Game Strategy | Billiard Coach - Mike Fieldhammer

Archive for 'Game Strategy'

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.

Continue Reading

Aging: A Pool Player’s Gift or Curse?

Posted on 05. Jul, 2010 by Mike Fieldhammer.

Pool players can have the blind courage of youth or the wise knowledge of the aged. Time moves on and I’m stuck in the Middle Ages, old enough to know better, yet young enough not to care.

My left hand. Bridge builder. Click image for more gruesomeness.

Pool players can seem to grow old at a breakneck speed. Perhaps years in the pool room, on the road, or waiting for the next game take their toll. How does a player cope with the passage of time? What are some tools of the trade that ripen or rot when a player ages? Young players have assets like steady nerves, confidence and fearless aggression. Older players can be wise, patient, and knowledgeable. Ageism can be witnessed in the pool room. You may have overheard veteran pool players talk about young gunslingers. You’ve probably heard gems like, “That young kid doesn’t miss!” or “He has no fear!” or even occasionally, “He just doesn’t know how hard that shot is.” Young players sometimes say watching their elders, “What kind of spin did he use on that shot?” or “I didn’t see that shot!” or maybe, “That was a smart safety.”

The complexity of the game and the fact that it can take a lifetime to learn is compelling. One of my favorite things about our glorious pastime is that it can be enjoyed by 10-year-olds and people into the nineties. I’ve taught eager young grade-schoolers as well as competitive elderly couples. The arc of aging certainly has an effect on a serious pool player. At what age does one’s game peak? Many players say that they never played as well as they did around age 18. They never missed and were never scared. Some players learn patterns and smart table management in mid life. Some veterans have steely nerves and play like they’ve got nothing to lose. For me, age is impacting my physical abilities in ways I never expected.

Late last year I started having severe pain in my left hand near the base of my thumb. The soreness had come and gone for months but in October 2009 the pain became constant and seriously detrimental to my pool game. Mere days before my 40^th birthday, I had my first MRI. The friendly reminder voice mail I received said to show up at 10 am on October 30^th(the day before Halloween) for my MRI at the “Maple Grave, excuse me, Maple Grove office.” Spooky, huh?

The MRI seemed like overkill for what turns out to be Osteoarthritis of the CMC or Basilar joint. The temporary solution was to gulp down four Naproxen pills three times per day to decrease the swelling in the area and tame the pain. Pool playing over the next couple months was a nightmare. At best, an open bridge stung like a bee was attacking my left hand and at worst, pain of touching the cloth sent tears welling up followed by more of the emotional nature after the one stroke shot. The mental toll of playing so far beneath my capabilities was a complete surprise to me. Could you imagine being Carl Lewis in his prime with cinder blocks tied to his ankles being beaten in a 40 yard dash by a middle aged chubby banker who jogs at the club to meet girls? I went through months of not wanting to see a pool table. Thoughts of selling all my gear and flushing my billiard instructor career surfaced daily.

All this came to a head when I sought other physicians’ opinions after a couple of friends offered referrals. On December 17^th, I had a cortisone injection. Within the day, I could tell that it was treatment leagues above the pain pills. The following weekend, I finished third in a very difficult regional bar table 8-ball tournament. With my mind largely free from pain distress and genuinely excited to play pool, I had a successful week and gained a sense of hope for competitions to come. My options for treatment in the future are to continue cortisone injections three times per year or have hand surgery. Once again in April I had a cortisone injection prior to a tournament and our team won in Minnesota and took the top spot in Las Vegas for the Mixed Open Team BCAPL Championship.

Currently, I’m not sure when the surgery will happen, but one thing I do know is that aging as a pool player has plusses and minuses. Physical challenges may creep up on aging players, but care for one’s health and the knowledge and experience can make players competitive at any age. After all, Ralf Souquet is still at the top of his game and he is one year older than I am.

Medical notes: What is Osteoarthritis? Arthritis literally means “inflamed joint”. The cartilage-covered surfaces of a joint wear out and cause bone on bone irritation and pain. I think I have a legitimate pool player injury hastened with a dose of hereditary influence. Here’s an image of my x-ray that shows the affected joint in my left hand.

