The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-21
FOUND
IN GAME Of BILLIARDS
Observations by Daily, New York
Expert, Who Says Knowl-
edge Is Power.
WHY AMATEUR is EASY

NEW YORK, Dec. 2O.-"There are mo-
ments when 1 want TO be alone" unused
Maurice DAILY the other night while knock
ing the billiard balls about in the solitude
of his academy. The noted professional often
goes into the academy, locks the door and
practices for an hour or two all by HIM
self. Sometimes he does this for exercise
and relaxation, sometimes for the practice.
knowledge in billiards is power" said
DAILY. by knowledge 1 mean thought.
Thought begets power. Study out what you
want to do, not only how to make the shot,
but where you want the balls to go for po-
sition. Think 1T out. Thought, that's the
thing, and by and by you have the knowl-
edge. OF course, you have got to practice
to get the execution, the manual skill, for
billiards is game where the brain and the
body must work together.
knowledge and execution come from
practice and from talks and illustrations
by good players. Still. there are times
new shots. The best billiard player can
often learn something new from somebody
else. 1t is constant study, and TO hold
ones form requires constant practice, But
speaking of being alone, / learned the
cushion draw with the reverse twist this
way, and was the first player to use II. /
also became the best cushion carom player
.
learned a shot from Willie Hoppe. The
object balls were close together. the cue
ball some distance away, and the three balls
nearly in a line. requiring very fine shot
to count and not much chance of position.
/ was studying over 1t when Hoppe, who
was looking on, said: Why don't you hit
EN- hard and get EN- in the corner7 Sure
enough, tried 1t and got them in a corner.
1t was kiss shot, but simple enough after
once pointed out, and a good solution Of the
situation.
permanent counts great deal In billiards.
OF course, If the men are evenly matched
I'm skill, temperament would count, but the
stronger player will win, even If his tenn
permanent isn't as we'll suited to the game
as his opponents. There never was player
yet who went into important match
whose temperament was so placid that his
heart would not beat rapidly at the start
ten feet from the floor, you do not put any
extra exertion in your hold, because IL you
drop 1t will not amount to anything, and
there's nothing to be afraid of. But If that
bar were fifty feet from the ground you'd
take the firmest grip you knew how and
hang on for dear life. That's the difference
In the way a man feels when he doesnt
care whether he wins or loses and when in
an important contest. Technique, knowl-
edge, execution-these things count more
than temperament.
so many amateurs get the ability to
execute without proper knowledge of what
they ought to do. They can make the shots,
but don't study out how to land on the balls
to get the best results. When you see a
players cue ball getting away from the OBJ
ject balls, he is playing poor billiards, no
matter how easy the ensuing shot may be.
The man who is playing fast cue ball Is
not playing good billiards. The thing is
not only to get good position with the
object balls, but with the cue ball well.
The man who keeps the three balls together
is the better player. When a professional
leaves himself hard shots ii shows he is
out Of practice.