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.

Zen Pool and the Karen Corr Rail Drill

I finally got a chance to sit down and finish Zen Pool over the weekend.  I wish I would've picked this book up a few months ago.  In an earlier post I mentioned the video "How to play pool right" which is where I first learned about deflection; and while that was a big help, it would've been even better to have more of a diagram to study rather than a video.  This is only one reason I would have wanted this book earlier. 

The book starts off with a strong sequence of articles/chapters talking about the mental aspect of the game: how to spot when you are 'in the zone' and ways to push yourself there.  All those sections were beneficial to me. The author talks about needing to trust your stroke and how hard it is to get to that point.  How it's important when you're not playing well to fall back on your fundamentals to get through the tough times. However, his talk about fundamentals were vague - stance, stroke etc - were almost glossed over.  He did mention other resources for more in-depth review of those specifics, but I was personally hoping for more pool-related information (so I wouldn't have to go through multiple titles at once).  I could have also foregone the recaps of matches he watched which seemed almost like filler material to get the book to the required number of pages for print.  They are good examples (stories) of what he's talking about - but they seemed a bit out of place; breaking the flow of information.  It's just my opinion though. 

The book, I think, is a good book - especially for beginners and intermediates, but honestly anyone above intermediate probably won't get too much out of it - unless they have no mental game (which is unlikely as they've progressed to that stage somehow).  Still, I would recommend it for just about anyone, it's very affordable and even if you already know everything, it's an entertaining read.  I'm sorry Max, but I don't think it will awaken the master within by itself - but it will help nudge the master in the right direction.

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The Karen Corr drill I posted about the other day...  I got to try it yesterday - almost all variations posted among those 6 videos.  Surprisingly, it didn't seem quite as hard as I thought it would be.  However - I also took advantage of the leniency given by the video.  Still - it was not easy and it did shine a spotlight on the deflection issue.  IMO, this is the best way to learn your own cue's deflection rates.  I learned more about how my cue deflects with different distances and speeds yesterday than I have for the 6 month's I've owned this stick.  I strongly recommend doing this.

How To Do a Rail Workout in Pocket Billiards on Howcast

If you can't ride the rail past the side pocket then when you get position off the the 3rd ball, just shoot the last three in the other corner - it allows to try deflection on the other side of the ball - theoretically the same - but a good exercise nonetheless.

Side note: the wind chill is 5(f) today - and overnight it'll drop to below zero.  Guess I'll have to start wrapping my cue case in a blanket to walk across the parking lot.

A note for myself

Try this drill someday when you are feeling really good... otherwise, anger, frustration and disappointment will win:

http://www.howcast.com/videos/3070-How-To-Do-a-Rail-Workout-in-Pocket-Billiards

2-rail Position Drill

I tried this today:


Wow - that's quite a bit more difficult than I expected.  Of course, I realize now that I set it up incorrectly.  I had the OB at the 1x2 diamond spot - and it's supposed to be on the 1x1.  But, I knew today wouldn't be that great - just aren't feeling it today.  However, I will definitely be trying this again, and soon.  I also did my usual drills, warmup, angle and 9 down the center.

Tomorrow I have a matchup with my brother in law - it should be a good time. I expect to play well into the night. And I'm actually excited about that.

3-Cushion Magic

I found Mike Massey's Blog and on there this video:


If you want to see some magic, watch it.  It's only 8 minutes and it's incredible. :)

Bullet has been bitten

So, today I went to the hall, as usual, with every intention on buying a break cue.  As luck would have it, the sales guy was on the phone when I entered, so I just grabbed some balls and went to shoot around for a bit.  Then Morris's game ended with someone else so he and I got together.  I haven't played him in a while and with my own perception of my game improving I was curious to see how I'd do.  Normally when we play, lets say we play 9 racks, I might win 2.  So... it's kind of a goal for me to break even at least.  Not surprising, coming on cold like that, he took the first 2 racks - finally my turn to break. But wait! I don't have a cue. *sigh* So I hurry on over to the counter and ask Chris for one of the cues I tried the other day; he tells me he got some others in today if I wanted to look at those as well.  I found a 19oz jump/break version of one of the ones I had been thinking about previously anyway.  So, I grabbed it, chalked it and broke and excellent break.  The day went on and we went back forth with tough shots and barely missed shots.  Overall, I think I won 5, but I know he won at least 9.  So... better? Maybe.  oh! I even got to try jumping a ball! :)  I know he didn't approve, but it wasn't very far away.  I said I had to try the cue to it's fullest potential and he said he needs to go move his car. HA!  I said not to worry, I probably won't make it over the blocking ball.  It turns out that I did, and had I lined it up a little better I would've banked that 1-ball right in the corner.  *sigh*  I'm pretty happy with just getting over the damn ball!

