taught it to me claims it's his in design, so I won't spoil the info if he wishes to publish it.

I will say that when hit properly and with a bit of table luck, it's 98% accurate, and as such while I was learning this system, I was given this challenge.  Hit the 5 going 3-rails.  I recognized that this was a 2-way shot: Aim to hit it thin, chance to make it - if not, the CB will probably go elsewhere.  I took my time, lined up, made the distance adjustments and hit the shot.  I made the 5 on my first attempt. 



(Here's a jpg of the diagram for those shockwave-challenged viewers)

I also learned the basics of the diamond system and the clock system.  The clock system is something I'm really excited about - specific to my game by way of safety-plays. :)  Now, when I play the safety dance game I'll have 2 systems to exercise, not just educated guesses. :)

I have to admit though, with my mathematical enthusiasm, I'm a little disappointed in myself for not devising on my own some of these patterns.  I knew that existed, I could see them - but I never took the time to study them to put them in order.  I will rectify this when I notice the next thing.

Late Night Pool

So, last night I headed over to The Break for the first time.  I got there around 10ish and around 11:30 Gene arrived and we played until about 6 in the morning. :)  It was a good time - and very informative.  He showed me a couple of 2 and 3 rail kicking/banking system - as well as a 3-cushion system that will be extremely useful for playing safeties regular pool.

I would share them, but I don't have them down 100% just yet and I don't want to describe them incorrectly.

Now, I'm going to watch the WPBA Regional Tour live stream and relax for a while.

It'll Get Worse Before It Gets Better

At least, that's what I'm hoping right now.  My game has been on the low-end of terrible for the last couple of weeks.  I think it's because I've finally settled in on a comfortable stance and am focusing more on position than making the ball.  This is just as wrong as focusing on making the ball and not thinking about position.  The only good part about all of this is that when I miss, it usually rattles, but I nearly always get position.  So, I'm close - very close to getting both aspects.

It's very, very frustrating though.

I've also discovered a new flaw: my line of sight isn't always where my cue is going.  I haven't been able to pinpoint the exact types of shots when this happens, but it's only a select few.  Having the cueball frozen on the rail with the object more than half a table away is one such example.

I think what is happening is that I'm focusing too much on the cueball during my final stroke.  I constantly watch my stick during a few of the warm-up strokes to make sure I'm straight (as I'm not always due to my new stance) - and then once I am, I go back to my object ball's contact point.  I think I'm losing sight of the spot while I'm straightening myself out.  I have to rebuild my muscle-memory in my stroking arm.

As such, I'm now incorporating this practice technique into my warmup routine:


I've also been working a few new drills this week:

The Long Shot Off-The-Rail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsGFc0puuBI

A 9-ball situational drill:


Liz Ford's Single Shot Drills. (which are deceptively difficult, in my opinion.)

[Pool Synergy] Your Favorite Pool Player

I don't have a personal entry this month, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go read all the excellent articles in this month's issue of Pool Synergy!

Strategic Differences

I had my second league night last night and it went much better - meaning I wasn't asked to dumb it down any.  Even so, I still only went 1-1.  Oh well, it was a good night.

I noticed something about my own strategic process last night.

I had this layout last night: (or very close to it, based on memory)



It was my shot and I had ball in hand.  As I was looking around the table, I thought I'd start with position A, sink the 3, then the 6, and either play safe with a breakout, or possibly breakout the 5/7 on the 6. But before I could even set the CB down, a senior member comes over and says to play position B - shoot the 4 off the 12, breaking out the 2, while drawing back for the 3 and starting my original plan there.

I understand that breaking out clusters is very important - I also understand that this was not a rack I was going to run-out on, so I didn't want to free up my opponent's ball - but I don't think I would've ever saw that shot.  I always try to break out clusters through caroming with the cue ball off a shot.  It's risky, I know - but I'd rather be at the table with a risky shot, than miss because I was trying to carom/break-out with the object ball.

I've spotted another big difference: playing a safety by sinking your opponent's ball.  I can't remember the exact situation, but the most suggested move was to carom off my ball to make the opponents, leaving him totally snookered with nothing to shoot at.  I would never intentionally make the opponent's ball.  "There has to be another way to get safe." is what my brain says.

