Straight ool makes me dog balls

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Shots I usually shoot at one pocket I frequently miss at straight pool

In practice or in action,the few times I play in a game

Sometimes i practice by ball in hand and breaking the rack

it is not unusual for me to miss easy shots for a long time
but once I run 15 balls I find myself running more balls consistently

I feel like a head case
Does anyone have a helpful idea
 

L I F D 1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Please join PhotoBucket and post photos of your Dog Balls.

I'm sure many will find that interesting.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Shots I usually shoot at one pocket I frequently miss at straight pool

In practice or in action,the few times I play in a game

Sometimes i practice by ball in hand and breaking the rack

it is not unusual for me to miss easy shots for a long time
but once I run 15 balls I find myself running more balls consistently

I feel like a head case
Does anyone have a helpful idea
Don't take any shot for granted - no matter how easy the shot may seem. Go through the exact same preparation and pre-shot routine for every shot.
 

alstl

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Are you using a one pocket cue for straight pool?

I have a mystery 14.1 cue with 2 shafts I'd consider selling.
 
Last edited:

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Playing 14.1 is like the scene where Dorthy whips back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz.

All the shots you thought you knew? Nope.

All the simple position plays? Nope.

Any ball, any pocket -- how tough can that be?

Real tough.

Lou Figueroa
 

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
14.1 will expose weaknesses in your game, because to win, you can't pass up shots. You have to shoot and you have to make them. It will also reveal your true make percentage on shots in a rather brutal fashion. You're 99 percent certain of making that shot, you say? Well, the stats show otherwise...

14.1 is a true championship game. You can play like a donkey and still win plenty of 9 ball, 10 ball and even 8 ball matches. You simply cannot win against good competition, playing bad 14.1, unless the race is ridiculously short, of course.

All that being said, there is nothing inherently different about the shots at 14.1, at least not in the way of difficulty. Most of the shots are pretty easy, if you're playing right. It's just that the runs are long, and errors tend to compound through the run. You get out of line on one crucial ball and simply cannot recover....

As far as endurance is concerned, this is where 14.1 stands out, IMO. In my experience (even though I know there are a FEW exceptions) most players who run a lot of balls, tend to be fairly quick. The slow, studious players often run out of juice. Most players can't keep their concentration at peak level for more than 20-40 minutes (IMO). 14.1 is about getting in dead punch and playing on instinct. Any (over) thinking will zap your energy and limit high runs.
 

Seth C.

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As far as endurance is concerned, this is where 14.1 stands out, IMO. In my experience (even though I know there are a FEW exceptions) most players who run a lot of balls, tend to be fairly quick. The slow, studious players often run out of juice. Most players can't keep their concentration at peak level for more than 20-40 minutes (IMO). 14.1 is about getting in dead punch and playing on instinct. Any (over) thinking will zap your energy and limit high runs.

This was helpful to me. I was grinding into a reverse mode, not because I was overthinking how to attack the table, but rather because I was overthinking (or at least thinking about) almost everything. Especially aim and stroke. Reading this motivated me to play with pace, and dammit if it didn’t force me to just trust aim and stroke, with improved overall results.
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
find your best pace of play and focus on pocketing speed.


I think pace is an overlooked element.

At least for me, I find that playing at a particular pace consistently helps my performance. It's just a thing about giving all my body parts the right amount of time (not too long or too short) to get into position.

Lou Figueroa
 

SlateMate

Banned
Shots I usually shoot at one pocket I frequently miss at straight pool

i knew a natural stroke player in Dallas. i was playing him a friendly game of 14.1 and he missed a gimmie. he started jumping up and down exclaiming: "WHY CAN'T I PLAY THIS GAME! ".

that's the weird mental part about 14.1. ANY SHOT CAN BE MISSED no matter how simple BECAUSE you are getting ahead of yourself and paying more attention to the next shot.
 
Last edited:

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sounds like mei had another run at a player of my ability today
we both missed a bunch of balls,most of mine were side pocket thin shots
but some were hangers

it was ugly,i ended up a game up,but it was just luck

very frustrating,i found myself scared to shoot,i even started talking to myself while i was shooting

no heart
 

SlateMate

Banned
i've seen very good 14.1 players play crappy and i've beaten players that were much better than I. it's the weird, wacky world of Straight Pool.. if you aren't totally into the game, you can't play. being a bit tired or having anything other than pool on your mind can turn a very good player into a goof.... this is what separates the good players from the great players. great players can turn on and off their focus like a light, at least most of the time. also, you MUST be totally focused on the precise positional movements of the cueball. this is the key and when i don't do it, i struggle.
 
Last edited:

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
I'm going to go against my better judgement and offer you some advice, on a post that's probably more about venting or maybe fishing for action, than actually looking for guidance.

If you're not a 100 ball runner, most runs are strung together, rather than put together. What I mean by that is that runs in the 30s-40-s or will become more frequent if you just shoot series of simple shots, rather than making big, elaborate plans on how to run out. Shoot the shots that are there, and take advantage when you unexpectedly get perfect position on problem balls. Planning the whole rack ahead of time is just a pipe dream for 99% of all pool players. Planning should be reduced to the simplest possible things, like maybe leaving a breakball on the side of the rack. Even that may be too difficult for some players, who will find themselves shooting non ideal breakshots most of time. It's ok though. Getting the balls down is the important part. The other things will come gradually.

Just make sure you pocket the simple shots. Clear up an area at a time and keep your cueball from moving too much. If you have a problem cluster, don't do what is commonly offered as advice: "try to go into them as early as possible". That will usually lead to getting stuck and/or missing the shot, because the player is desperate to make it happen. That sort of thing should be saved for later, when you're more proficient.

Instead, shoot simple shots and see if you get an opportunity through luck or maybe planning to make a simple shot and break them up at the same time. If it's too difficult, just pocket all the open shots, play a safe and let your opponent deal with the problem. This is competition advice, in practise you should try the fancy shots. It's always a balancing act, when you should try to break up a cluster, just err on the side of caution. Still, just focusing on shooting easy shots will let you beat people you have no business beating, especially in shorter distances. It can be very frustrating to play players like this, and it can sometimes throw good players off their games. Even a run of 20-30 balls can put a lot of pressure on someone in a race to 50 or 75, especially when the guy doesn't leave anything to shoot at. If the guy your'e playing is a pro, then forget it, but against more reasonably (un)skilled players, it can be a recipe for success.
 
Last edited:

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Question: How many shots do you truly plan ahead when deciding your table map before shooting the next object ball?

I map out 5-6 shots ahead but this largely depends on whether there is a clearly identifiable best break shot to leave.

Once the rack of balls gets down to single digits, I'll start paying closer attention to the best break shot to leave myself.

The only variable becomes whether there are any clusters or object balls touching that needs to broken up for the run.

Having a plan and sticking with it helps increase the number of balls consecutively pocketed & safety play can be a weapon.



Matt B.
 
Last edited:

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My problem is making the first shot
it seems like my first shot is always a gopher shot

about like a spot shot,maybe straighter but just as long

As an update,my opponent is getting better every game and I am getting worse
I just lost $400

I have always hated this game,it brings out the worse in me

When I doubt,I miss
 
Top