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Many amateur players have a good grasp of the basic rules and fundamentals of their favorite pool game, and are becoming more and more comfortable with stance and stroke mechanics. Yet they are still keeping their eyes open for every little pool tip and trick they might come across, hoping to find one more nugget of wisdom to help them along in their development and enjoyment of the game of pool. With that in mind, here are three pointers to help guide all you beginners along:

1)      Keep your cue stick as level as possible when shooting. You might never be able to get exactly parallel with the table, but you want to stay close to that. If you take a moment to look back at the hand holding the butt of the cue stick, you want to see it resting very low, near your hip. You can even let the cue stick brush the rail as you swing back and forth. The reason for this is that elevation of the butt end of the cue stick leads to funky things happening to your shot that you cannot control easily. You will see unwanted side-spin, masse (when the cue ball curves across the table in an arc), and even a small hop or scooping chip-shot. To avoid all of those unwanted factors, keep a level cue stick.

2)      Keep one of those green Scotch Pads with you at all times. Cut one Pad into two or three smaller pieces that can fit into your pants pocket. Use it generously and aggressively on house cues to remove all the sticky junk that collects on them. You know what I’m talking about! How many times do you accidentally burn the skin on your hands when you try to shoot with a sticky cue stick? Sanding all that junk off before you start playing will keep your hands from getting friction-burns, and the dusty powder it the scrub pad makes can be used to take the damp off of your skin as well.

3)      Keep a tip-tapper or tip-scuffer with you as well. Put the scuffer and the Scotch Pad in your pool case, ready for use at any pool game. The tip-tapper lets you rough up the surface of the leather tip of any cue stick. This in turn allows the tip hold more chalk, which lets YOU hit the cue ball without miscue-ing.  A smooth and polished tip cannot hold chalk well, and will lead to miscued hits on the cue ball that make you miss your intended shots. So rough up your tip before you begin every night of pool!

And there you have it, some great tips to take with you as you are learning how to play pool for beginners. There are many other little pointers and tips you can find about the game of pool, so keep your eyes open, and always continue to work on your improvement!