Maybe it's a league thing? Maybe it's an 8-ball thing?  I don't know for sure, but it's interesting to learn the little tricks.

Aquatic Billiards

This just found it's way onto my browser, and now I must present to you all, just in case you haven't seen it:

Straight Pool High Run

Since I have nothing good to say about pool today, I'll just post here for historical reasons that I have a new "high" run in straight pool.  Now, we weren't playing 14.1 - so it doesn't really count, but full-rack straight pool isn't a totally different animal. 

Anyway, last week after some terrible 9-ball, we decided to play straight pool just for fun.  I broke the rack and started shooting. I tried to chip away at rows of balls in such a way to continue, making sure that if I got out of line, there was an alternate ball to bring me back. Before I knew it there was only 5 balls left on the table, so then I focused on position and ran the last 5.  Racked, broke, made a ball and kept on shooting.  Unfortunately, I got a little too excited and missed a fairly easy shot to end my high run at a lowly 20.  But... it's better than before, so I'm happy with it.

New Game Experience: 3-Cushion

Today at the pool hall, there was no one there.  I watched some guys play 3-cushion (English Billiards) for a while, and then realized they had left the balls on the other 3C table.  So... I took it upon myself to give this game a try.  I've always enjoyed watching people play and it's such a "puzzle-solving" type of game. I really like it - in theory.

I shot around on the table for about an hour - but was able to make about 10 points.  That's not good, in case you were wondering because I probably shot close to 50 shots.  So, 20% completion is not good.  However, allow me to toot my own horn, I'm quite happy with it considering I've never so much as hit a ball on a 3C table before.

For those of you that don't know what 3-Cushion is, it's simple:  Using either the white or yellow ball as your "cue ball", you must make the cue ball hit at least 3 rails (cushions) before contacting both balls.  Traditionally, the shot is played by hitting one of the balls, traveling 3 (or more) rails then contacting the 3rd ball.  The table is 10 by 5 feet in size so some of the usual angles I'd be used to are different.  Also, the balls are about 15-20% bigger than a standard pool balls; which means they are heavier.  However, getting a ball to travel 5 rails after contact is a little easier.  This particular table is not heated, there is a heated 3C table which makes the balls travel quite a bit faster, so getting 6+ rails is entirely possible, although rarely necessary.

I am seriously considering taking a few lessons from the local instructor on 3-Cushion.  I can sit there and hit balls all day and try and learn some of the patterns on my own; which I do really enjoy doing - but I think it would be of great help to have someone to guide my learning.  It's very affordable too, so this is much more likely to happen than taking him up on the 9-ball tutoring he initially offered.

Wherein the protangonist ponders the morality of league play

So, as my previous entry states, I joined a league.  Now, one of the many reasons I've avoided joining a league was the variety of stories involving sandbagging.  Well, to make a really long [and familiar to anyone who's ever played in a league] story short, this came up on my first night in a league.

Since I'm new to the league, I started at a "non-rated 4" - which means that each week my rating will go up and down based on my performance of the previous week. My team has two 7's, a 6, and three 5's - then me.  They're wanting me to stay around a 4. I should be a 5 for sure, based on watching the other 5's play and how I played against them while waiting for my own matches.

Even if I was only a 4, I wouldn't mind so much because I can still play - and play to win.  Apparently, the majority of this season, I need to try and stay around a 4.  That means losing more than winning.  Now, if I'm playing other 7's and whatnot, losing will probably come naturally; but in the case of last night - a bunch of 2's - losing is hard to do. 

I joined the league to play - and play well. Not play badly so that I/we can do well in the finals.  What does it matter if we're all high-ranked?  okay, okay, so there's a limit on the number of 'good' players you put out there for each round, but we have two 7's, so just about any combination of players works for each round.  I just fail to see how 'staying under' benefits anyone.

I made it clear, from the first time they talked to me that I wasn't comfortable with dogging things on purpose - so being asked "do everything you can to lose" doesn't sit real well with me.  The guy said this was a very, very rare situation - having such a bad team of opponents.  So... we'll see how it goes.

I said I'd come back next week, but if I'm asked to play down every match, I'm walking.

Where's a BCA league when ya need one?  C'mon St. Louis isn't that damn small, we need a real league here.  The APA is riddled with the same bullshit.

