Phil CAPELLE’S
252 Columns for Pool & Billiard Magazine
May 1996 - May 2017
1996
5 The Spectrum of Force - Speed of Stroke
6 The ABC’s of Position Play
7 Learning from Losing
8 The Art of Practice
9 Pace of Play
10 Dead Stroke
11 The Domino Effect
12 Creative 8-Ball
1997
1 End Rail Position
2 Avoid Missing for Position
3 Training Your Mental Response
4 Pool’s Version of “H-o-r-s-e”
5 Perfecting Your Follow Through
6 Run Out 9-Ball
7 Avoiding Scratches
8 Gray Zone – How to Make the Right Decision
9 One Shot at a Time
10 The Draw-Stun Shot
11 The Quantum Leap
12 Playing on the Center Axis
1998
1 Cluster Management 101
2 (No Issue)
3 Planning Your Route
4 Skirting the Gap (Kicking Past the Side Pocket)
5 Position Blunders #1
6 Position Blunders #2
7 You Make the Call
8 Secrets of Position Zones
9 Chain Reactions
10 The Opponent Factor
11 An Evening with Efren
12 Pressure Pool
1999
1 Shark Proofing Your Game
2 Effective Crowd Management
3 One Shot at a Time
4 The Whiner’s & Winners Guide to the Rolls
5 Evaluate the Table
6 Using Your Imagination in 8-Ball
7 Bank to Win
8 Mirror Shots Detect Flaws
9 Hitting the Hook Zone
10 6 Exceptions to the Rules for Shape
11 Avoiding Obstructers
12 Don’t “Just Fire Away”
2000
1 Plan Your Work and Then Work Your Plan
2 Anatomy of a Super Shot
3 How Is Your Short Game?
4 12 Techniques To Improve Your Game
5 End of Rack Safety Play
6 In the Gray Zone: Around the Table or Kill the Cue Ball?
7 Using Clusters to Win the Game
8 A Somewhat Routine Runout
9 The Three Phases of a Rack of 14.1
10 Principles of 14.1 Pattern Play
11 Process of Elimination Planning
12 The Magic 20-Degree Cut Shot
2001
1 Precision Secondary Break Shots
2 Playing Down the Line of a Position Zone When Possible
3 Grinding it Out
4 Playing for Luck
5 Play the High Percentage Sequence
6 Don’t Forget the Side Pockets
7 The Angle of Departure
8 Make Kick Shots Difficult for Your Opponent
9 Choosing the Optimal Position Route
10 Strickland’s Firepower Wins 4th U.S. Open
11 Simple is Often Best
12 Strategic Safeties
2002
1 Controlling the Right Ball is Key
2 A Double Hill Thriller
3 Right Side/Wrong Side is the Key to Position
4 Position after a Combination
5 Either Side of the Ball Can Work
6 5 Donuts in a Row
7 My Week in Pool Heaven
8 Don’t Always Play Like a Pro
9 Side Pocket or Corner Pocket: Decisions, Decisions
10 Balls in the Middle of the Table
11 Innings Per Game – Statistics
12 Souquet’s Prescription for Victory
2003
1 Define and Refine Your Targets
2 Universal Errors
3 Side Pocket Position Play
4 The Value of Experience
5 Beating the Odds
6 Attention to Details
7 The Smart Shot
8 A Surgeon’s Touch
9 Thinking Outside the Box
10 Fighting the Cue Ball
11 The Hit Zone (Key Balls)
12 Mastering Eight Ball
2004
1 Long Range Cluster Busting
2 8-Ball with a Surgeon’s Touch
3 Avoiding Landmines