The best part of the day, in my opinion, was him complimenting me on the improvement of my game.  That was pretty cool. :)

I made three kick shots, one of them on the 9 even.  Well, technically, I made 5, but when the CB is dead straight along the rail into the OB sitting in the pocket and coming slightly off the rail first doesn't really mean "kick" to me.  But, technically, it is.  I also made a pretty nice masse shot - and the biggest example of applying some of the knowledge I picked up came when I a straight, full ball only view of the 1 ball just off the rail. I was basically surrounding by balls that prevented me from hitting the OB off-center to make it.  So, I lined up to hit the ball straight on, but with slow-medium speed and using hard right english.  The slow speed combined with the spin "threw" the ball straight down the rail into the pocket.  I could've also shot a masse into it, but the distance was longer that I have been able to control thus far.

Overall it was a pretty good day!  Except I noticed my left shoulder hurt quite a bit on my first shots of the day - hrmm.  Pool injuries are waiting in my future I think. :(

Putting in the hours

All told, I played pool for nearly 6 hours yesterday.  Just under 2 at lunch, then just over 4 after work with XY.  It was a good time.  I played reasonably well last night.  I'm kinda kicking myself though because there was one rack where I broke pretty well, made a ball and everything was open.  I even saw the pattern to run the whole thing - the entire rack, I knew where I wanted to be, and how to get there for each shot.  Unfortunately, I was too worried about getting from the 1 to 2 and didn't draw it enough (opposed to too much) which threw off the angle to the 3 - but it didn't matter since I missed the 2 anyway.  ugh Oh well.  I'm just happy I saw the entire rack's pattern.  I made some damn good shots - but also missed some pretty standard ones. :(  The good news is that I'm getting better at adjusting my angles for throw coupled with left or right english.  I'm moving around the table better, and with more consistency too.

The funny thing is that I was *this* close to buying a jump/break cue yesterday but wanted to wait until today (payday) to get it - then last night I found myself wanting that jump cue THREE times! It wouldn't have mattered - I *might* have it, but I wouldn't possibly have made it, or been able to get safe - but I need to try those kinds of shots to see how they work and how I work.

As for the break cue - I'm still not sure what I'm getting.  The AZ Forums haven't been too much help - suggesting other brands and not even commenting at all on the three options I listed. *sigh* I guess I'll just play with them again and pick one to get it over with.  It's not like I'm going on tour with this thing anyway.

Found: Early Stage of the Mental Game

So... I'm very much one of those people who are affected by the weather. When it's sunny out, I'm always in a good mood. When it's rainy, cloudy and otherwise ugly out, I'm usually a little grumpy. It also affects my gaming - both on the console and the pool table. Today, it's a monsoon here, all day. I kind of expected to play like absolute ass today, and for a moment thought about not even going to the pool hall, but I did anyway.

The day started off pretty nice, as usual - at the table cold I shoot pretty well for some reason. This kind of 'auto-pilot' is actually called "Dead Stroke".  Which is nice insofar as getting my confidence up, but it also means I'm not necessarily doing what I want because I know what I want to do it and meant to do it.  It's part luck and mostly "feel".  Anyway, a few games of straight pool later the dead stroke is gone now I'm working at it.  And failing.  Always close, but never "on".  It's very frustrating to shoot the same shot 7 times only to miss it every time - the same way - every time. e.v.e.r.y.t.i.m.e.  The "good" news about that is I'm consistent in my inaccuracy which means it's a mechanics thing which means it can be fixed.  However, at that point I'm usually so pissed off that I can't really focus on the minor adjustment needed. Today, I took a lot of breaks between games, had a smoke, drank some water, etc and it helped tremendously to keep me calm.  Of course, this isn't news, but it helped keep my head on the table and continue to control my speed and stroke instead of hammering the balls just because i'm pissed at them.  So... part 1, staying focused.

