Looking for the best instructional books for Pool and Snooker? On CueDrills, I try to provide all the necessary information to teach yourself how to continually improve your game, with effective practice,drills, and routines. These books, however, fill the missing pieces that I haven’t (yet!) covered. From the mental game to key shots and strategies, all the info you could need to be a great player can be found here.
Click any of the pictures to see purchasing options. I do receive a small commission if you buy anything through this page.
Pool Books
Pleasures of Small Motions
If you could only ever buy one book on the game of pocket billiards, this should be it. It doesn’t matter who you are, we all struggle with the mental side of the game. For many players, it’s the number one thing holding them back from playing better pool. Using science and specifically tailored to the game of pool, this book will help you relax, get in the zone, and play to your full potential, no matter what the circumstances.
The 99 Critical Shots in Pool
An absolute classic in the world of pool. It’s cheap, concise, and covers much of the knowledge required to play at a competitive standard. Working through these shots, along with the drills found on this site, will let you practice virtually every shot that will come up in a game. Mastering them will lead to more run outs and more wins.
Play Your Best Nine Ball
If 9 ball is your game, this book is required reading. It is incredibly comprehensive, with hundreds of shots, many taken from pro matches, carefully diagrammed and explained. Capelle covers virtually everything you need to know to excel at 9 ball.
In his other books, Capelle covers 8 Ball, 10 Ball, Straight Pool and the mental game in the same level of detail. Shotmaking, positional play, safeties, all tailored to the specific discipline you play and broken down into key individual shots.
Byrne’s Complete Book of Pool Shots
When Bryne says complete, he means it. Serving as a great extension to 99 Critical Shots, this book covers many advanced positional plays and specialty shots that are vital in taking an intermediate player into the advanced stage and beyond.
Snooker Books
The Complete Book of Snooker Shots
There seems to be a rather unfortunate lack of high-quality snooker instructional books out there. Horrix has written one of the few systematic approaches to learning the various common shots that come up nearly every frame. This book, in addition to the drills and system of practice found on this site, will give you a full understanding of the shots necessary to play at a high level. If you only play snooker I still highly recommend Pleasures of Small Motions for the mental side of the game.
Bonus
The Talent Code
CueDrills is all about being effective in practice. It’s about getting better with the least amount of frustration and wasted time. The Talent Code explains scientifically how to do just that in any discipline. Many of the principles I have applied to effective billiards practice come from this book. Learn how your brain creates the pathways necessary to perform at a high level and what kind of practice best creates those pathways.
The Inner Game of Tennis
The original text on sports psychology. Gallaway created a system of dividing your mind between a conscious thinking self who makes decisions, and an unconscious robot-like self who performs. This system works very well for achieving peak performance in cue sports. Get all your thinking done while you’re walking around the table, then get into your stance and let your body do what you have trained it to do. It works, it’s cheap, and it will make you a better player.
If you have any questions about these books feel free to contact me.