Continue Reading

Short Rack Bank Pool or 9-Ball Banks

Posted on 26. Jun, 2010 by Mike Fieldhammer.

A recent comment from Michael Hughes of Indianapolis reminded me of the great game of bank pool and Michael’s powerful banking game. I spent some time with him in 2008 during the Derby City Classic and found him to be down to earth and inspiring. He has a lifelong love of pool and has a particular interest in banks. It isn’t a game that many great pool players can dominate. Many of the best banks players are “Specialists” and although great at most games, are a clear cut above the rest in bank pool. Some have mean games of one-pocket, others do well in rotation games, but it seems like the bank players mostly play banks. Walk into Red Shoe’s Billiards in Chicago and there will be a raft of killer bank pool cast-a-ways to play.

If bank pool sounds easy to you, I suggest you give it a whirl. You may find it surprisingly tricky. Here’s a snippet from the full article on the 2008 Derby City Classic that highlights Mr. Hughes and the bank pool event.

Short rack bank pool requires only nine balls per game−as opposed to the old style fifteen ball version. Each ball is in play and the winner is the first to successfully bank in five balls. Bank shots can be challenging under the best of circumstances, but the task is made even more difficult by the 4-1/2 inch pockets on the Diamond nine-foot pool tables at Derby. Early in the tournament, players struggled with seemingly simple banks trying to find the center of the small pockets.

Fans savored the flashy banks of the top players in this discipline while they could. Cueists of high caliber can finish a bank pool match in the blink of an eye. Jason Kirkwood finished a player off in seven minutes flat. That calculates to better than two successful bank shots a minute.

A crucial skill needed to succeed in bank pool is knowledge of rail rebound angle in relation to ball speed. Bankers full of adrenaline in their first match frequently missed banks short. Too much velocity causes the rail rubber to snap the object ball back at too steep of an angle.

At Derby another puzzle is coping with the unpredictability of cloth: the tables are freshly covered with slippery the brand new Simonis tournament blue. Players were not given much time to adapt with a race to three: the better banker didn’t necessarily prevail. Victory was snatched from the shooter who could not adjust to the table conditions quickly.

Miller, two-time bank pool winner and 2006 all-around champion, dropped a match early to Jason Evans and used his re-buy to make it to round five where he met Michael Hughes of Indianapolis. Miller said, “I had chances in both matches I lost. I just missed some of those banks that were falling for me in other years.”

Hughes is a player who loves bank pool. He developed his passion for the game at a young age, dropping out of high school to clean ash trays and brush tables in Indiana. Years went by working and playing pool. Nothing but pool mattered and his fascination with the beauty of banks mesmerized him. Eventually, reaching the ripe age of 21, he became disenchanted with the pool hall lifestyle. He made a life changing decision to go back to school and treat pool as only a hobby. Now pool comes after his wife and his electrician business. Hughes new approach to his old pool passion, tournament vacation play, has actually provided him a new level of intensity. He warmed up for matches with vigor inducing sweat. “I’m like a boxer warming up for a fight,” said Hughes. He makes an effort to eat right and sleep enough hoping to perform well in the bank division.

Michael Hughes at Derby 2008

The early elimination Hughes delivered to Miller was not the only surprise during the middle stretch of bank play. Atlanta’s past banks champion Moore ran into red-hot 22-year-old Sylver Ochoa in the fifth round. “I only missed one bank,” said Moore of his match with Ochoa. Ochoa’s superb play still prevailed over the defending champs one miss and Moore was forced to use his re-buy. In round six Moore drew Jeremy “Double J” Jones, and dropped the first two games of the match. Moore gathered himself and ran two banks, then three in the next inning to stay alive. He still trailed two games to one. Game four took on a defensive flavor with Jones outlasting Moore’s tenacity for a repeat championship.

Continue Reading

Pool Stories

Posted on 12. Dec, 2009 by Fieldhammer.

