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- Thread starter peppersauce
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I'm not a 14.1 player, .this is a run of 38 and my high run is only mid 40s from years ago.
Where do you all think I can improve to increase my runs? Help me, pretty please!
You're a very nice player, no need to worry about your shot making skills.
I think with more experience your end pattern choices will improve. First break shot a little too shallow, second break shot had good action, but moved too many balls up table. I believe you should clear the up-table balls as soon as possible.
I have heard some people just practice with a handful of balls on the table and work on their end game. That's probably ideal for a good player who doesn't focus on 14.1 all the time, to keep the racks going..
well done
not a 14-1 player or I would help... sorry :frown:
Thank you! I was going to get in between those balls on the head rail off the 7 in the side but I was worried I wouldn't be able to get a good angle to break that cluster out later. It bit me in the arse though when I tried to get on that stripe at the head of the table off that ball near the bottom corner. As soon as I saw the CB come off the foot rail I already knew what was going to happen. I was just watching and thinking I know you're not going to stop in the ONLY spot on the table where I can't make this damn ball.
I never thought about not using the whole rack and just working on end patterns. I'll try it! Thanks!
I posted this vid a couple of months ago in the 14.1 forum in the high run thread and asked if anyone had any constructive criticism...crickets! So I submit it for all to see and dissect as you see fit.
I'm not a 14.1 player, but I was goofing around one night and thought I'd try to catch a high run on camera. While this isn't my high run, it's all I've got on video. Not that it makes any difference though...this is a run of 38 and my high run is only mid 40s from years ago.
So anyway! Where do you all think I can improve to increase my runs? Help me, pretty please!
https://youtu.be/uFUMO6jq2yQ
Your cue ball is careless - which causes you to run into balls when you shouldn't.
In rack 1 -
9 was the break ball
1 was your key ball
11 was your key to the key
you pocketed the 11 - then when you pocketed the 7, you ran into the 9 - got funny on the 4 ... it all comes down to your cue ball. The more you have to do with your cue ball - the more mental energy you will deplete. When you deplete your mental energy - you deplete the number of your run. That's just how it works.
You can avoid all of that by playing stop shot patterns ... or playing yourself INTO stop shot patterns. Let's face it - you won't always have that opportunity - but you will find easier ways to get through the rack if you take your time to look - evaluate - and plan it out.
Rack 2 -
The execution of your shot on the 9 was the shitz - that's the nicest way I can put it - but I've seen worse.
Just an observation:Every time you slam the chalk on the rail - slap the rail in anger - or show any type of emotional outburst - you drain more physical and emotional energy that should be used to accomplish your mission - which is to run a lot of balls.
Nice dead ball call on the 11 -
at 6:00 ... I want you to pause your video and look at your stop shot options. You have 1. But that stop shot leads to another - then another - then another.
Your shot on the 14 ... I think you were trying to go into the balls - wrong time for that. Shoot the 13 - get a better angle on the 14 - then you would have had a better angle to take care of those clustered balls.
Instead, you sent another ball (the 7) down table and to a rail (never a good thing). That happened because you "let go of your cue ball" . In straight pool, you should never let go of your cue ball. Just remember - if you let go of your cue ball, the table will definitely take it from you - and you probably won't get it back. Your shot on the 13 - you let go of whitey again - it takes a trip around the world and almost scratches in BOTH side pockets. Never surrender your cue ball like that.
You pocket the 8 - miss position on the 7 - which causes you to have to go back to the other end of the table - leaving the 7 as a straggler - which goes back to that errant shot earlier - the 7 should never have been sent there in the first place.
Shooting off the two and going into the balls - not sure if had much of a choice with that - the balls get spread - they go out to the rails and come back into a new cluster. You went in there and moved everything - but you didn't take care of the problem. IMO, that all comes down to the speed and the shot angle. When breaking clusters, remember that Shaft speed=cue ball speed = ball speed. Pay attention to the speed of your shaft and the tempo of your stroke - that way you can control where those balls go. You never just want smash into them and hope for the best.
I try to find secondary break shots where I can control my cue ball - or stop it ... in this situation, I would have tried to stop my cue ball with the 1 ball. Just an opinion from the peanut gallery - in reality you may not have had that option - just saying that so you will think of that in the future when the opportunity arises. If you go back and look at that shot again - and see how you could have hit the 1 to stop your cue ball. Most great runs possess these 4 magical ingredients ... CARE - ACCURACY - PRECISION & EXACTNESS. Remember that.