4 Take Nothing for Granted
5 Attacking a Problem
6 Practice Long Distance Safeties
7 Code Red Alert
8 Tony’s Precise Artistry
9 The Language of Capelle #100
10 The End Game
11 Eight Ball Wizardry
12 Time to Get Real
2005
1 Perfect Your Stop Shots
2 Watching the Best
3 Back to Basics
4 My Best Shot
5 A Reality Check
6 Near Perfect Speed Control
7 Look Carefully for the Best Shot
8 Table Conditions Affect Shot Selection
9 Ball in Hand Position
10 PYBP Part 1 – Fundamentals
11 PYBP Part 2 – Position Play
12 PYBP Part 3 – The Games
2006
1 A New Year’s Resolution to PYBP (Part 4)
2 Landing In Line
3 Three Types of Speed Control Exercises
4 Vertical Axis Only
5 Straight Pool Break Shots
6 The 3 Ingredients of Position Play
7 Thin Cuts Down the Rail
8 Jacking Up
9 Preparing for the GO Signal
10 Into the Target Zone
11 Planning the Perfect Safety
12 Side Pockets Forbidden
2007
1 Awaken Your Awareness
2 Doing the Cosmo
3 Running Out in Sections Using PEP
4 The Mental Side of Practicing
5 Tips for Solitary Practice Sessions
6 Dealing with Distractions
7 The Complete Shot Cycle
8 The Surgeon’s Touch
9 Pool Theory
10 A Reality Check
11 Tough Shots
12 Practicing with a Partner
2008 - 25 Secrets
1 The Feel Method
2 Speeds of Stroke
3 Great Pool is a State of Mind: Mastering Change –
Quantum Leap – The Big Secret
4 Warm Up Stroking – The Transition
5 Foundation Position Routes – The Three Ingredients to
Position Play
6 A Short Course in Eight Ball: Eight Ball: Failed Runout –
Process of Elimination – Play Opponent
7 Planning for High Runs at Straight Pool Straight Pool:
3 Phases, KB2KB
8 Play Precision Position, Straight Pool Break Shots
9 Nine Ball: 12 Keys for Getting in Stroke, The Correct
Cut Angle Optimizes Position
10 Nine Ball: ABC’s of Position Plays, Starting and
Maintaining a Run Out, A Game Plan for the Kicking Game
11 The Big Transition: #22 - From Practice to Competition,
#23 – Learn, Perfect, Maintain (LPM) #150
12 #24 – The Mind of a Pool Player,
#25 – Winning Without Your A Game
2009
1 10,000 Hours to Greatness
2 Big Learning Mistakes to Avoid
3 Second Best is Best
4 The Miracle of Streaming Video
5 Choosing Sides
6 Long Way to the Rail
7 Training and Pocket Size
8 A Tale of Two Break Shots
9 Double Your Pleasure
10 Rules are Made to be Broken
11 Trust Your Eye/Hand Coordination
12 14.1 Looks Like 9 Ball
2010
1 Dealing with Shadow Balls
2 Practicing with a Target Ball
3 Nuances of 14.1 Patterns
4 What Champions Do (Ewa Laurence)
5 Pop Exam on Position Play
6 Play the Percentages
7 Don’t Be Afraid to Play Position
8 How to Execute the Mike Massey Power Draw Shot
9 Using Soft Shots to Improve Your Stroke
10 Follow Einstein’s Law - (Simple)
11 Precision Speed Control
12 What’s Your Angle?
2011
1 Capelle’s 70 Degree Rule
2 Tendency Errors
3 Part of Pocket Shots
4 Mastering the Power Stun Shot
