Billiards Balls Phoenix AZ

There are any number of ways in which straight pool stands out from all other forms of pool, starting with its being the only game in which any object ball may be shot into any pocket at any point in the game. For our purposes here, though, let's consider that 14.1 is the only pool game which continually requires its players to pocket one ball while moving others. (In just about every form of pool, including straight pool, you never want to send the cue ball into a second object ball unless there's a purpose to it. But a lot of the time, it's unavoidable - and 14.1 will always demand that you do so.)

So let's say you come to the table with a few balls open, and at least half the remaining balls clustered so they must be moved somehow. What do you shoot first?

You don't shoot anything first. What you do is take a walk around the table, with special attention to that cluster. Maybe there's a combination or carom possibility in there that largely can't be missed; once you learn how read the stack, that happens more often than you'd think. But, for the sake of discussion, suppose you find no such opportunities this time. Here's a good sound mental process for you to go through in choosing your shot(s):

A-Balls: Which balls on the table have logical, open paths to pockets right now, just as they lie?

B-Balls: Which balls will have open paths - especially to the two bottom pockets, nearest where the balls were broken -once you sink one or more of the A-balls?

C-Balls: Which balls simply cannot be pocketed anywhere as they lie, and therefore must be relocated somehow?

D-Balls: Which of the A-balls or B-balls are you going to use to accomplish C?

And then you're ready to select one of the A-balls. If you go through that A-through-D process first, you'll at least understand the nature of every ball confronting you, and you'll have separated them into those you can sink cleanly (or at least try to) and those in which you simply must send the cue ball into secondary object balls.

Now, a bit on the order in which you might consider those A-balls: both the late Hall of Famers Willie Mosconi and Steve Mizerak, the dominant straight-pool players of their respective generations, took a "from the outside in" approach to position play.

That means that they continually tried to connect shots that eliminated object balls nearest the four corner pockets. That way, the cue ball stayed on the periphery of the pattern, gradually ...

While it can be a lot of fun to see the pros running out, it is important to shift your focus to your game. When you're watching the best players, think about your own decision making, techniques, tactics and rhythm. Ask yourself what you would do in a certain situation, then see what the pro does.

1. Think ahead, but don't forget the big picture
If you only focus on making the shot in front of you, you probably won't get position for the next shot. If you make your shot and play position for the next ball, you might have the wrong angle to get to the third ball.

Think ahead. To be exact, think three balls ahead - always.

If you are constantly planning for your next three balls, you will give yourself a plan to get from one ball to another, while always leaving the cue ball in position to continue your run. After every shot, make sure you map out your next three balls. This will keep you in line and on the right side of your next ball.

This being said, you should never forget the big picture. Sometimes, you are able to break up a cluster and still remain in good position for your next shot. Doing this allows you to break out a ball that would cause problems later. When you can rid yourself of an obstacle while staying in position, include this in your plan.

Looking three or four or five balls ahead will strengthen your confidence, because you are in control of yourself and the table.

2. Play toward a position zone, not across it
Most of the time, you don't have to play pinpoint position. You just want to be on the right side of the next ball or maybe straight in.

Usually you have a few different ways to gain position. Always keep in mind that your position area is bigger when playing toward the target zone (show in blue), giving you a tight space of about three balls. With the follow shot, instead of crossing it. Diagram 1 is a common shot where you can play a stun shot (show in red) or go one rail with top spin (the green path) to the same position.

Playing the stun-shot option, you have to be pretty precise with your speed, since the path crosses the position zone however, notice how much of the cue ball's path is inside the position zone. You can be a little off with your speed and still have a perfect shot on the 3. Always look if there is an easier way to get position.

3. Finding the right side of the next ball
Especially in 9-ball, since you are playing position on only one ball, you often have to move the cue ball from one side of the table to the other to gain position for the next shot. Diagram 2 is a perfect example.

Important here is to always play the angles. As you can see, you are playing the 1 ball in the side pocket to get position on the 2. Now, this is of the utmost importance, you must decide where you want the cue ball to be for your shot on the 2 ball. Your ideal position for the 2 will dictate how you pocket the 1 ball.

If you follow the red path, whi...