Yesterday I felt like practicing straight pool by myself, to see if I could break my high run of 33 I made about 4 years ago. After about 20 minutes with a high run of 2, (I was having trouble getting a shot after the break shot) I gave up and decided to practice spot shots. What I did was I put the cueball behind the headstring, the object ball on the spot, with the cueball lined up to it across the table, shooting for either corner pocket. On my first try I hit 11 in a row, then I hit 12, missed, and quit. My record for this is 18. Has anyone else tried doing this before? About 30 minutes after, I got into some action and was playing very well, I guess shooting spot shots is a great way to warm up and practice too.
Your Spot Shot Record?
- Thread starter LastTwo
- Start date
I have, while I was there in CA, but never got beyond 10 tries. It was just a fun wager thing initiated by a friend, most pocketed in 10 tries, and I was lucky enough to get 9. The spot shot is a real important shot in rotation, so being Filipino I'm expected to know this shot real well. Needless to say, my 9 out of 10 sucked. I need to find some practice time.
Last edited:
LastTwo said:
Well, in this case, I'm only passing on what I've heard from others. Supposedly, whenever he felt he was in a pocketing slump, Alex Pagulayan would practice SPOT SHOTS ON A SNOOKER TABLE until he made ten in a row. Sometimes it would takes hours and hours.
In view of this, it would seem that your choice to practice spot shots is a wise one.
How Times Have Changed
Fifty years ago this would not even have been a subject on a forum. Back then the spot shot was one of the most important shots in pool. That was before the days of ball in hand(texas express) and the game of choice was six ball for gambling before it progressed to nine ball. In those days you spotted the balls on a scratch and shot from behind the line so the spot shot was key to your game. I practiced it all the time in those days and also there is a trick to making it consistently. In those days I could do a hundred in a row many times. But because of the spotting of balls you had to practice a variety of ways of making it for shape just like you need to practice it now for one pocket. It also helps on all angle shots because that angle of a shot comes up all the time in all games. The game was funner then.
Fifty years ago this would not even have been a subject on a forum. Back then the spot shot was one of the most important shots in pool. That was before the days of ball in hand(texas express) and the game of choice was six ball for gambling before it progressed to nine ball. In those days you spotted the balls on a scratch and shot from behind the line so the spot shot was key to your game. I practiced it all the time in those days and also there is a trick to making it consistently. In those days I could do a hundred in a row many times. But because of the spotting of balls you had to practice a variety of ways of making it for shape just like you need to practice it now for one pocket. It also helps on all angle shots because that angle of a shot comes up all the time in all games. The game was funner then.
If you want to go for the record, you have a ways to go. About ten years ago P&B Magazine had an article about a guy in Florida who seemed to shoot nothing but spot shots. He played them with the cue ball on the head spot. His record was over a thousand in a row, as I recall.LastTwo said:
Purdman
Banned
30 plus
I have made 30 plus. I shoot from the head spot with OB on the foot spot. To add another twist, I try to use the correct ball speed to park the cueball back on the head spot after making the shot. Talk about a tune up. Go for it.
I got back on the spot 5 out of 30. ( Thats any part of the head spot )
Purdman
I have made 30 plus. I shoot from the head spot with OB on the foot spot. To add another twist, I try to use the correct ball speed to park the cueball back on the head spot after making the shot. Talk about a tune up. Go for it.
I got back on the spot 5 out of 30. ( Thats any part of the head spot )
Purdman
Bob Jewett said:
I really feel that DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak is far more approachable than 1000 spot shots in a row.
If one were to assume that somebody somewhere exists who can make 49 of every 50 spot shots (a 98% success rate), the odds of that player making 1000 in a row would be about 600,000,000 to 1. Even if you they could pocket 99 out of every 100 (a 99% success rate), the odds against them making 1000 in a row are over 23,000 to 1.
This guy in Florida is undoubtedly the king of spot shots and won't have to renounce his throne anytime soon. Long live the king!
I would say spot shot can be compared to a free throw in basketball. For a novice they aren't very consistent, but for a pro they should be. Does anyone know how many free throws have been made in a row ? I found out that someone has made 58 consecutive free throws in basketball matches, but couldn't find out how many can be made in practice. Seems that the spot shot is even easier than free throw in basketball...
