This is my contribution to Volume 29 of PoolSynergy, a monthly collection of the best writing on pool. Make sure to check out all the other articles in this month’s issue, also on this blog.

I’ve been mostly playing (and practicing) straight pool lately, probably about 80 percent of the time, and I’ve come across a [...]


This is Volume 22 of PoolSynergy, a monthly collection of the best writing on pool.

I picked this topic because I am quite interested in knowing what other people who take the game seriously are doing when it comes to practice. As you’ll see from my own piece at the bottom of the list, [...]


Pool is a great sport for older players because it doesn’t require strength, speed or stamina the way other sports do. This post, from the perspective of an older player, provides guidance for older players new to the game or returning from a long absence.


Playing pool on a team in a league can be a very rewarding experience. It’s fun, it gets you out of the house on a regular basis, and the camaraderie provided by your teammates, and even by some of those on opposing teams, adds a dimension to the fun that playing singles just doesn’t have. Singles play is great, don’t get me wrong, but if that’s the only way you play pool you’re missing out.


Being attentive to detail is the single most important thing you can do to improve your game. It will help you see more in other people’s games, get more out of books, videos and personal instruction, and help you to recognize the real issue in every problem you come across, enabling you to solve it efficiently and effectively.


There are 3 main influences from outside the world of pool that have had a profound effect on my pool education. One from tennis, one from baseball and one from a cheesy movie about karate. You can learn these lessons from other sources, but these particular examples have had the most power for me.


The most vivid lessons you learn are usually learned the hard way. This happened to me early in my pool learning curve when a good friend and instructor showed me just how true the saying is, “Don’t run 7 if you can’t run 8.” Let this story help you learn from my pain, so you don’t have to suffer yourself.


Do you know anyone who paid big money for professional lessons but didn’t get any better as a result? Did they get ripped off? Or is it more likely that they failed to follow up on those lessons with the prescribed practice to learn the new skills?


Pool Student interviews Tony Crosby on How to Get Better at Pool. Tony’s got great stories and great advice. Check it out, I think you’ll like it.


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In order to become better at pool we need to practice in such a way that more of the subtasks that make up a skillful game are learned so well that they become second nature, that they become background tasks so that you can use your foreground thinking for learning something new, or figuring out your strategy, or focusing on a known weakness. Ever hear a pro say they play by feel? This is what they mean.