Billiard Coach – Mike Fieldhammer

Thirty-One Tips: 18. Take Care of the Equipment

Posted on 18. Jan, 2011 by Mike Fieldhammer.

Give a hoot

Someday, I’ll publish an article on the ultimate table and ball cleaning and care guide. Until then, do your best to help keep things clean.

Put your chalk blue side up, only strike the cue ball with your tip, and use common sense to preserve good playing conditions.  It’s true that pros can adjust to all kinds of table conditions, but they prefer tight but fair equipment.  Our future pool players(beginners) can get easily discouraged and put off of the game because they cannot adjust to tricky conditions.  Help grow the sport by keeping things clean so the next beginner on the table gets a taste of success.

Please help keep our tables clean.

Equipment matters– Cues, tips, chalk, balls, cloth, tables, pockets.  The game is difficult enough under perfect conditions.  We don’t need double tough conditions making the game seem impossible to new players.  These days, pool rooms are helping kill the game by letting their equipment go bad, and buying used equipment from auctions of out of business pool rooms, etc.  or even not air conditioning properly in the Summer to save money on electricity.  These tough playing conditions do incredible damage discouraging players from sticking to the game.  One tough session where they never run 2 balls in a row sends possible players running for the hills or bowling alleys.  I do a lot of work with Peters Billiards, a leading billiard retailer in Minneapolis.  I used to think that it was crazy that they were selling tables with 5 1/2 inch pockets to rec room home players and their families.  Eight foot tables are the de rigueur. Now I realize this easy playing equipment is the best choice for most beginners and their guests. At least they can pocket balls and develop skills that may lead to some family member coming into the pool room looking for a worthy opponent or perhaps to enter a tournament.

For more info on Equipment Matters, see a future article I’m writing.  The information will detail how worn and dirty cloth make the game so much harder.  Chalk stuck in the cloth will soil freshly cleaned and polished balls more quickly.  Dirty balls throw and skid more. They also wear more quickly, becoming grittier and smaller.  All of this friction makes playing the game of pool much more difficult.  Pockets play tighter and the physics of the game become harder to predict.  Bad equipment can make a table play much less forgiving for slight miss-hits and unintentional spin put on the cue ball. All of these things make it tough for capable players, just think how high of a hurdle this puts on the rank beginner!  Stay tuned for more on this topic.  Link will go here when it is written.

Bar boxes can have even more unpredictable challenges for players.  Lousy cue balls and mismatched rails. See “Big Table to Bar Box” for more on that mystery.

The above excerpt is from a huge article I wrote last year.  More thoughts on the sad state of pool can be read here: “How to Fix Pool.”

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PoolSynergy 2011: Team Intangibles

Posted on 15. Jan, 2011 by Mike Fieldhammer.

Team Intangibles

The intangible rewards of being on a proper team.

If you’ve never been on a proper team, here are things you are missing out on.

• Each thinks of the greater good for the team and puts team needs before individual needs.
• Complete trust in one another.
• Know there is an understanding between all that needs not to be uttered.
• Never question another’s intentions or desire.
• Belief that each is there to lift up and push each other ahead.
• In spirit, we’re connected.
• A smile, nod, or pat on the back means much more than others can fathom.
• Recognition that each one brings unique gifts and talents and shares them freely.

These things and others that can’t be put into words bond us into what is truly a team. Greater than the sum of its parts, an entity that is an honor to be a part of.

A recap of our team winning the BCAPL Team Championships I wrote for a prior PoolSynergy column is here.

To see all of the PoolSynergy TEAM’s columns, visit Gary’s summary page HERE.

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Thirty-One Tips: 12. Don’t Take Funny Money

Posted on 12. Jan, 2011 by Mike Fieldhammer.

Guard against accepting funny money. Buy a counterfeit pen.  A couple of seconds when selling a cue or settling a bet could save you hundreds of dollars.  Pop into an office supply store and snag a pen for less than ten bucks.  Folks should understand and might be impressed that you’ve got a safety procedure in place. Moneyroll photo courtesy of https://www.emergencydentistsusa.com/money/

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Thirty-One Tips: 7. Be Honest

Posted on 07. Jan, 2011 by Mike Fieldhammer.

Don’t sacrifice your integrity and reputation for a one time score.  In the years to follow, keeping your reputation in-tact is much more valuable. You’ll also feel better about yourself when you look back on your life.

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