I am having trouble keeping my cool after missed shots. How do you suggest I keep my cool and concentrate on more positive things after a missed shot? What goes through your mind when you miss? What do you say to yourself? It is hard for me to not beat myself up after missed opportunities. Any suggestions?
Frustrating, isn’t it? It depends on the day. Sometimes I will say things under my breath that no one should hear. It is a difficult game because unlike other sports we don’t just hit back and forth to each other. In our sport we sometimes just have to sit and wait for a new opportunity and it may never come. The worst thing for me as a player is to miss a shot or play poor position and know that particular shot could lose me this match.
It happens to everyone. What you need to do is let a poor shot go straight away. Don’t sit and stew on it, because you may very well be back at the table next shot. If you are in a negative frame of mind from that poor shot, how can you approach the table ready to take advantage? The time for analysis is after the match, not while you are involved in it. I sometimes sit in my seat and think about what I am doing and how can I improve. I may also watch my opponent and how they do things. Keep your mind occupied on positive things.
I have been playing with a thinner shaft for the last three years, approximately 11.8 mm. I am about a B+ player and improving. My question is, now that I am improving I am questioning the decision to play with the thin shaft. It feels better to me, but I think I lose some accuracy at times due to deflection. I know that you played snooker with a thinner shaft and wanted your thoughts on this.
When I played snooker I used a 9 1/2 mm tip. When I switched to playing pool, because the balls are bigger I initially used a 11 3/4 mm tip, but I felt like I didn’t have enough control over the cueball. I decided very quickly to switch to a 13 mm tip and noticed a big improvement and much more control over the cueball. Most players use between a 12 and 13 mm tip.
There is a snooker player named John Parrott who is a world champion. I remember while watching him play in an event on TV that I noticed his tip was far larger than the ferrule on his cue. In fact, it overlapped by quite a bit. I think it helped him find the center of the ball a lot easier. Many people get carried away with sidespin and end up using it on every shot. I have mentioned this before, but it is important to really learn what can be achieved just using the center axis of the cueball. You will be amazed.
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As for the shaft, this varies with different manufacturers. There are shafts that have very little deflection and some that have too much. I would pick up a few different ones and get a feel for what you like best. I personally use a Cuetec cue, and I like the feel of the hit, as there is a little give. Also look at the taper of different shafts. Does your shaft get thicker from the tip down the cue? I use a regular taper, but many players play with a pro taper, which stays the same width from the tip down the shaft for between 12-15 inches. Once you like a cue, stick with it! I meet people who have many cues and wonder why they don’t play well. Cues react differently and feel different; therefore, where you aim to make a shot with one may be completely different with another. I used to be an expert at blaming my cue when I wasn’t playing well at snooker. My dad would just laugh at me.
What is the best way to clean your cue, and what do you use to do this?
I personally think the best way to clean a cue is with a damp cloth and then go over it with a dry cloth. There are many cue-cleaning products out there that are also very good. I also like to use very fine sandpaper on my cue just to make it really smooth.
I was wondering how to improve hitting the cue ball when it’s frozen to the rail. How do you adjust your stance and bridging?
The first thing you have to realize is that you can only make contact with the very top of the cue ball, which means you can do very little as far as position play goes. The most important thing is to make the shot you are going for, whether it is pocketing the ball or playing safe. The first thing to do is to make a steady bridge. The best bridge you can use is the rail because it is solid and will not move; therefore, we are going to make use of it. Lay the cue on the rail and then position your hand around the cue. This can be done two ways:
• Using an open-hand bridge with the fingertips of maybe two or three fingers pushing against the table. Even though the cue is resting on the rail, part of it will cross over the thumb and index finger where the “V” is created.
• Lay the cue down crossing the rail and then place your index finger over the cue and rest the other side of the cue against your middle finger and thumb. These two fingers will create a straight line for the cue. A good visual for this is to imagine an open-hand bridge with your thumb going underneath the fingers resting against the middle finger.
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As far as the body position goes, the most important thing is to make sure that your back hand still falls at 90 degrees from the elbow. Obviously when we are bridging from the rail with the cue ball frozen, we cannot swing the cue back very far; therefore, we have to move our back hand farther up the cue to create a well-controlled swing. Whenever you move the bridge hand closer, you must also adjust the back hand so that you are always accelerating on the shot. The body position is a little closer to the table, and I like to keep my left arm bent.
The cue stick should remain as level as possible without creating a miscue. Remember, only part of the tip is contacting the ball on a shot like this, so naturally we have to raise the butt end slightly and make sure to chalk the cue tip. If you raise the butt too much and have slight left or right english on the ball, the cue ball will curve off in that direction. Make sure to really look at the contact point on the cue ball.