And for the record, I won both of my matches last night.  I even tried to leave easy runs, easy shots, hell I even found ways to foul - but you can't depend on a 2 to make any shot. *sigh*

I've joined a league!

So, long story short, a guy approached me over the weekend asking if I'd be interested in joining his league team. They need a 7th and he's noticed me playing over the last few months and thought he should ask.  After a bunch of internal debating, I've decided to go ahead and do it - but not without making a list of pros/cons:

Pros:

1. Meeting new people.
2. Playing new people.
3. Learning how to deal with pressure.
4. Learning different patterns.
5. I'm playing with 3 other 5s, a 6 and 2 7's. I'll start as an "unrated 4" and be adjusted from there.
6. Nearly all the tournaments in this town are on bar-boxes, so getting used to this should mean I could make some progress towards getting into the money zone.

Cons:

1. It's 8-ball.
2. It's on bar-boxes
3. It's on Tuesday nights
4. It's a single-game per person format, no "sets" in between players. A break'n'run might be the only thing I see during my game.
5. It might mess with my 9-ball game on the 9 footers I'm trying to get into on Monday nights.

All of the pros I mention fall under the goals I listed a few weeks ago, so... while it might not be an idea solution, it is the best currently on the table.  So... for the next 14 weeks (starting tonight) I'll be an 8-ball bar-box player on tuesdays.

I went to the hall last night to try the game. and a) twice as many balls on b) a table that's considerably smaller makes for a really cramped looking layout after the break.

They don't seem to keep score or track info like they do in the APA, but I will be tracking my own progress, for sure.  I finally printed off a nice new stat-track sheet, made a bunch of copies and put them in a binder for easy carrying. 

If anyone is interested, this is Missouri 8-Ball I'm talking about.  This is not part of the APA.

If your friends don't dance then they're no friends of mine.

Okay, okay, not really. Sorry.

Today two good things happened at the pool hall.  1) I got to hit with a Samsara cue 2) I came up with a new little game for myself.

1) After talking with the hall for a minute, he said he did have two Samsara BarCues left from the original lot of about 15.  So, I hit with one for a while.  Now, the joint was wood-wood with a piloted hole and it didn't meet flush, which I thought was strange.  The tip was very soft and probably the reason for why the "ping" was so deadened sounding.  I could barely hear the thing.  House-cues are louder than this thing.  The shaft it came with wasn't to my liking at all.  I guess that's a "straight" taper - but it reminded me more of a 3-cushion shaft than a pool shaft.  Although it didn't deflect any more than my current cue, it didn't deflect much less than mine either, and for $500 I want something a little straighter.  So... while I really like the design of the Samsara cues, I won't be putting out any money for one of them.  I'll stick to their break-tips though.  Now, I just want to hit with a Schon and compare it to the Carolina, and I'll be ready to make a decision.

2) I was hitting some shots from Byrnes Book of 350 Shots wherein he demonstrated a good safety shot that required "stun-through" action on the cue ball.  So, I started working on that shot.  Then I started working on other safety shots.  Then, I came up with this safety dance:  Throw all 9 (or 10) balls on the table, and then toss out the CB.  Shoot the balls in rotation - but each shot you are trying to get a strong safety out of it.  Freeze the CB and/or hide the OB.  Each time you get at least 65% of the OB blocked, take it off the table (unless it's a really easy kick to MAKE - like if you block the shot, but the OB is in the jaws, that doesn't count).  Go through the rack that way and see how many shots it takes to get through. 

So, you have a goal, you have a score, which means this is a measurable skill drill. Yay!  You could make it more interesting by making a rule on the number of rails used or only half-ball hits or only thinning the OB, etc.  Lots of ways to play safe; which is why I'm calling this in my practice log the "Safety Dance". (hence the title of this entry)

Caroline vs Samsara

So, I've been toying with the idea of getting a new cue.  I like my Lucasi, but I'm for sure going to replace the shaft.  Well, for the cost of a new shaft plus a little more I can get a new cue - and if I go custom, I can get a damn nice cue.

