Opening Up The Balls

Kevin · Feb 28, 2007

DJKeys said:
These are all great suggestions. Jim Rempe's "How to Run a Rack in Straight Pool" is also invaluable as he talks out loud while he is running the racks. I have watched that video numerous times. Other great videos:

Ortmann vs. Rempe 2000 US Open (Ortman runs 129, Rempe 96)
Reyes vs. Soquet " ( Soquet with a picture perfect 120)
Sigel vs. Zuglan 1992 US Open (Sigel 150 and out)
Zuglan vs. Martin " (Zuglan runs 148)
Clash of the Titans Balsis vs. Crane 1966 US Open (Crane runs 150 and out)

I think with the Rempe "Player Review" tape from Accu-stats.com we mean the same video. The video "Clash of the Titans" is interesting, done from film, dark, hard to compare with modern lighting and camera angles, but the commentator is very excited! Very 1966, and a flashback to what pool used to be, perhaps.

Thanks for mentioning the other taped matches, I will be looking for them. Any other info on year or event to help the search?

Gerry · Feb 28, 2007

Kevin said:
I think with the Rempe "Player Review" tape from Accu-stats.com we mean the same video. The video "Clash of the Titans" is interesting, done from film, dark, hard to compare with modern lighting and camera angles, but the commentator is very excited! Very 1966, and a flashback to what pool used to be, perhaps.

Thanks for mentioning the other taped matches, I will be looking for them. Any other info on year or event to help the search?

YES, Rempe' player review is where I got the 4 commandments of straight pool I follow to a "T". It took me a while, but I was able to take all the info I learned over the years, and put it into 4 tenants I can remember while playing. This has simplified the game for me, and I don't get too flustered when nervous. I just go to the list in my head and know what to do.

Gerry

DJKeys · Feb 28, 2007

How to Run a Rack in Straight Pool

Kevin said:
I think with the Rempe "Player Review" tape from Accu-stats.com we mean the same video. The video "Clash of the Titans" is interesting, done from film, dark, hard to compare with modern lighting and camera angles, but the commentator is very excited! Very 1966, and a flashback to what pool used to be, perhaps.

Thanks for mentioning the other taped matches, I will be looking for them. Any other info on year or event to help the search?

Rempe has Three Tapes that are valuable:

Player reviewed match against Ginky San Souci

http://www.accu-stats.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi?CMD=011&PROD=000601

And his two instructional tapes:

http://www.accu-stats.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi?CMD=009&DEPT=000004&CAT=000007&BACK=A0007A1B0000004B1

I have all of these and have learned the most from How to Run a Rack in Straight Pool.

The Crane-Balsis tape is pretty bad audio quality, but the cameraman does a good job. You can see how much different the play was back then, slower cloth, shorter bridges, and a style of play where the racks had to be picked apart much more than today. I like that tape a lot and have seen it many times. Crane starts the run on a wrap around combination out the pack, and gets stuck a couple of times after a break and always finds some sort of combination to keep his run alive.

JLW · Feb 28, 2007

Kevin said:
I wonder if you have enough angle on your break shots so the cueball still has decent speed? Too straight and you really need to whack the cue to have any energy left to separate balls well.

Two quick ideas for your equipment needs...

First, Capelle's Play your Best Straight Pool... he has good advice on really looking at the tangent line and where exactly you will hit the stack. It is much easier to keep the cueball from getting tied up if you take on the two outside balls with the cueball striking them rather full (glancing blows at speed lets the cueball get away from you uptable...). Hitting the pack in the "center of mass" (i.e. 3rd ball on the side) means you have to move effectively 8 or 9 balls with one little 6oz. cueball. Tons of other useful advice in the book as well, and in opening up the pack, these little details are the difference!

I also highly recommend accu-stats.com video by Grady Mathews Break Shots, Key Balls. Just watching how a good player discusses the time-honored break shots and demonstrates them, his intent and what line he intends the cue ball to follow and end up and the speed he uses is very useful. With a thinner angle on the break shot and taking on the outer balls, there is no need to really clobber the balls and risk missing or making clusters on the rail.

Getting any other videos of top players like Jim Rempe How to Run 100 Balls (Accu-stats.com), match tapes of Efren, Mike Siegel, John Schmidt etc. is almost as good as being there and seeing the best at work getting perfect position for the right angle to easily and safely nudge a cluster open and keep getting great shape on key balls and break shots. There is a stately flow and rhythm and orderliness to watching good players at work that tends to rub off, hopefully!

Yeah, I have Rempe's instructional tapes on straight pool. And I also have the Sigel/Zuglan tape and the Crane/Balsis tape. I've thought about buying the Capelle book. I probably will in the near future. Thanks for your input.

Opening Up The Balls

Kevin

Dr. Kevorkian of Threads

Gerry

AzB Silver Member

DJKeys

Sound Design

JLW

Dunder Mifflin Salesman