Something I was not expecting today was to see the hall pretty full of people - lots of people. Loud people - well, louder than usual but nothing like a teen-hang out.  Avoiding distractions was easier than usual.  part 2: staying focused.

The end result of all this was that, for the most part, I was making good decisions on shots, and making good shots.  I developed a feel for the table early on (a table i've played on once before a few months ago) and used that to my advantage.  I think my stroke has improved in it's accuracy since someone said to me (something I know i've heard before but didn't quite understand) "push through the ball, don't hit it" just 2 days ago.  I feel more confident and trusting of my stroke, which is a huge benefit since I don't have to try and adjust for it.

Whenever I missed a shot, I shot it again.  Sometimes even when I made the shot, but didn't get the position I wanted, I shot it again.  Sometimes I shot the same shot multiple times with different english to try and get position more than one way.  I think my method of practice is improving and I think my head game has improved.  It's strange to think that has mostly happened in this last week, but, it's been a pretty good week.

We'll see what next week brings.  I'm buying a jump/break cue tomorrow, still not entirely sure which one yet - but likely one of those three I mentioned earlier.

An application using side english

Using the previous layout, lets go ahead and add some english to the shot. Specifically to win a game 9-ball.

Look at this:



A) is the first shot. Shoot the cue-ball with low-medium speed with good left english and it should travel the path outlined, leaving an excellent shot on the 9 ball. (B)

Lets say the 8 was a little closer to the rail and the pocket, while the cue ball was also a little more in-line. Then you would have this scenario:



There are 2 ways to shoot this. The first and somewhat less difficult is to go three rails around the table using medium/medium high power (depending on your stroke and the speed of the table) and tip and a half right english. The 2nd way to shoot it is to use low left english and draw it across the table then let the english bring back across diagonally for position. You can see this on the 2nd page of this diagram. I found this to be a more difficult shot, and opted to go around the table instead.

My own experience with Throw

I've discovered a severe weakness in my game. Thin cuts. I'm pretty sure the issue comes down to throw. Allow me to show you with the new fancy tool:


There are three pages to this. The first is how I would normally look at this shot. The second page is the result of shooting that shot. The third is how I should shoot that shot.

The reason is because at that angle, just when the cue ball (CB) strikes the object ball (OB), it actually pushes the OB a little bit before deflecting off in the direction of the pocket. So, you have to account for this by cutting the shot a little bit thinner than you think you have to.

All of this is without using any side-english. When you had side-spin into the mix you now have to compensate for both deflection AND throw. It's possible to undo the throw effect by using opposite english, but that's not always an option if you have to play for position on the next ball.

This is what I worked on and think I have a better understanding of now. Tomorrow will let me know for sure - but after I worked on that for a while, my last two games of 9-ball were much more productive.

Pool Diagram Tool!

I just found this tool: CueTable.com

It's extremely bad ass.  So... instead of trying to paint the shot in GIMP or something, I can just post this:



This is just a test post, but it shows the intended path of the cue-ball to play position from the 1 to the 2.  This done by hitting the cueball left of center during the 1-ball shot.

Break Cues

Yesterday while at the hall I decided to try a few jump/break cues.  These three were what I tried:

Nick Varner NV23-5JB
Cuetec Jump/Break Cue - CT-99296
Action ACT56

The Nick Varner has a phenolic tip; which gives a harder hit but is harder to control.
The Cuetec has a fiberglass shaft which is warp resistant, leather tip and softer ferule.
The Action cue is traditional maple with an extra hard leather tip, but with what appears to be a carbon fiber ferule.

I can't seem to decide at all. I mean, I liked each of them almost equally. The Cuetec is the same same shaft width as my playing cue, whereas the others are 1mm wider.  The Cuetec has a very flat tip, the action has a nickel-radius tip, as did the NV.  I really don't do any jumping, but then again, I've never had the opportunity to try.  Yesterday was, in fact, the first time I've ever *properly* jumped a ball.  All three seemed to give similar results, but I think the Cuetec gave me the best results jumping.  The NV seemed a bit harder to control - which makes sense due to the tip.  The Action cue seemed almost identical to the Cuetec, aside from the butt-width.

