The balls don't break apart well on the table I play on. It is a gold crown 3 with new rails, simonis, and new centennials. It is in a basement where it is colder than room temp. Could that be the contributing factor. The table is cold or the balls are cold?
Balls dont break apart well
- Thread starter poolnut7879
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How dew
I have an answer - wipe table down with clean slightly damp micro-fiber towel. The mixture I use is 10% rubbing alcohol ( peppermint flavor) and 90% water. Then use either aramith or turtle wax on pool balls (seperate micro fiber towel), also wipe inside pockets. Last step is to place all 15 ball's in the rack an roll the rack gently towards the center of the table. When the whole rack glides effortlessly down the table - you then have a rack that will disperse easily. If the rack however stops rather quickly quickly - you can look forward to a heavy rack that will not disperse well. Under these damp or dirty conditions - the cue ball will tend to get stuck in the stack more often also. I hope this helps you some. It is generally more difficult to play in a basement, more trying to draw the cue ball and rails pick up speed - but do not be discouraged I have many high runs in this type of environment.
I have an answer - wipe table down with clean slightly damp micro-fiber towel. The mixture I use is 10% rubbing alcohol ( peppermint flavor) and 90% water. Then use either aramith or turtle wax on pool balls (seperate micro fiber towel), also wipe inside pockets. Last step is to place all 15 ball's in the rack an roll the rack gently towards the center of the table. When the whole rack glides effortlessly down the table - you then have a rack that will disperse easily. If the rack however stops rather quickly quickly - you can look forward to a heavy rack that will not disperse well. Under these damp or dirty conditions - the cue ball will tend to get stuck in the stack more often also. I hope this helps you some. It is generally more difficult to play in a basement, more trying to draw the cue ball and rails pick up speed - but do not be discouraged I have many high runs in this type of environment.
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Hit the break shot harder.
I don't know what level player you are, but unless you are Danny Harriman I doubt a few degrees temperature difference is going to make that much difference. I've found that I get a much better spread of balls when I keep my grip and stroke relaxed and accelerating into the shot. Muscle tension robs the cue of speed, enough to make a significant difference in the balls opening, at least in my experience. When you are trying to hit hard is the time when you are mostly likely to tense up, as well.
In the winter my basement is maybe 67 or 68 degrees (we don't heat the house much over 70 upstairs). In the winter the damned basement is 62 degrees. I'm going to get either a coat or a heater this summer.
Cleveland Kid
Registered
Be sure you are creating a nice angle from cue ball to break shot so the cue Ball angle really helps Break them up. I grew up on the "old cloth" and we commonly had to break the balls followed by several secondary break shots to continue to break the cluster of balls until the rack spread apart more. With today's fast rail and cloth comparatively, you should have more separation on the initial break shots with a good angle. Unsure what playing level you have don't mean any disrespect with my comments! Keep playing !!!
Danny is correct and his advice is right on. The temperature in the room is important. You might come to notice that if the temperature in the house is set at at certain degree, the table might play better. The temperature outside can affect it too. Keeping the table & balls super clean really helps. The point Danny makes about the balls rolling freely in the rack to the spot is a good sign on how the table is going to play. You have a nice great table. Keep it clean and find that right temperature to make the table play properly.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by saying "unless you are Danny Harriman I doubt a few degrees temperature difference is going to make that much difference." I'm looking for possible external variables that could be influencing the way the balls break apart. Just because Danny is a great player and I am not has no bearing on these external variables hence why he responded listing a number of ways to combat the possible factors that are causing the balls to not open up. He did not respond by saying "well I'm Danny Harriman and I'm a great player and I adjust to the conditions better than you can so that's how you open up the balls better."
As far as muscle tension robbing the speed of the cue ball you maybe correct, but I would sure like to have a radar gun on it just to be sure.
good answer
Well, you're right. I didn't say what was on my mind very clearly. Here's what I was thinking. You said:
I took that to mean you had new playing conditions. Looking back, I suppose it is possible that you had old, dirty simonis, but I think the picture you are painting is that you have new table playing conditions and therefore the balls should be opening up, which they aren't.
Danny already addressed the dirty cloth issue so I thought I'd mention the other thing I have found to have a significant impact on the balls spreading, which is the quality of the stroke. I can save you the trouble of measuring your tip speed. Tension slows down the cue, so sometimes a smoothly accelerating cue gives a better spread than a shot that is "muscled."
I was also trying to say that if you are a world class player, then things like temperature might be a factor for you because everything else is at a high quality level. For recreational players, there are a host of other factors that are probably more important than temperature, like how you deliver the cue, whether it is level, accelerating, relaxed and so on. So, you probably won't get as good a spread in any temperature compared to a guy like Danny.
