Pattern Racking 9-Ball With Soft Breaking Video

Great video. Very informative and delivered very well. You play very well.
 
Sorry to dig up a few month old thread but I've gone back and forth giving this a try. Got pretty frustrated with it! Not as an exact set up as some make it sound. I even scanned through your video and screen shot the results of each break. You are much more consistant than I am with it, but still the balls are (in general) about in an 18" circle of being in the same spot given the crazy kiss once in a while. I'll keep at it, Thanks for the very interesting post.

I only have an 8' table, I wonder if the larger table you're playing on (more open area?) is helpful... less kisses? or do the same kisses occur... interesting I guess proportionally they'd still occur? When you shoot on a smaller table do you get the same results?
Are you using a racking template? The racks need to be tight to get a consistent break. (More accurately the racks need to be consistent, but the best way to get consistent gaps is to have all zero gaps.)
 
Well that's your opinion and everyone is entitled to one. I call it a skill to make the wing ball and keep the cue ball in center table without breaking too hard and having the one ball up against the end rail every time. So in your opinion the top pros are all cheaters. :grin: Maybe pattern racking is cheating but breaking and making the wing ball every time with shape on the one ball is an impressive skill.

There is a big difference between what you describe in the above quote and pattern racking.

Making the wing ball and getting shape on the one up against the end rail (or wherever the table is leaving the one) is not pattern racking if the other 7 balls are randomized. That's a good nine ball break, which requires much skill.

I don't find too much "maybe" in the statement: pattern racking is cheating.... It's like saying a pitcher that alters a baseball to get a desired consistent effect out of his fastballs, eliminating the odds that the batter will even make contact, isn't cheating. BUT..... getting up there and being able to throw 98 mph is an impressive skill......
 
If you ever played against duel when he pattern racks and soft breaks you'd call it cheating too regardless of the skill needed to do it. he makes an early 9 combo at least 50% of the time when he does

For those interested, this "cheat" is documented and demonstrated on the 9-ball break resource page.
This year's CSI 9-ball Challengd will be a nice update as Corey even hits this soft break even better, and he shows that he can use pretty much any pattern including "numerical order" pattern.
Freddie,

Thanks for the heads-up. I look forward to seeing that.

Regards,
Dave
 
I agree with that this is a skill. it's about making a ball and leaving a shot every single time. that's why we smash the racks as well.....to hopefully spread the balls and have a shot on the one ball. if you can soft break, make the wing ball and then have a run out each and everytime then you learned a very valuable discipline.
 
I use to pattern rack with very slow break, playing the ghost. Probably 50% of the racks I would have low # ball combe on the 9 ball. Johnnyt

PS: Got it from Corey @Capone.
 
When I tried it I broke even softer than video. I never had a ball go past the side pocket.

Always made the wing ball and either made the 1 in the side or just short of the side pocket and it would end up about 3 inches from side pocket with the CB about 2 -3' away straight in. All other balls open and I don't think I had to shoot any balls into top pockets.

Broke and ran the first 5 racks I tried
Jason
 
I was looking for Donnie on the top 10 list of paid pros on this site. Dennis is at No.5. .....

......who's better at it?

I never said Donnie was better than Dennis at the game of billiards in general. At pattern racking/rack your own and being the best at the 9ball racking/breaking/wing ball, **** yes he is lol. Donnie works full time, doesn't have the time too put in like Dennis does.

Just my opinion of course. ☺
 
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A couple of players on here asked about pattern racking and if it works. Here is a 10 minute video with some explanation. Hope this helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TMpOxIMs1w

Here's what I know about pattern racking. With NO racking aids, broke in cloth, standard triangle rack....without ball in hand to start, I'd be willing to bet no one can beat the 9 ball ghost in a race to 10. Cory never had a soft break until the Sardo rack came out....why is that?
 
Are you using a racking template? The racks need to be tight to get a consistent break. (More accurately the racks need to be consistent, but the best way to get consistent gaps is to have all zero gaps.)

No... I've been using the rack my table came with. (I'm sure not even a quality rack) I've never used templates I'll have to pick one up. Thanks!
 
Here's what I know about pattern racking. With NO racking aids, broke in cloth, standard triangle rack....without ball in hand to start, I'd be willing to bet no one can beat the 9 ball ghost in a race to 10. Cory never had a soft break until the Sardo rack came out....why is that?

Like I said, I broke and ran first 5 racks I tried
Wooden rack
Very worn cloth
No ball in hand
Table/poolroom I hadn't seen in many, many years.

Not so sure I'd bet against Donny doing it with a little time to dedicate to solely playing pool.

I KNOW I CANT
Jason

Edit: the reason I stopped making a ball on the break is the temp and humidity changed. The place had just opened so it got warmer/more humid in part due to cooking and the heat being turned back on. I couldn't find a place to make a ball. Lol
 
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Like I said, I broke and ran first 5 racks I tried
Wooden rack
Very worn cloth
No ball in hand
Table/poolroom I hadn't seen in many, many years.

Not so sure I'd bet against Donny doing it with a little time to dedicate to solely playing pool.

