md5key said:
Just started watching rack 5. The break in that one has taught me something. I've been having trouble with sticking to the pile and not having a shot even if I break the pack out a little. In this shot he puts draw on the ball, but hits it hard enough so that the draw doesn't take until just before the cue ball hits the stack. The cue ball then has an angle as it goes into the stack and is able to clear it instead of stick to it.
Is this right Blackjack?
If you are talking about the break shot in the back of the stack, it looks as though he hit that with low right. The cue ball did not react the way he wanted to, and he ended up hitting the 10 on the left side. I believe Nick Varner comments about Efren wanting to make contact with the 5 on the left side.
I am no expert on physics, but I believe that the cue ball reacted that way because of his stroke speed. Like you pointed out, the cue ball didn't have enough room to fully take the english, so it contacted that 10, paused and then the spin takes over. He contacted that ball pretty good, but he made sure the cue ball was spinning PRIOR TO CONTACT to ensure he didn't get stuck.
Efren goes into the balls so beautifully - he plays every single game in a different dimension than most humans - its hard to say what he did or how he did it or why - that is why he is The Magician.
If you are getting stuck to the stack, then find out what you are doing wrong. Most of the time it is because you are contacting the gaps. Try to find the exact contact point on the target ball in the stack. I usually divide the ball into 3 parts - left, center, right. The cue ball will react different with follow, draw, and stun -and all variations of the same.
Many players try to drill the CB through the stack. Efren proves (several times in this match) how easy you can go into the balls to get a beautiful result. I love watching him play any game on a pool table - especially 14.1 and 1 pocket.
