Some more than others, but generally billiard players are maniacs and superstitious. While we are playing, we deploy a series of tics that make us feel safer on the table. They are small routines, simple repeats, like a tennis player when it has the serve or a golfer when preparing a swing.

They are so small that sometimes we do not pay attention to them. We spend months without changing or worrying about them, but they are essential. The modern pool is not understood without the tip, a billiard component with two centuries of history.

Months ago we talked about what billiard balls are made of, and today it’s the turn for the billiard cues, the extension of our arms. We are used to seeing them clean and shiny, but behind those perfect designs, manufacturing processes and a variety of materials, especially wood, essential for good a play, are hiding. It's time to discover them.

Putting names or logos of animals for trademarks is not an exclusive phenomenon of billiards far. Just see most NBA teams (Dallas Mavericks, Chicaco Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves ...), technology companies (Firefox, Mailchimp, Twitter), a footwear brands like Puma or energy drinks like Red Bull. The pool is fed, in part, of this particular American and Anglo-Saxon tradition of identifying a business with an animal by its characteristics or their skills.

In summer pool competitions decrease their intensity, so between swimming pool dips, it’s a good time to refresh knowledge with previous billiards literature. Practice is essential, but without a theoretical basis any billiardist is limited. So in today's article we highlight some of the best books on billiards (four in Spanish and four in English).

Billiard is a much more complex sport than people think. Knowing the basics to master is as vital as in any other sport, something that many underestimate. Daily practice will make us improve substantially, so having our own billiard table can help us train.