2017 Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament

I played in the 2017 Jay Swanson Memorial tournament this past weekend and had a lot of fun. I'm trying to find myself to see where I stand at playing this game. What I mean by that is in the past I have played in tournaments and didn't do that well and others I did very well and won. It's not because I'm not any good. It's because I get in the way of myself mentally and give up.We all have been there before! Here is a tip from a pro player I recently spoke too. If you play the match like you have to win or you just have to win the tournament. You put all kind of pressure on yourself. So next time you play a match or tournament just have fun and don't worry about winning or the score. To preform well you need to minimize the pressure you put on yourself. This is what I did this past weekend and I actually played well and had fun. I needed to remember to have fun playing pool. That's what counts anyway! Gotta love what you do to be good at it. Here's a few pictures from this past weekend. Thanks for the great weekend CSI International, On Cue Billiards, fast and loose designs

 

      

Match Mind Set

I'm alway thinking about this game and how it affects me as a pool player. The other day I was playing in a tournament and I had played and stayed at the pool hall for 15 hours. And as the night went on I grew tired and weak minded. All I thought about was getting some sleep at that point. The next day I reflected on how the tournament went for me and all I thought about was my mental state during a particular match. I had started out in a race to seven and I was shooting good. I was up 3-2 so far and was feeling pretty comfortable. I think thats pretty important to feel comfortable and settled into your environment even before you play an event. Maybe go there for a day or two before and play for awhile.
Before I knew it! It was 3-3 and my thoughts were "here we go a hill hill match". So I took a break and washed my hands to break my opponents momentum. It seemed to work so I though and before I knew it was 5-3 his favor. All I could think about was negative thoughts like shaking my opponents hands and saying things to myself like "not sure if I can catch up". Now it's 6-3 his favor and its getting worse. He's on the hill now and ready to win. But then he missed a simple shot. And I ran out the rest of the rack. Sometimes that's just enough to shift the match in my direction. I started to gain my confidence back with the next break as I made 4 balls. Then the table was mine to win. Now the score was 6-5 and I noticed my mind set had shifted to positive thoughts on winning. I think a combination of good safety play and positive mind set I was able to win that match 7-6.
The match took a total of two hours to play and to say the least it was a grind. So reason I wanted to share this story of my match with you. Is because the next time your in a match go into it as if your gonna win. Keep positive throughout the entire match even if your behind and never give up. I think that's how champion players come back and win their matches. I was recently watching the world nine ball championships in Dubai. And Darren Appleton was playing a player from tiawan on day three. His race was to nine, finding himself down 7-1 in an impossible come back. Well he did just that! Like a true champion and here is the link where you can read about it.
http://thepoolscene.com/international-pool-and-billiards/day-3-report-2014-world-9-ball/
It's pretty inspiring what you can do if you believe in yourself.


- Posted by John Ferguson

Practicing Speed

There are so many amateur players out there that shoot shots to hard or to soft or even not hard enough. Even some pros can struggle with this as well from time to time. From my experience the speed to which you hit the cue ball can only be taught to you with experience and playing a lot. How can you really teach someone how hard or soft to hit the cue ball. I think it's some what of a feel shot more than anything. One of my favorite players Efren "Bata" Reyes plays pool with grace and elegance. He knows just how to hit the cue ball to get perfect position. If you watch him play a match you can almost see the speed of his cue ball. I watch Shane VanBoening doing the same thing in his matches. That nice and deliberate stroke. Knowing how hard and slow to hit the cue ball for position and making the game look very easy. Professional and just good players figure out this thing we call speed. Most amateurs don't know this even exist because we don't talk about it much. Here's a few of my shots that I like to do and practice that helps me.






Example: Hard speed: Hit the cue ball top left English and go three rails behind the 3 ball for position.
I like to practice this shot because it comes up a lot in games. And i get the feel for how hard to shoot the ball.






Example:Soft Speed: Place the cue ball on the spot and the one ball on the diamond. Use center ball and lag the cue ball towards the one ball. And gently hit the one ball. After awhile trying this you will get the idea how soft to hit it.
"The only reason I do this shot is to get the feel of hitting the cue ball soft. Some player just hit the ball to hard."
So to sum it all up the next time your practicing or playing a match pay attention to detail. On your speed,position,safety play,patterns ect.
Here's a good example from Joe Nichols from Break Time Billiards

View on YouTube

Racking the Balls

I just wanted to take a few minutes and talk about racking the balls for yourself or your opponent. This actually came up tonight and several times before and I feel like I should talk about it to help my fellow APA pool playing friends to improve their game.

