Skill School by |
Roger Long has been a BCA Instructor since 1993. He is the former owner of CuePort Billiards in Lakeland Florida and a regular contributer to Table Talk Newspaper here in Phoenix. His column appears here courtesy of Table Talk. |
Does the size of the table you play on determine the skill level you can reach? This has been a debated subject ever since the old ten foot tables became a thing of the past, and commercial tables began getting smaller in size.
The growth in popularity of pool in bars is probably the biggest reason for the advent of the 7" coin-op table. Before this new "bar size" came along, most of the bar tables were eight-footers, and the pool rooms had pretty much standardized on nine-foot tables. The reason for dropping down one more size (to the 7-foot model) is fairly obvious - space efficiency.
But, did the downsizing make for an easier game, and has it diminished the overall skill of the average bar table player? I'll let you off the hook, so you can go back to looking for something more interesting to read. The answer to each of the above questions is; no. Making the pool table smaller does not make it easier to play on, and constant play on a bar box will not make you any less of a player. If you're interested in knowing why I say this, however, you might want to keep reading.
Both, the big and small tables have characteristics that make them equally tough. People will argue that shot making on the big tables is more difficult since the average shot distance is longer. It is true that most shots are longer, but the pockets on the big table are wider, and that helps to compensate for inaccuracies encountered on the longer shots.
The balls have more room to spread out on the big tables. This gives the shooter more room to maneuver around obstructing balls, and cuts down on the number of clusters. The small tables, conversely, require better cue ball control in order to deal with the tighter spaces.
The cue balls used on the big tables are the same size and weight as the object balls, making them easier to apply spin; particularly backspin. The cue balls on bar tables are either larger, or heavier (and sometimes both) than the object balls, so that the table will return them to the head of the table on a scratch. This increased size or weight will force the shooter to use a different stroke to apply English, and to adjust for the slightly different contact point on the object ball.
The big tables, by virtue of their larger size, will require the player to have to stretch to reach some shots that the bar table player could normally reach easily. It's very rare when an average sized player has to use a bridge on the small table.
As you can see, both tables have some advantages, while both have some disadvantages. Neither table is actually easier to play on, unless one seems easier because it is what the shooter is accustomed to. Fact is, if you shoot champion speed on one table, you will shoot near champion speed on the other. It's all pool, and the really good players will play on any size table if the right incentives are there.