IN teaching billiards it is very rarely the case that the pupil is absolutely a novice; on the contrary, ninety-nine times out of a hundred he is one who, fond of the game, and yet annoyed at his own want of skill, seeks the assistance of some well-known professional player, in order that his play may be improved.
Herein, however, lies the teacher difficulty. The pupil has necessarily to commence with unlearning rather than with learning, and he is often, at starting, disgusted with his own want of progress. He has been in the habit of playing in a certain style of his own, and there are many strokes that he feels tolerably confident of making in his own particular way, which is a wrong way. On his following my advice, he too often, for the first few attempts, fails to score at all, There are, unfortunately, a certain class of minds that under these circumstances have a secret feeling that "they know best."
These are the men of all others whom it is hardest to teach at all. They, in fact, resemble those who consult a doctor as to the state of their health, and however clever, or in however high a position may be the physician, they never follow his advice unless his views accord with their preconceived notions.
In giving lessons in billiards in writing, therefore, a few preliminary remarks are absolutely necessary, in order to disabuse the minds of many lovers of the game, some of whom probably are very good players, of the general misconceptions regarding the game of billiards that so universally exist.
How often will the following idea be expressed by indifferent players: "Oh, billiards is all practice. The best educated man in the world has no chance against a marker who perhaps can't read and write." Now this is a great fallacy, and too often means simply an excuse for the speaker's own stupidity in learning,the game. That practice at billiards is important is of course. true, just as practice at any sport or any study is important, but it no more follows that the man who practises most will be the best player, than that the man who reads mathematics for the greatest number of hours per day at Cambridge will be senior wrangler.
Billiards, if not a science, is at any rate a scientific game, and resembles a science in this respect: unless a man has a certain gift for it, all the practice and all the study in the world will never make him an expert. On the other hand, however great may be his natural gifts, it is absolutely indispensable that he study the game, and brings not only his body, but his mind into operation.
The first difficulty that I have generally experienced is to get the player to stand in a proper position while taking aim at his ball. There are some of whom it might be observed, as of the horse in the memorable drive in Pickwick, What makes him go sideways?
Players should endeavour to face their ball—i.e., to get their eye, or rather the centre of their eyes, the ball with which they play, and the ball at which they are aiming, generally called the object ball, in the same plane. I think it may be laid down as a maxim that it is impossible to aim correctly unless the eye, the player's ball, and the object ball, are all in the same plane: and the nearer they are in a straight line with one another the better. It is just the same in aiming with a rifle, supposing there is no wind. The eye, the sight, and the bull's-eye of the target, must be in a line.
More, however, can be learnt in a few minutes by watching a good player than in reading columns of the description of the proper position in which a player ought to stand.
Position is, however, very important, as the want of freedom of cue, so often met with in inferior players, is ofttimes the result of the awkward position in which they stand.
A very important part of position is "the bridge," or, in other words, the left hand, which forms the natural rest in which the cue works. Here, again, watching a good player is far superior to any written description; suffice it, however, to say that one sine quid non is that the bridge should be firm and immovable. The part of the wrist adjoining the thumb must rest on the table, and not be half an inch off it, as I have often seen the case with beginners. The tips, too, of the fingers should rest on the table, and a certain amount of pressure must be especially exercised with the tops of the first as well as the second finger.
I recollect a player coming to me once for lessons in whom I discovered at starting the radical fault that his bridge was made by allowing the outside of his wrist i.e., the part away from the thumb, and his second; and third fingers, to rest on the table. The unsteadiness of the bridge thus formed will be apparent to any one who places his hand in the position I have named. He was some little time in getting out of this habit, but when he had conquered it his rapid improvement of game in consequence was really surprising.
A very general fault with beginners is that they stand too upright when they play. The left leg should be advanced sufficiently far to enable the striker to stoop and bring his eye down low, and by this means he will get a far better sight.
