Safety Play

Stones said:

I'd have to say the weakest part of my 9 ball game is consistant safety play.

Years ago, I heard Efren and the boys down under would play 9 ball or rotation and the only way to win a game was to 3 foul their opponent.

Anyone practice safety play on a regular basis?

Stones

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In my view, safety play is chiefly about 1) touch, 2) finesse, and 3) simple and complex angle management. To me, you can develop the first two of these by playing either straight pool and/or one pocket, and the third of these is easily developed by playing three cushion billiards.

I practice my safe shots fairly often. What to look at is shots that you would be otherwise uncomfortable playing and play safe from there. For example, place the object ball on the bottom rail two diamond and the cue ball in the same place on the opposite rail. Work on that shot. Practice the standard safe shots and the rest will be easier as those shots will help develop the skill and finesse required. The rest is up to your imagination which is the true key to strong safety play IMHO.

Legend has it that Irving Crane used to spend an hour a day playing himself safe in Straight pool. And he was a good bet to win a safety battle with just about anybody!

Safety play is my favorite part of the game.
I often play safe, even if I don't have to.
As long as it isn't for $.

Stones said:

I'd have to say the weakest part of my 9 ball game is consistant safety play.

Years ago, I heard Efren and the boys down under would play 9 ball or rotation and the only way to win a game was to 3 foul their opponent.

Anyone practice safety play on a regular basis?

Stones

Click to expand...

Save it......

Yes and one better

Besides practicing safeties sometimes, I practice safeties off of double kisses.

A double kiss safety has saved my butt many a time when nothing else would do.

I wouldn't say I practice often, but there's a game I learned when I took lessons at Cue Sports College.

Using a rack of 9-ball, player A shoots a safe on any ball (let's say the 7 ball). Player B must hit the 7 ball legally. If player B doesn't make a legal hit, then player A scores a point, and player A gets to shoot another safe. If player B makes a good escape, then player B selects any ball to shoot a safe on, and player A must then make a good escape. There is no penalty for pocketing a ball, but with only 9-balls on the table to begin with, you limit your options down the road. The game ends when one player reaches the predetermined number of fouls; typically 3 to 5.

You can play this game to any number of fouls you want to count, but I find that 3 to 5 is pretty good, and you can give/get weight in this game too. For instance, I might play my son a 3 to 6 race (he has to get me to foul 3 times and I have to get him to foul 6 times).

It's a good change of pace game.

I like some of your ideas, it's great!!

Player A can only play safe.
Player B tries not to foul, or runout. He can also play safe.

You can invent some rules afterwards:
-Maximum number of shots (let's say 20) if exceeded, player A wins.
-Give some game on the wire to player A. He can only win by 3 fouls.

Jack Koehler has a game called KANSAS.

Koehler's AmazNing Shoot And Sit or something like that.

Rack 6 balls in a triangle, break, and the next two shots have to be safeties I believe.

After that, you try to make a ball and leave your opponent safe and vice versa. You score up to 10. Once a ball is potted, it gets spotted.

I think you can look it up on the Intraweb.

EDIT: http://www.upscale-billiards.com/ - Jack H. Koehler's website has the rules.

Unless you can break and run out everytime you better learn how to play safe. If your safety play is weak you can't beat the better players/pros. They will just destroy you with their saftey play.

When I play nine ball I have a simple rule: MAKE THE BALL OR PLAY SAFE. Needless to say I don't miss very often. When practicing alone try this rule. If your not sure you are going to make the ball 90% of the time then play safe. Then shoot again and see if you can hit the ball and play safe (say on a shot you have to kick at). This will improve your game alot.