Instructional articles to Play Pool and Billiards

Thinking your way to a win

mfinkelstein@easypooltutor.com (Mark Finkelstein) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I've been watching a lot of pool lately and one of the things I do when I watch is run through the rack in my head, seeing if my idea of how to play the rack is the same as the player at the table. I learn a lot of new approaches this way, seeing how different people play a rack. One game in particular struck me as very instructive. I saw this game in Japan between two intermediate players. The bet was small and they were playing about even.

Improving your pocketing skills

mfinkelstein@easypooltutor.com (Mark Finkelstein) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Now that I'm back from traveling, one thing seems to be a constant in the pool world. The question I hear in many ways over and over is 'how do I get better?'

I want to look at one part of the answer to this question. Here are some things you can do today that will improve your game. Unfortunately, they are easy to say, but in the heat of battle not so easy to do. I'm sure you know these things already, but the key point is, are you doing them when you play. My guess is you are not consistently following these guidelines, and that will cause you to miss.

The Drag Shot

mfinkelstein@easypooltutor.com (Mark Finkelstein) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Drag Shot-a good technique to know. I just finished playing in another Predator event at Master's Billiards in Queens. What a great event!

I am truly amazed by Tony Robles and Jerry Tarantola. We all owe them a thank you for the wonderful things they do for our pool community. What is truly amazing is that not only do they organize our tournaments and capture us in pictures and words, but they also play at the top level. Wow! Thank you so much. By the way, if you aren't playing in these tournaments you are missing out on some excellent competition and a chance to improve your game.

Some Common Pool Faults

mfinkelstein@easypooltutor.com (Mark Finkelstein) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I just came back from teaching a seminar in Ohio and some private lessons in New Jersey. What I observed is that a wide range of good players consistently have the same problems. What I'd like to do here is highlight a few of these problems and pass them on to you so that you can use this as a check list in developing your game. Not all of them may apply to your game, but correcting one or two errors will improve your skills and your win percentage.

5 Things to Practice

mfinkelstein@easypooltutor.com (Mark Finkelstein) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I just came back from the Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge. What a great time! It is always a thrill to see old friends in the pool world. I had a blast in the NYC Grind Booth, meeting new friends and seeing old ones.

Keep Your Pool Cues in Top Condition

author@easypooltutor.com (Richard Penny) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Whether you are a professional billiards player or someone who picks up a cue casually on a Saturday night at the bar, nothing is more frustrating than a cue that is bent or broken. If you use the cues provided to you at the local parlor, then there is little you can do about the maintenance. But if you own your own pool table and/or cues, there are some basic tips you can follow to ensure that your cues stay in great working condition throughout their lifetime.

Goal Setting and Pool

bryanmitchell@easypooltutor.com (Bryan W. Mitchell) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Tell me about your goals as a pool player. Do you have goals related to your game? Do you have goals about yourself as a player? Have you written your goals down? Do you review them on a regular basis? Without ever having met you I can say with great confidence that you can not answer yes to more than two of these four questions. In fact, without ever meeting you, I can say that there is a 95% chance that you can not answer yes to more than two of these questions. This is a safe bet because only abut 5% of people have written goals that they review on a regular basis, and only about 5% of people ever achieve any great success in any given field.

Productive Practice - Making the best of your practice time

bryanmitchell@easypooltutor.com (Bryan W. Mitchell) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When asking players how they practice between matches, I got the following three answers:

Player one complained about not getting enough practice time during the week. But, one day when I met him to play a few games of 8 ball, he told me with great excitement how he got in practice the day before and worked on his bank shots.

Self Talk - Are You Talking to YOU?

bryanmitchell@easypooltutor.com (Bryan W. Mitchell) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

I once coached a player who was struggling quite a bit on game night. He was by my estimation a decent player, at least average, but I watched his ranking drop from 4 to 3 to 2 in just a few short weeks. Other teams would watch him shoot and say out loud, “There is no way that guy should be ranked a two!” For this article we will refer to this player as Lee. Lee lost matches week after week. He lost to players he should have been a major favorite against. But he almost always found a way to give the game away at the last minute.

Buying Your First Cue

jameshoover@easypooltutor.com (James Hoover) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Buying a pool cue can either be a pleasant enjoyable experience or a nightmare. The determining factor will most likely be the knowledge you possess when you begin.