Today I hit with a Carolina Custom sneaky pete and while I don't like the look of a sneaky pete, the cue hit pretty darn well.  The standard shaft had less deflection than my current Lucasi too.  The butt felt good and solid and the ping was very audible - it sounded like a real cue.  They even have one in the wood colors I want: Cocobolo. :)

Now, Samsara Custom has a line of what they call "BarCue"; meaning they aren't decked out in elephant ivory and hand-laid inlays, etc.  Which is just fine for me, I don't care about that stuff, and honestly, I hate the idea of paying for it.  They, too, have a Cocobolo cue in this for around the price I was hoping to stay under/around.

Tomorrow, if I remember, I'll ask about them because I'm pretty sure there's a Samsara custom in one of the cases.  They have a unique design pattern on their true customs which I remember seeing on an end-cap the other day.  Their designs are actually some of my favorite, as far as curb-appeal goes, but I can't spend the $2,000-4,000 for one of those.

Has anyone reading this ever played with either?

Easy Trickshot Video

Here's a short crappy vid of me shooting a 4-in-1 trickshot. Not the usual 4-in-a-row that most people start with though; this one is a little more challenging. But since I like to think I have a decent draw stroke, this is a lot of fun.

Pool + Geek + Practice = New Web App?

So, I'm a programmer by day and as such, I like tracking things... like progress.  I also like writing utilities to do it for me.  I've long read that keeping a practice log is a great way to measure long-term progress, and I've been trying to do that diligently, some weeks moreso than others, but still, I have a notebook with stats being tracked.

Well, rather than trying to flip through the pages to see how I've done, I decided to build a little web-app where I can enter each rack and the stats for it.  Then later I can run reports on average number of shots per rack, racks per match, balls missed, high run, etc.  This part is done already, I just need to enter the info from the notebook and start analysis.

Today I'm adding a second part specific to drills: which drill, how many attempts, how many shots to get through it, and was it completed properly. 

All of this would make playing a lot easier if I had someone else to count shots and whatnot, I keep losing count when I really focus on the game; but if I keep count, then I lose focus. *sigh*

Breaking the 1-pocket barrier

So, something interesting happened this past weekend. We were at the poolhall, it was late in the evening, and I wasn't shooting too well.  I was playing Josh, who's about my speed so it's usually a good game, and after a while, he asked if I wanted to play some 1-pocket.  Well, I haven't ever played. Not once. I've watched it from afar quite a few times and I tried to watch a match or two on youtube, but it's hard to dedicate that much time to the game.  I've turned down lots of offers at my usual place because I'm on a limited time-line there and this game takes a while.  So, it's late, it's Josh and I say, "Eh, why not?"

So... we play it even, first to 8-balls.  The first game, was a real learning experience - as you can expect I lost... badly. Something like 8-2 (fouled a few times, but oh well).  The 2nd game went a little better. I started seeing the smallest hint of patterns and defensive moves.  I still lost, but it was closer, I think 8-6.  The 3rd game, was much better.  I learned very quickly that unless it's a dead ball, don't try it if you don't need to.  I also learned very quickly that leaving your partner with absolutely nothing is almost more fun than making  a ball for yourself.  I took my time with most shots, evaluated the percentages, and calculated the leave if I missed.  As a result, I owned that game.  I won 8-2!

Offensively, I made some good cross-bank shots and got pretty good shape for the next ball.  Defensively, I nearly always left my opponent behind the stack, or frozen to another ball.  Whenever he got a ball close to the pocket, I kicked it away, even if it meant passing up a chance to make a ball in my pocket.

Overall, it was more fun than I expected it to be; but I won't be switching schools just yet. ;)

[Pool Synergy] The Merger of Pool and Business

I am happy to introduce guest author: Steve Jennings.

Steve is a BCA Advanced Certified Instructor and this month he's a guest author for the topic: What training, experience or activity outside of the pool world can be employed to improve one's pool game?

---

As a lifelong poolplayer, and a professional billiards instructor, I have often found myself taking things I learn in my day to day life, and applying them to my pool game.  Over the years, I have come to understand that pool is just a microcosm of life.  Many of life’s lessons can be directly applied to one’s pool game.  Sometimes, they are the obvious little rules of life that fit neatly into a 4 ½ by 9 foot rectangle.  We have all heard the old saying that “Practice makes Perfect”.  And while that is a good philosophy, it’s not quite accurate.  “Perfect Practice makes Perfect” is more appropriate.  We know that we must practice in order to improve, but our best improvement can only come if we are practicing the right things the right way.  Or how about “Knowledge is Power”?  That would seem to say that the more we know, the better we will become.  But knowledge is only power when application is included.  We must take whatever knowledge we gain and then apply it to our game in order to gain any benefit.  With that in mind, anytime I learn something valuable, I try to find a way to apply it to my pool game.