Nineball-98
Registered
mjantti said:
Mikko, the record for consecutive free throws made in a row is 2,750. This record was set by Dr. Tom Amberry in 1993. He was 72 years old at the time. He stopped at this number.
mjantti said:
As mind-boggling as 2,750 free throws in a row is, it's much easier to make them in a practice situation than in a game situation where you're sweaty and fatigued, and where several people stand between you and the basket, providing a potential distraction from your concentration.
As for spot shots, whether in practice or a game situation, the odds are about the same.
nfty9er said:
It was funner back then, Nfty9er!
If you pocketed 100 spot shots in a row, and got leave, I'd venture to guess that you're still a pretty good player these days, even with the new rules.
Making the spot shot comes up all the time in one-pocket. This would be a good shot to practice.
ManlyShot
Spot shot comes occasionally in straight pool as well if you end up leaving the last ball in the rack area. I'd say it's a medium high percentage shot making the ball from the head spot and split the rack open in the other end of the table, assuming you have left a good angle in either side of the spot ball. Not easy for many players though...
mjantti said:
Mjantti, I find that another time when the spot shot often creeps up in straight pool is when the player shooting the last ball of a rack, trying to get shape on to a standard side-of-the-pack break shot, scratches the cue ball into a pocket. The incoming player generally has a spot shot with two rail shape on to the break shot.
Still, the spot shot wizard to whom bob Jewett has referred shot the spot shot from the head spot, and that flavor of the spot shot is rare indeed in actual play.
ramdadingdong
Banned
Nineball-98 said:
_______________________________________________________________
The record for basketball free shots is 5290 by Ted St Martin. He did not just make this up, this guy performs at the super show, sports ultimate show, 25 times bigger than the BCA show, with Mike Massey, Mike doing the pool show, Ted the basketball working for Escalade. I've challenged the guy several times, you get 10 shots, I make 8, he makes 10, the best you can do is tie the guy. You can verify his record by calling Escalade, they are a game and pool table mfgr.
Omaha Fat, circa 50's, 60's, had a hustle he would bet you he could make 10 spot shots in a row for any amount, most would not take that bet, he then would offer you the same bet one handed jacked up, never saw him go off on that bet, he was better one handed at it than two handed.
Wild Eight
Chalk is Free
Thanks!
This is why I love this site. Last night I decided to see how often I could make the shot, and bring the ball back to the spot. I set it up and started trying. The next thing I knew, a friend of mine was asking me if I wanted a game. 2 Hours had gone by and I had not noticed. Time had stopped and the whole world had ceased to exist. I was "in stroke" for the rest of the night.
By the way, while I can make the ball in the corner pocket, I only managed to bring the cue ball back to the spot twice in the 2 hours I was working on it, so I guess I had better keep practicing.
Thanks to everyone for the advice and neat idea.
This is why I love this site. Last night I decided to see how often I could make the shot, and bring the ball back to the spot. I set it up and started trying. The next thing I knew, a friend of mine was asking me if I wanted a game. 2 Hours had gone by and I had not noticed. Time had stopped and the whole world had ceased to exist. I was "in stroke" for the rest of the night.
By the way, while I can make the ball in the corner pocket, I only managed to bring the cue ball back to the spot twice in the 2 hours I was working on it, so I guess I had better keep practicing.
Thanks to everyone for the advice and neat idea.
Most In A Row...
My cousin and I used to practice spot shots all the time. We would see who could make the most out of ten for a soda or bag of chips and such. We both got to where we could make ten in a row pretty regularly, so we raised it to fifteen. Most we could make with any consistency was about 13 or 14. After that we stopped practicing together, so there's no telling where we could have ended up. This was back about 15 years ago when we were both in our mid-teens. He went to jail. I still play, but I haven't tried the most-in-a-row thing in a LONG time. Hmmmm....
Doug Talbot
"the White Elephant"
My cousin and I used to practice spot shots all the time. We would see who could make the most out of ten for a soda or bag of chips and such. We both got to where we could make ten in a row pretty regularly, so we raised it to fifteen. Most we could make with any consistency was about 13 or 14. After that we stopped practicing together, so there's no telling where we could have ended up. This was back about 15 years ago when we were both in our mid-teens. He went to jail. I still play, but I haven't tried the most-in-a-row thing in a LONG time. Hmmmm....
Doug Talbot
"the White Elephant"