A good practice for this shot is to place balls around the rails and practice shooting them into different pockets. This will help you build up your confidence and develop a good stroke.
What do you mean by good technique?
I am referring to being proficient with your mechanics. Players who have great habits at the table become very consistent. Also, if you repeat everything you do on each shot (pre-shot routine), you can generally find reasons why you may be missing certain shots. Conversely, if you are aware of what you are doing, you know how it feels when everything is good.
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How can you learn to see the angle at pool?
I have a few ways that I teach this.
a) Use the ghost ball method. You imagine a ball behind the object ball in line with the intended pocket and aim your cue ball at the contact point.
b) Imagine a line going from the cue ball to the point on the object ball where you want to contact it.
c) Personally, as I sight down my cue, I imagine the part of the cue ball I want to cover the part of the object ball, so I am looking at where the two balls will collide. I can visualize a line from the point on the cue ball that will make contact to the contact point on the object ball.
Why do you have your chin on the cue?
From a very young age I learned the importance of keeping your head still during and after the shot. I overdid it at first to the point that I was barely able to move the cue (very painful and not recommended). I am not actually aware that it touches the cue until someone points it out. In my Snooker training we learned to have our chin on the cue to help with sighting. It is much like looking down a rifle barrel. It gives me clearer vision of the whole shot ahead, from the shaft to the tip and cue ball to the object ball.
How do I find out about the WPBA? I may want to someday play in events.
There is a web site where you can get more information: www.wpba.com. There are regional tours across the country and I recommend that you try to qualify to play in a professional event. With any sport it is important to work your way up the ladder. I started by playing people in a local club and then I joined a league when I was 13 years old. I played league Snooker for 3 years whilst entering national events. Once I outgrew league events, I wanted to progress to tournament play. I started out on a national level and then gradually international tournaments. The good thing about working your way up is that you grow in confidence every step of the way. If I had gone from being a beginner to trying to qualify for professional events, I may have had my confidence taken away. There are some people, however who like to stay in their comfort zone but it is hard to get better that way. This is why some players never progress.
Can you explain the pendulum stroke?
Your cueing forearm should be at a 90-degree angle to the cue when addressing the cue ball. This allows you to take a back swing, contact the cue ball at the 90-degree angle and continue accelerating through the ball with a good follow through to finish the stroke. It is the same in many sports where we take a back swing, contact the ball in a sweet spot and continue the delivery beyond the contact of the ball.
How do you improve at hitting the cue ball when it is frozen to the rail? Do you adjust your stance and bridge?
If I have the cue ball frozen to the rail I do make adjustments. First, I move my stance in a little toward the table. The reason is that my bridge hand is closer to the cue ball. Then I move my rear hand further forward on the cue, as my front hand is closer to the ball. I try to still create my 90-degree angle I mentioned in the last question. I also like to lean my weight forward toward the table by bending my front left arm raising the butt of my cue slightly to avoid miscuing. Because the rails on a Diamond table are slightly different than the rails on a Brunswick Gold Crown, you must raise the butt a little higher on the Diamond table.
Thanks for reading and I hope these tips help your game.
How do you use the bridge?
Having played snooker early in my career, I became quite proficient with the bridge, as I couldn’t reach many of the shots. I also used to practice most days with it. Starting from the feet up, I turn my stance the opposite way around than usual. In other words, my right foot is ahead of my left foot.
This will bring my shoulders around and give me better leverage with the cue stick. My left hand is preferably holding the end of the bridge down on the table or the rail. If it does not fit on the table, I place my left elbow on the table and hold the bridge as close to the table as possible to keep it steady. Now I pick up the cue stick and let it rest in the bridgehead and place the butt end resting on my thumb at the base. I then place two fingers over the cue and two fingers underneath resting against the cue. I lift
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my elbow so that it is parallel with the table and parallel with my body. It is important to keep your head above the cue, as you will have a better perception of the shot. It is easier to see how far the cue tip is from the ball and bridgehead. Now I swing the cue back and forth, practicing my warm up strokes keeping the grip loose and letting the wrist open up. This will create more power with less effort and takes away the chance of any shoulder movement. This also allows me to hit the ball like a normal stroke. If you find that you are swinging the cue off to the right, it means you are using too much forearm, and you should try to let the wrist work more. You should use the same routine you have for every other shot. Keep the bridge distance the same as you would to stroke the ball without the bridge being there. Take plenty of warm up strokes and deliver the cue smoothly holding the cue nice and loose. For draw strokes, vary your bridging distance to suit your stroke and with practice you will master it.
