i am a newbee to 14.1 ...help

john coloccia said:

Probably not a good strategy for really high runs (you'll need to do more thinking to get there), but my current strategy when I approach the table is to completely forget about the run, and concentrate on nothing but getting rid of the problem areas. I define problems as balls that don't have a pocket. Either I need to clear other balls out of the way first, or I have to nudge something....or I need to go into the pack.

That's my very simple strategy to get me through the majority of the rack. Once every ball goes somewhere, I start worrying about break balls, key balls, whatever. I've found that worrying about those too early calls on me to play above my current level, and ultimately I never make it to the end of the rack to use all my great ideas anyhow. I get to the table and I'm almost always in trouble from shot 1. I work to get out of trouble. Then I try to cobble together a break shot from whatever is left.

Now, it's not abnormal for me to toss together a nice 20 ball run, and I've run about 35. I don't do it all the time, but I used to NEVER do it. It was simply asking too much of myself to make a master plan and execute it without mistakes, so I broke it up into smaller, much easier to solve chunks, and I depend on a little luck and a little shot making/cue ball control to get me in line from chunk to chunk.

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Straightpool_99 said:

There are many levels to straight pool mastery...There is a very intricate, deliberate way to play that is often taught in books etc, but at your current stage, that approach may not help you all that much IMO.

Here is what I was taught at my very first lesson with a 200 ball runner many years ago (I allready knew the breakshots, mostly, so we skipped that part)

1. After the (good) break, clear the balls that are blocking others from going into the pockets.
2. Remove clusters
3. Remove balls on rails
4. End pattern

Why do it in that order, you may ask? Well it's simple: With pockets blocked it's incredibly easy to get stuck, early in the game. You need all the pockets to be available when you deal with the clusters. Balls on the rails are generally not very good for the end pattern (with some exceptions), and it's very easy to get out of line when playing them. Planning the end pattern early may be well and good, but generally doing so when you have clusters and balls in the way will just lead to frustration and failure (unless you are extremely skilled). When all the balls are open and the pockets are free, that is the time to worry about the end pattern.

If you spot a perfect break ball early on, it's ok to try to preserve it, but if it gets in the way of your first objectives, you should sacrifice it to get the balls open. If you have 5 balls in a bunch in the rack, how can you plan for the entire rack? There is no way to ACCURATELY know where they are going to end up, thus your plan will be doomed from the start.

As you get better, you will be able to preserve-, and play around perfect breakballs, keyballs, keyballs to the keyball etc...But this is a lot harder than it looks, so my advice would be not to worry too much about that in the beginning.

A simplistic way to think about straight pool is "smash, clean-up, smash" (smash not necessarily meaning huge force) . Beginners tend to go back into the pack either to early (thus making new clusters) or too late (thus not having any optional ways to get back in if they fail).

All of this is contingent on getting a decent first breakshot. If the breakshot was weak, then the rest of the rack will pretty much consist of desperately trying to get back into the pack and since it's allready loose, you will have to do it several times over. Those kinds of racks you'll just have to struggle through. It is in these racks that the theory of keeping safety balls etc will be most helpful.

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john coloccia said:

You know one essential 14.1 skill that's often overlooked is precision pocketing. It's often not enough to simply pocket the ball. You really need to be able to put it at a very specific spot in the pocket. This comes up all the time when you're shooting combinations, and also when you're sneaking balls past other balls. It happens all the time that you only have 1/2 a pocket to work with.

Anyhow, something like 9-ball is often kind of a stroke game...pounding balls around the table to get to your next shot. Straight pool requires a lot less power usually, but you should try and take advantage of that to get a lot more precision. Once you can pocket the ball in the precise location you're aiming for, the pockets seem to get much bigger and the game becomes more enjoyable. It doesn't mean you won't miss, but pocketing starts becoming a lot more automatic and you'll be able to take shots that you would normally overlook or miss.

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Pushout said:

Jim Rempe's two Straight Pool videos are a must if you are just getting into the game. Mike Sigel's instructional Straight Pool Video I recently got but haven't watched yet. Play Your Best Straight Pool by Phil Capelle is very informative. Also, his Break Shot Patterns book/DVD combination shows how many pro players handle the last few balls before the break ball. George Fels's Mastering Pool has an excellent section on Straight Pool.
When I took up pool seriously in 1973 most everyone in pool rooms played the game with 9 ball and One Pocket coming next. Most pros I've spoken to over the years recommend it for improvement in any other game your play.
Good luck and may your runs be high!

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