ALL THE TIPS: ARCHIVES!

1-2-3

The 1-2-3 approach: One should use this approach on EACH and EVERY shot they attempt WITHOUT FAIL. This is guaranteed to better your game. 1. Standing at the table, look at the layout, DECIDE what you are going to do with the shot, (pocket the ball, play safe,etc.). DECIDE where you want the cue ball to end up. DECIDE HOW you have to execute the shot (speed, english, etc.) 2. Line your body up to the shot, then lower yourself DOWN over the ball. 3. Take a couple of practice strokes, then SHOOT smoothly with follow through – don’t second guess it – just SHOOT! If you have done numbers 1 and 2 properly, number 3 will be a success. Until you get this completely grooved in, say to yourself 1-2-3 on every shot.

DECISIONS
One has to DECIDE what will happen with a shot and where balls will end up BEFORE attempting to shoot. IF you are UNSURE of ANY part of the shot you are about to do, DON’T SHOOT! ANY decision, even if it is the wrong one in the end, is BETTER than NO decision.

ONLY YOU CONTROL!
WHO you play in a match whether it be friendly, wagered, or tourney format does NOT MATTER because in reality, your opponent could be an Orangutan sitting in the chair when YOU are at the table. It is YOU at the table when your turn comes, NOT ANYONE ELSE. So WHO is sitting in the chair matters NOT. You only have complete control over what YOU do.

SPACE
SPACE is a very interesting aspect of pool and mastering SPACE will elevate a good deal of the confidence of your game. You have a table on the floor, surrounding chairs, players, railbirds, other tables in the room, the entire room itself! The MORE SPACE you “occupy”, the better. When you walk into the room to begin with, you should sort of “reach out” to the whole area of the room. Make it “yours”. When you are watching your opponent shoot, you should still “occupy” the entire table at a minimum. When you are shooting, it is YOUR table, YOUR pockets, YOUR balls, YOUR cueball, and even the entire room! Even approaching the table when it is your turn with “this table is MINE, or this rack is MINE” puts you solidly in the driver’s seat already.

JOE PLAYER IN YOUR HEAD
Have you ever wondered WHY you missed a shot? Of course! No one who has ever played the game has NOT had this happened. Efren Reyes included – when he does the famous “head scratch” and grin. There can be a gazillion reasons why you missed technically – but let’s look at one that is not so easy to spot. If one can improve their ability to “spot” this following scenario, then one will for sure begin to learn how to conquer it. And this is: Many times when you have played someone, the match has gone badly, you couldn’t believe how bad you played, or you got terrible rolls, or any other number of things occurred. In fact, EVERY time you play “JOE PLAYER” it seems to GO THAT WAY. You just never “feel right” when you play them. When you hear you will have to play them, you groan, roll your eyes, physically shake, or worse – “this time I’m gonna kick their a$$”. And of course, you DON’T, and it goes the SAME way it always does with JOE PLAYER. What you are MISSING is that JOE PLAYER is IN YOUR SPACE – in fact, he is probably right in FRONT of your face during every shot you attempt! Yep – they know how to “be in your head” so to speak and purposely do it. The result is you never quite feel right at the table, or feel like someone is watching you or behind you, or you can’t quite “focus” on your shots, etc. Simply spotting this and acknowledging it can help diffuse it!

THE "ZONE" OR "BOX"
There is a "State" a player can get into commonly called "The ZONE" or "The BOX". This state applies to many athletic endeavors. In pool, It can be identified thusly: When you are at the table: You don't hear any music, you don't hear anyone talking, you don't hear any other sounds from other tables, you are not aware of your opponent or where he is. You hear NOTHING! You are not aware of your body, your cue, or ANY mechanics. You are ONLY aware of the cue ball in front of you and your object ball and the TARGET. And if you can GET HERE and STAY HERE, you will be a pool GOD.

