Snooker, billiards, pool Books

Book SynopsisThe Complete Book of Snooker Shots will increase your knowledge of the shots that you can play from various positions on the table and so will - with practice - improve your game. This book will help not only players wishing to increase their knowledge, but also parents and professional coaches wishing to add structure to training sessions. Enjoy increasing your understanding of the game of snooker, and enjoy improving your knowledge. Packed with hundreds of individual shots to practice.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book reveals the tips, tricks and rules of play, for thevariety of the ever-popular games that make up pool and billiards. This hands-on guide discusses everything from the rules andstrategies, to how to set up a pool room, to choosing the rightequipment and is accompanied by dozens of photos and line drawings.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Part I: Fundamentals of Pool. Chapter 1: Arriving at the Pool Party. Chapter 2: Getting Down: Building a Solid Stance. Chapter 3: Handling the Cue. Chapter 4: On Target: The Science and Feel of Aiming. Chapter 5: Hit It: Creating a Solid Stroke. Chapter 6: Playing Nice: The Etiquette of the Game. Part II: Controlling the Cue Ball. Chapter 7: Getting Control and Stopping the Cue Ball. Chapter 8: Aim High: Incorporating Follow. Chapter 9: Using Draw: Putting Backspin on the Cue Ball. Chapter 10: The English Effect: Using Sidespin on the Cue Ball. Part III: Taking Your Shots. Chapter 11: Opening Shots: The Rack and the Break. Chapter 12: Thinking Ahead: Position and Pattern Play. Chapter 13: Shot-making: Tackling the Most Frequent Situations. Chapter 14: Eying Combinations: Making Shots with Multiple Balls. Chapter 15: Billiards and Caroms: Finding New Ways to Pocket Balls. Chapter 16: Banks and Kicks: Making the Most of the Rails. Chapter 17: Thinking Defensively: Playing Safe. Part IV: The Games You’ll Play. Chapter 18: The Magic of 8-Ball. Chapter 19: 9-Ball: The Hustler’s Game. Chapter 20: Pool’s Many Other Games. Part V: Gearing Up. Chapter 21: Equipment Check: Looking for Quality Tools. Chapter 22: Pool Is Mental: Winning the Head Games. Chapter 23: Drilling It Home: Practice Techniques. Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 24: Mastering Ten Trick Shots. Chapter 25: Overcoming Ten or So Common Problems. Index.

Read more less

Book Synopsis147 Snooker Drills and Exercises will help players of all standards to improve their game. It presents a range of practice routines that covers all aspects of a player's game. Some are more advanced than others, allowing the player working on a particular area of their game to pick out the exercises they feel will help them most. The routines become more difficult as the pages go on, so the beginner can work through them and use them to set targets to make their practice competitive. For coaches, the routines will assist in giving variety in lessons and helping to set targets in lessons.

