Sorry, you lost me at “league”.

KINGSCOURT905 said:

Mensabum, thanks — checking the balls first is one of those things I know I should do and then just skip when I'm annoyed at the table. And backing off the speed feels backwards when nothing is dropping, but I can see how it works. Once you get a ball to fall at that softer speed, you are actually breaking instead of just smashing and hoping.

When you back off like that, do you keep the cue ball in the same spot, or do you move it too? I've been keeping mine in one place out of habit, and I'm starting to think that's part of my problem.

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Are you an AI?

Dave, that clip is a good one to sit with, because my first instinct watching Filler was the same as a lot of guys here, take the shorter kick and just make sure you hit it. Then Poolmanis made me rethink it. On slick new cloth like that, I have missed more one-rail kicks than I care to admit, the cue ball just slides and slides and I am past the ball before I know it.

What sold me a bit on the three-railer was his point about a too-full hit still leaving a safety most of the time. At my level in Hamilton, that matters more than the make percentage, because I am not making that kick very often either way, and leaving my opponent a shot after a thin miss is what actually loses me the game.

freds, your numbers put it plainly too, 95 percent to hit it one rail and maybe 10 percent to make it, against 75 and 20 the long way around. Dave, in the tests you ran, did the medium-speed one-railer leave Filler a worse leave when it missed than the three-railer did, or was the miss pretty much a sell-out either way?

KINGSCOURT905 said:

just hitting it harder.

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I like hitting with draw AND follow. Both work pretty good for me. Last weekend I was told I have a good break.

slach, I was in the same spot not that long ago, hearing guys at the hall talk about playing the ghost and just nodding along. When I finally tried the regular 9-ball version on my own, with ball in hand after the break, it still beat me up for weeks. My break kept leaving the cue ball in the middle of nowhere, and then I was trying to run out with no margin at all.

Cleveland_Rocks, your modified pro version is the one that caught my eye, especially no ball in hand when you make a ball on the break, and no early nines. That feels a lot closer to a real game than getting a free reset every rack, and a scratch on the break costing two for the ghost would make me think twice about just swinging for the fences.

If I was starting from scratch, would you tell me to start with Bob's progressive version, taking balls off until I could actually run the number in front of me, or jump straight into your modified pro version and just take the losses while the break sorts itself out?

Up…

Against a world class opponent, you're still a big underdog on any good hit w/out making it. I imagine after thinking a while he ended up going for the shot that gave him the best chance of making the ball.

Something like - one rail kick, hit 95%, make 10%. Three rails, hit 75%, make 20%.
On a prop bet, I'd say Filler is better than 1 in 5 to make that ball w/three rails.

Well after 6 pages that I quickly skimmed, I saw lots of discussion about arm muscles. It's the fingers that do the work. Well I guess the muscles that control the fingers are in the forearm..
My playing table tennis proofed that the fingers deliver the power. Playing baseball I learned that the fastball and change up and curve or slider All had the same body and arm movements. The fingers could change the pitch. A pitcher had to be able to disguise the pitch. With the same visible delivery, the subtle input of the fingers was much harder for a hitter to detect.
Piano players tickle the ivory. The subtle input from wrist and fingers deserves attention.
Most shots get a gentle caressing the break shot gets a bitch slap. .

Good video Dave. I personally think in slick conditions it is way easier to miss one rail kicks than 3 rail ones(for me at least). I think Josh just felt he read table better on 3 railer than 1.. and that 3 rail shot with speed had served me well many many times. because too full hit gives safety 80% of times and that happens a lot with slick tables.