It doesn't come up often, but it came up tonight: one of my favorite rack breaking configuration. Play this one very high on the cueball, medium-hard with a lot of follow-through, so as to drive the ball deep into the rail then let the entire cue skip over the cueball (essentially a controlled miscue). The 15th ball is certain to go in and the rail sends the cueball back at high speed to whack the rack (and I really mean WHACK). The few times I played this before, the rack was just as open as after an 8-ball break, and tonight was no exception.
A great rack break
- Thread starter Fastolfe
- Start date
Sorry I don't quite master the cuetable editor thingy. The balls weren't frozen, they were a few millimeters apart, and only the cueball was truly hugging the rail.
I could have played directly toward the rack of course, but compressing the rail and letting the rubber rebound really sends the cueball flying. It's really just a dry flick of the cue on the cueball, but the result is dramatic. I think it's similar to a bow and arrow: the energy you put in the bow is the same as what you'd use to send the arrow forward yourself, but the bow moves the arrow much faster.
Why is it a foul by the way?
I could have played directly toward the rack of course, but compressing the rail and letting the rubber rebound really sends the cueball flying. It's really just a dry flick of the cue on the cueball, but the result is dramatic. I think it's similar to a bow and arrow: the energy you put in the bow is the same as what you'd use to send the arrow forward yourself, but the bow moves the arrow much faster.
Why is it a foul by the way?
Anytime a ball rebounds off a cushion it loses some force. You would hit the balls harder shoooting straight into the rack.
Try this: cue elevated slightly so the cue ball clears the ferrule on the way back, open bridge with bridge hand out of the way of the cue ball (bridge with your thumb), grip so that you lighten the front of the cue, aim the very top of the ball, and hit soft-medium, frankly and with follow-through. If you hit the ball too high, you won't get any action and you'll hear the ferrule whack the ball. If you hit too low, it'll jam against the rail. If you hit right, the cue ball will rebound off the rail with surprising speed, and your cue will skip cleanly over it without making any miscue sound. You don't have to be good to achieve it, but you do need to follow through against the rail, which is counterintuitive.
I'll give it several tries tomorrow.
Here's hoping you folks will help
I am looking Forward to learning how to play 14:1
Thanks in advance
Irish
p.s.
I am a 58 year old who has played everything except 1 pocket I dont even know the rules!!!!!
I am looking Forward to learning how to play 14:1
Thanks in advance
Irish
p.s.
I am a 58 year old who has played everything except 1 pocket I dont even know the rules!!!!!
Another thing you have to watch with this shot is that hitting the cue ball into the rail with high english can potentially cause it to go airborne. The "intentional" miscue may prevent that, but if you catch the cue ball flush, Whitey may be going for a ride to who knows where.
Personally, I may opt to play safe here... Pocket the 1 and draw the cue ball back down table (you did say there was some space between them), trying to get it as close to the head rail as possible and then take my chances on the ensuing safe battle.
Also, if only the cue ball was truly hugging the rail, the 1 ball is not 100% certain to go in off a rail first shot. Last thing you want to do is not pocket the 1 and bust the rack open.
Knowing that, I may opt for the safe I stated above.
Personally, I may opt to play safe here... Pocket the 1 and draw the cue ball back down table (you did say there was some space between them), trying to get it as close to the head rail as possible and then take my chances on the ensuing safe battle.
Also, if only the cue ball was truly hugging the rail, the 1 ball is not 100% certain to go in off a rail first shot. Last thing you want to do is not pocket the 1 and bust the rack open.
Knowing that, I may opt for the safe I stated above.
I've never had that happen with that kind of shots. The cue hits at too shallow an angle to drive the ball into the cloth and jump the cueball, and the rail's edge isn't high enough above centerball to extert any significant downward force I reckon. Even with really hard "into the rail" shots (like cueball and object ball very close, against the rail, straight in shot, and you need to create yourself an angle by ramming the ball into the rail, essentially doing a kickshot from "inside" the rail), the cueball never jumps.
I guess you can make it happen if you overdo the cue's downward angle or force though. These aren't very normal shots, so anything is possible in the end.
You don't have to play it against the rail of course, but I find the shot surprisingly repeatable and efficient. Also it has showoff value that, if you manage to execute it with a poker face like it was "just another shot", can have an interesting demoralizing effect on your opponent.
I think it's safe to say this is the sort of disaster every straight pool player worries about at each rack break