POOL ETIQUETTE

Don't be a nit! Use courtesy - be aware of other tables & players & space. It's like drivers who go slow and block lanes becuz they are the only one on the road - when done with your shot or turn, move on so you don't hold up play.

NEVER GIVE UP!
No matter HOW far behind you are in a match, you must NEVER give up! Many matches have been won "coming from behind" as in 6-0 in race to 7. Just GET BACK in the game until the LAST ball is down!

QUICK FIX 1
If you are having trouble with your stroke, then cut back on a couple of your basics. Shorten your bridge, shorten your backstroke, then thrust forward, following SMOOTHLY through the shot.
PRACTICE TIP 1

An excellent practice tip for those wanting to improve their game and especially for those who find doing solo drills boring: Throw 3 balls on the table randomly. Pocket all three going for shape on each. When you can do this successfully 20 times in a row, up the amount thrown out to 4 and so on, 20 times each.

USE YOUR HELP
Strive to play opponents that are BETTER than you are. You WILL learn. In addition, one should WATCH as many matches as possible. Set your TV to record ALL billiards related programs or peruse the net for posted matches (there are tons), then if you can, watch at least ONE match a day.

CHANGE A HABIT
It takes about 1 month or so to either CHANGE a bad habit, or develop a NEW skill. Don't get discouraged. Try to do ONE at a time. Example: On every shot you make, practice letting your breath out right before you stroke. It will relax you just enough so you don't tense up. If you concentrate on doing this each and every time, it will eventually become "natural" and you won't even think about it.

PRACTICE TIP 2

Try not to ever let a day go by without stroking at least ONE ball. Muscle memory is key. Even if you only have time to hit a single ball, it is better than not stroking at all for a 24 hour period. Table or no table at home, one can be clever and find a way to stroke a ball!

TROUBLE SHOT HELP 1
Double and triple check when your object ball is DEEP in a pocket! "Guessing" is no option here. More shots have been "lost" attempting to pocket a ball which lies deep in a pocket. You must make sure where it sits so you can control where the cue ball goes once you pocket it.

WARMUP VS. TOURNEY
Do you perform in a tournament the same as you do when you practice or are warming up? Why not? Why is it that you "kill it" when warming up or practicing, then come tourney time - NO JOY? Well, it's ALL MENTAL! Nothing more. Very simple. So pay no heed to "i'm playing a tournament now" or any other nonsense. PLAY YOUR GAME the way you KNOW HOW TO! Period!

DON'T "THINK"
Thinking is highly OVERRATED at the table. AND, what you DO think, usually happens. Example: You THINK you can't make certain shots and sure enough you can't. Or you THINK you won't run out and you don't. What you SHOULD be doing is DECIDING what WILL happen. Have you ever had it happen where you had a (ahem) thought that all you needed was a 9 on the break - just a fleeting thought and VOILA! it happened? DECIDE - not THINK!
WHO'S YOUR DADDY - LIFE LESSONS

Who's your Daddy? He may or may not have taught you anything about billiards, BUT he may have taught you about PEOPLE! Or about LIFE in general. One of the best gifts you can have is how to READ people, ESPECIALLY in our world of billiards. Knowing and trusting your "gut" is key. If you get the "pop" (I do NOT like this dude) but you can't put your finger on it, just GO WITH IT and TRUST. It will NEVER fail you! Use this tip not only for your matches and pool player associations, but in LIFE in general!

COWBOYS & COWGIRLS
Don't be a COWBOY or COWGIRL! (Term used for players who shoot at EVERYTHING on the table) Pros spot these types immediately and handle them accordingly. They KNOW that eventually this type of player will miss, leaving them an out. It is a hard habit to break, especially if you are a "shot" maker! One must learn the subtlety of playing SAFE and WHEN to do that during a rack or even an entire match. Try to calculate the "percentage odds" during your turn at the table. If they are too low, then play safe. One way to "up" your safety game (which is really better CUE BALL control) is to play games like ONE POCKET. If you MASTER safety shots as well as pocketing ability, you will most definitely INCREASE your rank! Giddyup!

