Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-03-05
ABOUT BILLIARDS.
Also About Some OF the Well
Known Players.

The game OF billiards is attracting
more attention in the three countries
where it is played than ever before.
France, England and America can
truthfully be said to be the headquar
ters OF the sport. but the game Is ex-
tending to South America, Australia
and other regions, where all kinds of
sport is taking hold. The intricacies
of billiards continually amaze old play
ers as well as novices. The numerous
combinations seen in an ordinary game
never weary an onlooker, and once in a
while some shot is made that will start
tie the Oldest enthusiast, who may
never have seen a similar one before. II
IS needless to say that billiards is a Won
derful game and If one is skillful at it the
fascination of knocking the balls around
takes firm hold, and physical fatigue
caused by playing several hours is with
the expert seldom thought o..
The question has often been asked,
''What trait or quality does one need to
become an expert with a cue?" Apong
the great professionals of the present
time men of all ages, sizes, and, appar-
emily, dispositions, may be found. AL
sizes OF cues concerning length and
weight and nearly every variety OF
stroke are displays. so j: can be readily
seen that it would be pretty difficult TO
say exactly what does constitute good
player. A good billiardist must have
coed eyesight, judgment and a full con-
troll OF the arm, and yet to see the vari-
cites of strokes used, one might suppose
that irmness of arm was not i'm
portant.
Some players, in making a shot, lean
very far over the table, and Seesaw the
cue many times, sometimes fast and
ot.:ertimes slow; sometimes the seesaw
movement will look unnecessary, and
at other times 1t impresses a spectator
that it had to be INDUCED in to enable
the player to even come near making a
shot. Some players hold the butt OF
the cue almost at arms length, ami do
not give the stick a straight forward
and back motion, for the butt some
times describes a curve, and a front
view OF the stroke would lead one to
hink that sending the ball where the
player wished it to go was simply a
matter of luck, 50 irregular does the
course of the cue seem to be.
Some players hardly lean on the table
IN making stroke, though they put
the cue far in front OF them. making a
long bridge with the hand resting on
the table Their head may be directly
over the butt of the stick, and many
night think that If a person with that
style would only stoop a little lower
md get down near the point of the
tick, far more accurate shot could be
ltyei. Many players while 'strok-
ing" move Their cues forward and back
ward and forward for distance of at
least two feet, and others will not cover
over six inches. Several experts claim
that a player who can make a shot and
cover the least ground with his cue will
be more accurate than one who seesaws
over two feet OF space, foE the act OF
Seesawing will th:ow one's aim off
Maurice DAILY says that one reason why
Jacob Shaefer Is so accurate Is that he
takes aim and simply gives his cue a
little forward motion, just as though,
As the comparison is drawn, '.you held
a hammer a few inches over a tack,
could you not hit that tack much
more squarely than if you raised the
hammer higher.
1.-The main thing" DAILY continued.
lis to get force enough on the cue
without drawing it way hack, and
thereby lose your aim All Shaefer
Gems to do is to give the ball little
pat, and enough force IS impaired to
drive it further around the table than
plenty of players could by slamming 1t
with all their might. Shaefer has Pc
cullar snap to his stroke which must be
born in him, for l have never seen
my other player with it. He gives a
tall an invisible force which carries il
through many peculiar angles, and
when II comes to draw or masse shots
he is unsurpassed, although Vignaux,
-. To l.sa I'M IN
lraw shots. 1 once saw the Fren III
man make the opening shot OF billiards
10y a direct draw several times i'll sue
cession on a wager, and no better Illus
Jration OF his powers at drawing a bail
could be ven than that
speaking of Shaefer and VlgnauX,
did it ever strike you what a difference
in size there is between them! Wig
naux is 9 feet l inch tall and We. CHS
about % pounds. Shaefer Is about 5
feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 100
pounds less than the Frenchman, and
vet Shaefer can give cue ball much
more force thon tie Erenchman can,
and at the same time with less effort.
1t is a hard matter to eXpla n, and. as L
said before, Shaefer must have been
Uorn with the ability to give that won
snap at the cue
When asked what shot he considered
the most important in billiards, DAILY
said: sin my opinion these light little
draw shots determine a mans plain
strength. l know that If 1 am off at
all It shows itself more in those than in
any other. 1t may BE- perhaps because
a good player will use more OF them
than any other style, but whatever the
reason is, they are the ones lace most
importance in. The difficult part in the
ordinary draw shot is to make it and
only impart to the object ball certain
amount of force which will cause it to
land where you wish to have II go. Many
amateurs can draw a ball well enough,
but they have TO hit a cue bal so hard
that it is impossible for them to deter
mine where the object ball will CO."
In answer to the question regarding
who, in his opinion was the b st all
around billiard player, DAILY said:
.'Shaefer, most assuredly, although 1t
would be a close rub between him and
George Slosson- Shaefer has knocked
about a great deal and played under
many different conditions. He not only
is a born billiardist, but practice has
developed him wonderfully. Siosson,
of course, plays a beautiful game, and
his knowledge of all-around billiards
can hardly be excelled, still, simply on
general principles L would say that
Shaefer can control the cue ball in all
manner of way better than any one l
have vet seem" When asked what the
symptoms were of being out OF condi-
tion for playing billiards, DAILY said:
Lack or confidence. 1t is a very funny
feeling.
ssYou know how the shot should be
made, and have often made it, and you
don't dare try to make IL in that way,
but may take some way where the