[pool2da]

I do not claim to be any good that is why I am posting in the beginners forum. I am at camp that has a very cheap pool table and very cheap balls. I was practicing Larry’s nine balls in the corner pocket. Maybe the first two I would shoot perfect and the third shot I would pull four feet down the seven foot table when I was only try to pull down maximum of a foot and over four inches or so. I did this over and over not always the same ball but the pull was real inconsistent although I thought I was shooting the same. It was so bad I just gave up. I then decided I would just hit a stripe ball to the other end and come back and see if I was stroking okay. With that I found out the table was way out of level and I just gave up and went home. I really do not know if indeed it was me, the balls or the table or if I am just looking for an excuse. The draw was just so far off I could not believe I was messing up that bad. I started out on the 9 ball practice session so I had nothing else to compare it to. I only notice the table out of level left to right I never thought to check it foot to end to see if that could have helped the draw because it seemed like the first few shots I did not miss much it was mainly when I was drawing down the length of the table.
Any comments? My own comment I guess is I need to find a level and take one of the equations out and try again. Maybe another day if it is doing the same may tell me I don’t know. Any suggestions welcome.

[Pin]

Freeze 3 balls to a rail, in a row. Freeze another 3 balls to those, so you have a 2x3 rectangle of frozen balls.

Take out the balls at either end from the row touching the rail. This should give you a T shape coming out from the rail.

Now use another ball to strike a ball at one end of the top row of 3 balls. This should send the ball at the opposite end rolling parallel to the rail.

If it goes parallel, the table is level (over the area where the ball has travelled). If not, it's off-level or bowed.

Try this on all the rails to identify how it rolls.


If you're able, try to re-level the table or get someone else to do it. Also try to get a table brush and brush out the dust on the cloth.

The table will still be old and imperfect, and other people will probably continue to treat the table quite badly, but it'll play much better than it does now.



If you can find parts of the table that roll true, you can use those to drill on. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother trying to run drills that require high precision. You just can't trust the table enough to judge your performance.
However, playing on the bad table is better than playing on no table at all.

Try Fast's 7 and 8 drill (7 OBs in one half of the table, 8 in the other. Take ball in hand to start, and try to run one half of the table, then the other half.)

[Pin]

To test how level:

http://CueTable.com/P/?@4AbPq4BbPb4CbPJ4DX...pl1kXKu1kXbuzb@

(All balls should be frozen together, even if there are very slight gaps in my picture!)


It doesn't really matter how you strike the first ball in the T (you can hold the ball in your hand while you watch the ball that will role out). The row of balls will ensure the end ball comes out parallel to the cushion.

If the table is very slightly off perfect don't worry. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be of a high standard, if you want to practice high-precision drills seriously.

[pool2da]

Pin, on Dec 30 2007, 11:43 PM, said:

To test how level:

http://CueTable.com/P/?@4AbPq4BbPb4CbPJ4DX...pl1kXKu1kXbuzb@

(All balls should be frozen together, even if there are very slight gaps in my picture!)


It doesn't really matter how you strike the first ball in the T (you can hold the ball in your hand while you watch the ball that will role out). The row of balls will ensure the end ball comes out parallel to the cushion.

If the table is very slightly off perfect don't worry. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be of a high standard, if you want to practice high-precision drills seriously.

Pin

Thanks I have never seen that. You just get smarter and smarter every day reading these posts. I was looking around trying to find some one that had a level.

I appreciate your response.

pool2da

[Pin]

No worries. I have a friend who is a qualified match referee, he knows some pretty useful things.

Good luck with the practice.

[pool2da]

Pin,

Well I tried your suggestion and boy what did I find. I found that I just really need to wait until I get home if I want to play pool. One side of the table if I rolled the six it went straight. If I rolled the ten it would hit the rail before it got to the end. If I go to the other side the 10 would run into the rack. The two would go straight. It changed as I changed the balls some time a little some times a lot. What it showed me was the table was a piece of cr*p and so was the balls. About all you could do I grove your stroke. I was just so disappointed I quit. I am afraid to get home and try that out on my Brunswick table and balls. It better not do that or Brunswick will be back out there.

[Pin]

Do you feel confident in how you're doing it? Are the balls frozen in the 2x3 rectangle?

I would have expected on most tables you could identify consistent patterns on a given line, even if the nature of the roll was different on different parts of the table.


It's horrible when you don't trust the table. The one I played on today, I screwed up a couple of slow shots to one pocket - which identified a roll. You want to play a good shot, but you just can't. When you do it right, the table automatically makes it wrong.

But it must be really tough to get the table surface exactly level over it's whole area.

I suspect there might be a better way. If it could be found, home tables could become so much more practical. But maybe slate has too much status to be toppled by a better way of doing things.

[pool2da]

Pin, on Jan 3 2008, 09:06 PM, said:

Do you feel confident in how you're doing it? Are the balls frozen in the 2x3 rectangle?

I would have expected on most tables you could identify consistent patterns on a given line, even if the nature of the roll was different on different parts of the table.


It's horrible when you don't trust the table. The one I played on today, I screwed up a couple of slow shots to one pocket - which identified a roll. You want to play a good shot, but you just can't. When you do it right, the table automatically makes it wrong.

But it must be really tough to get the table surface exactly level over it's whole area.

I suspect there might be a better way. If it could be found, home tables could become so much more practical. But maybe slate has too much status to be toppled by a better way of doing things.

Yes, I done it numerous times to see if it was consistent and I got the same roll out of the same ball. That is why I mentioned the 10 ball. The table seemed warped, but the balls were not close to round either. these are brand new tables and brand new balls, but very cheap in a third world country that if you wanted to get good quality you are going to have to pay for it. In Doha where we were staying they had one pool table and one snooker table and you could have not ask for any better, We moved into the camp which is about two hours from Doha and they have three tables 7 footers and they are the pitts.

[pool2da]

I can not wait to get home and try this drill on my new table with my new cue that FL is going to send me. At least I will be able to tell for sure that it is the Indian all other excuses will go away. I will be there in about two weeks so time will tell. What short time I started that drill here looks to help you a lot on cue ball control up close.

[pool2da]

pool2da, on Jan 16 2008, 03:48 AM, said:

I can not wait to get home and try this drill on my new table with my new cue that FL is going to send me. At least I will be able to tell for sure that it is the Indian all other excuses will go away. I will be there in about two weeks so time will tell. What short time I started that drill here looks to help you a lot on cue ball control up close.

iT is indeed the indian not the arrow. I just have no tallent.

[Pin]

I find these drills, where you have several balls into one pocket, incredibly hard. You're not alone in feeling a little surprised by the Indian :D

So long as you're planning 3 balls ahead, so that when you shoot, you're sending the CB somewhere that gives you the right *kind* of position on ball 2, to send you on to ball 3,
then you're planning well enough.


But to land the cb so precisely, it's tough. I think with time you'll really see yourself getting better though. And that's the point of these drills - it's not about beating yourself up about how good you are when you start, it's about seeing how you *improve* and learn from there.

Keep at it, and allow yourself to feel a little pride as you see yourself improve.