With 4 balls left - you still didn't have a defined break ball or a defined key ball. Smashing through those balls (9:06) wasn't wise. I would have been thinking about a behind the stack break ball - which immediately would have had my attention turned to that straggler 7 ball. It served no purpose in any end pattern - so ... if it doesn't serve a purpose or if it doesn't belong - get rid of it. Instead, left the 7 as your key ball ...
Look at the distance between the 7 and the 4 (9:40). Big problem.
These balls don't connect - ideally you want a key ball to connect with your break ball with a stop shot - or an easy 1 rail position shot - this is a multi-rail position shot - where you are surrendering your cue ball to the elements of the table (cloth speed - rail speed). You can avoid all of that by using a stop shot.
You do a good job getting a great angle on the 4 - perhaps a bit too much angle - but like I said - shot angle and speed go hand in hand on these shots... you just don't want to stick to the pack - or get left dead behind the stack. You execute the break shot very very well.
At 11:20 ... look at the table ...
The major issue are those balls stuck together in the stack area. Your pattern here should take you to a secondary break ball ... which is the 15. You can get there by pocketing the 5- or by going 8-7 ... I would have went 8-7 ... that's just me.
You went with the 5 - got funny - and you decided to pocket the 15 without going into those balls. The problem with doing that is that you really didn't have another ball in that area to help you break that up. That is why I would have went 8-7 and then pocketed the 15 and gone into the balls again.
At 12:18 ... you could have pocketed the 8 and slid over for the 10 ... and you could have possibly used that to go into the balls. Instead - you shoot the 7...
At that point- the 10 was not your break ball. You still had work to do - you still had balls to move - so IMO the 10 was a pretty good secondary break ball option.
You then divert your attention down-table - and start pocketing those balls - meanwhile - you have bigger problems on the other side of the table.
At 13:10 ... we revisit the 10 ball option for the secondary break ball. Look at the distance between the cue ball and the 10 - if you can drive a Cadillac through that space - stop - and look to find a way to get your cue ball closer to the 10. There is distance between the cue ball and the 10 - and there is distance between the 10 and the cluster ... if that total distance is greater than 20-24 inches - then you're in Low-Percentageville.
IMO - you sent some of those balls to worse positions -
In 14.1 you need to learn how to work yourself INTO advantages - not into disadvantages.
You get pissed when you miss position on a table length draw shot (save that stuff for 9 ball - you just learned what that shot will get you in 14.1)
Once again - your emotions take over - the cue is set down - chalk is tapped all over the rails.... self control is twice as important as cue ball control - because without self control you won't have cue ball control.
The combo you missed was missed because you smashed the hell out of it - it's a cue ball, not a hockey puck - if you treat it well it will treat you well - so stroke it don't poke it.
That's just what I saw - I am sure that others will probably see other stuff that I missed -
I'm not in here as much any more - but if you need anything at all - you can find me on Facebook or thru my website. Teaching and playing 14.1 is what I do every day - if you have the time, give me a call and we'll work on getting those numbers into the higher range.
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David, thank you so much! That was FAR more in depth than I was expecting. I'm not at home but I will be in a couple of days and I'll rewatch the video on my computer and study it with all the great notes you just gave me. I'll be visiting your website as well. Thanks again! :grin-square:
PS: I agree completely with your observations about my temper. I lose my cool pretty quickly and, what's worse, I tend to internalize my frustration for the most part. I need to find a way to control my emotions better if I really want to reach that next level...just in general as a pool player. I've struggled with my temper my whole life. When I laid my cue on the table and took a little walk I was legitimately pissed. Like, I wanted to take a bite out of my cue pissed.
PS: I agree completely with your observations about my temper. I lose my cool pretty quickly and, what's worse, I tend to internalize my frustration for the most part. I need to find a way to control my emotions better if I really want to reach that next level...just in general as a pool player. I've struggled with my temper my whole life. When I laid my cue on the table and took a little walk I was legitimately pissed. Like, I wanted to take a bite out of my cue pissed.
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I agree, nice write-up David.
Nice shooting, very nice, straight, stroke I thought. Nice write up Dave.
Im guilty of the same things you are many times, but the longer you play the game the more you realize the catch 22 of knowing that precision CB is necessary, is not realizing just how precision that means.
An enjoyable video clip to watch, A great take away from this may be for 9 ball players. Did you feel how nicely immersed he was in the game? How challenging 14.1 can be? So many choices and its all left up to you.
How the hell they find fulfillment smashing balls over and over, trying to get a lucky enough spread to run 8 balls at best when the depth of this game is available to improve your play, I will never understand.