Does the rack make a big difference to a game?
Absolutely it does. We were using the Sardo Tight Rack for the last two years on the WPBA Tour, which I liked because everyone is given the same rack. There can be no manipulation of balls, and it is much easier to rack the balls quickly. I think that some people didn’t like it because it was predictable where the balls ended up with a soft, consistent break. This break was useful as we had the 9 ball placed on the spot, and many times the 1 ball went in the side pocket. However, with a hard break, no rack is predictable. It is much more exciting now that we alternate the break, which means if you break, you have to be running out to keep your advantage. Also, players cannot run racks on their opponents without them getting to the table. This makes it more exciting for television. In 2003, we are using a Brunswick wooden rack and placing the 1 ball back on the spot, which is less predictable because it is much harder to rack consistently and get the balls frozen every time. There is also the danger if the balls are not frozen at the back of the pack that the 9 ball will fly in the corner pocket. The fans like to see this, but as a player, whether I make the 9 or my opponent does, I hate to have that to happen. It is no way to win or lose a match!
Bitten by the Bug
Hi everyone! If you have any questions, please send them to me through my website, www.allisonfisher.com, and I will do my best to answer them in my column.
I saw you play on TV, and you won the match with an incredible kick shot. Do you use geometry?
When I came to America in 1995, I didn’t realize that players used systems for banking or kicking. The reason is that snooker tables have no diamonds or points of reference to calculate angles. Everything is done by feel. Of course, there is so much information on video, DVD’s and in books nowadays that you can find out about anything you want to. I have never learned the diamond systems; I have reference points for one rail and two rails. There are numerous ways to calculate kicks and banks using mirror systems or points away from the table even. It does get very complicated if you let it. When we play on a 30-second shot clock I wouldn’t have time to think in numbers, which is why I don’t try to use this method.
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Another thing to consider are the conditions of the table and atmosphere. When we play in WPBA events, we play on a Brunswick Gold Crown with a new cloth for four days. Just when you start playing well and get adjusted the conditions are changed. For television the table is changed to another Brunswick table with new cloth, and the lighting is completely different. It is much brighter and hotter. This changes the way the table plays. My point is that it is a good idea to have reference points on the table in order to get a feel and be able to adjust for the way that particular table plays. Some tables play much shorter than others even going one rail across table. Figure out how much shorter it plays. If it is half of a diamond across table, aim at one quarter off the first rail. Try to also keep your speed the same when learning. As you get better and understand the game more you will notice how speed really affects the rails and consequently the shots. When you hit the cue ball hard into a rail, it rebounds at a shorter angle. Much depends on the angle you hit into the rail at. If it is almost straight on, the angles don’t change much. Practice and learn just by using a cue ball to begin with and notice how the ball comes off the rail at different speeds, taking note of where it crosses on the second or third rail. Many top players adjust with feel. Systems are good references, but as I have mentioned, conditions vary, and that is when your own touch comes in to play.
I am a 22-year-old pool enthusiast. Until about 6 months ago, I was never interested in pool. I really don’t know why all of a sudden I love it so much now. Whenever I see billiards on ESPN, I drop everything I am doing to watch. The problem, though, is I never get a chance to play. I have played maybe 5 or 6 times. I think for my limited ability, I did well. With practice, I think I could be a decent player. My question is: Where do I begin? I have no idea what I need to do. I am going to buy a table in about 6 months. I do not know how to buy a cue, nor do I know how to buy anything relating to pool. Can you please assist me in any way possible?
I guess you have bitten by the bug! I am very happy to hear that you have fallen in love with the game. The first thing to do is to go and buy yourself a cue. Go to a few different stores and play with different brands of cue to see how they feel. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the retailer. I suggest an 18- or 19-ounce cue with the weight going slightly forward when you are in a shooting position. If it is too heavy in the butt, the stick will lift up out of your bridge hand, and if it is too heavy in the front, this inhibits control of the cue ball. Find a cue stick that is reasonable, consistent, and warp resistant so that atmospheric conditions won’t affect it. The next step is to get someone to teach you good fundamentals so that you create good habits straight away. Really work hard on good fundamentals and learn how to play the basic shots: follow, stop, and draw. Don’t run before you can walk. Go slow and learn the right way because it is worth it in the long run. Most people spend much of their lives unlearning bad habits, which is very tough to do. As far as tables go, shop around and try to learn why each table is different and what they have to offer. Really research it and find what you want. When you feel good enough, join a league. They are all over the country, and anyone of any standard can play. This will expose you to many different styles of play and will help you improve and have fun.
