Professional Snooker Supplies

Improving your skill at billiards is not as hard as it may seem. While you might be frustrated with your performance while playing with your friends, a little bit of practice on your own can go a long way. The fundamentals of billiards are best practiced with drills–that is, short practice routines to fine-tune your muscle memory and reflexes. The simplest drill is to simply place the cue ball on the table, and practice hitting it at different speeds to reach a particular point. This teaches you control, aiming, and the necessary amount of force to use when striking the ball. The more force you use, the tighter your aim must be. Striking the ball quickly off-target can result in unpredictable motion and poor results. Instead, practice your aim by hitting the ball slowly, and gradually increase the force used until you can control the cue ball predictably. You can continue practicing by adding more balls and trying to re-create difficult shots.

Traditionally, a billiards table is made of flat, heavy slate, covered with felt, surrounded by rubber bumpers. There are several purchasing considerations to make when selecting a table, so it is important to pay close attention while shopping. First, it is important that you do not purchase an inexpensive table, as cheap tables may not be made of slate and can impact your ability to play. Make sure the table you are considering is made of quarried slate, and try to shoot a few rounds in the store to get a feel for the table’s quality. A second consideration is the cushions, the rubber material surrounding the playing surface that permits balls to bounce without too much loss of energy. The American standard for cushions is the "K-66 profile," which is a standard defined by the Billiards Congress of America. The purpose of this standard is to ensure that rebound is somewhat predictable from table to table. The third, and often overlooked, consideration is the table’s felt. Many tables use cheaper and inferior 19oz felt, which is to be avoided. 21-24oz felt is preferred. Additionally, be aware that many bars use thicker, woolen felt that better withstands heavy usage with a loss of ball speed and accuracy. Be sure to discuss these options with the salesperson before committing to a table.

Billiards (or, "cue sports") is a general term for countless different games all having their roots in 15th century England. While you aren’t expected to be a historian to be proficient at billiards, it helps if you have the right equipment. For this article, we’ll be discussing pool, or "pocket billiards." This game is typically played with a felt-topped slate table, cues, a set of balls, and some other billiard supplies. The most important piece of equipment to consider for the beginner is your table. It is essential not to purchase an inferior quality table, as an un-level playing surface can make play nearly impossible. Secondly, you’ll want to consider a set of cues. Pool cues are long, wooden sticks roughly a meter and a half long. Some manufacturers sell fancier cues made of fiberglass or carbon fiber, but this is not necessary. Additionally, you’ll need a set of balls and a triangle. A set of standard billiards balls consists of 16 balls: 15 numbered balls, and one cue ball. A triangle is simply a piece of plastic or wood that allows you to set the balls on the table in the initial triangle pattern. Hopefully this brief introduction in the different type of billiard supplies available today is enough to get you started in the exciting world of billiards.