Review: Byrne’s Complete Book of Pool Shots
Byrne’s Complete Book of Pool Shots, 350 Moves Every Player Should Know, is a terrific book for intermediate to advanced players. It is not about teaching you how to become a good player, he has other books for that. Instead, this book is about teaching you lots of interesting and useful things that you might not pick up elsewhere.
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| Byrne’s Complete Book of Pool Shots |
If we think of the fundamentals of pool as the foundation, walls and roof of your house, this book is like the molding on the walls and the gutter on the roof; less essential than the basics, but quite useful nonetheless. They put a finishing touch on your game, polishing it up and getting it ready to be at its very best.
The following description, off the back cover, is an accurate assessment.
Most of the expertly diagrammed shots are not widely known and many are described here for the first time – in many cases they are the secrets of a lifetime. Players of every skill level, including the most advanced, will find their game greatly strengthened by the clever moves Byrne has assembled.
The shots are all based on the same basic physical forces as are all the shots you already know; there is no magic here, though occasionally you’ll be tempted to think so. It’s the subtleties and interesting ramifications of the things you already know which give the book its power to surprise.
The book is divided up into 20 sections averaging a little under 18 shot each. Some categories you’ll be expecting, like Basics, Topspin, Backspin, Stun and Sidespin. Don’t be too quick to judge here though, even these sections contain many interesting shots that will show you new things about areas you thought you knew all about.
It’s the subtleties and interesting ramifications of the things you already know which give the book its power to surprise.
Other sections, like Tickys, Double Kisses, Pocket Points, Sink-Ins, Masses, Systems and Selected Secrets are more obviously filled with new and interesting shots that you know up front you probably haven’t seen.
The remaining sections, Fouls, Caroms, Billiards, Throw, Rail First, Banks, Side Pockets and Jumps will all contain at least several shots that you’ll learn from. And depending on the depth of your experience (not the same as the number of years you’ve been playing) may be full of new material for you to digest.
One of the more interesting, and creative, sections was Fouls. Byrne has collected 33 different shots, most of which are fouls of one kind or another, and explained why they are fouls, how to recognize them in your opponents shots, and how to avoid them in your own. This is good stuff, and you will see it in games. Your opponents may not be intentionally fouling, but like in traffic infractions, intent is not a requirement.
Another favorite section of mine is Tickys. These are shots where you go rail first into an object ball that’s close to that rail and then back to the same rail with the cue ball. In pool they’re mostly used for getting around a blocker ball in order to sink a ball behind it. The most basic ones aren’t difficult once you know the secret, and the feeling that comes from sinking a ball that your opponent has blocked and is sure you can’t get to is delicious.
The Complete Book of Pool Shots is a pleasure to read. There are excellent diagrams for every shot, with the explanatory text always on that same page. Many shots have two or sometimes even more variations, so the 350 shots mentioned in the subtitle is and understatement. You get a lot for your money.
This book puts a finishing touch on your game, polishing it up and getting it ready to be at its very best.
As in all his many other books, the writing is 1st class. The explanations are clear without being wordy. He throws in lots of useful, interesting information in small doses without digressing. And his droll wit is always an added pleasure.
The only down side, and a tiny one it is indeed, is that a number of these shots are quite low percentage plays. To Byrne’s credit though, he always mentions that fact, and points out that in a match another play would be preferable. But even here, even if you never shoot these, just knowing them is satisfying somehow.
This is a book you will come back to over and over. It’s great for browsing and there is so much here that I’d be surprised if you didn’t pick up something useful every time you look at it. It won’t teach you the most important things about pool, but it will teach you things that put more fun in your game. That’s hard to beat. I give Byrne’s Complete Book of Pool Shots a 9 of 10.
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2 Responses to “Review: Byrne’s Complete Book of Pool Shots”
Bob
- March 9th, 2009
This is just a fun book to read for anyone who likes pool. It really explores the breadth of possible interactions between spheres, felt, rubber and leather (that sounds really dirty).
Just knowing that some shots were possible opened up a whole realm of options for me. Shortly after getting this book I had a ball in hand where my remaining ball was blocked by an opponent’s with no room to play away without a difficult bank. What was the solution? Sink-in ticky of course! Called and executed courtesy of Robert Byrne.
See it here: http://tinyurl.com/dxddoj
John Biddle
- March 10th, 2009
Bob,
One shot like that can put a smile on your face and a song in your heart, even when you’re otherwise not shooting all that well. When you can get out in a situation like this, where any opponent would reasonably think they had you completely stymied, you’ll begin to get a reputation for never being out of a game, of simply knowing more than other people. They may even begin to play too aggressively against you, figuring that there’s no sense in playing you safe, when you can do things like this. I know of no other book that can do this to the extent that this book can.
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