subject: Improving Your Pool Game [print this page] Pool has been an extremely popular game that has been played all over the world for several centuries. Today it is still a very popular game that is played by everyone.
In the past kings and commoners, ladies and gentlemen, and every other kind of person no matter how refined or rough were known to play this game. You may have been challenged once, twice or several times to play pool by your college friends.
If you are a new or amateur player you may looking for ways in which to improve your game. While practice always helps you become perfect, there are several things you can keep in mind that will help you improve your aim.
The first thing you will need to do is work on creating a consistent cue shot that is very fluid and routine. There is nothing you can do to avoid this first step.
Being able to perform a proper cue shot is critical to the game of Pool. The only way to develop this is through practice.
You may want to spend some time on your own simply hitting the balls over and over. Make sure that you put your forward hand, or the one that acts as a guide on the table so that it is steady.
If you have not been doing this, setting your hand on the table will significantly improve your aim. In addition, make sure that the cue stick can smoothly slide through your hand.
If the cue stick gets stuck on your hand it could pull the stick in odd directions and throw off your aim. Make sure you hands are dry and loose, but firm to obtain the best aim.
The second thing you need to consider doing is using the cue stick to aim. Sight down the cue stick by putting the tip near the pocket you are aiming for and placing the other end in a location that lines up with the ball.
The stick is now a visual representation of where you hope to actually hit the ball. Even though the human brain is incredibly intelligent and smart, sometimes a visual representation can help it perform in the manner that you intend better.
Where the stick crosses the ball in the middle is where you want to hit it with the cue stick. The direction the stick is aimed is the same angle at which you want to hit the ball.
Practice this kind of visual aiming and learn how to make the ball do exactly what you want. It may be frustrating at first, but with practice you will become a professional.
The third thing you should keep in mind is where you should be looking. In many other games and sports it is best to look at the target while you are playing.
For example, in basketball you are supposed to look at the basketball hoop when shooting and not the basketball. This can significantly increase you free throw rate percentage.
In pool, this is exactly the opposite of what you are supposed to do. It is best to look at the cue ball in this case instead of the ball you are trying to hit or the target ball.
It is quite common for beginners to completely miss the cue ball when they are trying the strike it. This is because they are looking at the target ball instead of the cue ball.
By keeping your eye on the cue ball, you will be significantly less likely to miss. However, it may still take practice to get you aim to be correct.
The fourth thing you should think about is your body position. As pool is not as physically active as many sports, it is easy to think that the position your body is in does not really matter.
However, your body posture does make a tremendous difference in how well you are able to play the game. When you are playing pool, you should keep your shooting arm close to your body with your elbow at a 90 degree angle.
When you actually begin the shooting motion, the source of the motion should come all the way from your shoulder and not only your elbow. Get in the habit of checking your position every time before you shoot.
In addition you will want to keep in mind how much power you plan to use. Too much power could send the balls careening off into various directions and off the table.
You will lose your aim if you are too vigorous with the stick. Instead, try to keep the ball under controlled movement.
