The Straight Line
The Straight Line by Bob Henning In pool there are many factors to take into account in order to contact an object ball with enough accuracy to send it to a distant pocket. There is the discrepancy between where the cue ball is aimed and where it actually contacts the object ball. There is the deflection involved when the cue ball is pushed off More...
Nail-Bending Focus
Nail-Bending Focus by Tom Simpson I think we love pool because it’s so dang difficult. If it were easy, if we never missed the pocket or the shape, we’d get bored pretty quickly. If it were easy, it would not More...
The Break Shot
The Break Shot Depending on your level of play, the break shot can be the single most important shot in pool, no matter which type of game you’re playing. In 9-ball, for instance, for you to give your More...
Get Them Both in Play
Get Them Both in Play by Grady Mathews When you need two and your opponent needs one, the primary goal is to stay alive in the game. Very close in importance is the secondary goal of getting both balls in play. More...
Be a Champion of Character First
Be a Champion of Character First by Allison Fisher There is nothing as appreciated in any form of sport than a humble winner or a loser who praises his opponent. It’s refreshing to see this because it focuses More...
WPA Crowns Three World Billiard Champions
The Junior World Champions were crowned in Reno, NV with Pin-Yi Ko and Brittany Bryant taking top honors. WPA Crowns Three World Billiard Champions Three new World Champions can now celebrate. The first division More...
Immonen’s Reveals Billiard Secrets in Mastering Pool Instructional DVDs
Immonen’s Reveals Billiard Secrets in Mastering Pool Instructional DVDs Immonen has released three billiard instruction DVDs called Mastering Pool. The world’s hottest player Mika “Iceman” More...
Whitey Never Lies
One-Rail Kicking One Rail Kick When I begin teaching students about one-rail kicking, I take the cue ball and put it in the jaws of the side pocket and then place an object ball in the jaws of the corner pocket More...
The Myth About Deflection
The Myth About Deflection by Andy Segal (Guest columnist) Different cues have different amounts of deflection. Some say it is the type of wood, some say it is the taper on the shaft, and so on. Once you get a cue, More...
Maybe it’s the Shaft
This is my third column exploring the impact of the cue stick on performance. When I first started this series, I thought it would be a simple subject, maybe worthy of two columns at best. Mostly I wanted to see More...