Comments and inputs wanted - Video of my 40-run

Roy Steffensen

Roy Steffensen

locksmith
Silver Member
Ok, here's my 40 run on tape.

I have watched the tape several times, doing notes on what and where to improve. I have hesitated to upload the tape since I don't feel the run is telling the true story about my play, but in the end I have decided that I would like inputs from other straight pool players about patterns, choice of key-balls, my shot-routine etc. If anyone of you here on AZ would like to give me some inputs, it?s highly appreciated! (Remember that I am left-handed, which can mean something on choice of certain shots)

It's definitely not the most beautiful run I have ever had, but unfortunately it's the highest I've got on tape, so I decided to post anyway. The camera was not in perfect position, so it looks like I am playing in a hill :)

I started with ball in hand and by placing the break ball where I wanted. It's played on a Gold Crown IV with a 2 year old Simonis 860 cloth. The table is actually one of the 12 tournament tables from the World 9-ball Championship in Cardiff in 1999, the year Efren Reyes won the title.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8485547259013721697

edit: it's only 11 minutes, so it's not like watching ralf souquet - danny basavich :D
 
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i watched the first rack. i'd say take a tad more time to asses the lay-out. you start out right away and on the second shot you already are bridging over a ball, coming out the corner two rails, bumping into a ball...merely seeing the next shot. try to focus on playing with head more than arm. try to play position for more balls at the same time. acknowledge the problem early. in this rack, with no balls tied up, i'd say the group of balls blocking the lower left pocket...need to get in between those balls, open that pocket.

see you at the Eurotour in Weird?

Orange Crush in Jersey!!

poolkrant.nl
club-8.nl
 
Thanks for your reply Alex. My first thoughts when I watched the tape the first time was “SLOW DOWN – SLOW DOWN MAN” :D

I play a little slower now, taking my time, but I still play too fast, especially during practise. When I am in tournaments I almost always carefully check both aiming-point and next position. Still working on practising like it was a tournament…

My real problem with 14-1 is that I have always hated the game, and have never had a lesson. I have started to like the game more and more, and I notice that my patterns are getting much, much better. I have a dream of running a 100 in 14-1, and I think it’s possible for me to do so, much because of this subforum here at AZBilliards, and for inputs from people like you.

I know that when I am playing 9-ball I am playing the game on a completely different level, and I can give huge handicap to players in 9-ball, but will need weight from them if we play 14-1. Atleast, it was like that 6 months ago. Haven't competed in 14-1 for 6 months, except some friendly matches with Line Kjorsvik.

Unfortunately I can’t make it to Weert this year either Alex. In fact, I don’t think I have ever played a tournament in Holland, but I have had an opponent from Holland though. Do you remember the Eurotour in Gent in 2004. It was moved from another city in Belgium, I think, and we were placed in a poolhall with 24 poor pooltables upstairs and 24 snookertables downstairs.

I had the pleasure of playing my first match ever in the Eurotour against you, Alex Lely, and I was so nervous I almost pied my pants. I think this was the month before the European Championship, when you won 2 out of 3 gold medals. I certainly knew who you were, and I lost 7-2, and I am still embarrassed by my performance in that match, especially a miss on perhaps the easiest 9-ball I have ever had :o

Instead of wasting my money going to an Eurotour getting 2, 3 maybe 4 or even 5 matches (If my opponents forfeit), I strongly consider to attend one of the bootcamps of you and Johan!
 
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i remember our chat after the match. i forgot about your missed 9, i suggest you do the same...

word of advice on the 14-1: get an accu-stats Mike Sigel 150 and out (vs. Zuglan or vs. Rempe) and watch it 50 times. easy to discern his patterns and his tip-position.

play regular continuous. 15 balls. break. ball in hand from the kitchen. with your skills, you should be able to run 10 racks. you'll be working on repetition, concentration and pattern-play without being troubled by break-shots and big clusters. when you miss, start over and you only get to do something else once you have run 100. give yourself max. 7 tries for example so you really focus on quality. if you're through and did not make it, sorry unscrew and find something else to do for the day/night (watch another Sigel 150)

if you think you can get 16 of Norway's finest for a camp let me know, we'll keep you posted for the next Bootcamp in Holland

poolkrant.nl
club-8.nl
 
I thought the run was pretty good.

You tend to shoot whatever is available, and I believe that if your took your time to plan out your patterns you would have no problem getting that 100 ball run.

