WAR IN 8 BALL POOL – A BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE Imagine a world where every kid played basketball at least a few times in their lives, but over 99% never heard of any professional basketball player or watched basketball on TV. Or a world where soccer were as popular as it is today regarding the number of players, however, in every country, every town, every school, stadium or playground it were played by completely different rules, while many never knew there were official soccer organizations and competitions where the game is played on two goals and with only one ball. Those who knew intentionally refused to play the official soccer or basketball, and instead kept to the rules and traditions they developed because they enjoyed those versions much more. For one sport this is the hard reality: pool, or more specifically, the game of 8 Ball. 8 Ball has always been the world's most popular and widespread type of pool. It's played by dozens, maybe hundreds of millions of players all around the globe. For most players out there it's the only form of pool they've ever heard about. But this once noble game today faces problems yet unseen in the world of sports. The official pool community, governed by World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), Billiard Congress of America (BCA), World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS) and several other large organizations, is very few in numbers and mostly unknown to a large portion of world population. This community uses the old and outdated World Standardized Rules (WSR) as a basis of its playing system. As the World Confederation of Billiard Sports and the International Olympic Committee support the WSR, the official pool community still has major influence in the pool world, despite its lack of numbers and unpopularity. This community is known for being closed and conservative, promoting their own play system no matter how imperfect it has become. Instead of focusing on the development of the sport according to the needs of the masses of players and enthusiasts out there, they only care about their small elite group of players and high ranking competitions. However, the majority of players never followed the official concept. While the official community was doing its best to preserve the old traditions which keep pool in the dark, millions of players, on the other hand, developed what is now called "unofficial" or public play system. This system was first invented in bars and similar places, when certain groups of players decided to form a more practical set of rules. During the following years thousands of different variants of public rules have developed in different parts of the world, and today every country, region, city, and even local bar has its own set of public rules. In the beginning that type of game was much inferior to the official system of that time. Public players were considered ignorant and incapable by the pool community, and in those times, it was pretty much the truth. However, as time passed, major changes occurred in the public system. First, the number of public players greatly increased during the last decades. While the pool halls have kept closing one
after another due to the dramatic fall in the number or WSR-based players, more and more bars have started buying pool tables and equipment. Pool became more accessible to the average person. Next, through mutual interactions of different groups of public players, their rules gradually improved and evolved. The ultimate result of that evolution are new sets of public rules and improved playing systems, which dominate the modern 8 Ball. This new concept outclasses the WSR system in almost every aspect of the game. Today over 95% of players in the world use some form of public rules. Although the majority of them are just casual players who play a few times a month, in the modern era there's also a rising number of advanced and dedicated public players who take the public system as seriously as the official community takes the WSR system, and don't lack in the amout of time spent at a table either. These public rules have made the game much more complex, adding the strategic depth, the variation of shot techniques and the possibility for the weaker players to win using their brain where they lack experience and skill. Nevertheless, the official community still doesn't pay attention to public players. It only recognizes and accepts the slowly deteriorating WSR system, as all pool literature and instructional videos come from the official instructors and are adjusted specifically to the official system and the old ways. The public community, although massive in numbers, is too immature and divided in small groups to match the official community in organization and financial power. Until now. Every public player who wants to learn how to play 8 Ball Pool by world's first STANDARDIZED PUBLIC RULES or improve their game can find help and guidance in this new free online manual, called A Beginner's Guide to 8 Ball Pool. By standardizing the public rules, the public community can finally "speak the same language" and organize itself to form a united force. That's the only way of standing up to the official community and taking what's ours – full control over the pool world. As authors, we advise you to read this guide in order to acquire the knowledge of standardized public rules and pool terminology, as well as basic skills you need to become a good player. Please follow this link: http://issuu.com/poolkillers81/docs/a_beginner_s_guide_to_8_ball_pool Together, we can give birth to the New Conception of pool, the next step in the unification and evolution of this sport. We can bring it to every country, every city, every home, every person on the globe. Pool deserves much more than the official community will ever provide it with. We're asking you to do your part as people who love and respect the game, and truly earn yourself a title of a pool player, which you can carry with pride for the rest of your lives. The Pool Killers – because to bring life to the future pool, we must first kill the current one Contact us: poolkillers81@gmail.com
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