(Part 3) Top products from r/billiards

you learn more from losing than you do from winning.

always try to play against someone better than you.

that way you can set your own standard for your level of play and always maintain it and work on improving it one little piece at a time.

i find that when playing people i can always win against makes it too easy to play sloppy. i lose focus, use less than ideal mechanics, take more risks, have poor shot selection, and the WORST is i hit the balls too hard.

not only that but having a good day and playing 'even' with (or playing better than!) someone that should beat you feels so good.

on the other hand, if you're having a good day and shooting particularly well you can feel bad or even a little guilty for whopping on someone you could beat even on one of your bad days.

all the already mentioned stuff is great too, you will find some of it helps and some of it doesn't but it's all good advice mentioned above.

for my off the wall suggestion i will recommend a 40 something year old book about tennis. :) yea im serious lol

The Inner Game of Tennis is only 140 pages and $5.49 and talks about how tennis players (also a sport of 1 vs 1) get so much done in their head so fast to hit a ball to a specific spot with this angle and that speed with some spin..... all without overthinking it and all without letting your mind get in the way... just let it happen. it's a good read and can be totally applied to shooting pool. it was recommended to me from one of the old timers at a pool hall a some years ago.

99 Critical Shots is overrated and one of the worst books for a beginner in 2018. Before you jump down my throat, remember that being old and popular doesn't make something good.

It was a good book in 1977.

I'll let Bob Jewett point out the issues (page 13). He's much more generous than I am—I honestly don't think 99CS worth reading considering the wealth of other excellent material that's available.

Better books would be Illustrated Principles, Byrne's Standard, and Byrne's Complete Book of Pool Shots. Even PYBP or Science of Pocket Billiards would be better.

99CS is outdated and surviving largely on nostalgia, and personally there is not a single piece of information in the book that I didn't learn better from somewhere else.

Actually it gives some 100% incorrect information at least once, regarding rail shots. I literally had a guy defending it by saying "well beginners won't understand the complicated truth so the (incorrect) rule of thumb is fine." Right then is when I realized that some fools will defend the book because they think they should, rather than on its merits.

Don't be that guy.

Rant: Over

PoSM is easily the best book ever written on the mental game.

Kinda funny, the best and the worst right next to each other.

Not too many 1pocket videos specifically for instruction, at least, not lately. Scott Frost's are pretty much the only modern ones, and they may not be the basics of 1pocket, they're advanced moves you can use in specific situations.

There are some older videos if you can find them, the classic ones are from Grady Matthews.

https://www.amazon.com/Finer-Points-Pocket-Grady-Mathews/dp/B00104CQ98
https://www.amazon.com/Killer-One-Pocket-Strategic-Instructional/dp/B0013EJ4SQ
https://www.amazon.com/Grady-One-Pocket-Mathews/dp/B0015GH2AE

Some of these I think are on Youtube, under a different title maybe. Despite the super cheesy quality, and the fact that Grady looks and sounds like a science teacher on the verge of retirement, the actual info is really good. This is a guy who won every event you could think of in one pocket, and used to play for thousands per rack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWBthmM4DI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY7NjmBPsoI

So much of 1-pocket is specific situations, it's like you just need to see a zillion match videos, to see how they handle the zillion situations that come up. The old accu-stats DVDs are good because back in the day, the commentary was usually a little more professional and focused on the match, and not so much rambling and amateur stuff you see in streams today. And the guys doing commentary could actually play... Grady Mathews, JJ, Billy Incardona, Danny DiLiberto, etc. With modern youtube match videos, anything with commentary by scott frost, jeremy jones, john schmidt.

I would assemble the frame and lay the slates on top, then call a pool table mechanic to come level it and install the cloth. That's what I did with my table and it cut the setup cost in half. It was pretty straightforward to assemble, but you'll need a machinist's level to make sure you get it right if you plan on trying to level it yourself. They're expensive.

BTW, if the table is going to be on top of a rug or carpet, you should definitely assemble it first and lay the slates on top ahead of time. The table will compress the carpet so it needs time to sit on it before you level the table. I'd give it a couple of weeks to settle.

Of course, a quality mechanic will guarantee their work and typically come back out free of charge if it needs to be re-leveled due to settling.

Congrats on getting buy in from the other half. I'd be interested to know what you had to give up in the bargain :-)

If you're talking about the $800 set that the Brunswick site is offering, I'd think twice - you can definitely do better shopping around.

Seyberts have a similar Aramith set for $300. It's not got the premium ball set though, instead opting for Aramith's mid-range offering. Seyberts will also give 5% discount to APA members (or non-members I suppose) with the code APARULES.

You can also build your own package, tailored to what you want and omitting what you already have and save a fair bit. Here I will admit I to living vicariously through you in making up a list of what I would get. Again, prices from Seyberts.