I KNOW I CANT
Jason

Edit: the reason I stopped making a ball on the break is the temp and humidity changed. The place had just opened so it got warmer/more humid in part due to cooking and the heat being turned back on. I couldn't find a place to make a ball. Lol

I don't know of anyone that would bet they're going to run 10 racks out of 20 breaks without some sort of racking AID, because that's what it would take to beat the ghost not starting out with ball in hand. All you have to do is look at any of the top pros in the world today, how many of them are capable of running 50% or better on their own breaks...and that's WITH a racking aid.
 
Ya, I found that out the hard way. I playedin the US Open last year, practiced the break in my video for 3 months and didn't find out about the 9 ball on the spot till I got there. Had to relearn my breal 2 hours before my first match. Also didn't know about the break box, practiced breaking from the side rail those 3 months. I'll post a video making the 1 ball in the side pocket with the 9-Ball on the spot with 2 balls passing mid table.



Let me get this straight. You pony up a dime to enter a tournament where these rules are disseminated well in advance & you aren't aware of them? Ooooooooooookayyyyyyy
 
Like I said, I broke and ran first 5 racks I tried
Wooden rack
Very worn cloth
No ball in hand
Table/poolroom I hadn't seen in many, many years.

Not so sure I'd bet against Donny doing it with a little time to dedicate to solely playing pool.

I KNOW I CANT
Jason

Edit: the reason I stopped making a ball on the break is the temp and humidity changed. The place had just opened so it got warmer/more humid in part due to cooking and the heat being turned back on. I couldn't find a place to make a ball. Lol

The ONLY players you'll ever hear from that can beat the 9 ball ghost without a racking aid in a race to 10....no cue ball in hand to start.....is right here on AZB....because everyone knows, the best players in the world are right here....running 10, 15...20 racks In a row....LMAO
 
Rotation games are pretty messed up because of the breakshot and it's importance. What happens on the average break is a nightmarish paradox for a professional pool player. They are forced to hit the break hard and as a result have a great chance to completely lose control of the cueball. In fact, the harder you hit them the greater the chance you lose control, even if you hit them perfect. I don't think there are too many similar examples in other sports.

If you look at snooker the way the pack of reds is broken apart is so eloquent and logical. It's really all about control.

There are a lot of smart people in the pool world. I really don't think it would be too hard to come up with versions of rotation games that still have a "break shot" of some kind, yet don't force the opening player into totally losing control of the cab to no fault of their own.

Think about what we put up with over the years, and we really have no clue to be honest for some reason. Hill hill matches decided because a single ball happened to topple in, whereas if it would have hung, the other guy would have won. Entire long sets being lost because a guy hits them perfect then scratches on the break. Why on earth put up with that?! Quite frankly the only people I know that would put up with that for decades and not even think about changing it are pool players.

The break has become so important, and the way players are forced to execute it is so illogical, that all these problems with inspecting racks and pattern racks are inevitable. It's not the players' fault! It's the game and the rules who are at fault. I also don't agree with people calling alleged pattern rackets cheaters.
 
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Rotation games are pretty messed up because of the breakshot and it's importance. What happens on the average break is a nightmarish paradox for a professional pool player. They are forced to hit the break hard and as a result have a great chance to completely lose control of the cueball. In fact, the harder you hit them the greater the chance you lose control, even if you hit them perfect. I don't think there are too many similar examples in other sports.

If you look at snooker the way the pack of reds is broken apart is so eloquent and logical. It's really all about control.

There are a lot of smart people in the pool world. I really don't think it would be too hard to come up with versions of rotation games that still have a "break shot" of some kind, yet don't force the opening player into totally losing control of the cab to no fault of their own.

Think about what we put up with over the years, and we really have no clue to be honest for some reason. Hill hill matches decided because a single ball happened to topple in, whereas if it would have hung, the other guy would have won. Entire long sets being lost because a guy hits them perfect then scratches on the break. Why on earth put up with that?! Quite frankly the only people I know that would put up with that for decades and not even think about changing it are pool players.

The break has become so important, and the way players are forced to execute it is so illogical, that all these problems with inspecting racks and pattern racks are inevitable. It's not the players' fault! It's the game and the rules who are at fault. I also don't agree with people calling alleged pattern rackets cheaters.

Why does everyone keep blaming the game for being broken or flawed? Before all the rule changes, before all the racking aids, before the jump cues, before pool leagues players, before shorter races, before ball in hand,before racking the 9 on the spot, before break boxes, before X amount of balls past the side pockets on the break, and before the push to play 10 ball instead.....9 ball was a great game played by the greatest players alive, or dead for that matter! So, the real question NOT being answered....is what changed about the game of 9 ball?
 
Why does everyone keep blaming the game for being broken or flawed? Before all the rule changes, before all the racking aids, before the jump cues, before pool leagues players, before shorter races, before ball in hand,before racking the 9 on the spot, before break boxes, before X amount of balls past the side pockets on the break, and before the push to play 10 ball instead.....9 ball was a great game played by the greatest players alive, or dead for that matter! So, the real question NOT being answered....is what changed about the game of 9 ball?

bastardization began when the game was formatted for television, been like a nightmare ever since

bring back 2 shot foul where offense and brass balls carried the day
 
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