Pool Tips
If you just play pool for fun you might be wondering why you need to look at pool tips at all. Maybe you just want to go out there and have fun and let what ever happens happen. That’s fine if that’s really the case, but lots of times people find that when they try out a few pool tips they’ve discovered, the ball goes into pocket more easily and more often, and it does add to the fun.
These pool tips are for beginners--nothing advanced, just some little things to think about and try that might give you an edge over your competition. First of all, the way in which you hold your cue stick is very important. You don’t want to hold it too loosely nor do you want to grip it to death. If you are righthanded, your grip hand is your left and if you are lefthanded your grip hand is your right.
You want to be able to guide your cue stick gently through your grip hand. Hold it tight enough that it holds the stock in a straight line and loose enough that your pushing hand can still slide the stick through easily--no death grip and no jiggle grip. The right touch here is absolutely important for a straight shot that allows the ball to go exactly where you want it to go. Do not allow your cue stick to wander. The straighter you shoot the better the possibility of getting both long and short shots to go exactly where you want them to go.
The game of pool is both a mental game and a game of accuracy. You need to believe you can make a shot in order to make it. You also have to practice to improve your accuracy. It is not only necessary to line up the pocket into which you wish to hit the ball, it is also important to line up the spot on the ball where you intend to hit it. One method to try when you are practicing is to hit the target ball directly with your cue stick to see which spot on the ball moves it where you want it to go. After hitting the object ball with your stick into the pocket a few times, switch and practice hitting the object ball with the cue ball on the spot where you had success with the cue stick.
It takes a lot of work to learn to catch the correct angles. Once you know where the ball is going to go when you hit it in a certain spot, you are better able to start using angles to your advantage and set up bank shots and the like. On angle shots it is important to remember that it is not the center of your cue ball that is going to hit your chosen target spot on the object ball. That only happens with straight-on shots. On an angle shot it is going to be the edge or corner of the cue ball that hits the object.
Always begin by getting down and eyeballing the shot at table level. Find the spot on the object ball you need to hit to get it into the chosen pocket. Think of there being a straight line behind the object ball in line with the pocket. Then concentrate on a spot right behind the object ball about half of the width of a ball. Aim for this spot with the center of the cue ball. With angle shots you have to have both high concentration and some visualization skills. As you develop more skill, you will be able to see these kinds of angles in your head pretty quickly.