3-foul wins
- Thread starter Travis Bickle
- Start date
DaveK said:
It seldomly arises but it's important to recognize it when it does come up. Simply put, it's a trap but a very effective one for the player who isn't paying attention. It's important to remember that if you're on 1-foul on a tied-up table, you'll eventually have to make a solid hit. Just because the 1 doesn't go anywhere, doesn't mean it isn't a problem for you. Sometimes, your best move is to just blast the cluster and force your sly opponent to run the balls out.
I've pulled this move a couple of times and have yet to fall for it. As stated earlier, the first time was against a solid player who simply didn't see it coming.
zeeder said:
Aside from the fact that shaft-jumps are rarely legal, you're still a 5:1 underdog under optimal conditions. Oftentimes, these safety situations happen near the rail. Even if you do hit the ball, you gotta keep whitey on the table, too.
Jude Rosenstock said:
You can still get the required loft with a regular jump cue. And while I agree that it's a long shot, the incoming player does at least have ball in hand. So even if it's near the rail, you'll often be able to jump on a trajectory parallel to the rail, and hope to land on the side of the object ball away from the rail. But even with that, 5:1 sounds about right for a good player (or in my case, optimistic).
Cory
Jude Rosenstock said:
True, it's different from tennis, and at higher levels of play nobody should have any GLARING weaknesses, but I think a thread covered this topic a few weeks ago pretty thoroughly (about playing the table and/or the opponent) and most folks seemed to think -- it depends on the situation.
As for me, Jude, hey, I love offense, I spend most of my practice time running out. These days I hang in there with the 6 ball ghost, which ain't world-beating, for sure. My defense has only recently begun to catch up (I was losing too many matches because I was sloppy in that department), and I think that's where most games are won and lost ... winning that early or mid-game safety battle (or at least not selling out) SO that you get the best chance to run out.
3-foul wins really are rare for me ... last night was unprecedented, and I just take it as a sign that I'm making some progress in safety play, that's all.
Travis Bickle said:
That's great and in many ways, you're right. There is a time to safe and recognizing creative ways to safe is essential to higher-level play. I understand that in the heat-of-the-moment, players will often to whatever it takes to get a win and I'll never fault anyone for that. However, if I can run out, I will always attempt to do so. What my opponent does or doesn't do is borderline irrelevant. I'm going to play a given shot the same way against a D as I would against Mika Immonen. There are exceptions but those exceptions shouldn't come up terribly often. Not three times in a set.
This is all the same as someone saying, "Hey, I can drive backwards all the way to the mall." I mean, that's great that you can drive backwards so well but you really should go the other way.
Chilifide said:
I didn't get the best of looks cause it all went so damned fast, but his cue had a cocobolo joint, I think.