Greetings pool players and wanna-be pool players and welcome to Pool 101! I'm going to outline here what I think the beginner pool player needs to learn, to accelerate his or her skills to a high level in the shortest amount of time possible.

I will expand on these concepts, and additional ones, in other pages of this web site. I certainly could have used the following information when I was first learning to play. Hopefully, it will help others "get there" much quicker than I did.

Before getting in to the mechanics of the game, I'd like to mention the mental aspects that are involved in being a top-notch pool player. Pool can be an enjoyable way to spend a few hours once in a while, or it can be a very stimulating, competitive challenge that can really get the juices flowing. What you get out of the game depends on your attitude and if you want to take it seriously or not.

If you are reading this, I assume you want to actually get your skills up to where you can win pool games on a regular basis. If you decide right now that you are willing to do what it takes to become good at this game, then you are already 75% of the way there. The mechanics can be learned, but if you don't have the right attitude, then you will never be more than a mediocre player.

The old cliche holds true for pool playing - "practice makes perfect". No one is born a pool player at birth. You have to put a good amount of time in on a pool table before you start to really see the shots, and you have to train your body to go through the correct motions over and over until they become ingrained and natural. Take your practice sessions seriously and you will see that your time was well spent, as you rack up more and more wins on the table.

I believe this is one of those games where you can never learn everything. You will constantly be picking up new tips and tricks as you play, your whole life. But, if you get the basics down and put forth a little effort, you can still be an excellent player who wins the majority of his or her games and has a lot of fun doing it.

Some of the most important things for the beginner to master are the stance, grip, bridge, stroke, and basic aiming. While all these subjects will be further explored and explained on other pages, I will briefly touch on them here.

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