Several years ago, I worked for a very well known and well respected large corporation.  When I decided to move into management with them, I began an intensive 3 month training program.  During that training, I was fortunate enough to get to learn from the CEO and founder of the company.  This man had a way of breaking things down to their simplest form.  And in one meeting, he made a simple 7-word statement that really stuck with me.  He said “You can’t manage what you can’t measure”.  Throughout my career in the business world, I found this to be true on nearly every level.  A good manager has to be able to measure the results of every activity in order to control those activities for which he is responsible.

So what does that have to do with pool?  Quite simply, we are the “managers” of our personal development, and we are the one who must manage what happens when we are at the pool table.  And if we are to be good managers, we must find ways to actually measure every aspect of our pool game.  I can’t tell you how to do this, but I can tell you how I do it.

There are three things we control on every pools shot. Those things are Angle, Speed, and Spin. (There is a 3 letter acronym that makes that very easy to remember!)

To measure your angle, we have basic geometry to lets us measure cut angles for different shots.  I use a system that takes 6 different angles that, with some flexibility, will cover most all of the shots that come up on the table.  So when I look at a shot, I need to decide which angle is the closest to what I am facing.  If it’s a number 3 shot, I know where to aim to make it.

In pool school, we also teach a scale to measure speed.  Speed on a pool table is not measured in miles per hour, but rather in the distance the ball will travel with a specific stroke speed.  I use a scale ranging from 1 to 8 to measure different speeds.  My number 1 speed is a simple lag shot, while a number 8 would be the speed I would use for my break shot.  For reference, each number higher would cause the ball to travel about 2 diamonds beyond the distance for the previous number.

As for spin, we simply measure that by the amount of tip offset from a center ball hit.  I measure a tip of spin by the area of the cue tip that actually makes contact with the cue ball.  If you look at the chalk mark left on the cue ball, you will have a good idea of what I’m talking about.  If you look at some of the training balls on the market, they are marked to show those increments. In any case, using this method will allow you to apply up to 4 or 5 tips off center and still make good solid contact with the cue ball.  Those simple measurements will allow you to develop control of the amount of spin, and what kind of spin, you are applying on every shot.

Measuring the results of your practice time is just as important as anything you do in your quest to improve your game.  About once a week, I take a few minutes to measure my performance.  I put 10 balls out on the table and give myself ball in hand and start shooting.  If I miss a shot, I take that ball off the table and continue until the table is clear.  I do this 5 times, and then write down in a log book what my percentage made was for that week.  This way, I can easily see if my shooting percentage is improving, staying level, or even falling off.  This helps me plan for my practice sessions for the next week.

These are just 4 ways that I have found to take some very sound business advice, and use it to help my pool game.  How many more can you think of?

---

For more interesting stories and articles on this month's topic, click here to read the index!

Shafts Shafts Shafts!! ARGH!

Oi.  So, it's come to my attention that I have the ability to pick up a new shaft in the next couple of weeks.  Now the big problem: WHICH ONE!?!

I've already discussed the Predator Z2 and the OB-2 cue to death, but I'm still undecided.  Add to that, the off-chance of picking up a 1st gen Z for a lot less money and I'm really confused.  Rumor has it the 1st gens are potentially better made because the manufacturer kept all the wood pieces together to make the shaft.  The 2nd gen is a random assortment of pieces to make the shaft.  Does it matter? I don't know.

On top of all of that is the choice of whether or not I actually want to force myself into a thin shaft lifestyle.  I will, of course, always have my original shaft (now with new Talisman tip) and if I really find that playing with such a thin shaft simply isn't for me, well, then I can sell it and pick up an OB-1 or 314. 


[Geek Mode]
The OB-1 is an awesome name... Obi-Wan Kenobe.
314 is equally awesome: Pi
[/Geek Mode]

I will have the opportunity to hit with both shafts, but neither of them will be attached to my own cue, so how much of what I like about the hit is the cue and how much is the shaft/tip?  Lastly - how much will I adjust to the shaft versus trying to force the shaft to my liking?