Im guilty of the same things you are many times, but the longer you play the game the more you realize the catch 22 of knowing that precision CB is necessary, is not realizing just how precision that means.
An enjoyable video clip to watch, A great take away from this may be for 9 ball players. Did you feel how nicely immersed he was in the game? How challenging 14.1 can be? So many choices and its all left up to you.
How the hell they find fulfillment smashing balls over and over, trying to get a lucky enough spread to run 8 balls at best when the depth of this game is available to improve your play, I will never understand.
Agreed, that was an amazing analysis Blackjack! I feel like I have learned a ton just from reading that and watching the video. As someone trying to learn to play 14.1 and being really terrible at it, I plan to revisit this thread and video when I have more time to study it when I'm not at work.
Thanks to the OP for posting the video and to Blackjack for the writeup, I think it has the potential to help many more people than just the OP.
Thanks to the OP for posting the video and to Blackjack for the writeup, I think it has the potential to help many more people than just the OP.
Blackjack, great write up and very generous use of your time; I gained some analysis skills from your notes as well - and I sent you some rep for the high quality effort.
Blackjack, I agree with the others, that was absolutely a great write up!!!! When I have the patience to really get into 14.1 I will definitely refer back to this post.
After reading the analysis that David (Blackjack) gave there is not much more to be said. that was probably one of the best reviews i have ever read !!!
do yourself a favor and really commit to what david says, he has helped myself and countless others to improve !!!
-Steve "the Kurtz Drill"
do yourself a favor and really commit to what david says, he has helped myself and countless others to improve !!!
-Steve "the Kurtz Drill"
I posted this vid a couple of months ago in the 14.1 forum in the high run thread and asked if anyone had any constructive criticism...crickets! So I submit it for all to see and dissect as you see fit.
I'm not a 14.1 player, but I was goofing around one night and thought I'd try to catch a high run on camera. While this isn't my high run, it's all I've got on video. Not that it makes any difference though...this is a run of 38 and my high run is only mid 40s from years ago.
So anyway! Where do you all think I can improve to increase my runs? Help me, pretty please!
https://youtu.be/uFUMO6jq2yQ
Just as a comment, you are playing faster then you can form good ideas of how to run the balls. You are not actually running balls, you are just getting in and out of trouble till you miss or can no longer escape your mistakes.
It is funny watching your reactions to what happens on the table. It is as if you have no control and someone else is doing all this to you. You are the only one at the table and you are not playing on the deck of a rolling ship. The balls don't move till you move them. Your reaction to the break shot at 4:40 when you drop your cue and slap the table is hysterical. What did you think was going to happen the way you hit it.
You should have quit at that point and set the shot up again and experimented with better ways of hitting it. Try to learn something. How many balls you run badly is not important.
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I agree. As far as the break shot at 4 something, I think my end pattern was weak and it led to me getting too straight on my break ball. I know the camera angle isn't the best, but what I was trying to do is punch the CB into the side of the pack with just enough follow to float down towards the end rail without risking a scratch for a shot at one of the balls that came out. As has already been stated, my execution was terrible and I buried myself in the pack.
Thanks for the input. I'll take any kind I can get! Lord knows I need it. :thumbup:
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Nice run. First of all, you would have gotten responses in the 14.1 forum if you had started a thread with the video - they don't charge extra for starting a thread. I don't ever look at the high run thread. That is one of the best forums on this website with people willing to give feedback.
It is a little difficult to give feedback because it is hard to tell whether balls are inside or outside the rack. In the first rack the 9 is a little high but the reason you got stuck in the rack is because you just cinched the ball. You need to spin the cue ball. If you had gotten straighter on the key ball you could have rolled forward for a better angle and been closer to the break ball and come across the top of the stack. With the angle you had I'd have used low right to draw off the stack and get the cue ball up table away from trouble.
Second rack I couldn't tell whether the 10 or 6 were outside the rack, looked like the 10 was for sure. It also looked like the 7/3 was wired for the corner pocket. If that is the case I'd have rolled the 1 in the corner and played the 7/3 combo preserving the 10 ball. Rule of thumb is if you have a break ball and everything has a pocket don't disturb the break ball. You did a great job of getting on the ball on the foot rail and a great job of hitting the corner ball with a ton of juice to get the ball away from the rack.
You are a good player, the more you play the more you will figure things out. You can also pick up some good advice from commentary on videos, my preference is accustats.
