Billiard Coach – Mike Fieldhammer

Improve your billiard skills – Pattern Play

Posted on 06. Oct, 2010 by Mike Fieldhammer.

When I practice, I do it at home and usually alone. My routine on my 9 foot Diamond Pro Am with Simonis 860 cloth is mainly straight pool.  I always encourage people to try adding some 14.1 into their training. The benefits are many-fold.

• Learn to build runs of many balls
• Learn the importance of finesse and fine position accuracy
• Learn to minimize cue ball movement
• Learn ultra focus on seemingly simple shots
• Learn to pocket the object ball and trust the cue ball to take care of the rest of its job
• Many more to be added here from reader suggestions

All of these things that can be worked on by practicing straight pool will build pattern knowledge that can be applied to any game. I see so many players who can pocket balls well and have a decent stroke get into all kinds of trouble by shooting the balls off in the wrong order.

What order would you shoot these balls off to leave yourself a good break shot for a chance to continue your run?

The balls from left to right are 4, 14, 7, 13, 1, 10, and 12.

Pattern Play Puzzle. Click for larger image.

Learning pattern play through 14.1 practice can be priceless.  It also happens to be a great game that challenges players of any ability.

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Are you a fox or a hedgehog?

Posted on 20. Mar, 2006 by Mike Fieldhammer.

Ancient Greek Archilochus said “The fox knows many tricks; the hedgehog one good one.” Was Archilochus a pool player? Not a chance, but could his maxim help us improve our pool game?

It seems that bar table 8-ball is the game of choice for most players in the Midwest. 8-ball tournaments draw numerous players while League numbers grow and bar tables proliferate like viruses. Thus, it seems logical to specialize in bar table 8-ball because the number of tournaments and leagues seems to dwarf the numbers of big table players and tournaments. Archilochus would lead us to believe that if we learn to play all games, we will have a few more tricks to use in every game.

Top level pool players are proficient in many games. They develop knowledge and techniques in the finer points of each game from forcing themselves to play other games where some level of mastery in those techniques are more important. For example, a player likes to play 9-ball on 9 foot tables and never plays anything else. One of the weak points of his game is bank shots. True, if his patterns are correct and he’s got pretty good speed control, he should rarely have to shoot a bank shot. Cutting the ball is a higher percentage shot. Once in a while this player will be struggling with his speed control and have no choice but to shoot a bank. Could spending some time playing another game be helpful?

If he were to play 1-pocket on occasion, he would be forced to work on his bank shots and speed control which are two mainstays of the game of 1-pocket. 8-ball would teach the importance of completing the run out as planned, as it is only game which a safety may not be available should the run out turn sour. Think of it as a competitive practice session composed largely of two items which will come in very handy in the game of 9-ball.

How about a player who is struggling in pattern play in bar table 8-ball? She plays on two leagues and plays only on 7-foot tables. She has never considered playing straight pool on a 9-foot table. She should! This will force her to work on patterns, break-out shots, and safety play. These will definitely be useful in her game of choice.

What can we learn from each game?

As you can see, an assortment of games can hone useful skills. Even sans pockets, the game of three cushion billiards can sharpen cue ball control for pool players.

We could all have a better rounded game if we incorporate some variety of games into our playing regimen. Next time someone asks you to play a game you don’t regularly play, just answer “Well, I’ve never played the game but I’ll play you. You probably think I’m crazy.” Then under your breath you can say, “Crazy like a FOX!”

Mike Fieldhammer

Professional Billiard Instructor

612-802-0519

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