The 10 Basic Shots of Pool

By Gene Robinson

The 10 Basic Shots of Pool is the pool world's practice bible. Every professional player will tell you that to reach the highest level of play you have to hit a million balls, better known as the HAMB method of learning. But not until now has anyone attempted to show you how to do this. That's what the 10 Basic Shots of Pool is all about - teaching you the 10 basic shots and the many variations of each shot, showing you exactly what needs to be practiced in order to reach the highest levels of play.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781387331499

Book preview

Table-Top Chart Of Diamond Intersections

This chart that shows how the diamonds intersect with each other will create a solid foundation for understanding what you are about to learn.  The reason for the line across the table-top at the side pockets is due to the fact that if there were no pockets there, diamonds would appear as markers of the appropriated spaces; exactly like a billiard table.  As you can see, the playing surface has now been marked off into equal sized areas.  You now have a basis for breaking down the complexities of a pool table into its basic shots.

Practice With Purpose

To begin with, I'd like to share somewhat of a secret with you about practicing.  An individual should never practice without being serious about it.  One should never just bang balls around.  If you find yourself not paying attention, or not caring while you're practicing, you're better off just stopping.  Come back to the practice surface when you feel like trying; giving 100%. Here's why: your memory can only digest what information you feed it.  So, if in a given situation you're playing for some reason that is very important to you, you will begin to feel a little nervous.  And if in fact your nerves take greater control at some point, you may even go what is called, subconscious.  What that means is that your subconscious mind is going to take over and act strictly on its total recall. 

Total memorization does not know the difference between just banging balls around, and playing, seriously.  It only knows the information it has been fed. If you're accustomed to knocking an object ball around and not paying much attention, that’s exactly what it's going to mimic. Resulting in a missed shot, of course.  But if you've been feeding it good, solid, quality practice time for food, that all of the information it is going to posses to reproduce from.  So, your results are going to be of that exact same quality.  It's just like the old saying, You reap what you sow. It's a true story. 

So, practice how you want to play.  Which is to the very best of your ability, I'm sure. Else you wouldn't have this book in your hands in the first place!  And if you find yourself not practicing with purpose of sincere intent – take a break!  For an hour; for a day; for a week; it doesn't matter.  When that true desire emerges, you'll feel it.  And when you feel it...how sweet it is!  Before long, you'll know each one of these shots by heart, along with the relatively simple practicing procedure.  But while you're learning, I thought I'd make it as