Very few pool players understand that their performance will reach a stalemate after they master many of the mental and physical aspects of the game. This “lack of improvement” occurs because they have not developed the ability to balance both their conscious and subconscious mind. The fact remains that you cannot play pool completely subconsciously. This is a common problem that needs to be addressed—if you can’t clearly define where the problem lies in your mind, how can

General FAQs – Laws of Pool These apply to just about everyone. It is nearly impossible to avoid these laws and their consequence. They don’t apply every time, but when they do, it is a personal intervention from the hands of any one of the many billiard gods. • The more balls you make in an inning, the easier it is to miss an easy shot. • On a 9 Ball hill-hill game, if you make the 9 ball, the cue ball will scratch. • The better you play, the easier you can be beaten by a

In this industry we are all looking for that competitive edge. In the end your stroke and creativity on the table is the only thing that will separate you. With that being said the equipment that you choose to put in your case and on your cue really defines what you’re capable of doing on the table. The tip has the most contact with the cue ball. So tip contact is important. The brand Taom chalk has been in the industry for a while now and is always making improvements i

As you well know, I’m a Master Instructor that focuses a lot on mental game, so if you think you are getting a magical stroke tip here, this article may disappoint you. But if you want enhance the way you think and allow yourself to deliver more straight, smooth strokes, well then maybe I can be of assistance. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRACTICING AND PLAYING There are fundamental differences between practicing and playing. One of the major differences between the two environme

As a Master Instructor, I work with numerous students each year. One of the most popular topics in pool of late has been the discussion of how professional players aim. Many pros use the old ghost ball system, or aim through the aid of their memory from thousands of shots they have struck during their careers. However, the majority of professionals prefer to use some type of concrete aiming system. Aiming systems range from the very simple to the complex (Center to Edge). P

As a Master Instructor, I get the privilege of working with junior players of all ability levels. Some are among the best in the world and many are striving to become the best they can be. Mental coaching for junior player is perhaps the most rewarding work I do. Teaching a young player how to develop a positive mindset and watching them grow in both ability and confidence is great! I not only help them become better players, but it will also help them in school and other s

When you are to arrive at your goals in pocket billiards you need to know exactly what your goals are. You don’t walk up to the ticket counter and ask for a ticket to California. You must specify which city and airport you intend to land in. Many players start out in this game with no real goal. They play, pound balls and learn from other amatuers as they go along. If they do have a goal it is vague with no real way to measure it. “I want to see how good I can get” is not me

The name Willie Mosconi is or should be familiar to anyone who follows professional billiards on television – the annual Mosconi 9-ball US vs. EU tournament is named after him. You can read more about him on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Mosconi The name Jimmy Caras is not as familiar, though as a contemporary of Mosconi’s, he was equally legendary in his time. You can read a brief biography of Caras on this BCA Hall Of Fame page: http://bca-pool.com/?page=3

Jake is about to play his first-round match. His preparation on the practice table has been exceptional. He has remained focused and confident. His timing and delivery of the cue are admired by many of the established players who attend the same club. However, as Jake sits and waits for his opportunity to display his current form on the all-important match table he begins to experience those familiar doubts in his mind coupled with the physical feelings of anxiety. This is in

Dominic Esposito became a Professional Pool Player at 19 years old, after 5 years of lessons with Straight Pool Champion, Thomas P. Parker, in Cleveland, Ohio. He married at age 21, but, his wife didn’t want to be married to a professional pool player. With that, he agreed to stop playing pool altogether. Some 25 years later, after the loss of his first wife, he married Linda. On the way home from a visit to his daughter’s college union hall, Linda commented about his having

There are a lot of different styles of breaking cues appearing on the market today. Some are lighter than others and it really depends on your style and stroke as to what is best for the player. For those of you that like the forward weighted breaking cues there are some options. The idea is that the forward weight stabilizes the stroke. The Pechauer Black Ice takes that idea and puts it into this new cue. They infused the maple shaft with four chemicals to treat the shaf

Three-cushion Carom Billiards From the book “ Carom Billiards: Around the World Patterns Patterns ” Group A: Short Leg into Long Rail, Group 1, Shot A1b Starting layout For this shot, this is how the balls are laid out on the table. With the cue ball at the lower left corner of the table, the other balls are up-table, near opposite side rails. The layout below shows how the shot was played. The Shot To make this shot work, the cue ball kisses off the red ball at a very thin

A Pool Instructor’s Journey – Build the Foundation Fellow pool enthusiast – let me take the time to share my background as we begin this journey to continually improve your skills. My name is Tanner Pruess and I was born in South Dakota, a haven for bar-table pool. Growing up with a long line of established pool players in my family tree aided to a decent game at a very young age. The biggest catalyst that turned me into a top rated amateur was attending a clinic hosted by R

Roku is another high quality chalk manufactured by Kamui. It was released in July 2018. I had an opportunity to get a pre-release version of this chalk back in April, which is the basis for this review. The pre-release version I reviewed is exactly the same as the official production released version of the chalk. The Roku chalk is another in the line of premium chalks. These premium chalks such as Kamui Roku or Great White are quite a bit more expensive than standard chalks

The Kamui brand has always stood for excellence in quality and craftsmanship. The new Kamui Roku is a new line of chalk on the market that is turning heads with looks of interest and skepticism. The chalk it self has a new look and feel to it. The new Hexagon shape that Kamui has chosen just feels right in your hands. The chalk feels a lot stiffer and harder to apply; it takes many swipes or brushings to apply it correctly. Once applied the chalk sticks to the tip with a diff

Bill Smith “Mr3Cushion” has been one of the top players in the country for all of his 40 year career as a professional 3 Cushion player. He can teach as well as he played and brings us a great opportunity to this great game. The SECRET of the Half-Ball The Half-Ball Aiming System THE KEY FACTOR in my game’s acceleration over the years is what I’ve learned regarding the achievement of maximum effect and speed with the help of my late mentor and best friend Ernie Presto. Peo

Allowing headphones during league or tournaments has become a bigger conversation among tournament directors and pool players. It wasn’t that long ago a few players were using headphones during practice, and even fewer were using them while playing league or during a local tournament. However, in recent months there has been a striking upswing in use. It appears that more players are seeing a benefit to their game by blocking out peripheral noise and getting into the “zone.”

Sometimes we face a shot with a tentative spirit. In our mind we remember missing that shot. Missing that shot has become a perception and we turned that perception into our mind set. From our mind set we act, we think and we perform. Practice is designed to erase our faulty perceptions about a missed shot. But we have missed too many shots, and even in practice we miss those shots. How do we develop a confident stroke? There will always be that shot that sticks out in our m

I just sat down with the guys of Gaijin Custom Cues, and they want to make a cue to suit you. Robby, Marshall, and Josh are just typical southern guys with a love of the game of pool and non-traditional design. They have a simple philosophy, each of us has a natural stroke and the closer a cue is taylored to the player, the closer the player can stay to the stroke they were born with. Armed with this simple idea, Gaijin Customs was formed. Multiple veneers in the points in v

When you study my concept in teaching you will find that I focus on skill development. I can show you a shot and you will know it before you build the skills for the shot, so I spend most of my workshop and private lessons time on skill development. I want you to return to your home room with increased skills. Here is a safety you will know right away. Can you do it five times in a row? Do you have the speed skills to put the cue ball where you want? https://www.youtube.com/w