Eight-ball pool tips?

Question

i'm learning how to play eight-ball pool and something i can't understand is how to apply strength when playing the ball. all the white ball ever does is to roll a tiny bit very slowly. any tips? is ther a specific way to push the white ball so as to make it roll in a certain way?

Answer 1

I am going to assume that we are talking about real pool and not a computer "girly man"(all due respects young lady)computer game.....it is never about how hard but about the "stroke"....you just have to keep playing and practicing.....you might get "Bert Kinister's" 1 hour workout tape....will show you several basic shots that comes with position play...but most important by doing the "drill" over and over you will start to get a feel for the travel of the ball.......position play is the most important in any pool game.......always remember that the more that you have to travel with the cue ball.....the "thinner" or more english that is required......sometimes requiring that you "over-cut" the ball.....#1 thing is just to practice.....practice...practice.....the speed will become second nature......good luck on the tour....I will be expecting my 1%!!!

Answer 2

meli  I teach two exercises for helping that  get a coffee cup eith a small tight handle and sit it on the table about 18 inches out  practice shooting thru that handle until you can look away and still shot thru it 2 or 3 times without looking or hitting the cup    this will develope the accuracy of the stroke and produce more power  then when you shoot the cue do not just hit it  envision in you mind the cue tip going through the Ball not just hitting it  make sure that you cue tip is well past where the backside of the cue ball was before you shot  once that is mastered you are ready to play a lot and develope more skills but those two first will help a great deal for later

Answer 3

You need to practice allot. You only need to strike the cue ball (white one) hard on the break. Most of your other shots should not require strength. You first need to be able to shoot balls straight, by aiming the cue sticks tip directly at the middle of the cue ball and aiming at the spot on the object that you want to make. You need to go to the library or book store and check out books on the fundamentals of pool.

Answer 4

The easiest way to explain this is to think of a tic-tac-toe board. There are three rows each with three spaces for a total of nine.

On scrap paper dreaw a square and divide it into nine spaces.

The middle space will produce the conditions thatyou described. This tells me you hit the cue ball in the center almost every time.

Know try hitting the ball in the center but on the top row. This will cause "top or Following English" the cue ball will follow after the ball it struck.

Then try to hit low on the ball but in the center. This bottom english will cause the bal to stop in place or to roll backwards after the object ball is struck.

Then try left, right, upper left, lower left, upper right and lower right. This is the secret to the game of pool. It is much more important to know where the white ball is going to stop then any other ball on the table.

When practicing or especially teaching English I use a striped ball instead of a cue ball. It is easier to see the spin when hitting a striped ball. The cue is one solid color and it is difficult to see this. So take it off the table when practicing.

Good luck.

Answer 5

First of all you must practice hitting the ball at dead center. Sometimes to much strength will cause a miscue on a breakshot, thus hitting it with full force but minimum movement. Use a heavier than usual break cue stick. Your regular shot cue stick is lighter for more controlled shots. Break cue sticks are usually heavy for maximum power transferred to the cue ball during  break. Use a heavier cue stick and you will see the difference. Trust me. Been playing 9 ball and 8 ball for 12 years.

After learning this, learn how to do english or proper spin on the ball. But if you are a beginner just go for the shots first and just hit dead center. When you master the art of the shot, then you can learn how the ball spin and proper ball english. It just comes naturally as you play along. No one taught me how but I eventually learned it as I play along.