Free Download of January 2010 Issue of Billiards Magazine

January 2010 Issue of Inside POOL Magazine Available for Free Download

Jasmin Ouschan Wins WPBA Tour Championships

The January issue of Inside POOL Magazine, which again features Jasmin Ouschan on the cover, has been made available for free download at InsidePOOLmag.com. This month the download features new technology in online billiards magazine viewing such as enhanced clarity, full-screen videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

Ouschan on the cover of Inside POOL Magazine for January 2010 after winning the WPBA Tour Championship at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL.

Jasmin Ouschan graces the cover as she hoists her hardware from the WPBA Tour Championship at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. Johnny Archer aces the Seminole Pro Tour Steve Mizerak event. Ruslan Chinakhov and Keng-Chun Lin snare the Junior World titles in Managua, Nicaragua. 16-year-old Sasha Lin claims the Women’s World Pool Championship in Shengyeng, China. Mika Immonen caps off his legendary year by claiming the World 10-Ball title in Manila, Philippines. Get pool lessons from Tom Simpson, Bob Henning and Matt Sherman. Learn trick shots from Jason Lynch. Receive the latest regional and world tour news.

Download the January 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine for Free

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Inside POOL Magazine publishes both print and online versions of each issue. The online version is usually made available for FREE (without a membership) viewing and downloading around the middle of each month. If you would like to receive the print version of this wonderful magazine, please visit InsidePOOLmag.com to subscribe.

About Inside POOL Magazine
Inside POOL Magazine launched in 2001 and, with pool player-based content and high impact photography, quickly became the largest magazine in the world for the sport of billiards. The official web site, InsidePOOLmag.com, followed shortly after and became one of the largest web sites in billiards. The web site features videos, image galleries, pool lessons, custom Pool Cue makers, online games, player profiles, tournament brackets, live streaming video, rules, product reviews, and the latest billiard news from around the world.

Immonen's Reveals Billiard Secrets in Mastering Pool Instructional DVDs

Immonen’s Reveals Billiard Secrets in Mastering Pool Instructional DVDs

Immonen has released three billiard instruction DVDs called Mastering Pool.

 The world’s hottest player Mika “Iceman” Immonen has unveiled his latest achievement, Mastering Pool. Intrinsic Media has teamed up with the current US Open and Mosconi Cup Champion to produce Mastering Pool, a 3-part pocket billiard instructional series. The DVD series is packed with tips, techniques and systems, 3D animated diagrams, and expert commentary by Immonen himself all of which easily making Mastering Pool one of the most comprehensive billiards guides on the market today. Mastering Pool also has a comprehensive website with video samples of the DVDs at http://www.mastering-pool.com
 
“Mika’s one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen. He has a great all around game and very versatile knowledge on the game. I definitely could not pick anyone better than him to come out with an instructional video.” said fellow tour pro Rodney ‘Rocket” Morris, current World Cup Champion and former US Open Champion.
 
“The guy breaks like King Kong, shoots like the Terminator, and kicks like Bruce Lee. And he’s one of the most physically and mentally fit players alive. ” says Raj Hundal, World Pool Masters Champion and the most winningest Indian player in history.
 
Mastering Pool  is divided into three DVDs starting with “beginner level”, than “intermediate level”, and finally “advance level”. Each DVD has several special features with superior graphics and expert filming from several angles. Immonen personally demonstrates all shots and scenarios so the viewer can see what a world class player would do in each situation. Immonen also commentates along with a narrator on his own personal thinking process during the shots.
 
“I’ve seen numerous tapes and DVDs of pool training, but Mastering Pool is by far the best production I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely elevated the standard of quality and filming for instructional videos.” commented Charlie Williams, renowned TV billiard producer and world class pro player.
 
Mastering Pool  is available online at http://www.mastering-pool.com/purchase.html and can be purchased at selected distributors such as www.seyberts.com
 
” Working with Intrinsic Media on Mastering Pool  was a terrific team effort. Intrinsic was very professional and the quality of the DVDs I feel are superb. I couldn’t ask to be involved in anything better than this and my hopes of how it turned out were well surpassed. I feel very privileged to have been a part of Mastering Pool “- said Mika Immonen.
 
Mika Immonen is one of the world’s premier professional players. Immonen is known for his athletic rigourous training off the table as well as intense training on the table. Immonen made his big impact in the pool world in 2001 when he won the World 9-Ball Championship and has since been ranked in the top 5 in the world. More recently in 2008, Immonen has won the US Open, Mosconi Cup, All Japan Championships, and Philippines vs The World . The Finnish Iceman who resides in New York City, is truly an international star with a wide array of foreign sponsors including Mezz Cues of Japan, Cafe Puro of Philippines, and Mastering Pool based in Canada. Immonen is managed by Dragon Promotions USA and Korea.
Visit http://icemanmika.blogspot.com/

The Straight Line

The Straight Line

by Bob Henning

In pool there are many factors to take into account in order to contact an object ball with enough accuracy to send it to a distant pocket.  There is the discrepancy between where the cue ball is aimed and where it actually contacts the object ball.  There is the deflection involved when the cue ball is pushed off line by being struck either left or right of the vertical axis.  There is the curve of the cue ball as the friction of the cloth wears away the rotational axis of english and resolves it into a natural roll.  All of these adjustments, however, are referenced from a single straight line—the line of aim.