Look for secondary break shots and key balls earlier in the rack, and just relax. If you want me to go into more detail, let me know and I will evaluate it shot by shot - I have already downloaded it.
 
If you remember our chat I am sure you remember my cue, with the sticker "World Champion 2009" on :o You said you were going to get a sticker which said "World Champion 2008" :D (Perhaps Niels got one instead;))

Please keep me updated about bootcamp in Holland. I am very interested in joining!

If there ever will be such a bootcamp in Norway it will have to be in Oslo, and then I need hotel and flight anyway, so for me it will probably be cheaper to just go to Amsterdam or Hague :)
 
Blackjack said:
I thought the run was pretty good.

You tend to shoot whatever is available, and I believe that if your took your time to plan out your patterns you would have no problem getting that 100 ball run.

Look for secondary break shots and key balls earlier in the rack, and just relax. If you want me to go into more detail, let me know and I will evaluate it shot by shot - I have already downloaded it.
Click to expand...

Thanks David.

I hope that I can reach the 100, and it would be great if you could help me on my way!

Sent you a PM
 
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I cerainly agree, take more time to asess the cituation.

You have a tendency to move the cue ball more than you have to.

When you go into a pack of balls try to do it at a time when you have an insurance ball to shoot after hitting the pack, instead of going into it blind.

ALthough i do believe that you do have enough talent to run alot of balls, if you try doing this it would help you alot. if not giving you your 100, it will definatly better your average.

Good Luck!
Steve

i highly recomend you pick up the Danny Harriman 280 Run DVD, you will really learn alot from it, i have watched it 6 times already and each time i have learned something new.
 
stevekur1 said:
I cerainly agree, take more time to asess the cituation.

You have a tendency to move the cue ball more than you have to.

When you go into a pack of balls try to do it at a time when you have an insurance ball to shoot after hitting the pack, instead of going into it blind.

ALthough i do believe that you do have enough talent to run alot of balls, if you try doing this it would help you alot. if not giving you your 100, it will definatly better your average.

Good Luck!
Steve

i highly recomend you pick up the Danny Harriman 280 Run DVD, you will really learn alot from it, i have watched it 6 times already and each time i have learned something new.
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve. I have considered to buy both the dvd's of Danny and John. I think the dvd's will help me improve my game.
 
watch blackjacks video of niels feijen his 131 run.

I watched it it 4 times and broke my record on the first try after watching it.

Some things that he says that you havent done (and ive just watched the first rack) , besides slowing down

- dont bump into balls if they are not touching. You created clusters in the first rack, wich wasnt necesary
- play position for 2 balls at the same time.
- look for a L shaped endpatern of 3 balls. (and any of its horizontal and vertical mirrored images.)
- identify problem balls and get position on them ASAP.
aka the 2ball has been blocking 40% of your balls. So you cleaned what was open, and you are left with a group of balls all close to the triangle area (triangle area and balls around the breakball should be cleaned in the beginning of the rack, so that you dont risk bumping into the breakball) untill the end of the rack. you should have cleaned the 2 ball before removing the ball on the lowerrail, or the one on the upperrail. These balls aren't interfeering with anything, other balls are. Clean those first

the balls are in the middle of the table and your cb is around it. It should be the opposite. CB in the middle surounded by balls. this gives you easyer stopshot paterns.


just my 0.2c, your a WAY better player then I am . take it for what its worth.
 
Solartje said:
watch blackjacks video of niels feijen his 131 run.

I watched it it 4 times and broke my record on the first try after watching it.

Some things that he says that you havent done (and ive just watched the first rack) , besides slowing down

- dont bump into balls if they are not touching. You created clusters in the first rack, wich wasnt necesary
- play position for 2 balls at the same time.
- look for a L shaped endpatern of 3 balls. (and any of its horizontal and vertical mirrored images.)
- identify problem balls and get position on them ASAP.
aka the 2ball has been blocking 40% of your balls. So you cleaned what was open, and you are left with a group of balls all close to the triangle area (triangle area and balls around the breakball should be cleaned in the beginning of the rack, so that you dont risk bumping into the breakball) untill the end of the rack. you should have cleaned the 2 ball before removing the ball on the lowerrail, or the one on the upperrail. These balls aren't interfeering with anything, other balls are. Clean those first

the balls are in the middle of the table and your cb is around it. It should be the opposite. CB in the middle surounded by balls. this gives you easyer stopshot paterns.


just my 0.2c, your a WAY better player then I am . take it for what its worth.
Click to expand...