The reality is that I will be able to adjust any of these equally as well in time, so I'm not sure there's any real way for me to decide.  I'm just wondering if there's any one which I should absolutely avoid?

Weekend 9-Ball

Saturday evening XY (codename for step-daughter) suggested we go play pool.  She hasn't played in a while - and doesn't get to play all that often, so of course we head on out to the closest pool hall.  It's really not a fancy place at all, but they have decent-ish tables.  It's always flooded withe a bunch of kids yelling and screaming and whatnot, but it's still pool - and generally affordable.  I learned a few things that night.

I used to think that music was a nice addition to playing; generally because the place I go during the week is always pretty silent and I welcome the random song the jukebox puts on.  However, if one doesn't like the music playing, it can become quite grading very quickly.  Couple that with a table of older boys who think it's appropriate hit every ball has hard as they can and you have a recipe for my being extremely annoyed.  Now, the topper to finish all of that is the fact that I'm shooting terribly.

Normally, it's not an issue when we go there, but for some reason, that night, all those things added up and after the 2nd hour I was really getting frustrated/angry.  XY had said she was done, but I was determined to play a decent rack so I kept shooting for a bit.  Shortly thereafter one of the locals asked if we wanted to play doubles... we accepted.  Then after that we played a series of singles + winners.  Then another local got in on the action.  The first two, AJ and Carly then finally Josh.  AJ, honestly, isn't necessarily all that great of a shot - but could be with practice.  Carly has really good form and could be deadly when she's "on".  Josh is the best of the three, in my opinion. Personally, I think we're evenly matched - but that's his hall, his tight-pocket table and I was fortunate to get as many turns at the table as I did. I got lucky a few times and got back to the table in two racks to run out after a slight miss on his part. 

All told we spent just about 4 hours in the hall and although I lost the match to XY, I won every match against the locals.  It was a lot of fun and I'll be less hesitant to return there in the future having met a few others there.

Things I learned:

• It apparently takes me 2 hours in that environment to get my head and stroke in the game.
• It's important for me, personally, to play through the frustration period - this is similar to another hobby of mine (not important, but now glaringly obvious).
  
• When good player miss a shot, they leave a shot for the next player; conversely, when not-as-good players miss, they leave nothing for their opponent.
• Don't overthink the shot. I have good instincts, trust them - this includes backing off a shot if it doesn't feel right; but also includes going for a shot when I feel it.  If I stay down on a shot for more than 5 seconds, get up and reconsider - obviously it doesn't feel good.
• I'm getting my timing better on the break: I think it might be time for me to look into getting a break-cue.  I'm getting good action on the balls, good spread and somewhat decent position afterwards. Now, if I can just get a reliable and consistent cue to accompany me...
  

Side note: I made the 9 on the break... twice! :)

As an interesting coincidence, I caught the quarter-finals WPBA 9-ball Open on ESPN Sunday afternoon (why they didn't finish the tournament is beyond me, but it was really annoying!).  I saw Monica Webb play Greta (forgot her last name) and lose. :/  She missed a 6 ball that was a pretty thin slice, but not beyond her ability at all.  That let Greta back on the table with a 5-5 score, race to 7. Greta finished that rack then broke and ran out to win the set.  The interesting part of all that is the commentators mentioned that a lot of the people are now wearing earplugs to drown out the noise of the audience and any other tables in action.  I won't be doing that any time soon, but I can understand, now, how important it is to avoid other distractions.

Practice Drills

I did some searching around for practice drills and found a number of videos with some good ideas.  Then I found the one below which encompasses all the drills I found. :)  I only got a chance to try the first drill mentioned today - but it was a real pain.  It was at the end of the day and I hadn't been shooting too well anyway.  *sigh*  I will be trying these over the next week and see how it goes.

Simple Masse/Curve Shot

The last week or two I've been finding myself in semi-snookered positions (meaning there's a blocking ball between the cue call and the object ball).  Luckily, I found some videos which address what I'm calling a simple masse, others call it a curve shot.  However, none of those videos gave detailed instructions on exactly where to aim to get around or what kind of return you would get.  I've basically just been 'winging it' - with fairly pleasing results.