In forming the bridge, the lower part of the thumb as far as the knuckle must be kept close to the hand, and the thumb at the same time must, to use a vulgar expression, be cocked up. Some little difficulty will be experienced at first in doing this, but after a little practice the thumb will be found to get more flexible, so to speak, and accommodate itself to the position required.
The cue should be held lightly, about three or four inches from the end of the butt, and placed on the bridge formed by the left hand. The distance between the top of the thumb of the left hand and the striker's ball should be about eight or nine inches, and not more.
Beginners will ofttimes be found to increase this distance to nearly a foot, the consequence' being that they rarely strike their ball in the spot they intend.
In striking the ball it is very important to bear in mind that good players always play from the shoulder.
Some men will be seen to what may be called jerk their cue, thereby at times putting on screw without intending it. The player should endeavour to strike the ball as if the cue were to follow on after the stroke. ' In taking aim it is also advisable to put the point of the cue as nearly as possible to the spot on the ball that it is the intention to hit. Care of course must be taken not to move the ball, as in that case, unless the ball be put back to the adversary's satisfaction, it is afoul stroke.
A few years ago, if a player touched his ball in taking aim it was considered foul, but the rule was, in my opinion, advisedly altered. Good players are bound to place the point of their cue close to the ball in taking aim, or, as I have observed, they cannot take aim properly; should therefore a slight touch of the ball constitute -a foul stroke, I believe the result would be that a great number of fine breaks would be spoilt.
Another exceedingly important point in aiming is to keep the cue horizontal. Some men in taking aim work their arm as if they were pumping.
Draw the cue back perfectly straight after nearly touching the ball on the spot on which you intend to strike it. Draw the cue backwards and forwards three or four times, the last time drawing it back rather farther than before, then strike, as I have said, for ordinary strokes as if you intended the cue to follow on after the ball. It is a great mistake to think that in taking aim the longer you are over it the more accurate your aim will be. In fact, if you are too long—and this sometimes happens by some one passing in front of the ball and taking your sight off—it is far better to leave off aiming altogether for a little time and get up. Then take a fresh aim and a fresh sight. I have seen moderate players often miss the game stroke simply because they took too much pains to make it. They took aim so long and drew back their cue so often that their eye got "bewildered, and consequently the aim became defective, and the stroke failed.
In taking aim there has been some little controversy as to which ball the player should look at last. My belief is that it is right to finish the aim with a rapid glance from your own ball to the object ball, but at the finish of the glance the eye undoubtedly rests on the object ball. In taking aim, therefore, I would recommend the player, after a general look at the position, and having made up his mind what stroke to play for, to look at his own ball, and carefully place the point of his cue to that spot on his ball which it is his intention to strike, then the eye must rest on the object ball while he draws his cue backwards and forwards, and, as I have said before, three or four times is ample.
He must then bring back his eye to his own ball, to see that his cue is pointed correctly, and strike while taking a rapid glance from his own to the object ball, the eye resting on the latter at the instant of time when the point of the cue meets the ball.
It is no use attempting to teach a child to run before he can walk. It is equally foolish for beginners to attempt to screw and put on side before they have learnt to hit the ball correctly for simple strokes. I would therefore warn young players against attempting what they consider wonderful strokes too soon. It is of the greatest importance that they should get into a steady regular style in making simple strokes. If young players will watch some really first-class player making a long break, they will soon perceive that this good break consists really in a number of easy strokes, any one of which they probably could have made themselves, with the exception, and the important one, of the position in which they would have left the balls. Now, the principal element of the play for position depends upon "strength," and a steady invariable style of play is requisite.
It is far more useful for a beginner to be able to make a losing hazard off the red into one of the middle pockets, and make sure of getting the right strength to bring it down the table over the middle pocket, ready for another losing hazard, than for him to be able to screw in off the red, playing from baulk. It will, however, be generally found that this latter stroke is thought much more of, and even more practised by men who can play a little, than the former.
In these preliminary remarks on billiards, a diagram is unnecessary; however, in my next article I will give one, illustrating what I shall describe as "The Natural Angle."