I don't mean to overthink this. I was just saying take a look at your stroke as well. Tension is a killer in virtually every sport.
Oh, one other thought. Unless the rack isn't opening at all, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Having secondary breaks can be good training for your game. If every rack opens up perfectly then it will be more like 9 ball than straight pool. A half open rack is like running with ankle weights. :wink:
Change triangles.
I play at a commercial room where the temps and humity are all over the place. Doubt that's your issue. On those days I'm practicing 14.1 it is easy to see that the balls will often break in distinct patterns. When I'm getting bad spreads, say balls grouping on the same rail over and over, or clusters mid-table, I just switch triangles from another table and I get different spreads.
Lou Figueroa
That Dan White knows what he's talking about, despite his occasional denials of expertise.
From the section on straight pool break shots in George Fels' book "Advanced Pool" (p. 14):
"2. Don't murder the shot. It is smoothness that gets the balls open. You'll find that the word flow might make a nifty little mantra to chant to yourself as you deliver the stroke; that's just what you want your stroke, and the cue ball, to do."
Rempe recommended hitting hard enough for the cue ball to travel 3 rails if the rack weren't there, as a rule of thumb.
I'm not a professional player, nor do I play one on TV. :grin:
Now I'm going to challenge Dan. From observation of elite player matches and runs, more than from personal experience (because I'm not very good), it is my impression that there should not be a default or rule of thumb speed (three rails of travel or otherwise) at which to shoot the break shot. Who am I to question what Jim Rempe says (I'll answer that: a nobody), but again following what Fels says in Advanced Pool about straight pool break shots, controlling the cue ball is huge. So, depending on where the cue ball is going to contact the stack, and with what spin, if any, the ideal speed might be more or less. True, you almost always have to hit the shot with a minimum amount of mustard (no babying it), but after that, it is an art, I think -- or at least an artsy science. Sometimes hitting it a little harder rather than a little softer can have the effect of simply causing balls that had initially spread out from the rack area to rebound harder off the cushions and find their way right back home. Just a few thoughts, not answers.
Hi Seth. Just to put it in context, Rempe was referring to a typical side of the pack break shot. His rule of thumb was meant to give a general idea of how hard he recommends you hit it for such a shot. I see a lot of pro players going for much more shallow break shots and pounding them. I still don't understand that as they often get lesser break outs than they could otherwise get with just a little more angle. I asked Pat Fleming why this was the case, and he disagreed that players today have more shallow break shots. I don't know how he can say that. Same question to Sigel. Answer -- "It's because they don't know what they are doing." Sigel says his target is to get the cue ball about 1 ball width closer to the side rail than the break ball. If he gets the cue ball and break ball equidistant, or parallel, to the side rail then he's "pissed off."
So take your pick I guess.
Trouble shooting something like this can lead to lots of head scratching.
Your first thought was the temperature of the room. Did you mention the current temperature?
Consider this... you have a substantial thermal mass with the slate in the table. If you have warm air introduced to a colder room, that temperature differential will produce condensation. The cloth may be damp... damper than your usual conditions.
The balls may produce the same effect.
I'd also suggest that 10℉ [60>70] will effect the balls more than you might think. .They'll be more lively at 70℉.
You may want to crank up the heat for two days and see if there's a difference.
Your first thought was the temperature of the room. Did you mention the current temperature?
Consider this... you have a substantial thermal mass with the slate in the table. If you have warm air introduced to a colder room, that temperature differential will produce condensation. The cloth may be damp... damper than your usual conditions.
The balls may produce the same effect.
I'd also suggest that 10℉ [60>70] will effect the balls more than you might think. .They'll be more lively at 70℉.
You may want to crank up the heat for two days and see if there's a difference.
I don't think this is true if you are simply turning up the heat. When cold air is heated the relative humidity actually goes down. If it doesn't condense at say 60 F then it won't condense at 75 F. You would have to introduce warm and humid air from outdoors in order to have any chance for condensation.
Dan-
I am thinking> a pool table at about 60℉ has warm air introduced to the room... that cooler mass of the table will cause some condensation. It might be slight, but with the large surface area of cloth on the table acting as a sponge, it may effect the roll.
I'm interested to know the temperature of the playing area.
As I said before... crank the heat up 70 for two days and see if the table plays differently.
Dave
I am thinking> a pool table at about 60℉ has warm air introduced to the room... that cooler mass of the table will cause some condensation. It might be slight, but with the large surface area of cloth on the table acting as a sponge, it may effect the roll.
I'm interested to know the temperature of the playing area.
As I said before... crank the heat up 70 for two days and see if the table plays differently.
Dave