Thanks A LOT!

This, together with the other posts, is the kind of replies I was hoping to get by posting this video. Please keep'em coming, I feel like I am learning something by reading your comments here.

I don't know how your game is solartje, I have never seen you play. But I know that I perhaps need weight from you in 14-1 :D
 
Roy,
I'm still a 14.1 wannabe player but I hope my comments help too:
- slow down, walk around the table more
- your secondary break shots aren't breaking open the clusters effectively enough. Perhaps more power would help. Also, some of the insurance balls from the secondary break shots appear to have resulted from "lucky rolls".
- Attack problem balls and clusters sooner if possible
- Blackjack has five instructional videos on Veohtv that are very instructive.

For those of you who don't have access to veohtv, here's the link to access the Veoh tv software:
http://www.veoh.com/veohTV/getStarted.html
Press the "Free Download" button on the lower left side of the screen to start the download.
After downloading the VeohTV software, launch the application and perform a Search on "Blackjack David Sapolis" to watch the videos with Blackjack's commentary.

I hope that helps! :)
 
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Nothing against Schmidt because i think he's a great player as well. but i think danny did a better job with his video! i have learned more from his over johns. although i did pick up a few things from johns.


Also a few years ago john used to come into the room i play in, so i used to watch and play with him alot, so thats why there wasnt olot to learn from his DVD's

Steve
 
I dont think so Roy :) check my sign for my record.
i'm just a Ballbanger

Ps here is the first rack.

like i said before. 2ball blocks most of the balls clean those ASAP.

now check this pattern in the first image. (ROY1)
only one time did i use one rail. All the other shots are pure stopshots any player can make.

now compare the layout with 8 balls left on my paternchoice (ROY4) vs your layout.(ROY5)
Wich is the easyest to run out and get a good breakball?


(sorry for the crappy images, but just formated the computer and i only have PAINT installed :p
 

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Roy,

You pot well. Seems to me that on about 10 of those shots out of 40 you weren't really playing to get your cue ball in any particular position. Just kind of thinking if I go in that direction I should end up with a shot.

I think the key to regular high breaks is minimizing shots where you aren't sure of getting some kind of shot. Sometimes you have to play the odds, but it's better to play for precise position as much as possible. Demanding oneself getting perfect position is part of the key to developing great positional play.

Perhaps work on selecting a mark on the cloth where you want the CB to stop after every shot. It's harder brain work, and may cause you to miss a few shots early on, but it will lead to better CB control and better table planning in the long run.

btw: Are you an ex snooker player? Seems you love taking the balls into the long corner pockets rather than use the center pockets.

Colin
 
Solartje said:
I dont think so Roy :) check my sign for my record.
i'm just a Ballbanger

Ps here is the first rack.

like i said before. 2ball blocks most of the balls clean those ASAP.

now check this pattern in the first image. (ROY1)
only one time did i use one rail. All the other shots are pure stopshots any player can make.

now compare the layout with 8 balls left on my paternchoice (ROY4) vs your layout.(ROY5)
Wich is the easyest to run out and get a good breakball?


(sorry for the crappy images, but just formated the computer and i only have PAINT installed :p
Click to expand...


Thanks again. I can clearly see how easier your choice of balls was, then the shot I made! Very well explained! Rep to you!
 
Colin Colenso said:
Roy,

You pot well. Seems to me that on about 10 of those shots out of 40 you weren't really playing to get your cue ball in any particular position. Just kind of thinking if I go in that direction I should end up with a shot.

I think the key to regular high breaks is minimizing shots where you aren't sure of getting some kind of shot. Sometimes you have to play the odds, but it's better to play for precise position as much as possible. Demanding oneself getting perfect position is part of the key to developing great positional play.

Perhaps work on selecting a mark on the cloth where you want the CB to stop after every shot. It's harder brain work, and may cause you to miss a few shots early on, but it will lead to better CB control and better table planning in the long run.

btw: Are you an ex snooker player? Seems you love taking the balls into the long corner pockets rather than use the center pockets.

Colin
Click to expand...