Billiard Tales: The most memorable pool story that made you a ‘better’ player

Mike Fieldhammer – December 2009

This article is the first of a series of posts written in coordination with other pool bloggers. This first month’s theme is BILLIARD TALES. To see others, go to: http://www.pooltipjar.com/2009/12/poolsynergy-volume-ii/

Pool stories. I love to hear them. I find the more players I talk to, the more little gems of information fall into my lap. This month, I’d like to highlight small tidbits from four of the best players in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. I struggled to select one great and memorable story that made a major impact on me that elevated my game, so I decided to pass on four small tips gleaned from great players.

Jimmy Wetch. Jimmy and I were at a major tournament watching a race to eleven between two players. One a legitimate pro and one with loads of talent and the ability to beat anyone, but not as seasoned in the pro circuit. The rookie played hard and happened to get down 7-2. From the bleachers, Jimmy and I could see the player losing steam and not playing with the same determination as the first part of the match. Jimmy said to me, “That’s the worst thing he can do. Now he’s gonna get punished by that guy for a long time.” I asked Jimmy to explain further. The upshot is that by giving up he was letting his opponent gain confidence and knowledge for the next time they drew each other. He would have an edge on that player by knowing that he only had to get halfway to the finish line and his foe would ease up and he could coast in for the win.

The trailing player should have fought harder with every turn at the table and made the match a hard fought victory for the other guy no matter what the score was. Showing no give up, sometimes even in an un-winnable situation, the player will have a twinge of respect for showing determination and fighting to the end. That type of reputation might be more useful for the next match up than the alternative.

Lee Heuwagon. Years ago, Lee saw the frustration in my eyes after getting bounced out of a tournament earlier than I had hoped. We started to discuss my disappointing performance and he suspected that I was putting too much pressure on myself. It is true that I felt I should have done very well in that particular tournament. I went in with high hopes. My preparation for the tournament was as good as it could have been. I had been practicing and the field was one that I really felt I had a chance to win. Maybe all these factors took me out of my best game because the high bar I’d set was exerting undue pressure. His advice was that when it is time to win, it will happen. He suggested that I focus on playing the great pool I was capable of and that winning would come easier if I relaxed and let it happen.

The magical blend of high level play, confidence, and determination is still a complicated equation. Learning from every experience but not beating yourself up about it is a more productive and pleasant way to deal with an early exit from a tournament.

Demetrius Jelatis. Demi is a real student of the game. Every serious player would benefit from watching Accu-Stats matches. Demi has found inspiration in some matches so compelling, he’s able to commentate matches from memory from seeing them so many times. His unusual advice about the DVDs is that you should watch some sub-par matches too. Pat Flemming’s company denotes recommended matches in their catalog with an asterisk to help customers select great discs, and they are great. Many of them are semi-finals or finals matches with an incredible level of play. The players who win tournaments are usually on a roll, playing tremendous pool and shooing in the high 900’s according to the Accu-Stats rating system. Demi says that players can be fooled and discouraged to see such high level pool. I think we have all seen a shot or a miraculous run-out that has made us groan and during the appreciation, thought, “I can’t believe how good that was. I don’t think I could do that in a million years.”

This kind of blue sky thinking isn’t reality. Every top professional is human and they have bad matches, bad tournaments, and bad months. Demi suggested watching some early matches that didn’t have the Accustats asterisk. These matches sometimes show top professionals struggling to run out. They may show great exchanges where safeties and silly mistakes are made. These can be the types of games that happen to you and maybe you can see some familiar shots and learn from them. It also might just make the pros less intimidating and give you the confidence to know that you too can play with the pros.

Beau Runningen. Beau means business. At only 25 years old, he has demonstrated the patience and wisdom of a player one might expect to see in a player twice his age. Local players talk about the guy who did nothing but break for 2 hours straight, or the guy who didn’t pocket a ball during an hour long practice session because he was working on safeties. Beau takes every part of a tournament seriously beginning with planning for a tournament months in advance. He’s got notebooks full of diagrams, drills, match notes, and the like.

All this planning and preparation seems to be regurgitated on the pool table. Beau makes run out after run out look routine. In fact he makes them look boring, which is really a compliment. No nail-biting shots, no wild chances with the outcome unknown, just the facts. Taking inspiration from Beau’s attention to detail and serious approach to every aspect of the game can do wonders for your game. In fact, my New Year’s resolution is to make a plan, work that plan, and repeat. Repetition of good habits breed good habits.