In the fascinating sport of billiards, many enthusiasts eagerly look forward to improving their skills. However, they often unknowingly fall into some misunderstandings, losing their way on the path to becoming masters. Many people think that playing billiards is a relaxed activity and pay no attention to their physical fitness. They often overestimate the difficulty of making a shot with side spin and are too intimidated to try. They also always believe that brute force can create miracles and strike the cue stick with all their might. What’s more, some people just find any billiard table to practice on without caring about its quality, and blindly believe that playing against masters can make them achieve great success overnight. These misunderstandings are like stumbling blocks, hindering everyone from progressing smoothly on the billiard journey. We really need to talk about them, expose them, and help everyone get back on the right track to fully appreciate the true charm of billiards.
Mistake 1:
Incorrectly believing that good physical fitness is not required for playing billiards.
Many people think this way. Sports like football and basketball definitely require excellent physical fitness. Even if you have great skills, it’s useless if your physical fitness can’t keep up. For billiards, the amount of exercise seems so small that it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with physical fitness. In fact, it is a sport that requires extremely high precision. There is a saying, “A tiny error can lead to a huge difference,” which is very appropriate in billiards. Even if the ball’s path is just 1 centimeter more than what you expected, it can be a big disaster, especially in a match between masters. A small mistake can mean losing the whole game. So, when playing billiards, players need to be fully concentrated, thinking about how to hit the ball and applying the right amount of force with their hands, which consumes a lot of physical strength and mental energy.
Mistake 2:
Overestimating the difficulty of making a shot with side spin.
Many people think that making a shot with side spin is extremely difficult. But in fact, making a shot is essentially a matter of feeling. Making the ball go into the pocket may seem mysterious, but it can be summed up in four words – “practice makes perfect.” There is really no shortcut. The key is to practice more. For the same type of shot, after practicing a lot, you will naturally develop that feeling, almost like a conditioned reflex. You need to know which part of the target ball the cue ball should hit so that the target ball can roll into the pocket obediently. At the same time, you also need to understand what kind of spin to give the cue ball and how much force to use when hitting it so that after the target ball goes into the pocket, the cue ball can also stop at the position you expected. Look at those masters in the competition. They rarely stare at the hitting point for a long time. Basically, they just lean down and make the shot. Why? Because they play based on an intuition.
Mistake 3:
Incorrectly thinking that you must use a lot of force when playing.
Friends who are just starting to learn how to play billiards often think that they need to use a lot of force when playing. They seem to believe that only in this way can the cue stick be pushed out straight, the ball can be hit accurately, the cue ball can move freely around the table, and the position of the cue ball can be controlled as they wish. But that’s not the case. If you use too much force when making a shot, it will bring at least three disadvantages: First, the movement is very likely to be distorted, and the hitting effect will definitely not be ideal. Second, if you apply side spin and the shot is not level, the ball will fly out in an arc, completely deviating from what you expected. Third, it will be very difficult to control the position of the cue ball. In fact, unless you want to achieve a particularly strong low cue or high cue effect, generally speaking, as long as you can accurately hit the corresponding part of the cue ball, you don’t need to use too much force to achieve a great position control effect.
Mistake 4:
Underestimating the crucial role of the billiard table.
In the eyes of many people, it seems that any billiard table can be used to start a billiards game, but this is a big mistake. The quality of the billiard table has a fundamental impact on the playing experience and the display of skills. The billiard table of Spike uses Jiujiang Grade A bluestone. Jiujiang Grade A bluestone has a uniform texture, high density, and strong hardness, which can provide an extremely flat and stable rolling surface for the billiard balls. The table legs made of solid wood can support the heavy stone slab, ensuring that the entire billiard table will not shake or deform easily during intense shots, thus guaranteeing the stability and continuity of each shot.
Mistake 5:
Always thinking that frequently playing against masters can quickly improve your billiards skills. In fact, this is not the case, and this wrong concept has discouraged many people from playing billiards.
Many people naively believe that by frequently competing with masters, they can not only learn from their strengths but also be motivated to improve rapidly under pressure. However, the reality is the opposite. Many players not only fail to understand the essence of the masters’ skills but are also so discouraged that they give up billiards completely.
The correct way to improve is: Occasionally go to the scene to watch the duels between masters, or watch TV broadcasts of the games, or use teaching books and DVDs to initially master some basic skills. Then you need to calm down and practice hard alone, mastering each skill one by one. In this lonely and boring process, gradually improve yourself from the shallow to the deep.
The world of billiards is full of challenges and surprises. Avoiding misunderstandings is the key. And the billiard table is of utmost importance, as its quality is related to the whole game. The Spike billiard table uses Jiujiang Grade A bluestone combined with solid wood table legs. The bluestone has excellent texture, providing an extremely flat playing surface. The strong table legs provide good support, ensuring no shaking during shots and guaranteeing the stability and accuracy of each shot. After laying a solid foundation, improve step by step, play against those of similar skill levels to build confidence, and then challenge the masters. In this way, you will surely stand out in the field of billiards, play brilliantly, and become a master admired by all billiards enthusiasts. https://www.tiktok.com/@spk.billiard?_t=8qRRRnXP4N8&_r=1