Being able to play better on a 9ft than a 7ft

[StormHotRod300]

Ok, i know for that most of everyone who posts on here probably plays on a 9ft table. But unfortunately for me i am stuck in Michigan and basically 99% of all tournaments are played on 7ft tables.

Now i myself love to play on 9ft tables, and basically 90% of the time only practice or play on 9ft tables.

Of course since i basically only play on 9ft tables, i have become pretty decent, at being able to run out, and play well on them.

Yet whenever i goto a tournament in my area, of the state they are only played on 7ft tables and well needless to say i suck ass.

I have run more racks on a 9ft table than i have on a 7ft lol. Now i know you can play safe, which i do, but when you have a open table for a runout and you end up hooking yourself, or having a ball bobble or hang in the pocket, and it leaves your opponent a easy runout, it tends to get to your confidence, on being able to make balls and play position.

Now on a 9ft table i do have a decent break and tend to get a really good spread so i have tend to have easier shots to make. And more room to move around the table.

does anyone else have this same problem?

 

[Loun]

I practice almost everyday on a 9ft table and most of our league games are played on smaller bar room tables... for the most part I play fairly well on the bar room tables because theres no "long shots" for me anymore. The only thing that does happen is it tends to get more crowded on a smaller table and is sometimes harder to runout in my opinion but others tell me its supposed to be easier.

I tend to play at least 1 or 2 safeties on a smaller table and that usually gives me enough to run out depending on how bad of a shot I force the other guy or girl to play. Our playoffs are coming up next week on smaller tables so I hope things work out, it would be nice if our club was able to pick up a second table that is smaller so we can get some more practice on them though.

Do you guys thing in general that its easier going from a Bigger table to a smaller table? Also do you things its easier going from a faster table to a slower one or slower to faster?

 

[Masayoshi]

i recently started playing in a local weekly bar tournament 8 ball on bar boxes. while i normally play 9 ball on 9 foot tables, i found that the most difficult thing was adjusting to smaller and lighter balls, dead rails, and the painfully slow cloth. the table length doesnt really affect me, just makes break shots easier to control. im just suggesting that, maybe its something else besides table length thats affecting you?

 

[jhendri2]

What I've noticed, is the cueball feels like it weighs 40 pounds, the cloth is dirty and as Masayoshi says "painfully slow". The clusters don't bother me too much, as I love to play straight and 1P.

FWIW,

Jim

 

[NineBallNut]

I have exactly the same problem, the pool hall I play at here in Michigan only have pro eight and nine footers. But my leagues are all on bar boxes. I can't convert my cue ball speed with that big whitey on the bar box. So I end up losing a lot of league matches I shouldn't. My game is good on the nines though. I quess it's all about what ya get used to playin on.

 

[vapoolplayer]

depends on what equipment you are using. if you're playing on diamond 7 ft tables with a standard cue ball......you just have to practice cluster management. all in all, you should be able to play pretty close to your regular speed, if not, better on good 7 ft tables.

now if you're playing on the bar box type table with the "bowling ball" cue ball things are a little different.

most of the time its not great cloth and the table isn't exactly level to say the least. those are things you just have to learn to deal with.


with the big cue ball, if you haven't practiced drawing the ball with that size cue, you should play more follow shots, as the cue ball is heavier and will follow much easier than it draws.

also, with the cue being bigger than the object balls, you need to cut the balls thicker than usual. this is again due to the size of the cue ball.

thanks

VAP

 

[chefjeff]

Most bar boxes have evolved into using good cueballs. If the ones on which you're playing haven't yet, ask for a decent cueball.

I, too, (used to) play better on 9 ft tables. This is because I used to play 9-Ball, which is made for 9 foot tables. 8-Ball on a bar box has its own challenges and rewards.

When playing on bar boxes, consider these things:

The side pockets on most bar boxes are so tight you're lucky if one ball fits in them, let alone two. Never set up for a side shot, unless you're right next to the pocket and at a right angle to it. Think, "corner" always!

The speed isn't necessarily slower on a bar box. This is usually a cloth issue, the type or the cleaniness.

Use your brain, not your stroke, to save yourself on a bar box. On a 9-ft, playing 9-Ball, a good stroke can get you out of trouble. On an 7-ft, playing 8-Ball, a good stroke is usually blocked by the cramped conditions. Plan the runnout accordingly.

And remember, when in doubt, dirty out.

Jeff Livingston

 

[Barbara]

Ok, i know for that most of everyone who posts on here probably plays on a 9ft table. But unfortunately for me i am stuck in Michigan and basically 99% of all tournaments are played on 7ft tables.

Now i myself love to play on 9ft tables, and basically 90% of the time only practice or play on 9ft tables.

Of course since i basically only play on 9ft tables, i have become pretty decent, at being able to run out, and play well on them.

Yet whenever i goto a tournament in my area, of the state they are only played on 7ft tables and well needless to say i suck ass.

I have run more racks on a 9ft table than i have on a 7ft lol. Now i know you can play safe, which i do, but when you have a open table for a runout and you end up hooking yourself, or having a ball bobble or hang in the pocket, and it leaves your opponent a easy runout, it tends to get to your confidence, on being able to make balls and play position.

Now on a 9ft table i do have a decent break and tend to get a really good spread so i have tend to have easier shots to make. And more room to move around the table.

does anyone else have this same problem?

You should practice your punch stroke on half of the 9' table. The Monk has an excellent drill for this. It's called "The Nitro". You line up 13 balls at the diamond intersections like this:

Show me the WEI


START(
%Ar7I1%Bm5Z3%Cm8D0%Dg6V0%Es0V1%Fm4O8%Gg5O9%Hr8O6%Ig7Z4%Jm5V0
%KJ5P7%Lg4D0%Mg7I1%NJ5R0%Om6I0%P[9O5
)END

You start off with BIH and you can pocket the balls in any pocket, but combinations and banks are not allowed. If the CB touches any other ball, miss your object ball, or the OB touches another ball, you lose and have to start over again.

I practiced this before I went out to Vegas for my first time playing BCA and came in 17th.

Barbara

 

[Big Bad Bern]

cueball control

Try not running the cueball around the table like you have to for nineball. Just stop or stun the cueball a few inches(not always possible but try.) and don't be afraid to take longer shots if they lay at the proper angle. Also fro the first few games look at the contact point into the pocket when aiming to help your muscle memory adjust to the new angles for pocketing balls. This has helped me alot as I bounce back and forth between 9ft's and bar boxes alot. If I don't look at the angles when I first start playing than I find I shoot into the side rail about a diamond up the rail on a 9ft(the angle into the pocket on a 7ft) or overcut slightly into the end rail on a 7ft(angle to pocket on 9ft.)
Hope this helps.


Bernie
______________________________________________________
Life is short, its better to win! -- Lance Armstrong

 

[johnrp2005]

cluster buster~

hi everybody i think the big reason is like the other guy said
on the 9 foot more open and less clusters.
on the 7 foot the table is so small your going to encounter alot of clusters
i encourage whoever plays on a 7 foot better practice cluster control!!and how to deal with such things. also think about clusters is more room to hide and play good safety then take a ball and hand and brake the cluster open.