• $295.37 - Aramith Tournament Pool Ball Set (Top of the line although I might be tempted to go for the $200 Cyclop set with the strange colors). You could also get the Brunswick Centennial ball set on Amazon for $369.
  
  
• $71.98 - 2 x Dufferin House Cues.
  
  
• $23.19 - Players House Cue (to use as a bridge - I couldn't find a decent looking plain bridge stick from Seyberts but others do have them).
  
  
• $2.97 - Moose Head Bridge Head.
  
  
• $16.00 - Magic Ball Rack combo pack.
  
  
• $21.95 - 144 pieces of Master Chalk (may as well stock up).
  
  
• $89.95 - Simonis X-1 Cloth Cleaner
  
  Total: $521.21
  
  Now excuse me while I go and pay $10+ an hour table time and continue to dream...

+1 on the willard shaper. the media is brazed on and will last forever.

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q claws are a great accessory.

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blue diamond chalk

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maybe a red dot cue ball by aramith ( seems like EVERYone in APA league brings their own)

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some people like to shoot with a glove, they are relatively inexpensive.

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quarter holder like this

Please read the book Golf is not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella. It has been recommended here many times before, and I found it very helpful.

Dr. Rotella helps pro golfers overcome the issues you're facing.

There are cleaners you can purchase on Amazon that will clean it. Can't think of the name but comes in a little white bottle with a purple label.

Here are a few cleaners I found with a simple search:

https://www.amazon.com/Cue-Silk-Ferrule-Cleaner-Bottle/dp/B07JYW73LP/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=cue+cleaner&qid=1558014101&s=gateway&sr=8-4

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https://www.amazon.com/Cue-Clean-Original-Snooker-Cleaner/dp/B0032FZUGY/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=cue+cleaner&qid=1558014128&s=gateway&sr=8-5

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https://www.amazon.com/Undo-the-Blue-Shaft-Cleaner/dp/B01M1BWT1C/ref=sr_1_32?keywords=cue+cleaner&qid=1558014128&s=gateway&sr=8-32

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https://www.amazon.com/Cuetec-Hi-Tech-Cue-Conditioner-1-1/dp/B00065CK52/ref=sr_1_35?keywords=cue+cleaner&qid=1558014128&s=gateway&sr=8-35

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https://www.amazon.com/Cue-Silk-Miracle-Cleaner-Restorer/dp/B07KGN68N9/ref=sr_1_38?keywords=cue+cleaner&qid=1558014128&s=gateway&sr=8-38

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As for sandpaper, do not and I can't stress this enough, do not use sandpaper on your shaft. Go to your local pro-shop or cue guy and have him do a cleaning on your shaft every 6 month or once a year and have him clean it all up and shape your tip for you. Shouldn't cost more than $10 and you'll know you're not damaging your cue.

I normally hate people that pitch crap like this but I make an exception for this. I have 4 budgling discs. I've had the nerves burnt away in my neck multiple times. Going thru PT I had a trainer recommend this SpineWorx. I lay on a heating pad for 15-20mins then this for about the same. It takes a lot tension off tight back muscles. I think it just stretches muscles while keeping your spine straight. I use it a few times a week and helps a TON. I have told other players about it and they seemed to like it too. Might not work for everyone but sure as crap helped me keep playing.

The Velcro has a sticky back that will glue to almost any surface. I just prepped the bag and the patches by cleaning them with alcohol. I didn't even have to stitch anything. It glues on very strong. I got it from my local hardware store. I'm sure you can find something similar online Like This

This one might work. Super SW Clear Acrylic Snooker Billiards Ball Crystal Position Marker Fit for Swimming Pool Biiliards Position Marker Ball

Something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Fat-Cat-Trueshot-Billiard-Table/dp/B000VUDC22/ref=sr_1_13?dchild=1&keywords=pool+table&qid=1574287830&sr=8-13

One of those wheeled bridges someone gave me. I will literally never use it.

>Or the thousands of other games/jobs/situations to which people have applied the philosophy.

Just because a book likeThe Art of War for Dating: Master Sun Tzu's Tactics to Win Over Women is written isn't evidence that it applies. It's evidence that people will buy books that make reference to the Art of War.

>Your failure to understand the connection isn't the book's fault, and I'd advise you to read the whole thing and reflect on it w/r/t your game—even if you've read it before, you probably weren't ruminating about pool.

Even your chess forum link has the first comment asking why not pick up a book on chess rather than a book on military strategy?

But nah.. I'm sure a book where deception, misdirection, espionage and initiative features heavily are totally relevant to games where opponents make alternating moves completely out in the open.

I should go write a book on the Art of War: Miniature Golf. I'm sure people like you would but it.