World 8 Ball Pool Championships Coaching Seminar – Follow Through
A section of one of the seminars I held at the
World 8 Ball Pool Championships at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool.
Here I am talking about the importance of getting the cue all the way through the shot, and how that impacts the amount of spin imparted onto the cue ball.
World 8 Ball Pool Championships Coaching Seminar – Introduction to SpinA section of one of the seminars I held at the
World 8 Ball Pool Championships at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool.
In this segment I talk about spin on the cue ball – how it gets there and what it does. To get the cue ball to react in the way you want it to, it is not simply a question of hitting the cue ball in a specific way, there are lots of other factors involved. Here I concentrate on the distance between the balls and how that affects the reaction of the cue ball after contact with an object ball.
Exactly how much does a red spot weigh? |
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| My collection of Spotty and Plain Cue Balls |
The World 8 Ball Pool Championships takes place each summer, and every year there is a discussion about the use of the ‘Pro Cup’ cue ball in the competition. The ‘Pro Cup’ ball is like a normal cue ball, except it has six red spots, which should make the game better viewing, as spectators can see the spin that the players apply to the ball.
They were first introduced in the World Championships in 2006 when the event was sponsored by an online pool game, improveyourpool.com. Ever since then, when the World Championship comes around (it’s the only event on the calendar where the spotty white balls are used), you will always find pool players discussing how the ball changes the game.
The argument goes that the ‘Pro Cup’ ball weighs three grams more because of the red spots, and this means that the balls react differently to the spin and the course of the ball is altered after contact with the object ball. Personally I have always believed this to be nonsense, why should the small pieces of red plastic compound weigh any more than white plastic compound? They could weigh less. Who weighed the spotty balls and declared that they would play differently in a game? If there is extra weight what would it do to the cue ball?
Well after a discussion at this year’s World Championships, I decided to investigate further myself and draw my own conclusions. I have to say, I was surprised by what I discovered.
I have a collection of cue balls that I have accumulated over the years. For many shows a new set of balls is required, so I have loads of sets stored in my shed. I am waiting for someone to come up with a good use for used pool balls so that I can recycle them in an environmentally friendly manner – when I finally retire I could spend my time making paperweights out of them …
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| A Pro Cup Cue Ball getting weighed |
Anyway, this means I have some cue balls to study. More recently, I have accumulated some Pro-Cup spotty cue balls which I have used for coaching events. So I figured a good experiment to get to the bottom of this issue, would be to weigh a batch of each type of cue ball and get some facts.
I have eight Pro-Cup balls, so I randomly selected a sample of eight plain cue-balls and got the scales out – see the results below:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Av. | |
| Plain Cue Ball | 107g | 97g | 94g | 95g | 107g | 96g | 95g | 95g | 98.25g |
| Pro-Cup Cue Ball | 97g | 98g | 97g | 97g | 97g | 96g | 97g | 99g | 97.25g |
I think the remarkable thing about this experiment is not just that my sample of plain cue balls averaged a higher weight, but the huge variety in the weight of the plain cue balls. I guess the reason for this is that they have come from many different sets that I have picked up over the years, and they have all had some use. I am sure some would have had the odd gram of chalk stuck to them, and some will have been bashed against some pub wall due to some over enthusiastic breaking.
On the other hand, my ‘Pro Cup’ balls have all been manufactured in the last few years, and they will have all come from the same factory, I can’t be sure about that with the plain balls.
So what’s does all this tell us? Well it’s something I hadn’t anticipated when I thought about weighing the balls in the first place. I think the one thing we have learnt is that because the weight of the plain cue balls varies so much, then it is pointless to be bothered about the extra weight that red spots may or may not add to the cue ball. While my sample wasn't very large, it points to the conclusion that the issue isn't as straightforward as it would first appear. Given my tiny sample, red spots may actually be lighter!
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| The way you hit the ball will do more to change it's positional path than a little extra weight |
While I am sure that a slightly heavier cue ball may affect the path the cue ball takes after contact with an object ball, I don’t believe that a few grams either way can make that much difference. None of the cue balls I weighed were heavier than the object balls I put on the scales, both reds and yellows came in at an average of 116 grams, so in all cases the cue ball is lighter – and that fact alone must alter the path more than anything else.
On top of that, there must be many other factors that affect how the balls move around the table and positional play, to a much greater degree. The condition of the cloth, the humidity, the grade and age of the rubber in the cushions – all these things have the potential to interfere with the progress of the cue ball and it’s interactions with the other balls on the table. The biggest variable will be how you are hitting the cue ball on any given day. Just a trace of spin has a big effect.