Tonight I was playing an opponent and I won the lag. He proceeded to Rack the balls and I always check the rack to make sure that I'm getting a good rack. I think very important that you have a good rack to ensure that you have a better chance to make a ball on the break. If you make a ball and get a good layout at the table you possibly can run the table and win. So I looked at the rack and the top ball had a 1/4 inch gap between it and the ball next to it.
I asked him if he can tighten the rack for me. Apparently he didn't like that. But what you have to understand is that it's very important for the three balls have to be touching and the balls surrounding the eight ball should be touching the eight ball. This will ensure that you'll have a greater chance making balls on the break. Of course you can look for gaps in the rack as well but I'm talking about racking for yourself and others. Give your opponent a good rack and he will give you one too. It will only improve your attitude and game. I'm gonna post some videos and instruction below for you to watch so you can understand what inn talking about. Hope this helps your game.
This "Razor" Ray Schultz on the APA Website answering a question from a fellow APA player.
Can you tell me what to look for to see if the balls are frozen or not in the rack so I can get the most out of my break? – Golden, MS
Check the rack after the person racks the balls. You might have to shadow the balls with your hand to see if the balls are frozen. Most of the time it is impossible to freeze all the balls so look for the head ball and then look for the eight ball or nine ball to see if they are froze to the two balls behind the head ball. – Ray
Here is one of my favorite proffessional pool player and instructor Max Eberle talking about inspecting the rack and making sure it's tight.
Max's 8 Ball racking instruction
This is another great video of why you don't want your opponent to give you a loose rack. Because the looser the rack the balls won't spread as far giving your opponent an edge.
How to rack eight ball
So as you can see sometimes understanding why we rack the ball the way we do gets better results. I think a lot of amateur players forget to make sure the rack is tight. So they can make more balls on the break. I just keep getting attitudes from players that want to give me a loos rack and to be honest it's really not fair. So I hope this helps and if you want to find out about more about the rack you can get Joe Tucker's " racking secrets"
Joe Tucker's Book
it's a great book and I recommend it. I'm always trying to improve my game and yours.
- Posted by John ferguson

Playing with the APA

One night I decided I was going to join the "APA"American Pool Players Association. But I didn't want play on bar tables. I was used to playing on the big tables and didn't know how that was going to impact my game. So I called my local league and went down to shooters riverside. It was real easy to join a team and start playing. The amazing thing about my journey with the APA is that I could play pool and hang out and meet some amazing people. I pretty much have been on the same team since I started. I am 9 in nine ball and an 7 in eight ball.
Everyone kept asking me to try to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Championships.




So I went to Stix Billiards in Rancho Cucamonga ca, and played in the event and won the qualifier to go to Tampa Florida and play at Strokers. My journey there was an exciting one to say the least. As we were descending into tampa it was very beautiful and I was ready to play. I knew I had people back home cheering for me and that meant a lot to me. They ran the event like the professionals that they are and made me and all the players feel welcome. When I arrived at Strokers I started to warm up and adjusted to the new environment since I've never been there before.




The day started with the play at 10:30 am and we were off to races. The tournament board looked even crazier than have ever seen but it was cool.




There were a total of 128 players in all. But I knew I could work the field. I was playing against the top amateurs and short stops in the country. And I have to tell you it wasn't easy. Going to the event was such an exciting experience especially if you love pool.








On the second day the event I had my mind focused and ready to play and win. The other players played there hearts out as well. I felt I played very focused and was happy with the way I preformed. Brian Parks of Bakersfield CA had won the Championships the third time in a row. But I got news for him I'll be back next year to do it again. When I finally got knocked out i decided it was going to take the rest of my time and enjoy Florida.




And I can't believe all this started when I was sitting on my couch and decided I was going to get out and meet new people and play some pool. All I can say is thank you to the APA for putting on such a prestigious event like the U.S.Amatuer Championships.
And if you love pool like I do, I would recommend joining a league. And start having fun!

Bonus Ball "What Happened?"

When Bonus Ball first burst on the seen it seemed like everyone was excited. It was a new game that was to be propelling Billiards to a new height. I remember seeing Johnny Archer and Nick Varner at an exhibition and Johnny talking about something coming up for pool that was big. He was telling the truth! Bonus Ball I believe did in fact did something special for billiards.