In this respect, a pool player is similar to a marksman aiming a rifle.  The stock and barrel of the rifle form the straight line that he aims at the target.  He makes all the adjustments that are needed to account for the effect of wind, trajectory, and barrel imperfections in reference to that straight line.  If the wind is blowing strong from the right, for instance, he doesn’t imagine a curved path to the target.  He factors in the effect of the wind and adjusts by aiming—a straight line of aim—a bit to the right.  It’s the same with pool.  When you prepare a shot you decide where the cue tip will contact the cue ball, you envision the expected path of the cue ball, and then you adjust your line of aim to accommodate the effects of deflection and curve.  You don’t aim a curved line at the object ball, you aim a straight line that has been corrected for accuracy.  And the straighter the line, the better the shooter. 

So how do you find that straight line?  It’s been said that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, but that’s not enough data to consistently establish a super-straight line of aim.  In fact, having only two points is how people get lost in the woods and end up walking in circles even when they know that a straight line will eventually lead to a road.  They have two points—where they are and some landmark in the distance, such as a rock or a tree.  So they head for that and when they get there, they pick another target and continue.  It sounds like a good plan, but it’s not enough to get out of the woods.

In the Boy Scouts they teach kids that walking a straight line requires three points of reference.  When you get to the first one, you find a replacement point lined up with the remaining two.  When you get to the next one, you add another.  You keep adding a point of reference to the other two like a good 9-ball player keeps adding a third ball to his position plan every time he pockets one.  Working with three points gets you out of the woods and out of the rack.

Let’s look at our marksman and his rifle again.  When he aims at a target he lines up three distinct points: the target, the front sight, and the back sight.  He sets the stem of the front sight in the slot of the back sight and that gives the first two points that sets the rifle true.  Then he aims that unit at a third point—the adjusted target.  

If he only used the target and the front sight, his accuracy would fall dramatically, and that’s what many pool players do.  They focus on only two points: the contact point on the cue ball and the contact point on the object ball.  The front part of the cue stick might be in their peripheral vision, but their attention is on the front of the cue stick and the target.  They’re not using a rear site!

Shooting is a visual sport, so the sights are placed in front of the eye.  Pool, on the other hand, is an eye-hand discipline so the third point can actually be behind you and out of sight.  It’s the back end of your cue, of course, and it’s aimed not with your eyes, but with your hand.  All you have to do is learn to “put” your back hand on the line (the rear sight), keep it there as you come down to place the cue tip on the cue ball (the front sight), and line these two points up with your target.  You’ll have three points of reference and a guaranteed straight line.  Even if you miss, at least you’ll never get lost in the woods again!

Good luck & good shootin’!

Nail-Bending Focus

Nail-Bending Focus

by Tom Simpson

I think we love pool because it’s so dang difficult. If it were easy, if we never missed the pocket or the shape, we’d get bored pretty quickly. If it were easy, it would not require us to focus. Playing pool well takes everything we have, and more.

Pool usually finds a way to smack us when we don’t focus. We have to be fully alive and aware, fully engaged in what we’re doing. Usually there are multiple aspects to consider and clearly plan or decide prior to each shot: strategy for the current shot, strategy for the current inning, which shot to take, how best to play the shot and the shape, and so on. At this point, we are still in “The Thinking Position,” standing, seeing the patterns, shot angles, ball paths, and layout problems. Our focus at this point is on “What should I do?” We focus at this level until we have made a clear decision: “What will I do and how will I do it?” The planning focus is mental. We’re organizing our thoughts until we settle on one clear plan.

Now, with our plan determined, we move our focus to execution. I know what I’m trying to do. If I have doubts or feel I should change the plan, I’d better go back to The Thinking Position and re-consider my decisions. It’s vital to be fully committed to the shot before moving into “The Shooting Position.” I can’t be fully focused on executing the shot if I still have nagging concerns about the plan. Focusing is the process of getting your intention and your body into agreement and alignment.

How do we move focus from thinking to physically doing? As we address the shot, we know the plan. The shot plan could be something like “I’m cutting the 7 ball in the side with a rolling cue ball and a touch of outside english and with enough speed to follow forward to my chosen shape region.” So now I have to physically make this happen. My focus has to move to my eyes and body.