Conclusion: The spotty ball might weigh more than the one you are used to, but then again there is strong possibility it may not. Probably best not to worry about it and concentrate on some consistent cueing because that will influence the cue ball more than anything else.
A final thought: If the different coloured plastics used in pool balls have different weights, wouldn't American Pool Balls with their spots, stripes and numbers be weighted off center and roll in a curve?
Another section of one of the seminars I held at the
World 8 Ball Pool Championships at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool.
This time I am talking about bridging over object balls, and looking at a technique which helps stop touch fouls and maintains a high success rate for these type of shots.
A section of one of the seminars I held at the
World 8 Ball Pool Championships at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool.
In this extract I am talking about a subject often overlooked – Bridging. It is such a basic part of the game that very few pool players ever give their bridge hand any thought, so it seemed like a good idea to look at some of the more common issues with bridging on the pool table, and why the bridge hand is so important to finding consistency in your pool game.
How to become a qualified pool coach
If you are looking to earn some extra cash, while doing something you enjoy in your spare time, then you might consider becoming a qualified pool coach.
Most high profile sports have coaching structures in place. Tennis, Golf, Football all have organised coaching throughout the country. Up until quite recently there was no organised coaching for pool on a national scale in the UK.
To launch a national coaching structure, you have to be sure that the coaches are of sufficient quality. Players who require coaching need to be sure that they are getting value for their money, so the coaches need to have a deep understanding of the game, and the ability to pass the right information on to their clients.
So to make sure that all pool coaches have the right knowledge, you need to start with a textbook. As a pool coaching association, it wouldn’t work if all the coaches were teaching different things! While there are many different ways to play the game, all the coaches need to be coming from the same direction – and there are some tried and tested techniques that work for all players. This is the vital information that every pool coach should know.
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| The Pool Textbook |
As I was setting up the coaching organisation, I was determined that I would train coaches to be effective. So I designed a syllabus that would enable coaches to pass on the right information in a structured way, this would give coaching clients the very best understanding of the sport so that they could fix their game in the future.
So people that come on the 8 Ball Academy courses get a thorough understanding of 8 Ball Pool, and the Lesson Plans that will help them to pass on that information in the most effective way.
You might think that the best coaches would be the best players, that is true in some cases. However there are many top players who are naturally gifted. They obviously do all the right things, but they couldn’t tell you what they are or how they do it. So the ideal 8 Ball Coach is someone who has played pool to a reasonable standard (maybe County Level) but also possesses communication skills, and is willing to learn themselves.
While it is unlikely that any of our coaches will earn a full time living from pool coaching, there is sufficient demand to get paid adequately for their work – like a part time job. We get many enquiries from all over the UK via 8ballAcademy.com, and at the moment don’t have national coverage so are unable to offer many of these enquiries coaching services.
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| An 8 Ball Academy coach in action |
So how do you get qualified? The first step is to book a place on a forthcoming 8 Ball Academy course. You can find details of course dates and locations at 8ballAcademy.com. Once you have booked a place on a course, we give you membership details so that you can study the pre-course material online. We recommend that you register for a course at least 6 weeks in advance so that you have sufficient time to absorb all the information before coming to the course. The course itself is not about how to play pool, it’s about how to coach pool players, and so it’s important that delegates have a full understanding of the principles involved before the course. That’s why you need to study in advance.
The course lasts two days and covers all aspects of setting up business as a coach. We cover marketing, presentation, finding a venue, as well as the all important lesson plans.
At the end of the course is an examination. The pass mark is quite high, we want our coaches to deliver quality, it’s the 8 Ball Academy reputation on the line. Those that pass the exam are then recognised by the English Pool Association and the Universities Pool Council as qualified coaches. They also start getting leads from the 8ballAcademy website.
Those that fail are given one chance to re-sit the exam for a small additional fee.
Becoming a qualified coach is a great way to put something back into the game of pool, while being paid to do so. It costs less to take the course than play in high level tournaments for a year, and you only need to pass the exam once to become qualified.
My aim is to get enough coaches out there to offer a truly national service, and to raise the standard of grass-roots pool in the process. Much of the knowledge that players learn when they start playing is given to them as free advice when they start playing pool in a pub – but much of it is wrong, because it is based on snooker! With enough coaches – we can put that right.
For more details of 8 Ball Academy Coaches Courses – visit 8ballAcademy.com
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| Steve Daking is available for Live Events, Television and Media Projects. Tel: 07881 828077 Email:sales@cueaction.com |
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