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Intermediate Pocket Billiards

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Contents

1. Course Outline for Intermediate Pocket Billiards.
2. Material on Reserve in the Tech Library.

The course is intended for people who already know how to shoot cut shots, combinations, caroms, and bank shots. It focuses more on the hows and whys behind the way a shot works than it does on simply shooting the shot. There is an early review of the fundamentals (like holding a stick) and quickly moves on to topics like playing position and manipulating a cluster of balls. There will also be some discussion of the strategies used for a few of the more popular games.

A good portion of the class time will be spent studying what happens at the table. It is expected the student will spend a fair amount of time outside of class working on exercises to improve their mechanics and reinforce the various techniques used for lining up shots (scoring, safety, or escapes) and playing position, hence attendance is required (more than five absences will normally result in a failing grade).

(NOTE: Links below are restricted to people taking the course.)

1. - "5x3" assessment. Handout - Course outline (found at http://www.nmt.edu/~billiard").
2. - "5x3" assessment (continued).
3. - Review of Accepted / Preferred techniques: Hand bridge, stance, grip, mechanical bridge, stroke, other useful bridges.
4. - (- J. Koehler: p59 -)   Review of English and how it affects various shots.
5. - (- J. Koehler: p43, p109 -)   Permissible-error on: cuts, combinations, and caroms.
6. - The Mental Game - A Review of Dr. Bob Fancher's Pleasures of Small Motions.
7. - Importance of positional play. Exercises for stroke and speed control.
   The game of "spot" for practice of position.
8. - Playing position in 14.1 Continuous.
9. 14-feb - Elements of throw from: ball contact, english, and cushion contact, applied to the analysis of running a shot down the rail.
10. - "5x3" assessment.
11. - Playing position in Nine Ball.
12. - Bank shots (one, two, and three cushion types). Handouts - Check lists for shooting and positional play.
13. - Practice of bank shots.
14. - Five-frame Bowlliards assessment.
15. - Five-frame Bowlliards assessment (continued).
16. - First written test.
17. - Introduction to shot selection and strategy for Eight Ball.
18. - Introduction to shot selection and strategy for Nine Ball.
19. - Introduction to safety play.
20. - Analyzing trick shots for useful shots and shot-concepts in normal play.
21. - Cluster analysis. (Time to experiment.)
22. - Escaping snookers. (Game of Kick.)
23. - Introduction to shot selection and strategy for 14.1 Continuous.
24. - Putting runs together in 14.1.
25. - The 100-ball run.
26. - Introduction to shot selection and strategy for One Pocket.
27. - Survey of drills and exercises.
28. - Five-frame Bowlliards assessment.
29. - Second written test.

The material will be derived primarily from:

1. Billiards As It Should Be Played by Willie Hoppe.
2. Willie Mosconi on Pocket Billiards by Willie Mosconi.
3. Play Your Best Pool by Phil Capelle.
4. Standard Book of Pool and Billiards by Robert Byrne.
5. Advanced Technique in Pool and Billiards by Robert Byrne.
6. The Science of Pocket Billiards by Jack Koehler.
7. Mastering Pool by George Fels.

"Student selected topics" may require presentation of material by the students.

There is a $10.00 lab fee for this course.

The following books are on reserve in the Tech library.

1. How to Play Pool by Minnesota Fats.
2. Willie Mosconi on Pocket Billiards by Willie Mosconi.
3. Play Your Best Pool by Phil Capelle.
4. Standard Book of Pool and Billiards by Robert Byrne.
5. Advanced Technique in Pool and Billiards by Robert Byrne.
6. The Science of Pocket Billiards by Jack Koehler.
7. Mastering Pool by George Fels.
8. Please of Small Motions by Dr. Bob Francher.

These video tapes are also on reserve in the Tech Library.

1. Rack 'Em Up by Robert Byrne.
2. How to Play Pool by Minnesota Fats.
3. How to Play Pool Right by Jerry Briesath.
4. Standard Video of Pool and Billiards (Vol 1) by Robert Byrne
5. Power Pool Workout (Vol 5) by Robert Byrne
6. The Best of 3-Cushion Billiards (Vol 1) hosted by Robert Byrne.
7. Sands Regency Open 15,   9-Ball,   Buddy Hall vs. Grady Mathews with player review.