Guaranteed Improvement Indeed (Book Review)

I received this handy little spiral bound book in the mail a few weeks ago from Joe Tucker, professional pool player and inventor. Now before you wave your hand and pass on this "training aid", just hear me out.

Guaranteed Improvement consists of a series of drills, shots and exercises to gauge and improve your skill level. That's it. No gimmicks. Just shoot the shots, tally the results and repeat.

What I like about Guaranteed Improvement is that there's a way to gauge your skill level for different exercises and and rank yourself on a scale of: D, C, B, A, Short Stop and Professional. Now, there has been some critique of the accuracy of the rating system and Joe himself agreed that this is not meant to be an exact measurement. After all, you are by yourself practicing with a book - how accurate do you expect it to be? Nevertheless, the book excels in helping you identify your weaknesses, improve upon them and track your progress.

The book itself is about 5"x8.5" and is spiral bound, so it's easy to carry and open flat. The words "PLEASE DO NOT DISTRACT PLAYERS PRACTICING" is printed on the back, which I find a bit amusing but I could see some use for if you're constantly being interrupted. I appreciate the unassuming design and "no frills" nature of the book. You definitely won't be embarrassed bringing into your local hall.

As of now, the book ships with a DVD. I got an advance copy of the DVD and I have to say that I think it's an essential companion to the book. Joe's instruction is casual but precise, reminding me of a personal pool coach. Emphasizing the important points and leaving the work to you. Joe runs through the drills so you can see how they are done. The only mild negative point for me is the alien-voiced animated cue ball character introducing each drill segment. This is just my personal taste and it doesn't detract from the excellent instruction material. After watching the video, I can't see using the book without watching it first.

I bought my copy of Guaranteed Improvement from: www.joetucker.net

Where the Pros Are, Sometimes

There is a great web site to check out if you're a pool player and that is AZ Billiards.

They've got more than 50 articles on game play written by professional pool players and writers alike. They've also got some billiard news, but the main draw for me are their forums. As with most forums, everybody goes by some made up nickname. But, hidden behind most of the names on this site are touring professional players, custom cue makers, and a populus that is generally very experienced and willing to offer up insight into the game. And just like any local pool hall, there are some that have less patience with "newbies", so if you want advice, it pays to be nice.


For anybody not on the professional circuit, the forum is a great opporunity to participate in discussions with the folks you see playing on TV. However, the pros aren't always around since they're, well, playing pool most of the time. And maybe they aren't quite as geeky as the rest of us. Nevertheless, AZ Billiards is a great resource to learn about the game and equipment.

I bought my first custom cue from a cuemaker there!

Willie Mosconi World of Pocket Billiards (Video Review)

I purchased a copy of Willie Mosconi's World of Pocket Billiards out of curiousity and watched it lastnight. Since the show was produced decades ago and caters to a general audience, I figured it would just be neat just to watch the greatest pocket billiard player of all time talking about the game.

The first thing that struck me was the outdated format. From the clothes to the cheesy backdrop to the scripted banter, I found myself questioning if this was going to be worth an hour of my time. Things picked up when Willie got to the table and started explaining the basics of forming a bridge, stance, banking, caroms, etc. All familiar stuff to what's found in his little red book, but interesting to see him explain it "live".

Things got really interesting when Willie proceeded to talk about 14.1 pool and playing position. He ran two racks like they were nothing and ended up in perfect position to break a third. I found I was actually learning a few things just listening to him talk through his thought process and watching him pocketing the balls with ease.

While you aren't going to learn as much as you would from a dedicated pool instruction video (like Byrne's or Grady's), you might pick up a few other lessons just watching a class act like Willie Mosconi bring a level of respectability to the game and make it all seem like child's play. A true great that is a pleasure to watch.

The video is out of production, but you can usually find a copy off of eBay. Here's a link to it on Amazon

A Pool Player Isn't So Hard to Find

If you're like me and have a hankering to shoot pool but don't really have more than a few friends who you can call, there is hope.

Thanks to Billiard Roster, we have the ability to find other pool players in our local areas to play with. Better yet, Billiard Roster is a free player directory. Finally, I can stop scouring craigslist and hanging at the local pool hall waiting for someone to start hustling.

I happened across this site and while it's still very new (there are less than 50 players at this time), it's a free site and it'll only be a matter of time before it's teaming with activity.

So, get your profile and you might just find a good pickup game, or one might find you!