I recently retired and took up pool and snooker in our community billiard room. Your tips will help others like me from forming bad habits. Thanks for sharing.
For some it is. But if you get down on the right shooting line you do not need to have your final look at the target ball, you can have your final look at the cue ball. The cue ball is actually what you are hitting with stick, not the target ball. So it can work both ways - just depends what works best for each person.
Those are actually not just neat tricks you want to try out some time but the very fundamentals every pool player has to follow in order to play good. If you combine these five tips with a proper stance and the right way to hold a queue you will get MUCH BETTER pretty FAST. One more important thing: It is completely normal to play worse once you start changing your habits. But this is just temporary and nessesary to improve over all. Good luck and have fun everyone :)
This is very interesting. I started playing pool 🎱 recently. These 5 tips are good tips to take to heart. One thing very interesting that I see here is the 8 ball is stripe. I've never seen a stripe 8 ball. All my life, I've only seen solid 8 balls 🎱. This is so interesting.
I used to play pool weekly but stopped as I became a dad and never had the time. I went out the other day to play, and my god, I was shocking. Was smashing the ball and missing the pocket badly. Positioning was none existent. So watching this makes so much sense, cheers mate.
Good solid advice. Love pool. Teaching and having fun and a drinnk with the missus. We got a similar 8 ball table in our local round the corner here in Didsbury.
Good tips although tip 5 is optional imo. As long as you line up the shot properly and focus on delivering the cue in a straight line, it shouldn't matter what ball you focus on before delivering the cue just what works for you. I have always looked at the white after flicking between that and object ball. Also, surprisingly I found out watching the snooker not so long ago on one of the tip sections they do during the intervals was that some snooker players actually play like this as well. I always thought the way you describe it was the conventional way and that I was doing it wrong but not so.
Totally agree. It is up to what works best for each person. I am a pretty damn good straight shooter and my final look is at the cue ball, and I still get through the ball and down the shooting line just fine. My cue is NOT hitting the target ball - it is hitting the cue ball! So, for me that is what I want to make sure I am looking at when stroking through the ball. But it can work just fine both ways.
@@jamesdavis8731 I'm a little confused? I have always looked at the cue ball when I'm ready to shoot? Is that wrong? Don't mean to ask stupid questions, I'm a beginner. I play and practice mostly 9 ball, not sure if that makes a difference either. I'm not very familiar with snooker.
Nothing like having your own table to constantly practice.. u can't help but to get better if u are willing to put the time in. I got a cheap GOsports table and my skill set has dramatically increased. I can only imagine how much I would enjoy a slate table, however just being able to play and not pay upwards to $10 a hour is worth the investment.
Nice, pointed out faults I have to correct in my game - perhaps, though, number 4 not so much - I find if I get into a spiral of poor play, it's because I'm hitting the ball a tad softer than the optimum - not harder. So for me, slightly harder (not a LOT harder) than I wanted generally gives better results for positional play than too soft.
many thanks for the advice. i've had a few cues in mind but i settled on a buffalo no1 british pool cue that has an 8.5mm tip. i'll see how i get on and hopefully remember some of the tutorials when i'm playing.
I’m 31 now I use to play when I was younger and I was pretty good. I recently started playing again and couldn’t believe how terrible I was. The biggest Tip for me was tip 5, a friend of mine said you’re constantly flicking your eyesight between the cue ball and the object ball which was making me miss a lot. So recently I started just looking at where I want to hit the white then look at the object ball and it has helped me a lot hopefully I can improve more as there is room for a lot more improvement.
I'm not a pro....but I can hit the ball! Love this video. When I teach, my main deal....is...only hit the ball hard on break. Everything else....total finess. Once you got that down, we work on English. Yet, if you're not comfortable as a player, use speed and the finess to leave a good leave after a shot. I personally LOVE billiards, super close to Chess.
Guy who used to play in my team always fell fowl of the 1st tip. He speeded up every shot nearer to the black he got and ended up just slamming the black. Use these tips as a shot routine 👍
Great tips that also work for snooker. 👍 Sometimes it's good to remember the basics like walking into the shot. When playing pool down the pub it is far too easy to fall out of your routine.