One other tidbit of advice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apf-EZf2LGI
This old video isn't the best quality but the quality of advice from Ray Martin is world class. At the end after he runs 100 balls while verbalizing his thoughts during the run he stops to answer questions. One of the things he talks about is composure at the table. He says a guy who makes a mistake, gets out of line and then tosses his cue and gets upset - that guy is never going to make it. You did that when your cue ball rolled farther than you wanted in the final rack. If you get out of line, shoot your way back in line. Everybody gets out of line. Champions like Ray maintain their composure and get back in line. After you watch him run balls Listen to Ray's comments at the end of the seminar. Better yet contact Ray for a lesson - he posts here under username ghostball and he last info on him was he was living in Raleigh N.C.
It is a little difficult to give feedback because it is hard to tell whether balls are inside or outside the rack. In the first rack the 9 is a little high but the reason you got stuck in the rack is because you just cinched the ball. You need to spin the cue ball. If you had gotten straighter on the key ball you could have rolled forward for a better angle and been closer to the break ball and come across the top of the stack. With the angle you had I'd have used low right to draw off the stack and get the cue ball up table away from trouble.
Second rack I couldn't tell whether the 10 or 6 were outside the rack, looked like the 10 was for sure. It also looked like the 7/3 was wired for the corner pocket. If that is the case I'd have rolled the 1 in the corner and played the 7/3 combo preserving the 10 ball. Rule of thumb is if you have a break ball and everything has a pocket don't disturb the break ball. You did a great job of getting on the ball on the foot rail and a great job of hitting the corner ball with a ton of juice to get the ball away from the rack.
You are a good player, the more you play the more you will figure things out. You can also pick up some good advice from commentary on videos, my preference is accustats.
One other tidbit of advice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apf-EZf2LGI
This old video isn't the best quality but the quality of advice from Ray Martin is world class. At the end after he runs 100 balls while verbalizing his thoughts during the run he stops to answer questions. One of the things he talks about is composure at the table. He says a guy who makes a mistake, gets out of line and then tosses his cue and gets upset - that guy is never going to make it. You did that when your cue ball rolled farther than you wanted in the final rack. If you get out of line, shoot your way back in line. Everybody gets out of line. Champions like Ray maintain their composure and get back in line. After you watch him run balls Listen to Ray's comments at the end of the seminar. Better yet contact Ray for a lesson - he posts here under username ghostball and he last info on him was he was living in Raleigh N.C.
hmmm
Not sure if you know this or not but I play a lot of one pocket so most of my advice is going to apply to the break shot to the on the 9 and like what was mentioned early and that is playing as natural as possible.
English on the cue ball kinda reacts against the stack the same way it does the rails. for the angle you had on the 9 for reference: Center=kill whitey and inside=kill whitey. Outside=climb above stack and draw=well draw above stack lol and top straight into the stack can bury you. You may already know this but these are good rules of thumb. Also busting open a bunch of balls and hoping your cue ball finds a shot is never as good busting several open and playing shape. Busting the balls open and playing shape for the break out, an insurance ball or a shot that is already there are the best options.
Not sure if you know this or not but I play a lot of one pocket so most of my advice is going to apply to the break shot to the on the 9 and like what was mentioned early and that is playing as natural as possible.
English on the cue ball kinda reacts against the stack the same way it does the rails. for the angle you had on the 9 for reference: Center=kill whitey and inside=kill whitey. Outside=climb above stack and draw=well draw above stack lol and top straight into the stack can bury you. You may already know this but these are good rules of thumb. Also busting open a bunch of balls and hoping your cue ball finds a shot is never as good busting several open and playing shape. Busting the balls open and playing shape for the break out, an insurance ball or a shot that is already there are the best options.
In the first rack, I would have left the 11 and 7 until the end, along with the 1 and 9.
The 11 makes a great second choice for a break shot and the 7 would be a good key ball for that break shot if you needed to switch your choice to the 11.
Plus, either the 7 or the 11 will easily get you to the 1 ball if by the end of the rack you still want to make the 9 your break shot and the 1 your key ball.
The last 4 balls in the rack are key and the others can be picked off in whatever pattern works best for you without disturbing the last 4.
The 11 makes a great second choice for a break shot and the 7 would be a good key ball for that break shot if you needed to switch your choice to the 11.
Plus, either the 7 or the 11 will easily get you to the 1 ball if by the end of the rack you still want to make the 9 your break shot and the 1 your key ball.
The last 4 balls in the rack are key and the others can be picked off in whatever pattern works best for you without disturbing the last 4.
That's the same thing I was going to post. You beat me to it.:thumbup:
