The 10 most common mistakes in billiards - and how to avoid them

We all make mistakes playing pool. That's just part of it. But not all mistakes are really unavoidable.

Here you will find the 10 most common mistakes that billiard beginners in particular like to make. Of course we also have the solution, so how you can avoid these mistakes right from the start.

1. Wrong aiming and "missing eye" for the bullets.

A main reason for shocks that do not succeed correctly is the wrong aiming and the so-called "missing eye", i.e. not to look at the position of the balls correctly and thus to make the right shot.

How to aim the bullets correctly or how the correct aiming works at all, you can read in the article "The right punching and aiming". The concept of the "ghost ball" is also explained there. It helps them to better estimate the course of the ball after contact with the cue ball and to find the required contact point correctly.

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Some exercises can also help you to develop the right perspective and to find the right point of contact.
Exercise No.17 - the straight push
Exercise No.16 - punching in a straight line

2. The wrong position - the wrong posture

Not only bloody beginners make this mistake, even advanced players often find themselves in an unfavorable position that does not allow a controlled shot over the entire length of the shot. Often the angle of the kick hand is not correct, the cue* is taken too far back, so that at the end of the shot a lateral movement begins, which makes the shot inaccurate.

For more information, see the article "Stand and Cue Guidance" and the simple exercise "Swinging straight with the cue".

3. Too much impact - too much speed

Another common mistake, especially among beginners, is that the shocks are executed far too much.

You often think that the players want to force the right run of the balls if you only hit hard enough. But exactly the opposite is the case. If the impact is too strong, the exact guidance of the impact over the entire cue run cannot be maintained. The result is that the impact is "ripped off" and there can be no more talk of precise targets. You will find information about the right speed in the basic article "The right speed".


As an exercise we recommend the "Exercise No. 23 - playing feel" und die "Exercise No. 25 - Position play with trailer"

4. The game on the far away balls

Estimating the angles when playing on the balls is one of the biggest problems for beginners. In addition, the longer the path of the cue ball to the object ball, the more deviation in the ball race can occur. This means that the closer a ball is to the white ball, the less a small inaccuracy in the shot has an effect. 

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Therefore, long distances and long beginners pose an additional risk when selecting the ball to play. Choose therefore rather the short game.

The exercise for it: Exercise No.31 - Placing the ball in front of the billiard pocket

5. The missing routine

The playing feeling develops only through regular playing and above all through regular practice.

How often you should train, or how often you should go to play billiards, can't be said across the board, but once a month is certainly not enough to get a real feeling for cue* and balls. Playing several times a week is a first step and you will notice that your game will improve by itself if you train regularly. You can find all exercises that deal more or less with the playing feeling under the category "playing feeling".

6. Don't pay attention to the course and position of the white Ball

Especially billiard beginners are glad to hit the balls correctly and to sink one or the other. But good billiards needs much, much more. It is the order of the day to control the course of the whites, to position them optimally for the next shot.

Planning ahead is therefore one of the most important things when playing billiards, and the lack of a strategy to clear the balls is one of the most common mistakes made by beginners.

7. Lack of focus on the game

Playing billiards has a lot to do with the right concentration and is often a matter of the mind.

It is far too easy to be distracted by your opponent or to be more interested in the game of the billiards players at the next table. It helps enormously to concentrate on your own game, to stay in the game, to analyse the position of the balls when the opponent is in play, etc.

8. Giving up a game too soon

A game is lost when the opponent has won. This means that even in the last moves your opponent can make a mistake, sink the cue ball or leave the cue ball perfectly connected to you. If the game didn't go well for you, you still have many balls at the table, don't let it get you down. If you come to the table again, it is often not a disadvantage if only your balls are left at the table. This way you can place your shots without annoying enemy balls and maybe turn the game around.

A little tip in passing: You have often been able to turn a game around with a "Safety". See also the Exercise No.46 -Safety first

9. Unsportsmanlike behaviour at the pool table

Billiards is not football. Billiards has its own rules, it's a gentleman's sport.

Keep calm and keep calm.

Do not speak during the game or only the most necessary. You better concentrate on your moves, almost like chess. And of course: Do not intentionally disturb your opponent, this unsportsmanlike behaviour is not only a foul, it also disturbs your own concentration.

10. Lack of skills and knowledge

Playing billiards well cannot be learned through practice alone. The right technique, the concentration and above all the knowledge about the technical processes, like gang behaviour, swerve kicks, bow kicks and much more, let your billiard game become better. Find out in detail about the types of shots, the ball behaviour and the correct position play.