It brought together some of the greatest players on earth. It also brought a new element of team play which has never been done before. It was was fun to watch the teams working together and figuring out different strategies. I had thought for the first time that billiards could get on the map like golf or football. I have been playing pool most of my life and wanted to see bonus ball make it.




Bonus Ball Arena is located in Las Vegas Nevada. It seemed like bonus ball struggled all the way to the everyday person like me. Having problems with the contractors and getting the streams to work properly. And now rumors that the players aren't getting paid. Not sure whats true anymore. But i do know this! As frustrated as some of the players are and the people that supported bonus ball.




I believe bonus ball will be back stronger than ever in some form or other. I just hope that the WPBL can over come and make billiards what it should be. For now we ask "what happened to bonus ball?" And when is it coming back? Well I guess we all have to stayed tuned to see what happens. For more info visit:
WPBLTV.com
Just my thought on Bonus Ball!

The Tangent Line

Hi guy I'm back with another tip that will help you improve your position play. I'm amazed how this works and so many people don't apply this to their game. The tangent line is there whether you like it or not. Here's a quick diagram for you and ill explain how it works.


As soon as the cue ball contacts the object ball in this case the 12 ball for the side pocket it deflects and want to travel along the imaginary brown line. This is the path that the cue ball wants to travel on. This helps with position and you have to remember your speed on how hard you hit the cue ball. The harder you hit the cue ball the longer the your angler is and vise versa. By applying this to your game will help you dramatically improve your skills. Professional players know this and that's why they are so consistent. By following the tangent line you will be able to move the cue ball around the table and have excellent position on every shot. Hope this helps you become better players.

Posted by- John Ferguson

Straight stroke

I watch a lot players play pool and I can always tell if someone plays a lot of pool just by the way they hold their cue. Their stance is off balance and they seem to miss the shot. when people ask me why I keep missing those shots. I alway tell them that you have to stick with the fundamentals first. Good bridge, stance, balance ect. Then comes pocketing ability. I believe that you have to have a solid bridge. Open faced or closed bridge. There are different stances but mine is hips pretty square to the table and my right foot forward because I'm left handed. So right handers left foot forward. I like to slightly bend my knees and get comfortable. I like to line my dominate eye over the cue shaft. So my eye lines up with the shot. Some people stand to high over he cue when shooting. I like to get lower on the shot so I can see where I'm shooting. I think if you really evaluate your fundamentals. You can really improve your shot making abilities. I really like helping people with pool because I look at it like I'm helping billiards grow. Please don't hesitate to ask here's my email address. Johnfergy106@yahoo.com


- Posted by John ferguson

Negative thinking

Last night I was playing a match and I found my self playing really well. I was making lots of great shots and I had a lot of confidence in my game. Towards the end of the match my opponent started to catch up and I found myself saying things to myself that seem to kill my confidence. Negative thinking entered my mind for some reason. Most players don't even think about how much of an impact the way you think when you play pool can effect your game. I practice everyday positive affirmations and saying things to myself that make me feel good. Even during a match I remind myself that I am a great player and say positive things. Human nature is to doubt ourselves sometimes in life. But we also have the ability to over come doubt by being confident in ourselves and believing in our abilities.
If your playing pool competitively and you want to improve your game you need have fun playing and don't doubt yourself in certain situations. You might a long shot next and think to yourself "man thats a long shot" instead of saying that say " I can make this one" and shoot with confidence. Commit to the shot and don't be scared to miss. If you think positive about your game you'll find that your game will elevate to the next level. You'll be mentally strong. I hope in writing about what I'm going through with my pool playing experiences can help you and others become better pool players. I also am constantly learning about this game.

- Posted by John Ferguson

Practice Time

It seems to me there is a great debate about how long should you practice playing pool. Doing drills and practicing shots that are hard for you. Practicing definitely can impact your play for the better. But how long should you practice for? Well I think in my opinion you should practice as long as you can stand it. But I think the best practice is actually playing against an opponent and not by yourself. Practicing by yourself can eventually get a little boring for me so I like to practice against someone and getting the interaction. I can also challenge myself mentally where playing by yourself is kinda hard to do sometimes. When your having fun playing pool with someone time flies. I've been known to practice for 10 to 12 hours. I heard some pros say they practice for 4 to 6 hours on their game. Practicing the shots that they are having problems with. I've heard Shane Van Boening practicing his breaks shots alone for 4 hours straight. Pro player Rodney Morris says he really never did drills and doesn't really like them. So I think each individual is different. The best type of practice is to jump in and play,play,play. Get into tournaments,join a pool league like the APA or BCAPL leagues and have fun. Personally I practice everyday at least 2 to 3 hours a day and I jump into as many tournaments as I can. Challenging yourself and playing against the pros can only elevate your game. Believe in your self and be confident when playing. Don't be afraid to miss shots everyone does even the pros. So I hope to see you on the tournament floor.

