Are You A Ball Banger?

D

drivermaker

Banned
You can go into pool rooms at any time of the day all across America and see ball bangers everywhere. It's not only the true ball banger that plays occasionally and can't even make a ball...it's a number of the league players that just hammer everything.

I've always liked Byrne's definition of what constitutes force and CB speed.

Shooting from close to the end rail, like you're lagging, getting the CB to the other end rail or shorter would be considered "very soft".

Having it hit the end rail and come back to touch the end rail from where you started would be considered "soft".

Going 3 rails back to the far end rail is "medium".

And coming 4 rails backs to where you start or further is "hard".

When you watch Buddy Hall play and most of the pros, you see smooth strokes and the CB not going any faster than it needs to for the next shot.
When guys talk about shafts being "whippy" that usually only comes about due to the force applied. If you're hitting most everything between very soft, soft, and medium you'll make many more shots that won't jar out of the pocket, you won't experience any where near as much deflection, and your stroke stays in line much better and accurately.

I don't know where you fall for NORMAL shots, but based on Byrnes way of measuring, I'm in the soft range for the most part unless a situation arises. Where are you?
 
Where I play in Jurassic Park, most of the Old Dino's are BALL BANGERS, and happy they can make it to the Pool Room DAILY....... :o

A good day is when you Wake Up above the Grass, not Under it.... :D
 
i suspect many ballbangers are bangers because they just don't understand english and center cb. They have only learned that if they shoot balls medium or soft, they miss more.

But if they shoot hard, they don't need to hit the cb accurately bcs it doesn't throw.

...This is also why it is continually a surprise wherever the cb ends up.
 
Ball bangers ...

When I think of Ball bangers, I think of people that shoot
medium to very hard all the time, with little regard for shape
on the next shot, and just take whatever happens. Note:
a lot of these types of players might run all their balls off
in 8 ball except that last one that is tied up, and still wonder
how they ever lost that game.

I shoot how the table layout dictates me to shoot, but I think
of myself, and I think others do too, as a firm shooter. Rarely,
will you see me just barely dribble a ball into the pocket, it either
will be going or not. I see quite a few players doing soft breakouts
playing 8 ball, not me, I always firmly break them out, and believe
that in sending them out to a rail, and coming back off the rail,
I will have a better layout, than just softly breaking them.

I once watched two friends of mine shooting a final match in a
9 ball tournament. It was Gabe Owen and Jeremy Vulgamore, who
both were equal in talent at the time. It was hill-to-hill and Gabe
left Jeremy a shot on the 8. The angle was pretty thin, and Jeremy
tried to slow roll into the corner pocket and hold the cue ball for a
shot on the 9 into the other foot corner pocket. He could have just
shot it in, and gone around the table for position with no trouble for
Jeremy to do, but he didn't. Well, the 8 stopped an inch before the
corner pocket, and Gabe, of course, cleaned up the 8 and 9 for the
win. There was quite a money difference with the calcutta along with
the tournament prize money, and Jeremy lost because he slow rolled
that 8 ball instead of shooting it in, and going 3 rails for shape on the
9.
 
Snapshot9 said:
When I think of Ball bangers, I think of people that shoot
medium to very hard all the time, with little regard for shape
on the next shot, and just take whatever happens. Note:
a lot of these types of players might run all their balls off
in 8 ball except that last one that is tied up, and still wonder
how they ever lost that game.

I shoot how the table layout dictates me to shoot, but I think
of myself, and I think others do too, as a firm shooter. Rarely,
will you see me just barely dribble a ball into the pocket, it either
will be going or not. I see quite a few players doing soft breakouts
playing 8 ball, not me, I always firmly break them out, and believe
that in sending them out to a rail, and coming back off the rail,
I will have a better layout, than just softly breaking them.
Click to expand...


So where does "firm" fit into it? Is that medium? You can shoot at a "soft" speed with draw or anything else and still be firm. And at "soft" it won't just dribble into the pocket. Depending on the length of the shot, "very soft" can dribble, although it could be very appropriate.

When playing 8-ball and breaking up a rack, I go along with you about shooting harder, but for the most part the majority of players just fire EVERYTHING too hard, especially in 9-ball when running the CB around the table. Bangers will almost always be long rather than short and as a result, way out of position.
 
I am a ballbanging street player for sure. My average stroke is probably between medium and hard.

I think how hard you hit depends on playing style though. For instance, how would you people play this layout?

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For me, every single shot would be some kind of 100-200mph stun.


drivermaker said:
When you watch Buddy Hall play and most of the pros, you see smooth strokes and the CB not going any faster than it needs to for the next shot.
When guys talk about shafts being "whippy" that usually only comes about due to the force applied. If you're hitting most everything between very soft, soft, and medium you'll make many more shots that won't jar out of the pocket, you won't experience any where near as much deflection, and your stroke stays in line much better and accurately.

I don't know where you fall for NORMAL shots, but based on Byrnes way of measuring, I'm in the soft range for the most part unless a situation arises. Where are you?
Click to expand...
 
speed ...

drivermaker said:
So where does "firm" fit into it? Is that medium? You can shoot at a "soft" speed with draw or anything else and still be firm. And at "soft" it won't just dribble into the pocket. Depending on the length of the shot, "very soft" can dribble, although it could be very appropriate.

When playing 8-ball and breaking up a rack, I go along with you about shooting harder, but for the most part the majority of players just fire EVERYTHING too hard, especially in 9-ball when running the CB around the table. Bangers will almost always be long rather than short and as a result, way out of position.
Click to expand...

Actually, I would have to say that the shape I want on the next 2 balls
would dictate how I shoot the current shot, and the skill level of my
opponent factors into it also. Lots of times you will notice that novice
players will shoot a ball in softly, hold the cue right there, and take a
bad angle on the next ball, not realizing that even if they make it, it
will screw them on the shape for the ball after that. I am not thrilled
about real hard shots, so I try to play the best shape I can in every ball
to make the run out simple. I have pretty good cueball control, so shooting
harder, going 1,2,3 rails for the angle I want on the next ball doesn't
bother me, and that is what I do most of the time IF I HAVE TO. I know
the shots that I can have a tendency to get weak on, or that I have to
concentrate hard on not to mess up, and I will play shape so I won't
have to shoot one of those shots.

Egg ... your shot, I would probably shoot down in the corner with low
left english fairly strong, so I could hit the long rail with my cue and
bring it out towards the center of the table for the 7. Just shooting
the 6 softly would leave the cueball close to the long rail with a bad
angle to get good shape on the 8.
 
Sometimes I am definitely a ball banger. Problem is, I don't really know why it happens.
I'll be going along through a rack just fine and then out of nowhere, I hammer a ball when I didn't need to. Between this and my lousy break it's a wonder I ever run a rack.

Koop
 
I know a lotta players who'd soft it in the side and come off the top rail to get shape, which I wouldn't even consider an option unless there were blockers in the way.

Snapshot9 said:
Egg ... your shot, I would probably shoot down in the corner with low
left english fairly strong, so I could hit the long rail with my cue and
bring it out towards the center of the table for the 7. Just shooting
the 6 softly would leave the cueball close to the long rail with a bad
angle to get good shape on the 8.
Click to expand...
 
Come on drivermaker....I prefer the title rail-tester. I am a professional rail-tester. :) No honestly now...Alot of people hit the balls extra hard when they are nervous. I know I have done it a million times. Other people hit the balls hard when they are pumped up..then they miss...oops. Other people just don't know better. They probably do everything like forceful like that.

Sarah
 
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