Customer Reviews

The Science of Pocket Billiards

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I have a large collection of books on pool. I not only collect then, I read them from cover to cover. I go to the table and test every concept, drill, stance, stroke, and practice routine that the author discusses in each book. After all this reading and studying I have come to the conclusion that Jack Koehler's book THE SCIENCE OF POCKET BILLIARDS is the best book ever published on the subject of pool.
Since I have all this pool knowledge all my pool friends come to me for advice about various aspects of pool. If the question is about bank shots, I refer them to Jack's book. If the question is about deflection, I refer them to Jack's book. If the question is about rail shots, combination shots, or practically anything else about pool, I refer them to Jack's book. In summary, the answer to practically any pool related question can be found in the book THE SCIENCE OF POCKET BILLIARDS.

This is perhaps one of the best refernece books on what is acutually going on when a ball is struck on the pool table.

Koehler has decent organization, clear examples, and perhaps too much in the way of genuine scientific analysis in this book. But it is still one of my favorite refernces when trying to understand what I need to do to make the cue ball and object balls move in a specific way.

Without a doublt it belongs in any serious player's library.

I have a large portion of the books availabile on the subject. This is the best single text, and it is my favorite of the lot. It discusses nearly every facit of the game in no nonesense terms. You will learn in "matter of fact" terms why you miss shots, which shots have the largest margin of error, how to allow for error, and much more.

Everything from basic technique to banking and kicking systems is discussed. This book can be easily understood by the layman. Pool players can be a superstitious bunch. It's hard to get a good player to explain exactly what has to happen in order to make a shot. If you want to take the "voo-doo" out of pool and shot making, then this book is for you. I highly recommend it to all pool players.

Many pool players are instinctive and natural, but for those of us who need to know WHY and HOW things work in order feel that we've mastered our understanding, there is absolutely no better source than this book for understanding the game of pool. I've read it twice, some of it three times or more. I return to it often, not just for technical help but because in reading it I am able to digest anew the "wisdom" it contains.

I've played pool for forty years. I have a thorough understanding of the game. I've read lots of books about pool. This, for me, is the best available. Period.

I can't say enough about this book. I am willing to bet that there is more accurate information in this book about bank shots than there is in all the other pool books combined. The same is true for rail-shots, deflection, English, and many other aspects of pool. Like the laws of physics, the principals of pool will never change. I expect to keep this book in the family (and treat it as an heirloom) for many generations to come. Buying this book is a winning proposition.

After reading many billiards books that are filled with an over abundance of subjective pseudo-psychology it's nice to see one that concentrates on the facts. The psychology behind the game is very critical, but I've spent good money on books that were too long on the mambo jumbo and too short on the facts. If you want to understand what's happening on the table and how you are making it happen (or not)this is the book for you.

First of all, please excuse my English - it is not my native.
I've bought this book and really happy with this purchase, even Byrne's books were not even close to improve my skills in pool. The were commercially composed so that I had to buy more and more books, but fortunately I've found "Science of pocket billiards". Beleive me, its amazing, right now with a small practice after reading this book I beat my friends.
The best one.

Sometimes people feel that explaining wonderful things makes them somehow less magical, as if a bit of knowledge could rub the awe off of us. I'm inclined to disagree and fortunately for me, there's a whole genre of books devoted to the related jobs of explaining the wonderful and unravelling the mysteries behind ordinary stuff.

This book stands out in that world and also in the world of books about pool. The author has taken the ordinary, sometimes despised game of pocket billiards and subjected its truths to rigorous experimentation. He built apparatus for standardizing speed and direction of balls and developed a simple device for recording where balls struck a cushion.

Koehler's attention to details is pretty wonderful in itself. Consider this: "Theoretically, the center of the tip doesn't need chalk because it makes contact with the cue ball only when it's struck dead-center. When the cue ball is struck dead-center, there's no chance of the tip slipping off and thus, no need for chalk." A tiny matter? sure. Admire the mind behind it? you bet.

The same thorough approach can be seen in chapters like

1. Equipment
2. Shooting stance and technique
3. Pocketing the object ball
4. Shot selection
5. Cue-ball deflection path
6. English
7. Positioning the cue ball
8. Rail shot
9. Combination shots
10.Bank shots

If you love the game or if you simply marvel at a job well done, this is a book for you. Any pool player will find his or her appeite for practice increased and game improved



Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine from Prentice-Hall and bang-BANG, a novel from Kunati to be published in 2007

The book is very comprehensive going into a lot of detail and at times is very technical. There are lots of tables and statistics. However, it does a great job of explaining how the various aspects of the game impact the outcome of each shot. Things like cue ball and object ball movement, best cue stick positions for type of shot, how english and top and bottom spin impact cue ball placement, and much more. If you focus on the less technical aspects taught in this book you will come out with a much better understanding of how to shoot better pool. I'm still reading it but have learned alot and I consider myself a better than average pool player already. It is at times tough reading but you can get into it as deeply as you desire and several readings over time will glean more information.

I purchased this book as a total beginner to pool and it has really jumpstarted my learning process. Normally I'd have learned by trial and error and would eventually develop a 'feel' for it. This book explains scientifically, geometrically and physically what is taking place on the table so that I understand what it is I'm attempting to make happen. Feel will always be necessary, that's much of the fun, but understanding the logic behind each shot is a great guide and really helps me get back online when I lose that elusive feel.

Koehler's book starts with the basics of equipment and terminology and proceeds through technique, strategy, psychology and more. One thing that I really like is that the book offers many alternatives so that I can choose the ones that suit me best, or have options when my usual approach isn't available. The author offers some opinions on which might be a better choice but provides enough information on each to allow an informed decision.

Though I'm still a beginner I am confident that this book would benefit players of all levels. I've got a pool buddy (also a beginner) that lives a few hours away. I sent him a copy of this book so that I won't have an unfair advantage next time we get together!