New Tip: Talisman

I just dropped off my shaft to get a new tip.  I'm trying a Talisman tip, suggested by a discussion on tips with a pretty knowledgeable guy at C&C.  If I don't like it, I can always switch it out. I mean, it's $20, not free, but still, it's not like changing shafts. Should be ready by Wednesday, but I'm not sure I'll get back there until Friday.  I really can't wait to try it though.

In other news, I did the break, take BIH, and see if I can run out for practice today.  I never did all 9 in a row, but generally I only missed once, or hooked myself after making the shot so I shot it again.  The layout is below:

And the CT layout:

Strangely enough, the 2 balls that gave me the most trouble was the 1B, getting behind the 2 back to where the CB was originally.   The other was the 3B, either I'd make it and get behind the 8, or I'd miss.  It was pretty frustrating actually.  But, I played through this rack about 12 times and I like this layout because it has some difficult position shots, some using top, others draw and some with a bit of english.  I will remember this layout in the future.

It's Good To Have Goals

So, taking inspiration from this blog and this blog I'm going to form and post my goals for this year - and [current] the end-of-the-road goal.

My end-all goal, as of now, is to be able to win a local tournament.  This will not happen this year, but it's where I'm aiming for now.  Start small.  I haven't picked out a tournament to win because there really aren't any tournaments in this area - at least none that are played on the 9' tables.

One of my goals this year is to improve my ranking from 4 to 6, on the scale my local hall uses, which is "Missouri 8-Ball" league rankings, if I remember correctly.  The scale goes from 2 through 9.  2 being an absolute beginner, no position play, poor mechanics; 9 being an A or AA player - likely to run several racks in a row. In my first tournament (fail), they gave me a rating of 4.  They were considering giving me a 5, I think because of how interested I am and how often I ask questions and seek information; I'm glad they only gave me a 4 though - it was the right call.  I feel like I should be a 4 or 5 now.  I feel like I have improved over the last 2 months and I hope to be able to show that somehow. 

I don't know what's really expected of a 6-rated player - but I do know they are expected to be able to run a rack with a good layout, play good position, have good knowledge of safety play.  I feel like I have that ability - on a really good day.  I know the ability is there, I've done it - but it's not consistent; and that's what separates the top players from the others.

Another goal is that I want to seek out other good players in the area and play with them, learn from them and hopefully help each other with practice; be it drills or position play or safety play or just general stroke training. I have a pretty strong feeling that if I had a solid practice partner, things would progress a little quicker.  I like playing Morris cuz he's a pretty good player, but I dont think he seeks out information and he never practices - always plays other people.  That's good practice too, but sometimes you just need time to work on a shot.

My last goal is that I want to work towards running a rack successfully at least once a week.  I play often enough, albeit in small amounts, that I think this is feasible.  I'm learning new patterns all the time, it seems, and there's no reason I can't run 7-9 balls, provided the layout is decent.  The key to doing this, in my opinion, is entirely based upon speed control and the subtleties of english.  Speed control moreso than english, I think.  I have to be able to reliably get the cueball 2, 1.5, 1, 1/2, 1/4 table-length after contact - and depending on the fullness of the contact adjust to account for the loss of speed.  Every table is different, but there are general guidelines.  On a slow table what is 1 table length might be 1.25 on a fast table so while I'd overrun it, it should be simple enough to account for the difference after only a few shots.

First 10-Ball Break'n'Run!!!

I'm pretty busy this afternoon with post-processing photos, but I just wanted to post about something that happened at the pool hall last night.

First off, let me remind you that I recently changed everything about my pool playing.  On Friday, I played and was seriously contemplating going back because it was just murderous.  I realized now that I was too focused on my body and didn't really focus on the shot.  And that's fine - I expected to get worse before I got better, but it's tough to accept that sometimes.  Friday night, we went to the pool hall and I played a little better.

Last night we went back to the pool hall and had a little bit of time to warm up before our game partners arrived.  Apparently, it was just what I needed.  After everyone was warmed up, we racked up a 10-ball rack and I broke.  Got a good spread, made a ball on the break but the 1 was nearly married to the 3.  Good for me it was wired to the corner pocket.  After some consideration, I took the shot and sank the 3, leaving a longer than I wanted shot on the 1.  The 2 was sitting good after that.  I took a lot of time lining up for the 1, but I made it and stopped the cue ball.  After that, things get a little hazy in my memory as to where each ball was because we played for the next 7 hours. heh.