CONFIDENCE BOOST
Confidence is a VERY important factor in ALL cue sports. It works BOTH ways! If you think you CAN make that tough shot, you probably will, and vice versa. There are many names for this too - attitude, demeanor, just "knowing" etc. You won't fully realize the VALUE of this until you really "fall into" one or the other - CONFIDENT or HESITANT. Most everyone has said at one time: "I just KNEW it was gonna go in", or "I got down for a kick shot and just "felt" where I should hit and nailed the shot", or "I KNEW I was going to miss that shot and leave them an out", or "I NEVER make that long rail cut shot" and you don't. So anything that will BOOST your CONFIDENCE - DO IT! And if SOMEONE or SOMETHING isn't helping to do that - DISMISS it or them!

POOL & GOLF
There was a famous golf book by Harvey Penick called "THE LITTLE RED BOOK". It had a TON of great info and tips on how to play golf - tremendous. A LOT of them applied to sports like Pool as well, as many of you know. Midway through the book was the phrase "And when all else fails, TAKE DEAD AIM"!

PREPARE FOR THE ZONE
When you here the CRACK of the break is when you should begin to "zone in" whether it is your break or your opponents. At that moment, you should survey the entire table not letting your eyes off it - do this BEFORE putting your break cue aside. From that moment forward, you and the TABLE should be "one" for the rest of the match. POOL IS NOT DEAD!

THE "EXTENSION BRIDGE"
The DREADED "bridge" or "cripple stick"! How many of you have leaned uncomfortably, stretched out over the table for a key shot because you HATE the bridge? How many times do you execute correctly and pocket the ball? I will lay $$ down that you usually "dog" the shot! DON'T HATE the bridge! Make it your FRIEND! Practice, get tips from others on how to properly use it. It could just SAVE you a match or tourney win!

QUICK FIX 2
Can't figure out what's wrong with your stroke while warming up for tourney time? (or any other time for that matter) Do THIS: Shoot a couple of racks, placing the cue ball tight against the rail FOR EVERY SHOT. Seriously, it will help you straighten it out quickly!

BREAKING!
BREAKS! No matter what the cue sport is, 8 ball, 9 ball,10 ball, one pocket, straight pool, snooker, just to name a few, the BREAK is a huge part of every game! One needs to practice the breaks for EACH cue sport to help maximize the percentages for staying at the table or otherwise "controlling" the rack. Each game is unique in some way in approaching the BREAK. There are a LOT of videos online you can watch regarding where and how to hit each break with recorded examples. Watch and learn, read books and learn, ask those better than you and learn. And then WATCH yourself "up" your game!

HOT & COLD
Have any of you ever made some fantastic "that's impossible" type of shot that you planned out and executed PERFECTLY to the "ohhhhhhhs" and "ahhhhhhhs" of the railbirds, only to DOG the next EASY AS PIE shot? No? I thought not! Sooooooo, why does that happen? How do you correct that behavior? It happens because you stay STUCK on that shot - you never GET BACK to the table fully. Well, you correct it by ACKNOWLEDGING the shot for yourself and that it was awesome. Give yourself a moment to pat your back. Then when you feel PROPERLY acknowledged, survey the table NEWLY, figure out how you are going to proceed, then execute your PRE SHOT routine after you have re-oriented yourself to the table and the moment!
LAST BALL DOWN - "NOT"
So for those of you with what I call LAST BALL "ITIS", meaning you pocket just fine until you get to that last and final shot to win the rack or the game, etc. THEN you FAIL to pocket the easy out $$ ball! Try this exercise: Practice racks and when you get down to the last ball, PRETEND there is one other ball on the table and mentally "put it there". Then, shoot the shot with the idea of placing the cue ball lined up for that "pretend" next ball. This will help BREAK the LAST BALL ITIS curse!