- Posted by John ferguson

Happy New Year pool players

Hi fellow pool players it's now a new year and time to brush up on all the skills you have learned in the past. I feel like there are a lot of players out there that are so called stuck in a rut with their game. In other words their game hasn't improved any. I think the first question is that you have to ask yourself is "how good do I want to be?" and if you answer it by saying I just want to play good. Then you'll just be a good player. If you you answer it, I want to play like a pro then you can play like a pro. I believe you have to make your mind up first. Then you have to be a great student of the game. Play lots of tournaments and practice a lot. You need to have motivation in your game. You can't just play one tournament and sit on the couch for 2 weeks and expect to play your next tournament very well. You need to stay in stroke by playing all the time. Here's a few tips for the new year to improve your game. 1. Have a firm bridge 2. Hold your swing arm loose 3. Keep your balance and bend the knees in your stance. 4. After hitting the ball keep your head down and don't pop up after a shot. 5. The most important, confidence is key! I hope everyone has a great new year of playing pool. - Posted by John ferguson

Instructional videos

Here are a few videos I picked out to help improve your game.
Hope you enjoy them.

The Break Shot


Angles / Cut Shots


Bank Shots


I hope you enjoy these videos!


- Posted by John Ferguson

Position play

As I sit here at the pool hall pondering a few things about my game. I've been learning alot about position shots. Isn't every shot supposed to be positioned in all the right spots for your next ball? Well yes of course! This only makes you a better player. I like Buddy Halls "pro player" saying, don't try and get position when you already have position. What this means is that some people look at the table and think they have to go 3 rails for position when all they have to do is go 1 rail and out for position. My advice is always follow the direction of the tangent line for your next ball. Speed of the cue ball is always important for position aswell. I was always told you can't be taught speed that a player has to experience it on his own. I think a good excersise is to set up three balls. Example the 6,7,8 anywhere on the table and experiment with different speeds for the run out. The more you practice the three ball run out the more confident you become in your game. Do you know how many people out there that can't even run three balls? I see it all the time in pool halls and that's the difference between a casual player and a serious player. Here is a few examples below to practice.
Example:1





Cut the six ball in the side pocket with center ball. Hit the top rail and come down to the bottom rail for the seven and eight balls.
Example:2





Cut the six ball in the corner pocket with center ball and hit the rail and bounce up for the seven and eight balls.
Example:3





Cut the six ball in the corner pocket with center ball or low right on the cue ball. Drift over for the seven ball and the follow the cue ball down for the eight ball.

Notice in all three exercises you have to use different speeds to accomplish the right position on each shot. No one likes drills but you can practice these shots during warm up before your match.hope this helps with your speed and ball control. Remember to relax and think of where you want the ball to end up after each shot and you'll be improving your game in no time.

Up the rail

Cut shot up the rail



Here is a simple but effective way for playing this shot. I see so many people miss this one so I figured out how to hit this shot.
Example: use center or low left depending on your position. But slightly over cut the nine ball to the right side of the pocket. This seems to be an easy adjustment for making the nine ball in the corner pocket.

Following my dreams " Playing Pool "

Great practice shot with speed

Hi guys I though I would give you a great practice shot to try at home or in the pool hall. I think it's a great practice shot because this shot come up alot. Here is how to execute the shot and experiment with different speeds when shooting the shot.


Example: cut the one ball in the corner pocket with center cue ball for position on the two ball using the rails. Remember the harder you shoot the one ball will determine how far up he rail you go for position. Use no right English on the cue ball what so ever. And remember you don't need English to get position on balls. You'll be more consistent with center ball control.

