Straight Pool

Straight Pool AKA 14.1

When I look around pool halls lately (the more serious ones) I see more and more straight pool being played. This is a good thing. A very good thing. With all of the 8-9 and 10 ball players out there trying to work on their games, the secrete formula is right in a game also known as 14.1 or straight pool  .

To the uniformed, and well lets just say it, "scrubs," straight pool looks easy. It looks easy for three reasons: One: You do not have to play the balls in rotation like 9 and 10 ball, therefor you can shoot anything. Two: Because the entire table is yours, you do not have the same types of obstacles you find in 8 ball. Three: When the game is played well, it does look easy.

The reality is that straight pool is one of the most challenging of all games. Players who can run rack after rack in 9 ball, sometimes find themselves missing easy shots because of the need to play precise position and safes in straight pool..  And the price for missing even one shot in straight pool, is very high. Add to this the break shots you need to play at the end of each rack, and you have the best and most challenging game out there. You also have the best training ground for 9 ball and 10 ball.

A couple of weeks ago I was speaking with an outstanding young pro player in Delaware (if you play at Royal Billiards, you know who I am talking about), who had never played straight pool until recently. He went on and on with great excitement about how the game has improved his play in other games. And this is coming from a guy who has beat the best players in the world to win tournaments.

So young players, get your ass to a "real" pool hall, find some balls and ask if there is  someone (it will not be difficult) who is willing to teach you the basics of straight pool. Then write me back and let me know how it has effected your game. Write me at bryan@NWQPool.com follow me on Twitter @PhillyPoolShark . And don't forget to subscribe to this blog !

 

(Note: I originally posted this blog for FXBilliards.com)

Bryan’s Lag Secrets

Bryan’s Lag Secrets

 

Before you break, you must win the right to break. So let’s start at the beginning. In most matches, you will start out by flipping a coin or lagging for the break. Because the break is so important in most pool games, you should learn to win as many lags as possible. If given a choice, between a coin flip and a lag, always lag for the break. If your opponent is someone who outclasses you on the table where the lag will take place, you might want to flip a coin.

For example, if you are playing on a 9-foot table, and this is your opponent’s favorite table, but you usually play on a 7-foot table, you are an extreme underdog to win the lag. Therefor you should flip a coin to decide the break. All else being equal, you should lag; because I am going to teach you how to win most lags.

           I have not kept detailed records of wins vs. losses in my lags, but I can tell you that if I did, my success rate would have to be in the 80% range. The points I cover here have been refined over a five year period. Some of these points have been shared with me by top players and other I have developed on my own. The resulting cocktail, is a very powerful system for winning lags.

            I am going to teach you my five steps to winning most lags. Focus only on what I ask you to do, and not why it works. Getting into why using a break-cue, or a cue with a harder tip is better, will not help your lag; therefore I will not get into all of those details.

            To prove to yourself that these techniques work, try lagging the ball five times, and measure your distance from the rail on each lag. Then add up all of these inches to use as a base. After reading the five steps below, try the same exercise, adding up your numbers again to see your improvement.

 

1)      Use a break-cue with a phenolic tip, or a playing cue with a hard tip. If you have a hard tip on your playing cue, that’s fine. But avoid using a soft tip.

 

2)      Do not use a cue-ball to lag (Unless the rules state that you must). Use an object-ball, and use one of the striped balls for your lag. Turn the ball so that the number is facing you dead center. You are going to strike the striped object-ball with a follow stroke, hitting it at the top of the stripe.

 

3)      If you are right handed, try to get on the left side of your opponent during the lag. He will most likely move over to his right, giving you more space and the use of the middle of the table.

 

4)      When you are both down in position to lag, do not count down with him; three, two, one. This counting down thing is an amateur move, and not a very smart move. There is no rule that you must both strike the cue-ball at the same instant. Count down in your own head. This way, you are hitting the cue-ball when YOU want to hit it, at the pace, YOU want to go.

 

5)      Rather than thinking to yourself, “I am going to come close to the bottom rail”, think to yourself, “I am going to hit the bottom rail softly.” The object is to have your lag return to the rail and bounce just a little. This is much easier than trying to simply come close. You will at times win the lag without actually hitting the bottom rail. But the bottom rail is still always your target.

 

Send me a tweet @PhillyPoolShark or message us on Facebook at NWQPool, and let us know how this worked out for you.

Weekly Challenge - Shoot with both hands.

End each practice by running off a rack with your Off-Hand. Over time, you will learn to shoot with both hands, reducing your need for the bridge.

Having a Jump Shot in Your Pool Game

Having a jump shot as part of your game, is always a good thing. Unfortunately, a “legal” jump shot, is far outside of the skill-set of most low and intermediate players. There are a few who “think” they know how to jump a cue-ball, but what they are actually doing is shooting a “scoop” shot, by hitting the cue-ball at the very bottom, and sending it into the air. This shot is not a legal jump shot anywhere other than Scrubland USA, aka your local bar.

            In order for a jump shot to be legal, you must shoot down on the cue-ball, literally bouncing it off of the felt. This shot usually involves the use of a jump cue, which is shorter and lighter than a normal pool cue. The idea of the lighter cue is to get the cue out of the way of the cue-ball quicker, in order to get the ball airborne. Most jump cues are also going to have a harder tip, usually phenolic. If you are going to add a jump shot to your game, I recommend acquiring a jump cue. I will write post later that talk about different Jump Cues that are on the market today.  

            Because the jump shot is almost impossible to teach properly in a book, I have devoted an entire video to shooting the jump shot. This video can be found on YouTube under, FXBilliards “How to Shoot a Jump Shot.”