INTRODUCTION
This book is about helping you play pool better, perhaps much better than you ever have before. It is both a blueprint for your game as well as a reference source to be consulted when needed. My goal is to provide players of all levels with the most complete and useful guide to pool ever published.
The fundamentals come first. Beginners and less experienced players are urged to start with the first two chapters as they lay the foundation for all that follows. Established players may wish to review those chapters from time to time when their game needs a tune up. Next comes the chapter on shotmaking, which provides you with practical techniques for pocketing a wide variety of gamewinning shots. The chapter on english will show you how sidespin affects the aiming process as a complete mastery of english is necessary to compete at the upper levels of the game.
You will be provided with a complete course on how to control the cue ball in the chapter on position play. This includes the basics of cue ball control (stop, draw and follow) as well as the twenty-one principles of position play. If you master these principles, you'll be well on your way to controlling the cue ball like a professional.
Two big chapters will give you the secrets and strategies for winning at the two most popular pool games: Eight Ball and Nine Ball. You'll learn all about position, patterns, strategies, safeties, kick shots and the break.
The biggest hurdle for most players is the mental game. Chapter eight will show you how to think like a top player. By changing your thoughts, you can change your game. It's within your power. The next chapter will prepare you to compete successfully in tournaments, money games and league play. Although some may disagree with including a section on money play, I feel that as a practical matter it's a necessity. Pool players of all levels will continue to wager on their skills so they may as well learn to do so without falling prey to the old time cons of the hustler.
I'm a big advocate of practice, especially for new players. It's during these early practice sessions that good habits are developed which can last a lifetime. Chapters ten and eleven show you how to set goals, improve, and how to make the most of your practice time. Lastly, chapter twelve discusses how to select and maintain your equipment.
Again, newer players are urged to start at the beginning and work their way back through the book, making sure to take the time necessary to master each section. Experienced players should refer to the expanded table of contents to locate the area of interest to their game.
In nearly every sport there is a wide spectrum of participants that span all groups of society. Golf is played by hustlers in tennis shoes on municipal "dog" tracks as well as by captains of industry amid the lush surrounding of a perfectly manicured country club. Similarly, basketball is played in pristine college gymnasiums as well as on cracked asphalt courts in drug infested neighborhoods. Although the stereotypical pool room stillexists, more than ever before, the game is now played in pleasant surroundings in which anyone would feel comfortable.
Yes, it's time to bury pool's past image once and for all and, in fact, not mention it again. In place, I propose that participants and the media alike focus on the positive, and on what the game is really like for the vast majority of today's players.
Pool's New Image
A beautiful and challenging game played in pleasant surroundings. A social game where members of both sexes can mingle freely. A game that requires precise physical skills. A game of knowledge. A thinking person's game. An endlessly fascinating and at times infuriating game. A game that participants can enjoy for a lifetime.
I was waiting in line to cash a check at the student union at U.C. Berkeley when my gaze wandered over to the double glass doors leading to the campus pool room. I remember becoming instantly intrigued with the sights and sounds of a pool room. Within a few moments I found myself checking out a rack of balls. Like most beginners I was lucky to make a ball. Nevertheless, a love affair was born. After a couple of days wearing out the cushions with my errant shots, I decided a trip to the campus book store was in order. I quickly discovered a copy of Willie Mosconi on Pocket Billiards.
I look back on this purchase as the turning point in my pool playing career, for the teachings of Mr. Mosconi gave me a solid understanding of the fundamentals. Twenty-six years later I continue to love both playing and watching pool, perhaps more than ever before. Over the pages of this book I hope to share my enthusiasm for the game and knowledge I've acquired through playing, practicing, watching, reading, teaching and talking pool since that spring day in 1969 when my story (and this book) began.
Every pool player has their own unique story of how they got started, why they play and what they hope to achieve from the game. What's yours? Like all pool players, no doubt you have a desire to improve your game, and in the process, derive maximum enjoyment from this great game.
I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of your journey through the teachings in this book. I hope you will come to view me as a friend who is sincerely interested in your game and that you will look to this book when you feel you need help with some portion of your game.
Let me know about your journey by writing to me at the address in the back of the book. Best of luck to you always as you continue your personal quest to play your best Pool. Philip B. Capelle