2015 AZ Billiards Straight Pool Challenge!

I ran 78 today. Got many 50+ and 60+ ...
Feel little frustrated because I know if I had little easier tables I could put now big numbers. Staying on line is difficult because so much focus needed just making balls.
Also no any opponents sucks too.

I put video later that 78 and maybe one 66 because they had difficult layouts many times.
 
Ran a real smooth 75 today 3/23/15 in a game with about 4 or 5 junkie 14.1 rail birds watching on, not my high for the year but I am glad that it was such a controlled run until I gotta out of line in the end and had to take a tough uncontrolled shot and I caught the point... I really felt like i was gonna hit the triple digits !!!!

Oh well, I feel more good things coming !!!

Steve
 
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46

Had a 46 today. missed a makeable shot. was gonna shoot a pretty easy combo next. I choked a little and my shot brushed another ball on the way towards the hole. Had a 32 two innings earlier. I told myself you only get three more innings no matter what.


http://youtu.be/JWdbNhqNcHM
 
I had a 57 ball run today (May 3rd). I am progressing 2 balls at a time, but will continue to try to improve. Best Regards and Good Shooting, Hal
 
I had a run of 95 today on a 7' valley bar box. I havent played a lot of 14.1 but I tell you my heart was pumping pretty good the last couple of racks.
I didnt have a great break ball set up but I missed very easy position and hooked myself with 4 balls on the table left in the last rack. Tried a long sharp cut and over cut it.
Sure is frustrating to be that close to 100 and misplay an "easy" layout, but I'm pleased with a new personal best.
 
put me down for a 51 tonight, 5/18/15. much better rhythm and flow; 26 minutes, half what it took me to run my first 50+ last fall. in about 2 weeks i should finally be able to play more, looking forward to it because i appear to be in stroke.

video: http://youtu.be/ojrdSDKxBq0

once again, many, many thanks to Steve Matthieu (sparkle84) for spending so much time trying to knock the right way to play into my thick head. i'd never have done this without him. [although he'll probably rightly cringe at some of my long way around the barn patterns here]
 
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put me down for a 51 tonight, 5/18/15. much better rhythm and flow; 26 minutes, half what it took me to run my first 50+ last fall. in about 2 weeks i should finally be able to play more, looking forward to it because i appear to be in stroke.

video: http://youtu.be/ojrdSDKxBq0

once again, many, many thanks to Steve Matthieu (sparkle84) for spending so much time trying to knock the right way to play into my thick head. i'd never have done this without him. [although he'll probably rightly cringe at some of my long way around the barn patterns here]

Nicely Done Bob !!

you had some real tough situations during that run, and you got through them rather nicely.

that last rack was brutal with thos 4 balls left in the rack area, you kinda painted yourself i a corner there with no real great way to solve the last piece of the puzzle.

keep it up my friend

-Steve
 
thanks, Steve!

well put: i painted Myself into a corner, starting at 21:00 when i bumped the 4 ball that i was trying to slide by; it went up table, no harm there, but bumped the 1-ball which closed the cluster up. up 'til then, everything still went if i did it in the right order, and would leave the 14 as the break ball.

getting the cluster apart at that point while trying to leave the 14 was so hard that i probably should have abandoned it and used the 3 for a back of the stack break.

i then compounded it at 23:20 by bumping the 3, and was very lucky to have a shot; i had been Trying to get around to shoot the 8, which would've opened the side pocket for the 9, and then the out was easy.

then at 24:30, i was trying to get on the 5, with the 8 as a bail-out; i over-ran the 5 by about 1/2", but then put myself on the rail And had the wrong angle on the 8 as well, so i was already toast at that point, although at 25:20 i thought even though i couldn't jack up and draw into the 1-ball, i had a good chance if i bumped the 9 while shooting the 8, but cut the 8 into the wrong side of the pocket and ran into the break ball and then was way out of line.

then i took the wrong shot; i was Waaaay more confident in shooting the 14 off-angle up the rail (for some strange reason i like that shot), but thought the percentage was higher on the 9. oops.

but the run had really ended when i bumped that 4 ball much earlier.
 
Congrats on your 2nd 50. Few observations on the last rack. Your 1st and biggest mistake was not following the BS with more speed. It would have been a much easier rack if you had. Even so you still had a workable rack. In hindsight I think you'll realize that the 6 was not a very good secondary breakshot. You had other options. It seems like you went back in time at a few points where you looked at the right shot a number of times but then decided to shoot something else. Twice you were on the 5 ball and didn't shoot it. Especially at 23:30. Would have solved your problems.
Anyway, maybe at some point we can reconstruct this rack after the break and take a look at some of the things you might have done differently.
 
thank you, Steve! yeah, i kinda got cautious on the bs. i especially tend to do that when i'm reaching, which most people wouldn't have to on that shot. :/

the camera angle makes the cuts i had on the 5 those 2 times look far straighter than it was; the first time the table was crowded in weird lines and i was certain i'd lose the cueball and something bad would happen (although again in retrospect, all of the problems at several points would go away if i abandoned the 14 as a break and just used it or ran into it. in fact, just before that i could've shot it up table and Everything would have been open; i'd have a less than optimal break ball, but would certainly have gotten out).

the 2nd time i was on the 5, the cut was much sharper than it looks on video and i was close enough to the ball that i figured i was only 50-50 at best to make it. but i most likely would've had the 8 in the side at the very least if i made it.
 
197 just now, less than twenty minutes ago. Fine run but feeling bummed because I'm not sure if I dogged the last shot or if it rolled off: cue ball tucked right under the rail, had to roll in an off-straight ball into the opposite middle pocket in order to hold for position, and it hit the outside point. Whatever, not bad for a blind old man… ;)
 
197 just now, less than twenty minutes ago. Fine run but feeling bummed because I'm not sure if I dogged the last shot or if it rolled off: cue ball tucked right under the rail, had to roll in an off-straight ball into the opposite middle pocket in order to hold for position, and it hit the outside point. Whatever, not bad for a blind old man… ;)

WOW, thats huge !!! congrats :thumbup:

did you capture it on video ??

-Steve
 
WOW, thats huge !!! congrats :thumbup:

did you capture it on video ??

-Steve

Thanks Steve! Unfortunately not. Tried a couple Sony cams in my practice room (because their processors are said to be best for dark light), but without extra light, it looks as if balls in movement were followed by shadows, with greyish colours. Wonder if a GoPro Hero would do, looks as if those could easily be attached to a wall, maybe somebody knows? Can't really afford to spend a lot on a camera.

Believe it or not, I'm still totally bummed I missed at 197… :o

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
Thanks Steve! Unfortunately not. Tried a couple Sony cams in my practice room (because their processors are said to be best for dark light), but without extra light, it looks as if balls in movement were followed by shadows, with greyish colours. Wonder if a GoPro Hero would do, looks as if those could easily be attached to a wall, maybe somebody knows? Can't really afford to spend a lot on a camera.

Believe it or not, I'm still totally bummed I missed at 197… :o

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

the GoPro would be great for mounting, but i think space on the unit would be an issue. i think the storage capacity is limited, they are great for quick clips but not so sure about an hour or 2 of 14.1
i would look into it though, i may be wrong !!

try to adjust the video setting on the camera you have, you may be able to adjust it for lighting conditions.

-Steve
 
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