I practice on a over size 8 table ( it came with the house) but play tournament and league on 7ft.people tell me that I should get a 7rt for practice also.will I see a noticeable differance ?
Table size
- Thread starter Valiant Thor
- Start date
I'm no instructor, just a hack player.
That having been said, I cannot imagine why you should consider changing out your table. Are there more cluster breakout opportunities on 7' tables than 8' (or 9'), sure. But other than that, I would think that having more longer shots to practice would benefit you more than changing out to a 7'er would.
I'll be interested to see what the instructors say.
That having been said, I cannot imagine why you should consider changing out your table. Are there more cluster breakout opportunities on 7' tables than 8' (or 9'), sure. But other than that, I would think that having more longer shots to practice would benefit you more than changing out to a 7'er would.
I'll be interested to see what the instructors say.
Oh hell no, why would you get a table just one size down when you already have a table?
Some people have no problem practicing on 9 ft tables and jumping on a 6ft table and dealing with the clutter. Others think they need some practice on a small table to get used to some of the tricks you need to get into tighter spaces. You can play 15-balll rotation and straight pool on a big table to get used to navigating clutter and that will be just fine practice, you don't need to play on a bar box to get used to the shots and position you'll have to use. The ball control skills are the same, so really it just requires a little bit different decision making than you'd face on a full-size table.
Honestly how you do on a smaller table will depend a lot on the relative skill of you and your opponent, particularly your breaking ability. What I used to find when I played in a league where we'd be on 6ft tables some weeks was that if I was playing a low-to-medium level player, I had to win the lag and never give the table back because their weak breaks left too many problems. What you don't want is a weak breaker leaving you a mess, only getting through 2 of their balls, then tying up multiple balls, usually unintentionally. Clutter really takes away your skill advantage and you have to play safeties against a player who should never have been able to force you into a tactical battle to begin with.
When two high level players play on a bar box, you'll get a better spread on the break. Assuming your opponent doesn't get out, you'll at least be left a much clearer table with maybe one problem ball tied up.
Things to keep in mind when you have to go play on a small table:
1) When you're going a long way for position or kicking out of a safety, you have to mind the scratch.much more than you would on a 9ft table with 4.25" pockets. A bar box with those big pockets and very short shelf will swallow up the cue ball just as easily as it accepts your opponent's sloppy shots. Shots you wouldn't even bother worrying about the scratch on a 9ft table will go wrong on a bar box much more often.
2) Using follow going around multiple rails without thinking too much about is a bad idea. While on a 9ft table the cue ball would just cleanly go rail to rail into the next shot, bar boxes tend to have less consistent rails and gaping pockets, means your line will be off and/or you risk a scratch.
3) The balls and cue ball may be badly mismatched in weight, pulled from different sets. Whereas a player accustomed to good equipment will know how effective center-ball stun is for keeping tight-in position, stun shots on a bar box with balls that can have up to 20% variance in weight can really go wrong on you. With really bad table conditions, you should just draw the CB back out into the open and take a longer shot rather than risk a bad roll robbing you of position, giving preference to draw than force-follow or stun if you can't get to the next shot with natural position.
Basically you can develop all the skills you can on a big table challenging yourself with 15-ball rotation, and you just change your tactics a little bit when you get on a small table, knowing that there's going to be some unpredictability in roll, so you give preference to forcing the CB to a wide-open position rather than trusting a controlled shot to roll right and get in close, because you'll inevitably get a funny or bad roll and missing position by an inch up in close on a 6ft table will hurt you a lot more than the same slight error on a 9ft table.
Some people have no problem practicing on 9 ft tables and jumping on a 6ft table and dealing with the clutter. Others think they need some practice on a small table to get used to some of the tricks you need to get into tighter spaces. You can play 15-balll rotation and straight pool on a big table to get used to navigating clutter and that will be just fine practice, you don't need to play on a bar box to get used to the shots and position you'll have to use. The ball control skills are the same, so really it just requires a little bit different decision making than you'd face on a full-size table.
Honestly how you do on a smaller table will depend a lot on the relative skill of you and your opponent, particularly your breaking ability. What I used to find when I played in a league where we'd be on 6ft tables some weeks was that if I was playing a low-to-medium level player, I had to win the lag and never give the table back because their weak breaks left too many problems. What you don't want is a weak breaker leaving you a mess, only getting through 2 of their balls, then tying up multiple balls, usually unintentionally. Clutter really takes away your skill advantage and you have to play safeties against a player who should never have been able to force you into a tactical battle to begin with.
When two high level players play on a bar box, you'll get a better spread on the break. Assuming your opponent doesn't get out, you'll at least be left a much clearer table with maybe one problem ball tied up.
Things to keep in mind when you have to go play on a small table:
1) When you're going a long way for position or kicking out of a safety, you have to mind the scratch.much more than you would on a 9ft table with 4.25" pockets. A bar box with those big pockets and very short shelf will swallow up the cue ball just as easily as it accepts your opponent's sloppy shots. Shots you wouldn't even bother worrying about the scratch on a 9ft table will go wrong on a bar box much more often.
2) Using follow going around multiple rails without thinking too much about is a bad idea. While on a 9ft table the cue ball would just cleanly go rail to rail into the next shot, bar boxes tend to have less consistent rails and gaping pockets, means your line will be off and/or you risk a scratch.
3) The balls and cue ball may be badly mismatched in weight, pulled from different sets. Whereas a player accustomed to good equipment will know how effective center-ball stun is for keeping tight-in position, stun shots on a bar box with balls that can have up to 20% variance in weight can really go wrong on you. With really bad table conditions, you should just draw the CB back out into the open and take a longer shot rather than risk a bad roll robbing you of position, giving preference to draw than force-follow or stun if you can't get to the next shot with natural position.
Basically you can develop all the skills you can on a big table challenging yourself with 15-ball rotation, and you just change your tactics a little bit when you get on a small table, knowing that there's going to be some unpredictability in roll, so you give preference to forcing the CB to a wide-open position rather than trusting a controlled shot to roll right and get in close, because you'll inevitably get a funny or bad roll and missing position by an inch up in close on a 6ft table will hurt you a lot more than the same slight error on a 9ft table.
Yes you will. You'll probably get worse.
What level players are those 'people' who told you to get rid of your 8 foot for a 7 foot?
Is the table you have now solid and in good condition? Is it fun to play on? If so, I think you should stick with it.
Back when I started to play in bar leagues after playing on nothing but 9' (and sometimes 10') tables for 12 years, I found that it was a little hard to adjust at first but that after five or six back-and-forths I had no problem with either size.
If the table is not enjoyable, get rid of it.