The defense expert chooses something better and easier as outlined by the arrows--my preference for better pool strategies. They set their mental focus as:
“Hey! I can play a great safety easily on the 4-ball, burying it in no-man’s land behind that 5-ball. I’m all but guaranteed ball-in-hand when my opponent misses the 4-ball entirely.”
The shot as pictured above is quite easy to shoot successfully. Many defense shots are simply made, but you must search to see them on the table.
Either mindset takes but a second or two of thought. Really, the defensive shot in this case was not solely a lay down but a two-way shot—it’s a defense shot and one that sets up simple ball-in-hand offense for your next turn.
There are other ways to solve the problem, too. Firm your mental game by coming up with three different plans each time you step to the table for a shot!
Most pool games, even at a high level of play, are lost rather than won outright. In other words, a player yields easy position on a simple shot to their opponent (loses) rather than making very difficult shots to win with offense. This is true at all skill levels of play.
One more time because it’s vital to your pool success—most pool games are lost, not won! The difference is in planning defense shots before shooting. You have to wait a turn or two to try to crush your opponent, but the patience required is well worth its fruits.