May I add that every single human being is different so this advice is helpful for one human being and not in the slightest for another. I for example play very fast especially when in rhythm. Slowing down makes me play worse. If you need to compare in terms of players you’ll know then look at Mark Selby compared to Ronnie O’Sullivan… Then also in terms of cue action look at Judd Trump, he literally aims a complete different direction whilst down on the cue ball then changes direction last second. The advice to listen to which is relevant to most if not all players are potting angles, routes of finishes, cueball control, spin on the white… Even a lot of those vary person to person. Becoming good at pool won’t be through a RU-vid video you’ve either got it or you don’t but practice like mad either way if you want to improve and play players that are better than you
So about a year prior to you posting this I realised some of what you said I was doing wrong. I am autistic and when under pressure I get majorly stressed. I played pool for about 10 years up to 2021 and I learnt how to play better angles and cue ball control but the one thing I could not master for close to 10 years was my performance. I was inconsistent when getting down to hit the cue ball and I was guilty of pushing the cue through too quickly. In practice I wasn’t too bad but when it came to matches my nerves got the better of me and the anxiety caused me to play bad and miss too often and lose the match. Even if on paper I was a better player, I could still lose from intimidation and pressure. I then one day in 2020 was playing practice and was cueing the ball well and all of a sudden it clicked out of no where. I started to slow myself down. I developed this slow mo ability and slowed time down. I took deep slow breathes, I slowly took my time to look at my shot and then slowly approached the table and got down slowly to the shot. I feathered up about 3 times controlled and slow and brought the cue back and paused without thinking. I held the cue back with concentration and control and delivered the cue through the cue ball potting all balls on the table in succession. I could of gone to the next shot the different but I didn’t. Every shot from then onwards was the same routine each time. I then was asked to fill in as a sub for a match a few days later and out of 6 matches to play / best of 3 frames a match. On the first match I went back to my old bad habit and routine of pressure getting to me and anxiety kicking in. Then I remembered what I had learnt and won the next 5 matches winning each frame. I went back a week later and won every single frame of the 6 matches all because I remembered the control. Anyone new to playing let me tell you. You think you are good and you play well but most the time think again. These tips are gold! And as much as you think you might not need them you probably do. But I need to add one more tip. Don’t get cocky! No matter how good you are, don’t EVER get cocky! Because one day someone better than you will play you and you will fall further and harder then the meek and humble players. Don’t be a Ronnie o Sullivan! The reason for my story is to explain that I have autism which involves anxiety, stress and pressure and autism includes ADHD which I have a bit of. Most of the time matches will be played in a busy, loud, bullying and intimidating venue so by putting on your slow mo pants and slowing down your breathing, movement and cue control you can control all these issues and play a controlled and enjoyable game of pool or snooker. These tips are honestly the best and gold and it’s really sad most have not addressed it. But thank you for finally being one of the first who has! Oh and one more thing someone in the comments just reminded me. When you get to the black being autistic this can be daunting. Why? Because it’s a change from a red or a yellow of which you just had 7 of. This creates anxiety because you know it’s the last ball and not just the last but the winning ball, the pressure ball and the only ball on the table which is more alien to any other ball. The cue ball you hit every shot. The red or yellow is regular enough to feel normal but the black carries a anxiousness about it. So when you get to the black keep telling yourself to forget about winning and that it’s the last shot but instead it’s just another shot. Only this time slow down longer and take your time. Don’t rush just extra relaxed and slow with deep breathes in and out of mouth in and through your nose. When anxiety kicks in and your heart races, breathing slowly steadies you and slows your heart down. And when you do win again so it slowly and controlled. Do it humbly.
great tutorial which shows all my bad habits when i have a bad game. i wonder if you could advise me on my cue? i got a gift of a 58" maple cue (american pool cue) with a 13mm tip but i play on a british 7ft table with smaller balls. it's a lovely cue and at 1st it seemed good but now it's hit and miss. should i stick with it or get another cue with a 8 or 9mm tip which might be more suited to the smaller cue ball/balls?
Thanks. You can play with a tip that big (I know people that do) but it’s not ideal. If you’re just starting out it’s fine for hitting the cue ball straight. However you’ll find generating spin is a lot harder with a tip that big (It’s the relative size to the small English cue ball, with a large American cue ball it’s fine). 8-10mm will enable you to get spin on the cue ball far more easily. Just be aware that the smaller you go the better your cue stroke needs to be to hit the ball straight.