I was, just now, browsing around the apaleagues channel on youtube and found this:


This is a perfect example of what I've been working on/with lately.  I still haven't been able to get extreme masse action yet - meaning a hard curve with speed and/or power.  Playing mostly slow to medium these days though.

Getting Some Help

I mentioned earlier that I've been really trying to get a bit more serious about my playing.  As such I've been on the lookout for training tools.  Here's what I've picked up so far:

How to Play Pool Right - was a video suggested to me by the guy at C&C (Cue & Cushion in the links list) when I asked him about training materials.  It's a pretty informative video - if you can get past the 1985 video production quality.  I picked up a few fundamental things I had not known before - and things to watch out for, like squeezing the cue and it's tell-tale signs.  Also the pendulum position for your grip.  I figured there was a special spot, but I didn't know what it was.  The video also gives some basic training guides to ensure your stroke is accurate.  Honestly, I need to work on those things - but given that I only have an hour or so a day to practice, it's hard to forgo gameplay with such limited time available.  In the advanced section he explains and demonstrates the effects of deflection (often called squirt).  It added a whole new level of complexity to the game.  All this time I just thought I was aiming wrong.  In a way, I was - but now I can at least say that my ideas were correct; but my execution was missing a key component - compensation for deflection.

About a month ago, I picked up a Jim Tempe Training Ball.  And while it has been helpful in spotting flaws in my stroke (any clean cue-ball would do this, I suppose), it's difficult to play with because you have to "reset" the target after each shot and that takes away from the pre-shot routine.

Last week, I bought a Pro Cup Measle Ball.  It was, at first, a little distracting having those extra dots on the ball when trying to set my aim-spot.  But it didn't take long at all to get around that.  Now I can see, more visually, the spin I've put on the ball.  Before this, I had to wait to see how the ball reacted to a cushion before I could tell if I hit the ball center or not.  It's much easier now to tell when I've make a mistake.  It's also much more fun to watch it spin around the table - from a childish point of view. hehe

The last few weeks I've been scouring through YouTube to try and find some good practice exercises and have found a few.  So, it's nice to have variety in practice, but I'm wondering what else is out there.

Players I Like

Everyone has their inspirational figures in whatever they do. In pool mine are (in no particular order):
(keep in mind that the only tournaments I saw on tv were WPBA 9-ball championships and trick-shot champs)

Jeanette Lee The Black Widow. She is fun to watch, a deadly shot and seems to be willing to help out others with the game.

Mike Massey Trick-Shot champ for a whole lotta years. I've never really seen him play any standard pool, but looking at his achievements on that site says I wasn't watching pool when he was winning every title around. He makes an interesting cameo in the movie Pool Hall Junkies.

Allison Fisher Again, discovered by sunday afternoons ESPN WPBA tournaments. Extremely solid player - and she is friendly on tour. A friend of mine got to play her and she was so very nice.

Monica Webb I like her because she reminds me of me sometimes. She has the shots, the ability, but she falters from time to time. Although she did finally win the WPBA 9-ball championship, congrats to her.

Most recently, thanks to BilliardClub.Net's youtube channel, I've been able to learn some of the male players of the game. Of course:

Efren "Bata" Reyes - Just amazing. Simple, solid and ridiculously good.

Tony "The Tornado" Drago - I really like this guy because, again, he reminds me of me. Not in his flaws, but in his style. He plays very quickly, almost as if from the gut - but his brain just works quickly. I've found that the longer I look at the shot, the more likely I am to miss it. When I play at my "natural" speed, it's quite a bit faster and I tend to be quite a bit more successful in both shot-making and position.

I feel I have to mention this next one because it was by chance that I stumbled across her blog - which solidified by decision to buy a measle ball - and also to create this blog.

Liz Ford A fairly new (2005) pro player who I would like to watch progress. So far, her blog has been entertaining and informative. Thanks Liz!

Who do you like?

Intro and Background

I've decided to use this blog as a space for me to keep track of little tricks, lessons, tips and experiences involved with my newest hobby of pool.

I've been playing randomly for years. I had a table at home when I was in highschool, but after that only played whenever a bar had one available. (Frequently you could find me at the table at Rocket Bar [RIP] or at Hi-Pointe [RIP].)