5 Mirror Image Misses 15 Years
6 Master Irregular Key Balls
7 Guaranteed Position on the Break Ball
8 Extreme Position Play
9 End Rail Key Balls
10 The Break Line
11 Practicing the Close
12 Moving a Ball Late in the Rack
2012
1 Becoming a Great Student
2 The Easy Part of 9-Ball
3 Two Pocket Shots
4 Avoid Pool’s Worst Practices
5 The Contact Point’s Many Failings
6 Two Wrongs Do Make a Right
7 12 Golden Rules for the Close in 14.1
8 Long Shots after a Layoff
9 Lessons from the Pros in 8-Ball
10 Side Pocket Possibilities
11 Creating Break Shots!
12 Accepting Second Best
2013
1 Play YOUR Best Pool #200!!
2 Timing those Cluster Breaks
3 Mastering No-Rail Position Play
4 Playing the Smart Shot
5 Avoiding Excessive Cue Lift
6 Pool’s Best Practice Shot
7 Smoothing Out Your Transition
8 Pool Shot Specs
9 Position Play Targets In 14.1
10 Visual Distractions And Your Stroke
11 Cut Shot Induced Errors
12 Learn, Perfect, & Maintain!
2014
1 Planning for a Big 2014!
2 Using Your Eye/Hand Coordination
3 Anatomy of Ga Young Kim’s Super Shot
4 It is the Chicken AND the Egg
5 When to Reset Yourself Over a Shot
6 Conserve Your Energy
7 Landing in Line
8 Minimum and Maximum Traveling Distances
9 Pooling Your Talents
10 Side Pocket 10 Ball
11 Shane Van Boening Works His Magic
12 The Hardest Shot of All!!
2015
1 A BIG/Small Shot for the New Year
2 Yin & Yang and Your Game
3 A Fresh Look at Willie Mosconi’s Game
4 How to Analyze 10 Ball Layouts
5 Black Cue Ball Practice Exercises
6 The 2 Degree Focal Point
7 Decisiveness and an “Eye” for the Game
8 What Feels Best vs. What is Best
9 Negative Shot Pictures Lead to Success!
10 Time Spent Over Each Shot
11 Ball Watching 101
12 20 Year Anniversary of Play Your Best Pool
2016
1 Shane van Boening’s Recipe for Success
2 Capelle’s Six Words of Pool Advice
3 A New Kind of Luck
4 Asking the Right Questions
5 Six Words to Pool GREATNESS 20 Years
6 Pool is a Double Contact Game
7 Speedometers and Your Speed of Stroke
8 Practicing Your Position Play
9 Do You Really Want to Improve?
10 Approaching the Position Zone
11 A Tale of Two Cut Shots
12 Jayson Shaw’s Ups His Game
2017
1 Missing IS a Part of the Game
2 Book Smart AND Table Smart!
3 Body English or A Still Body?
4 2 Big Decisions
5 Do You Have "IT?" #252
5 The Spectrum of Force - Speed of Stroke
6 The ABC’s of Position Play
7 Learning from Losing
8 The Art of Practice
9 Pace of Play
10 Dead Stroke
11 The Domino Effect
12 Creative 8-Ball
1997
1 End Rail Position
2 Avoid Missing for Position
3 Training Your Mental Response
4 Pool’s Version of “H-o-r-s-e”
5 Perfecting Your Follow Through
6 Run Out 9-Ball
7 Avoiding Scratches
8 Gray Zone – How to Make the Right Decision
9 One Shot at a Time
10 The Draw-Stun Shot
11 The Quantum Leap
12 Playing on the Center Axis
1998
1 Cluster Management 101
2 (No Issue)