The thing about sending the cueball in areas instead of exact position is probably a result of too much 9-ball and not much 14-1... In 9-ball I usually end op making the ball anyway, and can get decent position to the next ball, so it really "doesn't matter that much" with position. (I know it's not like that, but you know what I mean). I am working on it, especially after I started to play one-pocket...

I honestly don't know why I choose to play the shots in the cornerpockets instead of the side, but I feel comfortable on those shots. I haven't been playing much snooker, and I certainly not didn't start with it. I have played maybe 100 frames total in my life, with a 67 as highest break.

About selecting a mark on the cloth, I have seen Niels Feijen do this in his 259-run (on his website). I have tried to copy this move, but I seem to forget it after a short time... Definitely something I should work into my shot-routine.
 
Once again I would like to thank for the replies and comments I have received in this thread. I am pretty sure I am not the only one who have learned from these comments!

Thanks again - all of you have made me want to play straight pool now ;)
 
Great attitude Roy and a nice run. I agree with what's been said so far. I'd also like to add that one thing that has been difficult for me in the past is when there are too many options. Once the balls were open, I'd get overwhelmed with choices. You should see me trying to order food when the menu has more than 10 selections. I've actually been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder which doesn't help with focus as you can imagine.

So having a step by step plan for running balls is helpful for me even if it's not a perfect plan. Have a short list of certain priorities in mind. This helps to keep me from being overwhelmed by choices. I'm always experimenting, but lately, I've been concerning myself with congestion. I don't like balls too close to one another unless they're near the side rail and one can easily be fallen on and used as the key ball with the other as the break ball. That happens to be a nice situation to save for last.

But other than that situation, I want to spread the balls apart, either by bumping (carefully with insurance balls) or by removing balls that create congestion. My goal and my challenge is to have the balls spaced apart nicely and to have as many balls still left on the table as possible once that's accomplished. Solartje showed this in his post, and also showed how you chose to leave the congestion too long. Fortunately you're a good shotmaker and could get out of sticky situations nicely. That's one thing I'm not, so I need to do a bit more planning to run balls like you did.

Once this spreading has been accomplished I would reassess and choose my final pattern by working backwards from the break ball.

So for me, I go through the following process:

1-Upon reaching the table, I ask myself what shots are available, placing priority on the easy ones.
2-I want to immediately figure out the simplest way of taking care of clusters without creating new ones in the process.
3-If I happen to accidentally fall nicely on a ball that will take care of another issue without interfering with my current plan to remove clusters I take advantage of that opportunity, such as manufacturing a break ball or pocketing a stray ball that would be difficult to fall on later.
4-Once clusters have been taken care of I focus on the congestion issue.
5-Once the congestion has been taken care of I reassess the layout and choose my ending pattern by working backwards from the break ball.

It's a plan. I don't know if it's the best plan, but it's a good one. I also happen to hate line-ups of balls. I'd much rather have balls spread out in 2 dimensions than along a line. I think position play is easier that way, so leaving even a single ball on the bottom rail and/or a single ball above a line-up makes things easier.

Another tip would be to alternate pockets from one ball to the next. It seems to help with position play as well, because you aren't crossing angles as much.

Lots to learn in this game. I think we're just beginning. I think with enough dedication and practice(and studying of cuetable layouts) we'll help one another to get to a point where we'll be calling entire open racks of balls. Sounds crazy but I think it's within our capabilities.
 
Roy - Thanks for posting this run. I'd like to do the same sometime.

I decided to watch this video assuming that the player (you) was a professional. I wanted to see what would stand out as "unprofessional" as well as what you did well. The first thing that struck me (don't laugh) is that your ferrule is filthy dirty! I've never seen a pro play 14.1 with a ferrule like that. Get some Mr. Clean Magic Eraser if it is available where you are, and it will come clean like new. I play better (at least I think I do) when my ferrule is nice and white, and the shaft is slippery.

It also seemed that you cue ball control was sometimes good, and sometimes not so good. Either that, or you weren't planning where you wanted the cue ball to go sometimes. Pro players do not look like that often.

I won't repeat what others have said, which I agree with. I can only add a comment about the combination in the last rack. I think it was the 8-10 combination in the left corner pocket. You let loose with the cue ball caroming off the ball next to the 8. Just be careful in any cluster break when the cue ball is heading in that direction. It is going to be a scratch more often than you'd like.

On the other hand, you have a nice, smooth stroke and you are generally motionless during your shot.

Thanks for posting your video!
 
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