I always enjoyed chalking up my cue after every shot and you probably do too. So thinking back can you imagine all the times that you sat there and just swirled more and more chalk on your cue stick not realizing you were do it wrong? It makes me laugh remembering.

Above we mentioned that you where doing it wrong but really their is no wrong way to chalk your cue, by doing it the “correct way” you get some added benefits that you might like to know and practice for yourself.

By chalking your cue in a downward stroking motion across the tip of your cue, you can adequately cover the whole tip not just around the center point. When doing a swirling motion your cue it doesn’t cover the very center of the tip and this is where your cue stick impacts the cue ball. Besides, using a stroking motion saves cue chalk and improves the health of your tip.

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The main thing to keep in mind when breaking is power and accuracy. When breaking it is important to hit the header ball straight on, this will transfer the header ball momentum onto the other balls this will spread the balls nicely for you. Remember to always pack the balls tight before breaking.

The proper way to rack up the pool balls depends on the game you are playing it seems like everyone has their own way of racking. Here are a few tips you can bring along next time you play pool.

The top spot for a ball is known as the apex of a rack, this spot should always hold the number one ball.

Eight ball: When racking for an eight ball game its important to set your eight ball in the center of the rack.

Corners: The bottom corners of the rack should be filled with a solid and a stripped ball.

Nine Ball: The nine ball game requires a special diamond shaped rack. The only specifications for racking are as follows. The 9 ball must be placed in the center of the rack and the 1 ball placed at the top of there rack.

These fundamental shots are necessary to be learned by a beginner player. We will discuss the following technics: Follow shots, Stop Shots, Draw Shots and Cut Shots.

Stop Shot: This is caused when a the cue ball is struck and it skids or slides across the table without spinning and once it contacts the object ball it stops dead in its tracks.

Learn How
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIboOjTep7I

Draw(Backspin) Shot: A draw shot is caused when the cue ball hits the object ball and then spins back towards the original shot direction. In executing this shot you are required to hit a firm and confident stroke below is a link to learn how.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uoz7f8-wRRc

Follow Shoot: A follow shot is the most used shot in pool and it can be easy to learn. The follow shot occurs when the cue ball stops momentarily and then continues to follow the object ball at a controlled distance.

Check it out here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hKIWAbPSPc

Cut Shoot: A cut shot refers to a shot that is not straight on, a cut shot is done from the by hitting a side of the object ball.

It is best described here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTKKsLfUPR8

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The concept of playing pool is broken down into a handful set of skills. The very first thing that you need to acknowledge is the mental aspect of playing. When you come to the table you should either check your ego at the door or trust that you will do good and just have fun.

Next, you should pay attention watch for patterns and shots in previous sessions. This way you can learn angles and shots that work and don’t work.

Another useful skill is to know what shots you are / aren’t comfortable with. By practicing you can sharpen your skill, gain confidence and learn to apply speed and spin to your shots. Practice is very crucial, you can set up the same shot a couple of times and try different speeds and spins in order to observe. Overtime you’ll build up your muscle memory, shot library and experience in order to win games!

Why its important to know yours and your opponents comfort zones. The purpose of this is for you to be able to place shots which your opponent cant take. For example placing a shot that is right next to the cushion or maybe you notice they can’t hit far away shoots. This applies to pattern and shot recognition be sure to watch what shots you struggle with and work on those because it’s likely that you’re opponent might see your weakness and pray off them.

Converting your mistakes into a learning experience. Rather than trying to erase the memory and embarrassment of a bad shot, why not learn and try to make the next shot better?
It seems that sometimes people give up before the game is over, instead figure out what went wrong and don’t do it again. Pay attention to your set up, evaluate your shot, acknowledge your mental aspect and try something new.

Improvement comes with hours and hours of practice so be sure to understand your personal billiard goals and go from there starting with why do you play pool?

“There is no glory in practice, but without practice, there is no glory”

-Unknown

This quote says it all, you learn by repetition and each time you practice you’re providing yourself with an opportunity to improve. Billiards is a sport that requires a lot of precise movements, patience and strategy.

Its not necessary that you practice hours a day. Practicing just a few simple sessions through the week will provide growth and experience.

Designing a personal practice session by setting up shoots that improve your weaknesses. Shoot those shots over and over watching and learning from the results. Make the changes necessary for success and then keep on practicing what works.

https://youtu.be/uIkRjA4xF5A

Choosing your stance is a personal thing, finding out what works best for you is essential. The important thing is to have good stability, alignment and comfort for your stroke.

Your stance begins with the placement of your feet. Much like the story of Goldilocks and the Three bears, It’s important that you find a foot position thats not to far apart or to close together.

Once you’ve established your foot position the next task to incorporate is your center of gravity when bending down to the table. Be sure to place the same amount of weight on both of your feet. Now, place your bridge hand on the table and remember your bridge hand is not for support its meant to give you a sturdy base for your cue stroke.

Now, lightly grip your cue stick near the back approximately 5 inches back with your non dominant hand this should give your cue good balance point. Ideally, your arm should be at a 90 degree angle with your cue stick giving you a smooth stroke swing.

There are many types of bridge positions so if you are not familiar with a bridge you can check out some of the following links:

The Bridge
http://www.easypooltutor.com/articles/25-fundamentals-of-pool-and-billiards/20-the-bridge.html

How to Play Pool : How to Make a Pool Cue Bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIkRjA4xF5A

It seems that everyone has a thought on this topic. How do you feel about it?

According to PoolDawg.com “ there is a saying  don’t break with your shooting cue and don’t shoot with your breaking cue.  Simply put, break cues were made for breaking.”

The short answer is you have to make your up your own mind. A breaking cue is meant to offer speed and to smash those balls. If it doesn’t matter to you and you want to shoot with your nice cue stick, the  thing to remember is that you might end up damaging your shaft and also mushrooming your tip which can turn out to be an expensive mistake.

If it comes down to an economic decision, maybe you can easily afford replacing tips as they are needed and do regular maintenance work.  Then you should need a breaking cue unless you decide to get one.

Either way you are welcome to come see us and test out a ton of different cues before purchasing one. This will help guaranty that you find the right weight cue for you and who knows you might even find a breaking cue too!