Following my dreams " Playing Pool "

The Break

I thought I would take a few moments and talk about the break. The break is the most important part of the game in my opinion. Have you noticed when you make a good break and pocket a few balls your still in control of the match? And that's the way you want to keep it. There are a lot of techniques for breaking and depending on the game your playing where to place the cue ball for the break. One thing that I concentrate on is protecting the cue ball from scratching and I want the cue ball to come to rest in the center of the table. That way I have a better chance at pocketing
My next shot. Experiment with different speeds and Try and switch up different spots where you are breaking from. Example: if your breaking from the left side and your not pocketing any balls switch to breaking on the right side. Once you find that sweet spot for your break stick to it. I like giving some of my pointers because I believe in order for you to keep it you gotta give it away. Hope this helps.


Following my dreams " Playing Pool "

Fatigue at the pool hall

Ok so I arrived at the pool hall at 8 am yesterday and I knew it was going to be a long day. I think the hardest thing for me is waiting for my match to begin. But what to do in the mean time while waiting to play? I spent 15 hours at this place and I only played 2 matches which I won. Each match took about 30 to 45 minutes to play. So what did I do for the next 13 hours or so? Sitting around takes alot out of you that's for sure. I recommend that you put an energy bar or some trail mix in your pool case to help keep your energy up. I don't recommend playing pool practicing while you wait and if you do just for a short time. Playing pool takes alot out of you especially using your mind for strategy. This sometime can determine the out come of a match when two players have been playing all night. Usually the player mentally stronger and has more stamina will win. So playing pool while you wait instead of relaxing and resting your mind or listening to music can be essential for any champion player. I noticed including myself I got extremely tired towards the end of the night and my mood changed. I was ready to go home and hit the bed. I looked around the billiards room and watch the other players. There demeanor, body language and the way they talked and they seemed to feel the same way i did at the time.
So what I learned from last night is to relax drink lots of water and have some kind of energy from trail mix in my pool case. Possibly find out when your next match is and if it's going to be awhile go back to the hotel or home and relax and get some lunch and just take it easy. Sometimes staying in the same place for hours on end can be mentally draining too so go somewhere close. I recommend exercising and staying fit to help with your energy aswell. I remember when I played in the 2009 Desert Open Nine Ball Championships with the UPA tour. I stayed in the same hotel as the other players and I saw Mika Immomen in the elevator as he was going on a run. I got off the elevator and went to have some breakfast and there was Johnny Archer eating froot loops and talking to Thorsten Holman. Now these guys are relaxing! And enjoying there morning. I never once saw any pro player practicing or playing around before the tournament began. This was my observance from last nights play so hope this helps.

Following my dreams " Playing Pool "

Safety play

Safety Example


You'll notice in this diagram the three ball is blocking the bank shot. Some people will try and make the shot some where and over look a simple safety. Here is an example of how to make the safety. Hit the cue ball top right striking the one ball thin sending the cue off the rail to the opposite rail and back to the top rail behind the seven ball. Meanwhile the one ball taking the dotted path. Remember with any safety speed is essential. And with practice and following the tangent line you will be playing safeties like a pro.

The enjoyment of playing pool

As I went to play pool tonight just feeling ok and a little under the weather. I sometimes forget how much I enjoy playing pool. I waited for my match
and watched the other players talk to each other and have fun. When it was my turn to play I was to engulfed into the match I had forgotten that I wasn't feeling well. And I had won my match aswell so I guess being positive and not thinking how I was feeling at the time had made me have a great time tonight. I was shooting great and loose and everything was rolling my way. I hope this Is a lesson to everyone that positive thinking is powerful tool in billiards and it's essential to be confident and positive.

Following my dreams " Playing Pool "

Physcological play

Ok so it seems like that there isn't alot of info on the physcological part of billiards. Maybe I'm wrong and I'm just not looking in the right places for it so I can only tell you what i have learned over the years from other pro players. If there is a book or if you want to Weigh in just email me at johnfergy106@sbcglobal.net and I'll post it on my blog. I've always heard pool is 80% mental and 20% physical. So if so why don't we spend more time on the mental part of the game? Than the physical part of it.
There alot to say for positive thinking in making your shot. For example if you come across a shot where there is a possibility of scratching. You think in your mind " I might scratch " then it might come true. But if you pick a spot mentally where you want to be for position and don't think about the obvious scratch. You will get the position you desired. So when you approach the table observe the layout. When you execute your shot have confidence in yourself. Don't let any outside distractions get in your head. People talking, an audience of people or the player your playing. Remember your not playing the player your playing he table so that should take some pressure off of you.

Following my dreams " Playing Pool "