Basics - PLUS - To Improve Your Game of Pool

By Robert Lavala

Robert Lavala has revised and expanded his original book on How to Improve Your Game of Pool into a more comprehensive and usable work. Whether you are just getting started or have been playing pool for years, this book will help you with the basics and even some difficult and more advanced concepts.
Robert grew up in and around Las Vegas and was taught to play pool on a coin-operated table in a run down roadside tavern. At age 13, Robert would go into the bar and the bartender, Pablo, would allow him to play pool if he cleaned the table. Pablo taught him the basics and a love for the game was born.
Over the years Robert would play off and on until finally, in 2008, he and his family would move to a small town in Idaho and he would join the local pool league. He advanced through the league to become on of the best shooters in the county and thought that a book for players, just like him, would probably be welcomed.
There are resources contained within the pages of this book that will 100% help your game no matter what level you are at. From physical drills to physiological helps, this book was written for you!
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Lavala
• Release date: Nov 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386008026

Book preview

I would like to dedicate this book to my wife for her undying support of the project. The project being the ever-consuming pursuit of playing pool, not this little book you are now reading.

The book you are holding did take some time to write and then put together but the real time has been spent on the pool table. My wife's patience to sit at a puzzle or do Sudoku while I played 30 games at a time was amazing and helpful. Thanks, honey!

I would also like to thank my very cool son who asks me to play pool with him. I think that he plays just to give me some playtime with another human. He is a good shot and I think he will go far in the world of billiards if he desires to do so.

And of course, I would like to thank my many pool-playing-buddies that come over to the house for races to 10 games. You guys know who you are!

For this Second Edition, I would like to continue all the previous thanksgiving – especially to my beautiful wife. I probably play more pool now than ever before. And, since getting a larger table, my shot making and decision making are both improved.

BE SURE to thank those in your life that make playing this great game possible. We tend to take a lot of time while practicing and then playing either our friends or playing in tournaments.

Thoughts

Whenever you set out to improve any aspect of your life, whether it is for fun or of a more serious nature, you will need discipline.  This one word, and the corresponding actions required by it, are one of the major reasons people fail to see improvement or significant change in their lives - or their game of pool!

If you have been playing pool for eons, then this little book may remind you of things taken for granted or something that is just out of focus. Many times, we get complacent about things we have been doing for a long time. This may serve as a reminder. For those who find themselves in a quandary about why their game is either stagnant or at the very least barely improving, this little book may just nudge you towards a better game.

A couple of my good friends and I laugh about something that is common in the world of pool playing. We laugh at missing simple shots. The object ball is one foot from the pocket and we miss.

The reason for this type of miss is not following your training. You take the shot for granted and think to yourself, This is so easy a caveman could do it. And then you miss. Everyone in the room looks at you like you ARE a caveman/ woman and that nervous laugh attempts to make you feel better. But, deep-down you KNOW why you missed. You have done this before and told yourself to pay attention to EVERY shot. Alas, we sometimes don’t even listen to good advice even when it comes from us!

In a minute, you are going to read 7 principles to an improved game.  Before you do, however, I’d like to share 5 pregame thoughts and a couple of what-about scenarios that will also lend to your success when playing.

The drill section of the book will provide lots of exercises for you to do that will condition both your mind and your muscle memory.  The more consistent you are with the drills, the faster your game will improve. In the original book, released in 2012, there were only 10 drills and some of them were for a more advanced player. Hearkening to reviews on the book I have revised the drill section and include several drills aimed at beginners and intermediate players as well. When you do something for a long time you just think that everyone should be able to do certain things. I hope that as you read this revised edition you will glean many things to help your game and that the drills that are included will be the building blocks for your game to go to the next level and beyond.

Also, included as a resource for anyone who buys and reads this book, are video resources. There are two types of resources that will be made available to you and you can either use them or not.

The first resource will be videos demonstrating the drills. Yes! Sometimes when we see something on paper it loses both its appeal and often seems more difficult to grasp. Some learners can see something in a book and replicate it and others need to see it happening in real life, see someone else demonstrating the skill, and then they can understand it better. To help you as much as possible, I’m making this first set of resources FREE for as long as the website exists and if you will, PLEASE, give this book a review on Amazon 😊

The website address will be listed a little later in the book.

Once at the site, click Join! You will then be asked to register for the site. Once registered, you can utilize all the free offerings available.

The second level of resource I would like to offer is video evaluation.

Sometimes you just cannot figure out what you are doing wrong and you need someone to help you. I give lessons to people in my community and now want to offer a no-nonsense approach to coaching you through whatever hiccup you may be having in your game. If, after evaluating your issue, I cannot solve it and point you in the right direction, you will not be charged, or your lesson money will be refunded.

NOTE: If I can solve the problem but you cannot grasp the solution because it is beyond your playing level, then we can work on specific drills to get you where you need to be.

The pricing will be listed when you visit the same site as the FREE resources are loaded on and if you choose to take advantage of the evaluation services I offer, I guarantee your game will improve as you implement the corrections and strategies given to you.

Whenever someone desires to lose a bunch of weight, if they are serious, they know that it is going to take a lot of work to achieve their goal.  The same is true about your pool game.  How much time and effort you put into it WILL determine how much better you will become and how long it will take! There is a quote from a famous football coach named Vince Lombardi that goes like this.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

It takes willpower to develop good habits and overcome obstacles in any sport and in life. How much drive and determination you have will directly impact how much better you become at anything you are doing. If you have played for any time at all you already see the benefits of playing more often. The more you play, the more you feel comfortable at the table and