Tom Wirth
Verified Member
You open a new book on One Pocket; Of all the topics discussed within, what would be the top two chapters you would wish to find which would help to make you the best player you can be.
Tom
Tom
Tom,
This is a great subject.
I think the first line of any book on one pocket should be "First read Sun Tzus' THE ART OF WAR".
Bill S.
How to tilt the rack to make a ball on the break and how to steal eggs out of your opponents nest when he is not looking:lol:lol
I think that a champion player's approach to answering the break can improve a decent player's game about a ball in a relatively short period of time. Nice topic and surely better than some of the negative keyboard comments that have appeared on the forum lately. I prefer to remain a LURKER lol.
I think one chapter on shots/moves every one pocket player should know. Have this chapter break down the common shots that always come up in one pocket. Then detail example scenarios, how to shoot the shot, common mistakes and how to fix the mistakes. This could be simple safeties that the great players do so well, escape shots, and such.
Another chapter should be What Would You Do. These could be taken into detail with diagrams of what the situation is. What the shot the pro took and how they shot it, but more importantly is other options that us 'non pro's' could execute and how to execute them. With this you could have before and after diagrams/pictures, pro's/con's, and strategy tips for each of the shots.
Tom,
This is a great subject.
I think the first line of any book on one pocket should be "First read Sun Tzus' THE ART OF WAR".
Bill S.
The 'Inner Game of Tennis' has many things that can transfer to the more noble sport of pool. I read it when it first came out and it might have actually helped my pool game. Shortly after that I went to the dark side anyway, finding cards and such physically cleaner, less demanding and more profitable. Sun-tzu's Art of War, Timothy Gallwey's 'Inner Game of Tennis' and Machiavelli's 'The Prince' all have insights that can benefit those who compete with others, whether on a serious level or just for whatever psychic benefits they get from winning.
I really like the format of SMS, with top players commenting on table layouts and shots.
I would like to see a section of WWYDs dedicating to taking intentionals.
I would also turn right to top players own stories of how they matched up, what was going on in their head, how they dealt with pressure and adversity, how they strategically deal with giving up weight and their tips and tricks for gaining an edge.
At any rate, my main point is this: For maximum entertainment and readability, the book should cover BOTH the strategy side of one pocket (shots, moves) and the personalities that are involved in the gambling and matching up.
I think the well-trodden path blazed by Eddie Robin and the Beard are perfect as is. If you wanted to improve the education part, maybe put in the multi-rail kicking lanes and a discussion of 50/30.
Also, you could methodically go over each type of break, how to do it properly, advantages and disadvantages, etc.
What would I turn to first? That's easy - the stories!
Thinking of writing a book, Tom? What has become of Artie's book endeavors?
I have thought about writing a book on one pocket many times.
The questions are:
What level of player would you address? The shot for an advanced player could be the wrong choice for an intermediate player.
How would you present the content? Diagrams? Youtube? DVD?
Each format has advantages and disavantages.
I have run several one pocket classes that lasted for weeks. I always passed out diagrams of the shot to be studied each session. Diagrams worked well but I was always there to explain the possible variations.
The score is always the most important thing but confidence sometimes trumps everything. How would you explain that to a less confident player?
Then there is the Dirty Harry factor. Do you feel lucky?
Can anyone really explain the odds in any given situation?
For most of us it is an educated guess. Try and explain that to someone.
War stories are interesting but many of the best have been written about before.
How large would the audience be? Would it be worth the effort?
There are many other questions to be considered before one would even consider writing a book.
Bill S.
You open a new book on One Pocket; Of all the topics discussed within, what would be the top two chapters you would wish to find which would help to make you the best player you can be.
Tom