Many players rush from decision to execution as if there was nothing in between. They plop their bridge hand down and try to adjust everything to fit the plan. They were present and aware while they were standing, and now that they’re down on the shot, they’re trying to focus on physical alignment, stroke, aiming, speed, etc. If they lost focus between standing and ball address, they have to regain it once they are down on the shot. Too late.

Execution focus is physical. We’re organizing our body until we’re satisfied that we’re as ready to shoot as we can be. When we are actively engaged in the planning and decision process, making a clear commitment to the plan, and moving smoothly into setup and shooting, we are much more likely to get the results we want. Gaps in the process mean we have broken our concentration. Not good. If your mind wanders, pool will smack you.

Many good players relate to the experience of “nail-bending focus” down the shot line. When they’re fully focused, they feel like they could bend steel nails with their mind or melt paint off the wall. They’re using their eyes like lasers, burning perfectly down the intended line. It’s a lot easier to organize your body to be accurately aligned to the shot if you’re fully involved in the alignment process before—and while—you drop into shooting position.

This brings us to a crucial—but rarely—noticed fundamental. Once your body is on the shot line and you are ready to drop into shooting position, what are your eyes doing? Where is your visual focus during the drop? Are your eyes actually focused on something? To maximize your accuracy, it’s very helpful to engage that nail-bending focus on your precise target before you start to drop and to maintain that clear, single-minded focus throughout the drop. Keep your eyes on the target while you drop. As you drop, this continuous, intense focus, locked onto your visual target, will work to keep you lined up to what you’re seeing. Your peripheral vision will help you land your bridge and move it into proper position. Of course, once you’re fully down, you will move your eyes back and forth from target to cue ball until you’ve confirmed your alignment and readiness to shoot. Then, laser-focus your vision down the line until the stroke has been completed.

If your eyes are sharply focused, your mind is focused. If your mind is focused, your body will carry out your wishes more readily, more easily, and more accurately. Focus leads to commitment. Commitment leads to confidence. Confidence leads to better results.

See the target and absolutely own the line.

The Break Shot

The Break Shot     

Depending on your level of play, the break shot can be the single most important shot in pool, no matter which type of game you’re playing. In 9-ball, for instance, for you to give your gambling opponent the snap is to give him or her one of the biggest weights of all. The higher percentage of racks you can run after the break, the more important that shot is to your chances of winning.
 
There’s a lot that can be said about the break shot, including where to place the cue ball, what spin to put on it, how hard to hit it, and—in 8-ball—which ball to hit first, along with other questions. The goals of the break are to pocket at least one ball, spread the rest of the balls around the table, and leave the cue ball as close to the center of the table as possible. To do this you must transfer as much energy as you possibly can from the cue ball to the rack of balls by hitting the head ball as full as possible with dead center English. If the cue ball doesn’t move after hitting the rack, then it transferred all of its energy to the rack.

For the break shot you’ll want to have your break stick about as parallel to the table as possible. When you practice this shot, you’ll need to learn how fast and with what kind of hit is best so that the cue ball is on the green at the moment it hits the head ball. That’s when the maximum force is transferred to the rack from the cue ball. When this happens your cue ball will not fly off the table.

The speed of your warm-up strokes should be related to the force of the hit, as with other shots you take. These strokes will also be speedier. You should develop a particular cadence to this shot. Count everything out as you practice this shot so it can be second nature to you. Then you have less to consciously concentrate on. You should rock back and forth with your body, placing your weight on the front foot as you stroke up to the cue, and rocking your weight to the back foot as you bring your stick back. Then explode forward shifting your body weight forward along with the forward motion of the stick, and snapping your wrist at the exact moment you hit the cue ball. The wrist action together with the body thrusting will send that cue ball toward the rack very fast.

But never forget this: The break shot is a controlled break, not an out-of-control break. If you lose control of the cue ball, you’ve hit it too hard. Try easing up on the hit, because it’s more important to get as full of a hit as possible than it is to hit the ball hard. 

Let me stress this. An accurate solid hit on the head ball is more important than the speed with which you hit the cue ball. If you cannot hit it with controlled accuracy, then you are striking the cue ball way too hard. Since you can’t count on a ball going in the pocket on the break, you should at least have control over the cue ball so it doesn’t scratch. Scratching on the 9-ball break, for example, is considered a cardinal sin. It’s as sure of a way to lose a game of 9-ball as one can get.

Ease up. Very few people can strike the cue ball with all of their power and still have accuracy. But to increase the speed of your break shot you need to start at the point where you have cue ball accuracy. You should only increase the speed as you develop more accuracy. You’ll know when to slow it down when the cue ball flies off the table, or you scratch often. If that happens you’re just hitting the rack too hard for the kind of control you have developed. Slow it down consistent with your degree of control.

Now rack ‘em and break ‘em.