A few questions from a 14.1 newbie

B

BFrench501

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi guys. I first picked up a stick nearly 2 years ago, playing pretty much just 9 and 10-ball for a lot of that time. For a few months I had been practising what I'd consider the 'fringe games' - One Pocket, 14.1, Rotation, 7-ball, Short and Full rack banks and Rotational 8-ball (great practise game).

I suppose it would help you to explain my current 9-ball standard before you answer my 14.1 questions. I have a decent stroke and cueing action and I can execute a lot more shots than anyone else I know who's played for 2 years or maybe even more. I've ran a lot of 2packs in 9ball and in 10ball I've ran two 2 packs although I play that game a lot less.

Anyway... I started playing the other games partly out of sheer boredom of 9 & 10-ball but also because I felt I could learn different skills to then take back to the staple games - only 9ball and 10ball are really played in the UK with American 8-ball just behind. (Believe it or not, nobody really plays One Pocket, Banks or 14.1 as they are considered dull)

I came to the conclusion with the help of Babe Cranfield's Straight Pool Bible that 14.1 was the best game out there to improve some skills required for 9/10ball - namely minimising cueball movement, pattern play, focus, discipline and improving my touch.

So I had my first proper go at it the other day against a friend, we played a race to 200 which I won 200-112. But my first question is:-

Are runs between 10-15 considered good for somebody who hasn't played 14.1 before? A lot of times my run was ended by either a poor key shot or just not working out the rack properly.

2nd question - would any of you advanced guys be kind enough to give me some advice if I was to record some videos of me playing? There aren't many coaches in the UK let alone any who know enough about Straight Pool for me to want to listen to them - nobody plays it so how would they know?

3rd question - do you have any 14.1 drills that I can use to aid my improvement and development in the game?

I'm sorry for the long threads I don't always know how to get out what I want to say. I'm grateful for any advice I can get on what I consider the best game you can play on a pocket billiards table. It takes a lot to master even the basics so I can't wait to sink my teeth into the advanced stuff once I've learned more. :)

Again, thanks in advance for any help.

Baz
 
Welcome to the forum Baz-and a Happy New Year :-)

Straight-Pool is a game of knowledge, expirience and finesse- almost everybody have the same problem like you when he gets started with it.
The more you will play, the easier it will be for you to *see* the patterns and the shots.

If you are often able to make 10-15 balls, that is already good- now you come (like you shown up yourself) to the point if it s about patterns. Very underestimated phase in this game. Here on the forum is a file from Tom Kollins- it is a pdf-file, which is really great. It shows typical breakshot patterns for the last 3 balls.

Linke for Tom Killins pdf:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=186074&d=1308822012

__________________________________________________________

Furthermore it is really helpful to watch straight-pool videos played by good players-numerous are available on youtube.
____________________________________________________________
For reading material i recommend always these 3 ones:

*Straight Pool Bible* from Arthur *Babe* CRanfield
*Mastering Pool* written by the great George fels
*Play your best Straight Pool* by Phil Capelle

and finally the latest *work* from Phil Capelle:
"Break Shot Patterns* -it comes with a DVD. He has choosen 100 Breakshot patterns played by strongest players you can find. Good and helpful book/dvd.
_____________________________________________________________

For special drills there are for sure some good drills. Atm the website www.cuetable.com is down- Write me a pm with your email and i can send you some for sure.


keep shootin, happy new year and a smooth stroke,

lg
Ingo
 
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Ingo:

"404 - File or directory not found" errors on both of those links, unfortunately.

Looks like you copy/pasted from previous posts, with the "..." truncation in the URLs intact. You might want to verify those URLs.

-Sean
 
LInk to the Tom Kollins file should work now.

thx again Sean:) Have a great year:)
 
Thanks so far for replies, the PDF file is good for reference, I'm already identifying opportunities to play stop shot patterns where possible which is a good thing :)

Ratta - PM sent with my email addy. I know about the crucifix drill already, just looking for some others too.

I'll get to work on some videos too when I practice tomorrow onwards see if that will help in any way
 
id also recommend to watch the videos of the world 14.1 tournament. there are a lot of good vids on youtube, worth to watch!
 