Pool used to be the ultimate game of wits, precision and composure; people strived to be not only good, but poetic with their style. Not enough romance around the game anymore. We need some celebrities to make pool viral. I've actually thought about trying to get CSI to find an athlete that will push pool to the masses again (like Chris Paul did with Pro Am Bowling)
I would suggest that beginners leave side spin alone and concentrate on hitting the middle of the cue ball, using only top, bottom and stun for position.
Great video, even for more skillful players you see them , myself included, make some of these mistakes. Recently I got corrected by a beginner who doesn't use spin, to slow down and not hit so hard with my spin shots. Since listening to this person my game has been on point with alot more shots that are challenging. Ps. Spin bank shots are extremely difficult on the tables I play on as the cushions are dead and if you hit a little too hard, the object ball straightens up off the cushion, this is the reason I got into the bad habit of trying to hit harder to make my spins work better. Ps. Great editing and narration
I don't have much room but bought a cheap American Pool table from argos and it came with 38mm balls. Too small so got some 48mm they are better but too small so got some 1 7/8 balls. They work fine but the pockets are small nets so any vids or ideas to make them hold more when potted or could I cut the net and add a ball rail like snooker table?
Sir I stay near a bar and I need to buy a cue for myself because their cues ain't quality is a game of 8ball which type of cue do u recommend me to buy?? Am from southafrica
I'm afraid I really couldn't say. Pool cues are a really personal thing, and what is right for one person might not be right for someone else. It's like choosing a pair of shoes, it's all about what feels comfortable for you. Price is also a huge factor with cues ranging from £20 to several hundred. I have always said that the best way to choose a cue is try them out. When I first started I bought a couple of cues online. One of the cheaper ones was ok and another that was quite expensive was complete rubbish! Unless you know someone who has a particular cue and you've had a chance to use it and see if it suits you, then buying online is a bit of gamble. I found the nearest shop that stocked lots of different cues. I then went there and they let me try a few. These were all expensive cues but I still used several I didn't like the feel of before finding the one that felt perfect for me.
I think alot of beginners just whack the ball, hope it goes in so it looks more dramatic... we used to do that in our early teens, we soon stopped... 1. The landlord at the pub used to shout at us saying no need to hit so hard, u just wanna look flashy, he was probably right and 2. We nearly always missed... after being bollocked a few times for smashing the balls, we slew down, took our time and became his 2 best pool players and won him some league trophies!
There is some debate over it so it’s certainly not “wrong” to look at the cue ball. If you watch professional players closely they all have slightly different eye patterns with some settling on the cue ball and others settling on the point of aim. All I can say is that I started out looking at the cue ball. When I switched to looking at the point of aim, whilst it was strange at first it improved my aim ten fold in a very short space of time. I can only talk from personal experience of course and everyone is different.
Not for English pool. I’m using a 9mm tip which is fairly standard for this type of pool although I know lots of player in my league who use even smaller tips. It’s obviously narrow compared to American pool cues but then that is on a bigger table with far bigger balls.
There are plenty of examples of other players that look at the point of aim too. I put this in because it’s what works for me but there is huge debate over which method is most effective so I don’t think anyone can definitively say one is better than the other. It depends a huge amount on the individual I think.
An annoying issue I have is that I wear glasses, so I can't look up down low like that because I'm looking through the rim or above the rim of my glasses. Very irritating.
I know, my best mate plays in glasses and I know he finds it annoying. Not wearing them myself it's hard to give any advice. Only suggestions would be contacts or Dennis Taylor style glasses. Hopefully some players on here that wear glasses might have some tips?
They are set up correctly for World Rules, Black Ball Rules and International 8-Ball Rules, which are the 3 most common rule sets used in the UK. What rules do you play?
@@PoolSchool Just googled it, I have been lied to my entire life... I'd set it up 1x solid 2x stripe 3x solid 3x stripe with black Then 2 solid strip solid stripe
This video sucks for beginners. It doesn’t start anywhere the beginning. It doesn’t talk about foot and hand stance. Not a beginner video. It doesn’t even talk about how to hold the cue. There are so many things antecedent to these.