3 Planning Your Route
4 Skirting the Gap (Kicking Past the Side Pocket)
5 Position Blunders #1
6 Position Blunders #2
7 You Make the Call
8 Secrets of Position Zones
9 Chain Reactions
10 The Opponent Factor
11 An Evening with Efren
12 Pressure Pool
1999
1 Shark Proofing Your Game
2 Effective Crowd Management
3 One Shot at a Time
4 The Whiner’s & Winners Guide to the Rolls
5 Evaluate the Table
6 Using Your Imagination in 8-Ball
7 Bank to Win
8 Mirror Shots Detect Flaws
9 Hitting the Hook Zone
10 6 Exceptions to the Rules for Shape
11 Avoiding Obstructers
12 Don’t “Just Fire Away”
2000
1 Plan Your Work and Then Work Your Plan
2 Anatomy of a Super Shot
3 How Is Your Short Game?
4 12 Techniques To Improve Your Game
5 End of Rack Safety Play
6 In the Gray Zone: Around the Table or Kill the Cue Ball?
7 Using Clusters to Win the Game
8 A Somewhat Routine Runout
9 The Three Phases of a Rack of 14.1
10 Principles of 14.1 Pattern Play
11 Process of Elimination Planning
12 The Magic 20-Degree Cut Shot
2001
1 Precision Secondary Break Shots
2 Playing Down the Line of a Position Zone When Possible
3 Grinding it Out
4 Playing for Luck
5 Play the High Percentage Sequence
6 Don’t Forget the Side Pockets
7 The Angle of Departure
8 Make Kick Shots Difficult for Your Opponent
9 Choosing the Optimal Position Route
10 Strickland’s Firepower Wins 4th U.S. Open
11 Simple is Often Best
12 Strategic Safeties
2002
1 Controlling the Right Ball is Key
2 A Double Hill Thriller
3 Right Side/Wrong Side is the Key to Position
4 Position after a Combination
5 Either Side of the Ball Can Work
6 5 Donuts in a Row
7 My Week in Pool Heaven
8 Don’t Always Play Like a Pro
9 Side Pocket or Corner Pocket: Decisions, Decisions
10 Balls in the Middle of the Table
11 Innings Per Game – Statistics
12 Souquet’s Prescription for Victory
2003
1 Define and Refine Your Targets
2 Universal Errors
3 Side Pocket Position Play
4 The Value of Experience
5 Beating the Odds
6 Attention to Details
7 The Smart Shot
8 A Surgeon’s Touch
9 Thinking Outside the Box
10 Fighting the Cue Ball
11 The Hit Zone (Key Balls)
12 Mastering Eight Ball
2004
1 Long Range Cluster Busting
2 8-Ball with a Surgeon’s Touch
3 Avoiding Landmines
4 Take Nothing for Granted
5 Attacking a Problem
6 Practice Long Distance Safeties
7 Code Red Alert
8 Tony’s Precise Artistry
9 The Language of Capelle #100
10 The End Game
11 Eight Ball Wizardry
12 Time to Get Real
2005
1 Perfect Your Stop Shots
2 Watching the Best
3 Back to Basics
4 My Best Shot
5 A Reality Check
6 Near Perfect Speed Control
7 Look Carefully for the Best Shot
8 Table Conditions Affect Shot Selection
9 Ball in Hand Position
10 PYBP Part 1 – Fundamentals
11 PYBP Part 2 – Position Play
12 PYBP Part 3 – The Games
2006
1 A New Year’s Resolution to PYBP (Part 4)
2 Landing In Line
3 Three Types of Speed Control Exercises
4 Vertical Axis Only
5 Straight Pool Break Shots
6 The 3 Ingredients of Position Play
7 Thin Cuts Down the Rail
8 Jacking Up
9 Preparing for the GO Signal
10 Into the Target Zone
11 Planning the Perfect Safety
12 Side Pockets Forbidden
2007
1 Awaken Your Awareness
2 Doing the Cosmo
3 Running Out in Sections Using PEP
4 The Mental Side of Practicing
5 Tips for Solitary Practice Sessions
6 Dealing with Distractions
7 The Complete Shot Cycle
8 The Surgeon’s Touch
9 Pool Theory
10 A Reality Check
11 Tough Shots
12 Practicing with a Partner
2008 - 25 Secrets
1 The Feel Method
2 Speeds of Stroke
3 Great Pool is a State of Mind: Mastering Change –
Quantum Leap – The Big Secret
4 Warm Up Stroking – The Transition
5 Foundation Position Routes – The Three Ingredients to
Position Play
