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Capelle's Discoveries:
The majority of my research comes from analyzing top players, amateurs of all levels, teaching, and from experimenting on the table. In addition new ideas just seem to pop up out of nowhere while I’m into a particular topic. I watch videos, draw hundreds of diagrams, and analyze the game relentlessly as part of my efforts to discover ideas that can help you with your game.

In my books and on this site are the results of my many studies on pool. Some of the concepts have never been published before by any other billiard writer.

I have read many of the popular books on pool and can safely say the ideas I have developed which appear on the list below did not appear in those books.

If any of the ideas below have been discovered previously, it was without my knowledge. I do apologize to any billiard writer or student of the game who feels they may have developed or discovered any of the ideas previously to it appearing in one of my books, articles, or on this site.

Capelle's Discoveries / Ideas:

Position Play & Patterns
The 21 Principles of Position
The Spectrum of Speed
4 Ball Patterns
The Primary Emphasis
The ABC’s of Position Routes
Draw/Stun Shot
Follow/Stun Shot
The Domino Effect
Complementary Angles
The 2 ¼ Inch Rule
Principles of Pattern Play (14.1)
Process of Elimination Planning (14.1)
The Three Phases of a Rack
Improvement/Practice
Two Changes at Once
How to Structure a Practice Session
The 5 Donuts Drill
Zig Zag Drills I & II
Pitfalls to Progress
The ABC’s of Practicing with a Partner
Research Projects
The 500 Game Study
Archer vs. Reyes – An Analysis
Pocket Choice of Top Pros (14.1)

Shotmaking
A Short Course in the Fundamentals
Side Pocket Shotmaking
Angle of Departure
The 9/16” Solution (14.1)
Kicking
The ABC’s of Kicking Targets
Kicking Gaps
Evaluating Your Game
The Pyramid of Excellence (Rating)
The Champions Checklist
Rating Your Game By the # of Racks Run
Your High Run: The Straight Pool Test
Strategy/Decision Making
The Gray Zone
What Can Make You a Winner
The Three Phases of a Nine Ball Rack
Push Out Decision Making Matrix
The ABC’s of Strategy
A Simplified Decision Matrix
Cluster Management

The Capelle Glossary
The Language of Pool
The language of pool has been around forever. And yet, when I see the need for a short phrase or a word that most accurately describes a concept, then I coin it. I feel this is much better than having to use several words repeatedly to express the same idea, or having to use a phrase that does not do the job nearly as well. Some of the terms apply to pool in general, while others apply only to Nine Ball or Straight Pool.

KEY:
Glossary for Pool in General
Glossary for Straight Pool
Glossary for Nine Ball

Access Ball - A ball that enables you to easily get position on another ball that would otherwise be in a troublesome location.
Area Shape - An extra large position zone that is used to keep the cue ball out of trouble.
Choke Up Shot - A shooting technique for playing hard to reach shots.
Complementary Angles - A cut shot with an angle that makes it ideal for playing position on the next shot.
Connecting Ball SP - A straight-in shot which, when played with a stop shot, leaves you with a straight-in shot on the next ball.
Connecting Ball NB - A shot that connect one pattern of series of shots with the next.
Contact Induced Throw - Friction between the cue ball and object ball on cut shots that alters the path of the object ball.
Domino Effect (The) - When one little mistake at the wrong time can cause your whole pattern to begin to unravel.
Draw/Stun Shot - A shot that is part draw and part stun.
Explosion Ball - A ball in a cluster that, when struck, sets off a chain reaction within the rest of the rack.
Floating Follow - A shot in which the cue ball rolls slowly forward after being hit with a firm stroke.
Follow/Stun Shot - A shot that is part follow and part stun.
Hook Zone - An area of the table where the object ball is blocked from a direct hit by the cue ball.
Jagged Edge - A large cluster which has a ball sticking out from the rest of the pack.
Linking Balls - A linking ball makes it much easier to move from an area of the table where your work is complete to another area.
Neutral Ball - A ball that is easy to get shape on from a variety of positions and it is doing no harm in its present location.
Pinball Effect (The) - The churning like action of the cue ball as it bounces off several balls when breaking a cluster.
Pocket Speed Plus - Hitting a shot with a little more force than is necessary to send it to the pocket to avoid a roll off.
Process of Elimination Planning - A technique for planning patterns which involves sifting through you options and eliminating the least likely choices until you arrive at the best choice for playing the shot. It is most applicable to Eight Ball and Straight Pool.
Rail Target - A spot on the rail that is chosen as a place where you want the cue ball to hit.
Recovery Position - A challenging position play that is used to get back in line after playing poor position.
Row Blocker - A ball that prevents several other balls from being played into the pocket that is blocked.
Specialty Shots - Combinations, billiards, caroms and some banks are the three most commonly played specialty shots.
Spectrum of Speed - A 1-10 scale used for measuring the various speeds of stroke.
2 1/4" Rule (The) - It states that everything about a shot can and very often does change within the space of 21/4".
Useless Balls - Balls that serve no purpose and that are not a problem. Most applicable in Eight Ball and Straight Pool.

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