November 2009 page 4
Big Table to Bar Box: Making the Adjustment
© 2009 Mike Fieldhammer, BilliardCoach.com
Much as golfers must adapt to weather conditions and different courses, pool players must make a sometimes difficult transition themselves: switching between 9-foot and 7-foot tables. Many capable big table 9-Ball players have trouble downsizing to a bar box to play 8-Ball. Keeping key concepts in mind will make the change less challenging and make a player more comfortable on different sized tables. Keep the cue ball movement to a minimum. Less cue ball movement is advantageous on a bar box. The 7-foot table has tight quarters. Some players exhibit better control of the cue ball using a slightly more compact stroke. Shorten or reign in your stroke since most shots can be made without a big stroke. Punch balls in by focusing on a deliberate stroke. If you are struggling with speed control on the bar box, consider rolling balls in. Follow and natural position leave less to chance if you have confidence in the table at a slower speed. Simple, natural position at controlled speeds also gives you a better chance to get the correct speed for position. Rails on bar tables are easier to predict at a low speed than high speed. Just beware of skid and learn to recognize which angles and pace the balls tend to stick. Select patterns appropriate to the table size. Shot selections should favor stop and stun shots over shots with close distance. Close distance refers to positional shots with little distance between the cue ball and object ball. For example, it is better to take a long stop shot over a close range cut where the cue ball will travel two rails back to the center of the table flirting with traffic. A slight miss hit will still pocket the ball in a stun/stop shot and hold cue ball position. Conversely, the cut may still pocket the ball, but the speed and direction of the cue ball will be altered. This could lead to the possibility of bumping into balls or missing position from too much or little cue ball pace. The saying goes, “Get in line and stay in line.” If your position becomes a little less than ideal, chances are that the amount of inaccuracy will escalate on the next shot. This may accumulate over several shots until you are in a self imposed trap and are forced into a low percentage or desperation shot. It’s one of those runs that you wish you could rewind and select another opening shot or play a preemptive safety. Beware of equipment differences. In bar box pool, you have a much greater chance of finding a subpar (or less than ideal) cue ball, mismatched object balls, a cheap triangle, inferior cloth, and mismatched cushions. All of these factors hurt the highly skilled player because they introduce unexpected variables into the game. Under ideal conditions, the more advanced player can exhibit a mind blowing demonstration of control. Such a player can move the cue ball ten feet or more to a target the size of a quarter. If the cue ball arrives via three cushions, one of which is from a different table, then the player may have to settle for a dinner plate for position. Pay special attention to the cue ball model and condition. Heavy or large cue balls drive through the object ball and alter the tangent line. It just doesn’t follow the physics of ball behavior. It is yet another variable that befuddles experts, but doesn’t harm the lower skilled players who may not realize the difference. It’s an equalizer. Ralf Souquet will not even hit a ball on a seven foot table. He considers it mini-golf compared to a professional PGA approved course. Souquet, the money leader on tour in 2008, once commented on the bed of a nine foot table where the bed had new cloth, but the rail cloth was unchanged. He is so sensitive to table conditions that his continued on page 19
“Pool Saved My Life” One Man’s Tragic Story and What Pool Means to Him By Samm Diep, PoolTipJar.com © August 2009
From the early age of 13, Phil recalls banging balls around at the nearby YMCA with his skateboarding buddies. With no bridges available, it was normal to switch between shooting righthanded and left-handed. Their summers were Samm Diep carefree and pool kept them out of trouble. It would be seven years later before Phil’s adolescent pastime would rescue him from his darkest demons. Continuing to play throughout grade school, he entered college and found himself a regular at Classic Billiards, the all-ages pool hall at the time. On one late night he witnessed the owner, Jason, matched up in 9-ball sets with a road player and for the first time, “I was purposely he recalled seeing two players “play destroying myself. I was 9-ball the way it was supposed to looking for answers. be played.” The two men broke and Why is this happening ran racks, played strategic defensive to me? What did I do moves, made all the tough shots and made the game look so beautiful. I’m wrong?” sure we can all remember the first time we saw pool played at a high level. It’s like making music. A couple years later, Phil invested in his first pool cue. It was a hundred dollar Viking cue which he still owns today. Along with the cue, he picked up a couple instructional videos. The one he watched over and over was Jerry Briesath’s “How to Play Pool Right.” That would be his first breakthrough in taking the game more seriously. At a young age, his parents divorced and his mom remarried. Both his dad and his step-dad also dabbled in the game and encouraged his interest. At age 20, Phil attended a college party that would forever change his life. It was there that he met Julie, an old high school crush. The two instantly connected and within weeks were head over heels. Their continued on page 14
High Performance Cues Professional Billiard Instruction Everything a Serious Player Could Need
Samsara Cues
MIKE FIELDHAMMER
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