Read more less

Book SynopsisConsidered by many to be a genius at his peak, Alex Higgins''s unorthodox play and exciting style earned him the nickname ''Hurricane'' and led to his immense popularity and fame. In 1972 he became the youngest winner of the World Championship, repeating his victory in emotional style in 1982. Higgins''s story is so much more than just snooker. Head-butting tournament officials, threatening to shoot team-mates, getting involved with gangsters, abusing referees, affairs with glamorous women, frequent fines and lengthy bans, all contributed to Higgins slipping down the rankings as he succumbed to drink and lost his fortune. After suffering throat cancer, Alex Higgins now reflects on his turbulent life and career in his first full autobiography. The Hurricane is back - prepare to be caught up in the carnage.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAfter Hurricane Higgins crashed out of snooker''s top league, Jimmmy White has been the `People''s Champion'' even though he never quite made the top World spot, pipped at the post in 1995 by Stephen Hendry, after missing one single black. Aged 16, White was the youngest player to win the English Amateur Championship. At 18, he won the World Amateur title. By 1984, he''s a professional success, married but not at all settled. He''s the kind of man who goes out for a packet of cigarettes and comes home two weeks later. Gambling, women, marathon binges with showbiz friends like Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, have threatened the stability of his marriage. But somehow White has survived, to tell in candid detail, a most unusual, often outrageous story of a very sporting life.Trade ReviewMercurial, enigmatic, exciting -- Alex HigginsHe may play a spellbinding game, full of invention and dash. He may even be the "best snooker player in the world" - but he is loved because he is naughty . . . and therein lies his abiding appeal -- Sue Mott * Sunday Telegraph *Jimmy's harum-scarum attitude to life has never altered, even though he is now a household name. One of the loveliest things about him is his naturalness. Stardom has come and touched him and left him exactly the way he was * Sunday Mirror *Jimmy's the ultimate player's player. He thrills the public . . . but the players get even more enjoyment out of watching him because he strikes the ball so well * Daily Express *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWorld Champion Pool Player Ray Cool Cat Martin shares his secrets for playing winner's pool in this classic book, which includes an introduction by the author. Written with co-author Rosser Reeves, The 99 Critical Shots in Pool remains one of the most authoritative guides to the game ever written. Over 200 illustrations show the proper form, technique, and approach to shots such as: • The Center Ball Cheat-the-Pocket • The Hook Shot • The Seven Ball Stop Shot • The Jump Shot • The Frozen Kiss Shot • The Nudge Shot • The Side Pocket By-Pass Shot Ray Martin, a Billiards Congress of America Hall of Fame inductee, is one of only seven players in the twentieth century to win three or more world 14.1 titles. He co-wrote this book with Rosser Reeves in 1976.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCrowood Sports Guides are the perfect tool for anyone wanting to improve their performance, from beginners learning the basic skills to more experienced participants working on advanced techniques. In this second edition of Snooker & Billiards - Skills, Tactics Techniques, the history of the game is covered along with the rules of the game; choosing the right equipment and top tips from many of the game's great players. All the skills and techniques are explained clearly with full-colour sequence photography and detailed table diagrams help explain more advanced tactics such as breakbuilding and safety play.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWorld Snooker Champion Ronnie O''Sullivan''s frank and honest account of his astonishingly dramatic life.I used to rely on drugs and alcohol to keep me going, but now I''ve got the healthiest addiction going - running.This book explains how running has helped me to fight my demons - my addictive personality, depression, my dad''s murder conviction, the painful break-up with the mother of my children - and allowed me to win five World Snooker Championships.It is also about all of the great things in my life - my kids, snooker, my dad''s release from prison, great mates who have helped me, and the psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters, who has taught me how not to run away when things get tough.Finally, it''s about what it''s like to get the buzz - from running, from snooker, from life. Because when it comes down to it, everyone needs something to drive them on.Trade ReviewThe running is literal as well as metaphorical...it's a heartbreaking story * THE METRO *Running is a chaotic race through O'Sullivan's life, but this does little to dethrone him as the people's champion - it simply adds further to his legend. * PRESS ASSOCIATION *When he starts talking about snooker and his rivals, he is fascinating. Yet it wasn't snooker that ended up saving from the booze and drugs - it was distance running. * THE DAILY TELEGRAPH *At snooker, O'Sullivan is easily the best in the world. At running, he is club class...His frank memoir, which reads like a transcript from the psychiatrist's coach, explains that running - and the running community - gave him a sense of acceptance and achievement. * THE SUNDAY TIMES *Like a lot of shy people, he can look arrogant and aloof when he is performing, while underneath there's turmoil. * DAILY MAIL *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisLearn tips and tactics of pocket billiards from the very best, in this newly revised and expanded edition of the classic guide to playing better pool from Hall of Famer Arthur “Babe” Cranfield.Whether your next game will be a tournament match or part of a night out with a group of friends, this book will give you leg up on your opponent and help make the game for fun for you. Chapters include: What to Look for in a Pool Cue Hand Position The Points of Aim, the Point of Contact, and the Difference Between the Two Combination Shots The Draw Shot Speed Control Straight Pool Nine-Ball Eight Ball And much More! They say that shooting a good game of pool is the sign of a gentlemen, and that shooting too good a game of pool is the sign of a misspent youth. Well, with the instructions here, your friends may question how you spent your youth.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFully illustrated—in color for the first time!—with drawings of nearly 350 mind-boggling trick shots, Byrne’s Treasury of Trick Shots in Pool and Billiards will teach you everything from the basic “butterfly formation” to the most difficult and impressive shots. Robert Byrne will help novice and experienced players alike perfect their trick shots and learn about the historical context of each trick.Trick shots are anything amusing, surprising, or educational that can be done on a pool or billiard table with standard accessories, and have been around as long as the game itself. Byrne demonstrates historical shots, including some invented by the famous Captain Mingaud, the world’s first professional exhibition player, and newer tricks seen while travelling to tournaments around the world. Filled with easy as well as hard, and technical as well as showy tricks, the book’s clear diagrams, paired with secret insider tips, describe simpler stunts for the beginner, those that take years of practice, and some that the author doubts you’ll ever be able to do.Whether you want to impress a crowd, a group of friends, or yourself, Byrne’s wild, stunning, and unforgettable trick shots will make you question some principles of physics and wow an audience of one or one-hundred.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisRonnie O'Sullivan's status as one of snooker's all-time greats was cemented in 2017 by adding to his five world titles, a seventh Masters and sixth UK, thus equalling Stephen Hendry's 18 'triple crown' triumphs. Now is the perfect time for his story to be told by Clive Everton - 'The Voice of Snooker'. Simply the Best traces Ronnie's course from carefree junior prodigy to deeply troubled and depressed adult, and so to maturity and self-knowledge. Along the way, he emerges as instinctively warm-hearted, the most loyal of sons and a true sportsman in his acceptance of defeat. Even so, full consideration is given to Ronnie's mistakes in a rounded portrait of one of snooker's most fascinating, complicated and successful characters.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this revelatory memoir, snooker player John Virgo turns the spotlight on himself, sharing secrets from his forty years at the top of one of the world's most popular sports.Famous for his hilarious impersonations of snooker's biggest stars, JV is a household name thanks to his razor-sharp BBC Snooker commentary and the much-loved quiz show Big Break.A fascinating insight into British sporting life, taking readers from John's childhood in Salford, through smoky snooker dens, to tournaments and championships all over the world, as he relives travelling on Concorde, rubbing shoulders with royalty and much more. Admiringly nicknamed 'Mr Perfection', John tells how he overcame adversity to become UK champion, yet also reveals how gambling wrecked his dreams of becoming World Champion, and almost bankrupted him.An affectionate reminder of a time when Britain - and sport - took themselves a little less seriously.With a foreword by snooker legend Jimmy White.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSTEPHEN HENDRY became the youngest professional snooker player in 1985 aged 16 and, in 1990, he was the youngest ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21.Widely regarded by fans and pundits alike as one of the greatest players of all time in the sport, over a 27-year career, Hendry went on to win the World Championship seven times, and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive seasons between 1990 and 1998. Hendry retired in 2012 with a record-breaking seven World Champion titles under his belt, a record that remains to this day. He's now ready to tell his life story for the first time - from a childhood spent climbing the ranks of the sport, through the highs of the '90s and lows of the 2000s, to his life now as a sports pundit and commentator.With an insight into the world of the man behind the cue, and what made him such a top-class player, this is the definitive autobiography of the legend that is Stephen Hendry.Trade ReviewCompelling read * The Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Natural: The Story of Patsy Houlihan, the Greatest Snooker Player You Never Saw is the compelling story of a man who potted balls fast and potted them hard. South Londoner Patsy Houlihan was one of the top amateurs of the 1950s and 60s as well as the greatest hustler of all time. He should have been a major player on the world stage, but the professional game was a closed shop and the likes of Patsy weren't welcome. However, in the smoke-filled snooker halls of the backstreets of working-class Britain, populated by tough men seeking to make a quick buck from the game they loved, Patsy was a folk hero and an inspiration to a generation of players, including his close friend Jimmy White. This is the story of the greatest snooker player who never reached the big time, but whose exploits, adventures and skills guaranteed him immortality in the minds and imaginations of those lucky enough to have seen him play. The Natural brings to life the story of a forgotten snooker pioneer and master entertainer.Trade Review"An outstanding book, this labour of love provides a wonderful insight into one of snooker's great mythical characters. It's also a time capsule and piece of social history, bringing to life characters and places from and places from a bygone age." -- Nick Metcalfe * Talking Snooker podcast *"This was such an enjoyable read and an educational experience at the same time. Not only about the life and times of Patsy Houlihan, but how snooker as a sport evolved and also a social history, specifically of south London. Told with an obvious warmth and passion by the author, and told through the wide range of people he spoke to about Patsy." -- Phil Haigh * Talking Snooker podcast *"Five stars. Fantastic book... As a work of biography, Williams has done a great job capturing the essence of Houlihan as a man, a friend, a father and a snooker player. Williams has done a wonderful job in bringing Patsy Houlihan to life in this entertaining, excellent book." -- Brendan Crawley * All Sports Book Reviews *"This is a vivid, impeccably researched account of a gifted player who never got a proper chance to show the world how good he was. Full of interesting details and brimming with anecdotes, 'The Natural' does justice to Patsy Houlihan and evokes a time long before snooker was a respectable staple of the television schedules." -- David Hendon * snooker writer and Eurosport commentator *"This green baize belter is a 147 of a Snooker story that's also a riveting read and a superb slice of social history. Luke Williams effortlessly pots the black with this brilliant book." -- Paul Ross * TalkSPORT *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSnooker's Bad Boys looks at the feuds, fist fights, fixes and playboys who put the sport on the front and back pages of the national press, as told by those who were there, with colourful tales of the rogues who drank, gambled, partied and potted their way into the hearts of millions, from the sport's peak years in the 1980s up to the present day.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRonnie is snooker's most written and talked about player, and its greatest showman. His supreme talent and style have made him the People's Champion and, as one commentator put it, 'the question is not how much does Ronnie O'Sullivan need snooker, but how much does snooker need Ronnie O'Sullivan?' A honest and candid account of his extraordinary life, Ronnie tells of the infant who was introduced to legendary snooker clubs at an impossibly early age; of the boy who frightened off the bookies aged just 12; of the teenager whose life was decimated when his father and mentor was sent to prison for life; and of the man dubbed the 'genius' of the modern game who regularly threatened to quit the sport to pursue other interests at the grand old age of 28.'A fine autobiography ... compelling' - Independent'O'Sullivan is as frank about his spell in the Priory clinic as he is about his father's murder conviction. His accounts of snooker tournaments and sketches of the sport's personalities will fascinate fans, but even snooker haters will be rooting for Ronnie in the game of life' - OK!

Read more less

Book Synopsis'We went into the foyer to sign autographs. Well, I signed - Alex produced an ink pad and stamp marked "A Higgins". "Sorry, bade," he said between the thump of prints for 150 crestfallen fans, "I'm only stamping tonight." JOHN VIRGO There is a tribute book to be written about the nicest man in snooker - but this isn't it. Whatever else he was, Alexander Gordon Higgins wasn't nice. Unpredictable, wild, demonic and obsessive for certain. An unstoppable force who single-handedly transformed snooker from a niche sport into a gripping phenomenon.

Read more less