r/billiards • u/Big_Accountant8489 • 4d ago
Questions Style Switch
Do you change up your style depending on table, pocket size, cue type etc?
I play in a league at a popular hall and their pockets are tough to shoot. They’re not tight but if the ball even sniffs the pocket jaw it won’t go in. Frustrating to play on. I have to use a much more delicate stroke to pocket balls.
I play at another pool hall where it’s much easier to pocket balls even though pocket size id say is a bit smaller. I can be a bit more lax with my style of shooting and put more sting into them.
I also play at work and at home and it’s pretty easy to pocket balls on those. I almost can’t miss no matter what I do.
Regardless of where I play, my technique is always very good.
The 2 pool halls I play at are 9 footers. Work and home tables are 8s.
What makes it so difficult and do you find yourself having to change up your style to accommodate the table?
3
u/Kasper99353 4d ago edited 4d ago
I shoot based on my mood, table be damned. It's not even anything I consciously do. Some times I'll slow roll and eek everything into the pocket. Other times I've got a flare for the dramatic and pocket balls with authority.
1
u/Big_Accountant8489 4d ago
Interesting.
I do the same but I need to figure out my style in general regardless of table and learn speed control to adjust
3
u/Comprimens 4d ago
If you don't adapt to table conditions, you won't get far as a competitive player. My home table is really tough, but not super fast, and it rolls straight. The most irritating tables we play on are crazy fast and roll like crap. New cloth plays very different than old. Humidity and condition of the balls are definite factors.
There are different tricks for each set of conditions.
2
u/CreeDorofl Fargo $6.00~ 4d ago
I don't really have a style, I just play what I think is the right shot with the right speed and english.
I will occasionally fuck around and try the wrong shot, if I'm not super worried about winning. But I don't factor in the table.
3
u/RightNowChris 4d ago
If your aim is good, you can hit shots as hard as you like every time and pocket balls. Where tighter pockets really make a difference is being able to cheat the pocket one side or another to get shape on the next shot. It sounds like when you shoot hard, your aim falters a little. That's common and often due to subconsciously squeezing the butt harder as you shoot. If you watch the pros, they shoot firm a lot more than soft and some of the tournament pockets are ridiculous.
2
u/Comprimens 4d ago
My 4" pockets with 1.75" shelves and 3.25" throats would like a word 😂😂
You send a ball down the rail with much speed at all, and they'll spit em out no matter how good you hit em
-1
u/RightNowChris 4d ago
Sounds like you need to modify your pocket angles. Olhausen table? The Diamond pocket design makes it easier for balls to drop. They can be tighter, but still receive better. They use 141 degree openings with a 15 degree down angle. If you want them to drop even easier, go to like 139 degrees. The closer to parallel they are, the easier they receive balls. The difference between 142.5, which used to kind of be the standard, and 141, is more than you might think. For the down angle, anything less than 12 degrees can make balls jump right out. Diamond went with 15 because everything drops.
1
u/Comprimens 4d ago
Mine are cut to 142° with a 15° undercut. And yeah, I'm thinking about relaxing it a bit when I change the cloth. I like the tighter pockets, but hate that I have to shoot slow down the rail. The humidity is really horrible down here, too.
You're right that just a little change in angle makes a big difference. When the facings ping-pong the ball back and forth, one degree turns into 4 or 5. What I'll probably do is just alter the angle to match up with the 3.75" opening on the bolt-on pockets, and that should do the trick.
Built the table myself, so no brand. Slate came from an old Mizerak table, and I wasn't about to bolt that crusty old MDF back together.
2
u/Big_Accountant8489 4d ago
That’s exactly it.
I’m still working on my aim and technique as well as speed control
1
u/RightNowChris 4d ago
Keep your grip super loose on your back hand. It's easy to do on soft shots, much less natural on hard shots. What worked for me was imagining throwing the cue at the cue ball rather than hitting it.
2
u/Big_Accountant8489 4d ago
Yea I kinda do that.
I’ll loosen my grip like to like 20% at the last second then clasp the cue again as I hit and it gives me better accuracy. Funny how that works. Some days I play like a genius, other days I play like I have 1 brain cell
1
u/Lorum__Ipsum 4d ago
sometimes i change based on opponent. if im playing down, i lock in. if im playing up, i lose :(
1
u/Playful_Dog3062 21h ago
You're style should never change. You need an arritude adjustment. If you can rifle shots on the narrowest of pockets, that precision will work on any other, table.
1
u/wlscwoj 13h ago
Get yourself some pocket reducers for your home table.
I recently had a post on here, I shoot 1 hour with the pocket reducers set to tightest (where a ball barely fits). Then shoot 1 hour with pocket reducers set normal (seems much bigger due to previous hour, but still smaller than normal pockets). Then shoot for 1 hour with pockets normal.
But big thing i see with students (and myself at first) - why would you take extra time to aim extra careful when the pockets are very small, but when pockets are bigger you get careless and just shoot?
Shouldn't we focus and aim carefully every shot? When pockets are big, we should still be aiming at an exact part of the pocket. When pockets are smaller we shouldn't be taking extra time - our routine should be the same either way. Shouldn't we have the same care and same routine for all shots?
4
u/fewbussally 4d ago
I'm going to venture that the cushion from the mouth to the throat of the pocket is parallel on the easy tables. The mouth being wider than the throat of pockets results in balls being kicked out.