BFrench501 said:
Hi guys. I first picked up a stick nearly 2 years ago, playing pretty much just 9 and 10-ball for a lot of that time. For a few months I had been practising what I'd consider the 'fringe games' - One Pocket, 14.1, Rotation, 7-ball, Short and Full rack banks and Rotational 8-ball (great practise game).

I suppose it would help you to explain my current 9-ball standard before you answer my 14.1 questions. I have a decent stroke and cueing action and I can execute a lot more shots than anyone else I know who's played for 2 years or maybe even more. I've ran a lot of 2packs in 9ball and in 10ball I've ran two 2 packs although I play that game a lot less.

Anyway... I started playing the other games partly out of sheer boredom of 9 & 10-ball but also because I felt I could learn different skills to then take back to the staple games - only 9ball and 10ball are really played in the UK with American 8-ball just behind. (Believe it or not, nobody really plays One Pocket, Banks or 14.1 as they are considered dull)

I came to the conclusion with the help of Babe Cranfield's Straight Pool Bible that 14.1 was the best game out there to improve some skills required for 9/10ball - namely minimising cueball movement, pattern play, focus, discipline and improving my touch.

So I had my first proper go at it the other day against a friend, we played a race to 200 which I won 200-112. But my first question is:-

Are runs between 10-15 considered good for somebody who hasn't played 14.1 before? A lot of times my run was ended by either a poor key shot or just not working out the rack properly.

2nd question - would any of you advanced guys be kind enough to give me some advice if I was to record some videos of me playing? There aren't many coaches in the UK let alone any who know enough about Straight Pool for me to want to listen to them - nobody plays it so how would they know?

3rd question - do you have any 14.1 drills that I can use to aid my improvement and development in the game?

I'm sorry for the long threads I don't always know how to get out what I want to say. I'm grateful for any advice I can get on what I consider the best game you can play on a pocket billiards table. It takes a lot to master even the basics so I can't wait to sink my teeth into the advanced stuff once I've learned more. :)

Again, thanks in advance for any help.

Baz
Click to expand...

"fringe games"...

But, I'll save you 20 years anyway.

Patterns are the overriding concern in 14.1.

Precise cue ball control makes all the difference.
In 9 and 10 - usually getting 'good enough' is good enough.
Often in 14.1, you can get 'easy', but on the wrong side of the ball,
and you are dead.

The secret to longer runs is the ability to play the last 4-5 balls of a rack
so you get a good break ball.

IMHO - you are the ideal candidate for George Fels' "Mastering Pool".
A now 40 year old book. The section on 14.1 is the best source I've
seen for showing a 10 ball runner how to become a multi-rack runner.

Dale
 
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Thank you, PDCue

Actually, Dale, the book is closer to 35, and it's called "Advanced Pool" now, with the 14.1 section expanded a bit. Amazon can probably find one. Our poster should definitely also consult Phil Capelle's new book/DVD, all about break-shot patterns. Happy new year! Best regards, GF
 
George Fels said:
Actually, Dale, the book is closer to 35, and it's called "Advanced Pool" now, with the 14.1 section expanded a bit. Amazon can probably find one. Our poster should definitely also consult Phil Capelle's new book/DVD, all about break-shot patterns. Happy new year! Best regards, GF
Click to expand...

George, your oldie but goodie is still my favourite book on the subject of pool! Cheers! And a happy New Year! :thumbup:

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
pdcue said:
"fringe games"...

But, I'll save you 20 years anyway.

Patterns are the overriding concern in 14.1.

Precise cue ball control makes all the difference.
In 9 and 10 - usually getting 'good enough' is good enough.
Often in 14.1, you can get 'easy', but on the wrong side of the ball,
and you are dead.

The secret to high runs is the ability to play the last 4-5 balls of a rack
so you get a good break ball.

IMHO - you are the ideal candidate for George Fels' "Mastering Pool".
A now 40 year old book. The section on 14.1 is the best source I've
seen for showing a 10 ball runner how to become a multi-rack runner.

Dale
Click to expand...

Hi Dale thanks for the reply. All very useful information indeed. I am fast discovering about being on the right side of a ball. Yes I know this is okay in 9ball to rescue yourself, but it is VERy hard to rescue yourself in 14.1, as many potential opportunities have gone begging. Finesse is not something I'm used to so I'm looking forward to working on that aspect of the game.

