When you think about pool, how to strike a pool ball is the most important part that comes into your mind. Apart from this, there are many more questions that rise with wanting to improve your game. And the first step towards this direction is your composer whenever you’re working on techniques. Be aware of what your body is doing rather than giving yourself verbal commands.
Apart from this, here are a few other things which you need to keep in mind if you want to improve your game:
Body Posture
Your body posture matters the most at any point of time while playing pool. Focus on maintaining the body posture in the similar way as mentioned below.
Keep your head and body straight and aligned while moving your arms to aim on anything. This will help you make the most difficult shots with great ease.
Your cue generally gets distracted and loses precision and that’s due to your wrist which is either too tight or working very actively. Always keep your wrist loose, this will add precision and impact to your shot.
Keep your body aligned in the direction of shot and maintain your same stance always.
The Cue
It’s preferred to carry your own personal cue in your billiards kit. This makes a huge difference in your game as sometimes the cues offered in pubs or gaming stations are not in proper condition. If you don’t carry your own cue, remember to check the cue you picked to play. Make sure the tip of the cue is not loose or worn down. Roll the cue on table and if it’s rolling smoothly, that means it’s ready to use. If it’s bent or wrapped, it’ll be obvious by the way it appears to roll.
Carry Chalk
Generally, blue chalk is provided at most pubs and bars. But, it’s advised to use green chalk because it lasts longer. You should carry your own green chalk whenever you’ve planned to join a game. Remember to chalk your cue before every shot and make sure the chalk does not move the cue as you apply it.
Assess the Ball
Before rushing for your next shot, walk right around the table at least once. Check the position of other balls on the table and try to think which ball you should approach based on the shot you’re planning to take. You’ll have to think at least two to three shots before taking that shot. This will enable you to plan the speed with which you’ll hit the cue ball and whereabouts of the ball you strike.
Choose Your Shot
Beginners are usually tempted to always go for the obvious pot. But, it’s advised not to go for that ball unless you are confident that there’s enough pot to follow after that. If it seems that there’s no other pot to follow after the one, then try to cover the pocket by leaving your ball over there. This will prevent your opponent from potting their ball and will give you a penalty hit if it’s potted accidentally.
Don’t Hit and Hope
This generally happens with beginners when they can’t find any shot. They whack any ball of their color and hope the result to be good. This is really risky and not at all an advisable course of action. It would be better to play a safe shot that reduces the risk of opponent getting a chance to clear off the table.
Watch Your Opponent
This is one of the most important tips as it won’t change the game instantly but it might increase the number of winning games for you. And it’s necessary when you aren’t using a referee, it’s all your responsibility to remind your opponent that they have fouled and claim your shot.
These are some of the important tips which you need to follow if you want to enhance your pool techniques.
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