6 A Short Course in Eight Ball: Eight Ball: Failed Runout –
Process of Elimination – Play Opponent
7 Planning for High Runs at Straight Pool Straight Pool:
3 Phases, KB2KB
8 Play Precision Position, Straight Pool Break Shots
9 Nine Ball: 12 Keys for Getting in Stroke, The Correct
Cut Angle Optimizes Position
10 Nine Ball: ABC’s of Position Plays, Starting and
Maintaining a Run Out, A Game Plan for the Kicking Game
11 The Big Transition: #22 - From Practice to Competition,
#23 – Learn, Perfect, Maintain (LPM) #150
12 #24 – The Mind of a Pool Player,
#25 – Winning Without Your A Game
2009
1 10,000 Hours to Greatness
2 Big Learning Mistakes to Avoid
3 Second Best is Best
4 The Miracle of Streaming Video
5 Choosing Sides
6 Long Way to the Rail
7 Training and Pocket Size
8 A Tale of Two Break Shots
9 Double Your Pleasure
10 Rules are Made to be Broken
11 Trust Your Eye/Hand Coordination
12 14.1 Looks Like 9 Ball
2010
1 Dealing with Shadow Balls
2 Practicing with a Target Ball
3 Nuances of 14.1 Patterns
4 What Champions Do (Ewa Laurence)
5 Pop Exam on Position Play
6 Play the Percentages
7 Don’t Be Afraid to Play Position
8 How to Execute the Mike Massey Power Draw Shot
9 Using Soft Shots to Improve Your Stroke
10 Follow Einstein’s Law - (Simple)
11 Precision Speed Control
12 What’s Your Angle?
2011
1 Capelle’s 70 Degree Rule
2 Tendency Errors
3 Part of Pocket Shots
4 Mastering the Power Stun Shot
5 Mirror Image Misses 15 Years
6 Master Irregular Key Balls
7 Guaranteed Position on the Break Ball
8 Extreme Position Play
9 End Rail Key Balls
10 The Break Line
11 Practicing the Close
12 Moving a Ball Late in the Rack
2012
1 Becoming a Great Student
2 The Easy Part of 9-Ball
3 Two Pocket Shots
4 Avoid Pool’s Worst Practices
5 The Contact Point’s Many Failings
6 Two Wrongs Do Make a Right
7 12 Golden Rules for the Close in 14.1
8 Long Shots after a Layoff
9 Lessons from the Pros in 8-Ball
10 Side Pocket Possibilities
11 Creating Break Shots!
12 Accepting Second Best
2013
1 Play YOUR Best Pool #200!!
2 Timing those Cluster Breaks
3 Mastering No-Rail Position Play
4 Playing the Smart Shot
5 Avoiding Excessive Cue Lift
6 Pool’s Best Practice Shot
7 Smoothing Out Your Transition
8 Pool Shot Specs
9 Position Play Targets In 14.1
10 Visual Distractions And Your Stroke
11 Cut Shot Induced Errors
12 Learn, Perfect, & Maintain!
2014
1 Planning for a Big 2014!
2 Using Your Eye/Hand Coordination
3 Anatomy of Ga Young Kim’s Super Shot
4 It is the Chicken AND the Egg
5 When to Reset Yourself Over a Shot
6 Conserve Your Energy
7 Landing in Line
8 Minimum and Maximum Traveling Distances
9 Pooling Your Talents
10 Side Pocket 10 Ball
11 Shane Van Boening Works His Magic
12 The Hardest Shot of All!!
2015
1 A BIG/Small Shot for the New Year
2 Yin & Yang and Your Game
3 A Fresh Look at Willie Mosconi’s Game
4 How to Analyze 10 Ball Layouts
5 Black Cue Ball Practice Exercises
6 The 2 Degree Focal Point
7 Decisiveness and an “Eye” for the Game
8 What Feels Best vs. What is Best
9 Negative Shot Pictures Lead to Success!
10 Time Spent Over Each Shot
11 Ball Watching 101
12 20 Year Anniversary of Play Your Best Pool
2016
1 Shane van Boening’s Recipe for Success
2 Capelle’s Six Words of Pool Advice
3 A New Kind of Luck
4 Asking the Right Questions
5 Six Words to Pool GREATNESS 20 Years
6 Pool is a Double Contact Game
7 Speedometers and Your Speed of Stroke
8 Practicing Your Position Play
9 Do You Really Want to Improve?
10 Approaching the Position Zone
11 A Tale of Two Cut Shots
12 Jayson Shaw’s Ups His Game
2017
1 Missing IS a Part of the Game
2 Book Smart AND Table Smart!
3 Body English or A Still Body?
4 2 Big Decisions
5 Do You Have "IT?" #252