Although practice helps a lot in one's improvement in this wonderful game, understanding the different strokes, the reaction of the balls hitting each other, and the diamond system will fully arm a pool warrior.
As one passes through a level of understanding and applies the newfound intelligence to matches and practice, an improvement in the game will be dramatic. The player will definitely enjoy the new level of the game until another discovery is revealed (e.g. diamond system). This period of time varies according to the willingness of the player to understand that there is definitely a need and some more room for improvement.
I have known an engineer pool player for almost twenty years now. He used to teach Physics in college and is now an executive in a big company. Since I met him, his game has not improved somehow because of a very proud attitude in accepting new knowledge from uneducated pool ringers. So until now, he still would not know where his white ball goes after a shot. Maybe he knows that there is a need and some room for improvement, but he is in an almost pitiful denial about it. Players of two years experience will serve him a good challenge.
My advice to you is first, know the Follow, Draw, and Stop shots by heart. The Follow shot hits the cue ball over the middle with the follow through of the cue stick ending up, and not on the table. A follow through that ends on the table is probably an elevated shot (backhand higher than the bridge hand). Try to keep the cue stick parallel to the table. This will also force you to bend down and have a rifle aim at the object ball. The Draw shot hits the cue ball under the center. But just because it is aimed under would not guarantee a draw. The release should be a determined stroke. The stop shot is like the draw, but the aim is dead center on the white ball.
When that has been mastered, it would be time to understand what happens to the balls upon impact. Please refer to my article on Tangents. Understanding the directions of the object ball(s) and the white ball is essential. This will tell you if you are taking a high scratch-risk shot or if you can billiard a juicy bystander ball into a pocket. It will also improve setting up your next shot.
Since, by now, the knowledge of where the balls go would be clearer, it would be a good time to understand the diamond system. The key here is keeping in mind that the angle given to a bank will be the same angle off the bank. The diamond system works in parallel lines. Off a single bank, you will have the same angle. When the ball reaches its third bank, you will discover that the path into the first bank would be parallel to the path off the third bank. If there are no pockets, and instead of cloth, you will have oil, the shot would go on and on. Understanding the diamond system will definitely bring confidence in wiping out four balls easily.
Injecting knowledge in English will be timely at this point. One will discover that English can make the post-impact path of the balls vary. English can also increase the distance of the cue ball on the diamond path and even change the angles into and off the banks.
This understanding describes a B player. Now comes the hard part. There are different ways to release a stroke as one would skin a cat (pardon my cruel language). Some strokes start high from a back swing and end low at the release. Some make the cue ball jump (obviously or not). My suggestion now is to get a Pro to teach you the different strokes. If you cannot find a Pro, be observant in the way advanced players release the cue stick and then, imitate them. After watching, do not be ashamed to ask the advanced player to teach you the release. These ways of releasing the cue stick will get you through abnormal situations in pocketing and in setting up the white ball for the next shot.
At this point, muscle memory is essential. Practice! You will notice that three days away from the table or a sleepless night will make you execute some shots miserably because of the wrong release - because your muscles forgot how to execute them or because of fatigue. Also at this point, your game will be limited only by your implementation of the plan and the creative shot. Nervous players will be more relaxed because of the advanced understanding of the game.
This level is definitely Class A. Moving on to a higher class completely depends on your feeling if there is a need and some more room for improvement. Even Efren observes beginners and studies their incredible lucky shots until now. Unbelievable?
