I’m not winning as many games as I think I should. I shoot balls in just fine, but I can’t seem to finish a lot of the table runs off. What gives?

Billiard Coach Answer:
Learn the Key 8-ball Concepts.

I’ve been working on a series of lessons for a player just like you. You’ve been around long enough to know how to play the game, but just aren’t running racks like you should. Great players look as though they dance through racks with ease, but this is a well rehearsed and choreographed achievement. They know that the ability to pocket balls is just one of the skills needed to play run-out pool. I’m going to outline a couple of the key concepts to help you become a run-out 8-ball player. Keep in mind, these important concepts must be devoured and digested in order to benefit from them. You must walk-the-walk and incorporate these ideas into your game. That is your everyday game and every game!

Key 8-ball Concept: Have a plan before you start shooting. The most important trip to the table during a game is your first. This is the time to take in information, observe problem areas, consider options for dealing with those problems, evaluate the risk/reward of those options, and then, and only then, take your shot.

It can take years of playing experience to train your brain to run through this series of logic exercises. If you don’t get stumped once in a while, you are not looking deeply enough into the pool table puzzles. Standing next to a pool table after making a ball after your break, or after your opponent fails to make a ball, is a delicate moment. It can seem to last an eternity when you are searching for the solution. You must develop the will and patience to establish your plan before you take your first shot.

Loads of players begin plucking off stripes or solids without regard to where it will lead them. They plop balls in pockets thinking they are making strides toward a victory when they are, in fact, digging their graves. On a 7 foot pool table, runs usually end because the player misses a shot or hooks himself. Missed shots are frequently the more difficult tester shots that he is forced to take because he played a poor pattern. Sure, he could have simply missed position or gotten a bad roll, but the shooter may have chosen a different sequence of shots so he didn’t have to play tricky position on their next ball or be at the mercy of rolls, good or bad. Having a plan that is easy to execute with the least possible chance of getting into trouble (i.e., difficult shot or difficult to obtain position) is one of the hallmarks of a well conceived plan.

Worse yet is having a run stopped because the last object ball or two are tied up or in unmakeable positions. The player has just taken his soldiers off the battlefield and allowed his opponent to come to the table with few obstacles to achieving his run-out.

This “Have a plan before you act” key eight-ball concept should include many of the following questions and, hopefully, your answers:
• Can I run this rack or will I need to play a safety?
• Does the eight ball have a pocket that it can be shot into?
• Is there a ‘foolproof’ key ball to get position on the eight?
• How can I get my problem areas taken care of as soon as possible?
• Are there any problem clusters or hard to get on balls that I need to address?
• Does my opponent have a tough table in case I miss a risky shot early in my run or am I done for if I miss?
• If the table is open, which suit presents an easier run-out?
• What is the proper order (pattern) to run to run the balls out?

Eight ball done right can be an elegant tango, gliding through racks deftly. Or it can be a mosh pit of aggression and muscle. Evaluate every rack to determine what type of dancing shoes to wear. If you are patient, open-minded, and practice your steps, you’ll be dancing through racks in no time.