The major point of this entry though is that first rack... I ran the entire rack!  I got a few rolls and had to make a few difficult shots, but I used my stroke when I needed to, and I played smarter position than I have in a while.  I'm learning (strangely enough) just how useful center-ball is.  I'm seeing the tangent lines easier and I getting better at controlling my speed.  Although I came up short on the 10 and left myself with a pretty thin cut, I still rattled it in.  I could not believe it.  I still can't believe it!  I WISH I had the video camera with me.  I meant to bring it, but in a rush decision to get there on time I just forgot to grab it.

The rest of the night we played teams and/or ring games, which, in my opinion, are a sure-fire way NOT to get in-stroke, so no other game was as impressive.  Although I played pretty well all night, winning more games than losing, I also missed a lot of shots I shouldn't have. 

Still, I had a great time, and again, thanks to Gene and Gary for showing me even more tricks and sharing their knowledge with me.

This is one of my goals for this year - I want run a rack at least once a week.

The Changeling

As I mentioned in in this post, I saw that my elbow wasn't in line with my wrist/cue by videotaping myself playing.  Last weekend, I talked with another player about stroke and what some of my problems were.  He made a few suggestions and I finally got a chance to really give them a try yesterday.

I spent about 6 hours in the poolhall yesterday working on: 1) New Stance 2) New Bridge Hand 3) New Grip. 4) New Stroke

I don't have any video, unfortunately, but I think this will work - but I'm also open to further advice from people.  I'll try to get some still-shots this weekend though.

1. Stance. 
• Legs 
• [Old] I straightened my right leg and lock the knee (or close to it), feet about shoulder-width apart, nearly in-line with the cue. 
• [New] Bend both knees, turn hips ~45 degrees to cue line, lean a bit further, but still remain comfortable.
• Shoulder
• [Old] Let it loose, which let my elbow fall away from my body (hanging over/outside the cue-line)
• [New] Try to keep it loose, but ensure elbow is above cue-line.  It's a physical "tucking" feeling - and I'm not sure if I should be actively holding it there.  However, my body is more in line now.
2. Bridge
• [Old] I nearly always played with a closed bridge mostly because that's just how I had always done it.  I used an open bridge once in a while, but even for soft shots, I'd use closed.  It just felt more "sure".  When I did use an open bridge, I just layed my hand on the table and twisted it a bit to keep the fleshy part of the thumb/index finger away from the cue.
• [New] After watching so many matches recently and noticing how often people use open bridges, and to to help ensure I was doing what I wanted with the cue, I decided to play all day with an open bridge.  Not just any open bridge though - I wanted to see how I liked the "tuck 2nd and 3rd fingers under palm" open bridge.  Turns out... I like it a lot! It's more stable, it offers great flexibility and it's more comfortable. :)
3. Grip (this is going to be hard to explain with visuals)
• [Old] I had developed a loose grip, and on my backswing, my 3rd and 4th finger would open up completely - essentially I was holding the cue with the inside of my thumb and index finger.  Even my thumb would open up and point down. The cue was actually being held by the bulk of my thumb between the web and the knuckle. 
• [New] After a number of different trials, I decided on still using my thumb and index finger - but now I don't angle my wrist so much to open up the fingers on the backswing.  Also, my thumb stays wrapped and is just touching the top of the index finger - just to hold the cue. It's a very loose grip
4. Stroke (again, this is going to very hard to explain)
• [Old] Because of how I held the cue before, both with the closed the bridge and the squeezing of the cue with my grip-hand, I never noticed the subtleties of non-stroke action.  It turns out that even before when I thought I was throwing the cue forward, I was still gripping it at impact, but I never noticed because of the closed bridge.  When you do that with an open bridge, the tip comes up in the air.
• [New] Now with this new grip, I have to train myself that when I'm ready to hit the ball, I don't need to squeeze it to pull the cue along it's path.  It's going to take some work, but it's coming along.  I pull back on the final draw, pause and bring my wrist forward, attached to the cue and then let the cue come forward a bit more to be caught by my palm on the follow-through.  Things to note: a) the sound! The sound of a stroked shot is distinct - and no matter what cue, it seems, one can always hear a stroke. b) the action! I'm finally getting that pause on top-english before the cue ball takes off down the line.  See the example below for a visual aid.