It seems as though my job search would lead me to more pool. In 2001 I took a job in Chesterfield, which inevitably led me to Chesterfield Billiards about a year later. It was a fantastic place. They had seven 9ft tables and 12 7ft bar tables. The place was well kept, clean and the food was pretty decent as a bonus. I played mostly during my lunch hour which was a limited exposure, but still valuable. It was there I learned the true meaning of "a lot of green". The cue-ball loved to sit on the rail it seemed. It was also there where I purchased my first cue; based almost entirely on the look and only a little bit on the weight and performance. However, it was a valuable learning experience. Having my own cue meant I was able to play with a consistent tool. I abandoned the vice of hand powder for a shaft-slicker and I learned the value of tip maintenance. I played there quite a lot and often after work for a few hours. Sadly the hall closed and I had to move on.

As luck would have it, another job switch in 2004 placed me close to another venue. So, between 2004 and 2007 I played at least three times a week at The Pink Galleon. It was nearby, almost always empty, and it served food. I practiced several things during those hours, trying to solidify my game. I tried to ensure my form was the same each time - first and foremost. Secondly, I tried to learn how to use english properly. There was another player there frequently, I believe his name was Sascha [he was Russian], and we used to play whenever possible. He was very consistent and was an excellent source of tips and tricks. He continued to school me on the table though; and all the while telling me I had to get over to this other pool hall with nicer tables, but an excellent staff and selection of products. I never managed to get there.

I switched jobs in 2007 which moved me away from the galleon. I spent the first year at my new job reading during lunch and didn't get to play too often. Then one day I decided to see if there were any pool halls near my work. As it turns out, there was: Cue & Cushion. This is a full service pool center. They sell everything related to the game and are a family owned place. I started going there once in a while to check it out. It's a very serious place - not for the kids. Groups of older men playing one-pocket with some serious attitudes towards it. Specific tables reserved for one-pocket play only as well as two 3-cushion tables and a snooker table. Most tables are 8ft, but there are two bar tables, complete with the annoying under-table tunnel system for the balls to follow after being pocketed. After some hindsight, I realized this was the place Sascha was telling me to frequent for services and playing.

I've been visiting that hall at least three times a week now for the better part of 6 months and in that time I've learned an awful lot. I've purchased two cues and a number of other accessory items from them. To be fair, one cue was purchased for my step-daughter who is also very fond of pool. We'll get to that later. I bought a new cue to replace one that was stolen (along with my truck a few months back) and now I play with a Lucasi E7. A big thanks goes out to Chris who works during the day there for helping me, answering all of my inane questions and giving me a pretty good deal to boot!

Over the years I would catch 9-ball and trick-shot tournaments on ESPN sunday afternoons and I couldn't turn them off. I would study, as best I could, their form, their choice of english and watch in amazement their position play. Of course, the next day I would go to a hall and try those same trick shots. Sometimes it worked, usually it didn't. Of course, I didn't know anything about deflection or throw back then, so I could never understand the shots that required that knowledge - not surprisingly.

I've become somewhat absorbed by pool lately. I watch pool videos online when I can, I search for other pool players' blogs, I watch other players at the hall, I listen to the instructors when they're giving lessons.

Generally these days I primarily play straight pool when alone to practice my position control - but also play 9-ball with a few other regulars from time to time. I'm trying, again, to build a correct form which is throwing my game off quite a lot. In addition to that hurdle, I'm also trying to be more precise with my english and speed control. All together it makes for quite a frustrating hour sometimes. Other days, everything comes together and I'm always happy and surprised when I get lovely position.

I expect that if I could ask 10 pros what the biggest key to the game is they would say: consistency. It's that item I lack. I have the shots and I have the processing power, but my stroke isn't consistent enough to do what I want it to, yet.

So far all of my work has been self-powered. I have no delusions of being able to tour playing pool, but I would be very happy to play (and place) in some local tournaments. Until I'm confident in my game, I will abstain from them and continue to work on my fundamentals.

I would love to meet other players to play with some time - people who are close to my skill level (which I can't identify because I'm not APA rated - no league involvement) who are friendly, but competitive and open to the sharing and exchanging of information.