If you’re looking for the best way to get better at pool, consider investing in pool table pocket reducers. They’re a simple and effective way to improve every aspect of your pool game. Many people who have used pocket reducers claim fantastic results and practice with them every chance they get. Everyone knows that practice makes perfect, but if you’re practicing without pocket reducers, you’re not making the most out of your time.
What are Pool Table Pocket Reducers?
Many people don’t know that pocket reducers are the best way to get better at pool, which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. It’s a good thing because if you practice with them, you’ll be able to get a leg-up on those players who don’t know about them. It’s a bad thing because those people are missing out on possibly the single most effective tool for increasing their skills.
Pool table pocket reducers are exactly what they sound like: they reduce the size of your table’s pockets by extending the bumpers. This forces you to take better aim and concentrate on your shots. With pocket reducers, previously easy shots become difficult, which is a great way to improve your accuracy and take your skills to the next level.
These simple but effective items are made of two pyramid-shaped rubber blocks attached to a spring so they fit snugly into your table’s pockets. They reduce the pocket size by about 30% , leaving a space only slightly larger than the size of an object ball.
The Pro Strategy
Using pocket reducers is essentially the same strategy that many professional athletes use to master their sport. In basketball, players often practice with an undersized hoop in order to become more accurate. In football, some kickers practice with narrower goal posts. In soccer, they often reduce goal size during practice to reward precision. When you get used to practicing with smaller pool pockets, you’ll find that during regular gameplay your shots are more accurate and, in effect, easier to make.
The Many Benefits of Pocket Reducers
From increased concentration, accuracy, and patience, there are many benefits of practicing with smaller pockets.
Concentration – When you’re used to playing with regular pockets it’s easy to fall into habits. You get overly confident on shots you’ve made many times before. As long as you’re making those shots most of the time it’s not such a bad thing. But that doesn’t help you improve your game; it simply helps you maintain your current level of skill. To improve you have to concentrate on getting better. That’s easier said than done. Unless you have pocket reducers. They force you to concentrate on ball placement, thereby forming a new habit of concentration. So, when you go back to regular play, you’ll automatically begin to concentrate on all of your shots.
Accuracy – Along with increased concentration comes increased accuracy. When you reduce your pocket size by 30% accuracy becomes incredibly important. You can no longer launch the cue ball in the general direction of your object ball and let the wide pockets do the rest. You’ve got to take time to line up your shot and make sure you’re using the right amount of force to get your ball into the smaller pocket.
Patience – Getting better at anything is never easy. It takes patience. It can be incredibly frustrating to practice playing pool with pocket reducers in use. Particularly if you’re used to playing without them. But, as you get used to the narrower pockets, your game becomes better overall. Growing in skill only happens as a result of overcoming some obstacle. This is why many pool players swear by pocket reducers. They force you to get better.
Grace Under Pressure – Concentration, patience, and accuracy all come with the added benefit of confidence and grace under pressure. Once you’re used to playing on smaller pockets, you’ll be surprised at how easy regular pockets seem to you. This is helpful for keeping calm during a high-stakes tournament or even during a friendly game at your local pool hall. It becomes easier to concentrate and harder to become flustered.
How Pocket Reducers Help Improve Your Game
Your mind is your greatest asset in the game of pool. Of course, having a quality cue helps, so does playing with a billiard glove. But in the end, these are all just tools that depend on the mind for proper use. All the benefits that come from playing with pool table pocket reducers come as a result of training your mind. Training it to concentrate, to have patience, and to be confident under pressure. All of that is in evidence when your accuracy improves. Accuracy, after all, is what matters in pool. Forcing yourself to grow in skill, and to develop muscle-memory through concentration and accuracy, will translate to a better game. That’s why investing in a set of pocket reducers is essential for any player who wants to get better quickly.
Some added ways that pocket reducers improve your game are subtle but very important. One of them is the fact that they take away the hanging ball. This forces you to be extremely accurate when hitting those balls that would otherwise be a sure thing.
Practicing every single shot variation is the way to go with pocket reducers. They help increase accuracy in jump balls, bangs, kicks, and masse shots. Even playing a regular game with pocket reducers in will help you get better faster. But be aware that, if you do play with them in, your game will probably go on longer than you’re used to!
Recommended Pool Table Pocket Reducers
Practice Pro Pocket Reducers are by far the best set on the market. They come with six individual reducers so you can put one on every pocket. They’re also designed to fit all table sizes and are super easy to install.
Unlike other methods of reducing pocket sizes, these don’t require you to make any permanent changes to your table such as extending your rails or adding additional cushion. You simply put the pocket reducer in place and start playing. When you want to go back to normal size pockets, just compress the spring and remove it from the pocket.
There’s no better way to get better at pool than by using pocket reducers and there’s no better way to reduce pocket size than by using Practice Pro Pocket Reducers. If you’re interested in witnessing firsthand just how fast your game can improve, click the link above to check them out on Amazon. I was amazed at how affordable they were!
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you understand the benefits of practicing with smaller pockets. If you have any questions feel free to reach out or check out our other helpful articles for all of your billiard related questions!