Overall, it was a frustrating day because I did miss a lot of balls - but I think it was an excellent day just as well because I really got a chance to work out some serious kinks in my technique.

Here's an example of what used to happen when I tried to shoot this:

Now here's what happens with my new stroke:

As you can see - it's a lot simpler, and more reliable.  Not to mention if I have to deal with traffic, there's much less to contend with.  I am a happy, happy pool shooter.  Well, I will be if I can get my accuracy back with all of these changes employed.

Great Safety Battle

This is one of the best safety battles I have ever seen.  It's during the 2nd rack of the match - and it is impressive.

The World Pool Masters = Alex Pagulayan vs Raj Hundal

Predator Z2 and/or Schon?

I've recently just had a small 10 day vacation from work and during those days I only played pool a few times.  The most recent day was just Saturday evening.  As it turned out, it was a very good night to go.

Although we didn't get our usual table, I was able to meet another player and get a number of excellent tips regarding break styles and stroke-tips in general.  In my opinion, the most important part of the night was being able to try a new cue and a new shaft.

Gene is a serious student of the game, as he confessed to me: when he's not playing, he's watching pool - if he's not watching, he's thinking about pool.  He plays every day, anywhere from 4-7 hours, at a number of halls, playing a number of games, including 9-ball, 10-ball, 14.1, one-pocket, snooker and 3-cushion.  He had a variety of cues in his case, but was playing with his Schon attached to a Predator Z2 shaft.  He let me hit a few balls with it, after a brief discussion on how harder tips are most likely to further exposure stroking flaws (a pure stroke is required to apply best english).

First off, the Predator Z2 is a 11.75mm diameter shaft - a full mm thinner than my traditional shaft; which I have to say is a HUGE difference.  At first it looked odd, but after just a few hits, I immediately saw the benefit: PRECISE application of english.  If you're used to thinking in terms of applying spin in a multiple of tip-widths, a smaller tip will expand your range.  With my current shaft, I generally think in terms of 1, 1.5 and 2 tips for 'a bit', 'average' and 'extreme' amounts of english; using that shaft, I can more exactly apply anywhere (on the half-tip scale) from 0 to 3 tips of english anywhere in the 4 quadrants of the ball.  I also noticed a pretty sizable decrease in deflection.

Now, I had been thinking about trying an OB-1 shaft somehow, but after seeing the benefits of the thinner shaft, I might be looking for an OB-2 shaft.  As it turns out Gene has one; but he doesn't like the tip on it, so he's getting rid of it.  He likes the harder tips; for me, so far, I like the soft/medium tips - but am more open to a harder tip now than before.  I hope to run into him again and if so, I will ask to try his OB-2 shaft. I expect I will, since we frequently compete for 'the good table' at the weekend pool hall.

Now, here's the real question:  Can I justify spending more on a new shaft (considerably more) than I paid for the entire cue?  A new Z2 shaft that will fit my cue (uni-loc joint) is $300.  Thanks to a deal I got on my cue, I paid right around half of that for my Lucasi E-7.  OTOH, the OB-2 shaft that fits my cue is almost $70 cheaper, according to their respective websites.

Also, I had been wanting to try out the Schon cues as a great next step for me.  The problem is that I'm not sure *why* I want to upgrade, other than I like buying things.  I would suggest to myself that getting a shaft is a) cheaper and b) a better choice because it's applicable to the next cue.  However, since almost no "serious" cue maker uses the Uni-Loc joint, any shaft I buy will have to stay with the Lucasi.  Which, does mean that when it's time to sell it, I can get more for the combo.  *sigh*  The other thing is, I really, really like the look of this cue.  It's silly, but I do.  And I can't possibly justify spending $1400 on a cue made from elephant ivory - then having to put another $300 shaft on it.  I have no dreams of touring and I don't have the cash-flow for such frivolities, so... I think I've talked myself into just a new shaft this year.

Although, if something comes through the local hall that has a nice dark/smokey look to it that hits like a Southwest, I might seriously consider working something out. heh.