Just quickly about the "fringe games". In England nobody plays 14.1, 1P, Rotation or Banks hence why i refer to them as fringe games. Obviously in the US they are big and I wish I lived in the Us to play them more. 9ball is so far inferior to 14.1 in my mind. Anyone can run a rack or more in 9ball but how many of those same players can run 50+ let alone 100+? With knowledge quite a few - but thats the point, you are dead in 14.1 without knowledge yet you can survive in 9ball by being a good cueist.

:)
 
Welcome

BFrench501:
Welcome to this 14.1 Forum. I am far from being a Pro but I have made a few short videos of some runs that you might enjoy watching. Hopefully they will help you a little. Here is one Link. Once you are there, other videos are listed. Let us know how you are coming along with your game.
Mike http://vimeo.com/26598377
 
As a simple but informative drill, spread all 15 balls out on the table off the rails and try to pocket all of them without having the cue ball touch a rail. You will get good at stop shot play, precise positioning, and some pattern recognition.
 
I highly recommend the books by George Fels and Phil Capelle. I just got the Break Shot Patterns for Christmas and haven't really gotten into it yet.
I would also recommend Jim Rempe's How to Run a Rack in Straight Pool and How to Run 100 Balls in Straight Pool DVDs. I think those are the titles:embarrassed2:
I recently read a quote somewhere, maybe in Break Shot Patterns, that said "The best 9 ball players are also great Straight Pool players." A lot of amateur players won't admit to this but it's pretty much true, I think.

Edit: Just checked, those are, indeed, the titles of the Rempe DVDs.
 
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You might find this interesting and appropriate also, a link to an article written by the esteemed George Fels a good many years ago but very good for anyone who has taken up the game in the last few years and may never have seen a lot of these tips before.

http://www.mediafire.com/?bsm7ek9teehoite
 
acousticsguru said:
George, your oldie but goodie is still my favourite book on the subject of pool! Cheers! And a happy New Year! :thumbup:

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
Click to expand...

100 Percent agree: George is still my hero :P he and Ray Martin gave me the kick to play seriously pool!

Also Happy New Year to your David :)
 
Ratta said:
Also Happy New Year to your David :)
Click to expand...

Thanks and same to you Ingo, happy New Year! :)

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
BFrench501 said:
... Are runs between 10-15 considered good for somebody who hasn't played 14.1 before?
...
2nd question - would any of you advanced guys be kind enough to give me some advice if I was to record some videos of me playing?
...
3rd question - do you have any 14.1 drills that I can use to aid my improvement and development in the game?...
Click to expand...
Welcome to 14.1.
1) Don't worry too much about comparing yourself to other players. I think the largest part of your development will be subconscious understanding of patterns so that you won't have to think about them while playing. That takes time on the table.

2) We can do that but you should also try critiquing yourself. What should you have played differently on a run? Which mistake got you into trouble? If it is a particular kind of shot, work on it, just as Babe taught you.

3) I like to simply start from a break shot and see how many I can run. Another drill is to throw 5 balls out on the table and see if you can start with ball in hand and get on a good break shot. Jimmy Caras (whose career at the top of tournament competition lasted longer than Willie Mosconi's), said that Mosconi was a middle-of-the-pack player until he learned how to handle the last 5 (and then no one could beat him).
 
Good thread.

I guess I'm a newb at 14.1 also. Havent played much for 15 years till lately.
I've been focusing on the fundamentals of pocketing balls, just spreading out all 15 and see how many racks I can get down.

I do this because I have a baby sleeping when I'm able to play and breaking them up ends my fun LOL!

My high is 38, right now, but again, I'm just spreading 'em out and givin' her with patience. My stroke is finally starting to feel natural again after the long decade and half off. getting the rust out was frustrating, not done yet by a long shot.

I like the drill mentioned earlier of spreading out 5 and getting a good break shot out of it. I'll be working that drill over and over for the next week or so.

I have my baby sleep tuned it think now so she doesn't mind the pool in the background:thumbup:. I took a while, but my idea worked!

Thanks for all the input folks, I'll be checking into some of that material in print and DVD.
 
In addition to Fel's book, check out Robert Byrne's "Standard Book of Pool and Billiards". It has a BUNCH of 'inside knowledge' stuff in it, including several pattern drills.
 
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