Forceful break in 9 Ball...

[loggerhead12]

It's not marketable. Most people who watch 9 Ball don't understand it but will still watch it. 10 Ball is even more niche.

Sadly, most people wouldn't even notice the switch from 9- to 10-ball. I'm sure Matchroom took that into account.

 

[sammylane12]

In my experienced opinion, Matchroom should drop 9-ball and go to 10-ball instead. 9-ball is far too easy at today's pro levels, and frankly, boring to watch.
10-ball is much more interesting because it demands MORE skill plays such as safeties, more difficult shape play (due to more traffic), more balls overall to run out each game, and more difficult to break and run.
Watching pros play 9-ball in this era is like watching the NBA's Steph Curry shoot free throws-- yawn.

I completely agree with this post. I have always thought pros should being playing 10 ball. I remember 20 years ago, plus or minus, Ralf Souquet was advocating for this, for the same reasons stated above.

 

[Bob Jewett]

In my experienced opinion, Matchroom should drop 9-ball and go to 10-ball instead....

Matchroom has put a lot of effort in the last year into branding what they do as "nineball". Your proposal would throw away that effort. It's not going to happen.

The branding has been quite remarkable to those who have been watching.

 

[MattPoland]

Matchroom has put a lot of effort in the last year into branding what they do as "nineball". Your proposal would throw away that effort. It's not going to happen.

The branding has been quite remarkable to those who have been watching.

Plus they have rights to produce the world 9-ball championship but not the world 10-ball championship. They have rights to the US Open 9-ball and not the US Open 10-ball. So it makes sense everything they do has interrelated significance.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... So it makes sense everything they do has interrelated significance.

It's almost like they have a plan and are implementing it. Wow.

 

[skogstokig]

Nothing wrong with "templates" but they should be over the balls (or somehow used to set them up and removed before the break) not between them and the playing surface. Allowing something, regardless of how thin it is, to interfere with the balls is just lazy. I actually don't mind but I trust physics and it's plain wrong. It also looks ridiculous, to the casual TV fan coming from other sports.

i don't like templates on TV pool but i doubt it would be much more alien for the channel zapping sports fan than CF shafts, jump cues, gloves and long cue extensions.

 

[Swighey]

i don't like templates on TV pool but i doubt it would be much more alien for the channel zapping sports fan than CF shafts, jump cues, gloves and long cue extensions.

Jumps are rare. The others - they probably wouldn't notice.

 

[btal]

9 ball. If I remember correctly, someone on here spoke about moving the break location for each player's breaking sequence. Depending on the length of race - 11 ...... 11 different locations (from side to side/forward to rear). 9 ..... nine locations. 13 ..... 13 locations. Etc. Alternate break. Template. Obviously sequences would be consistent for the tournament. Let 'em soft break, hard break ..... whatever break they want. It would change everything and add great interest to the game. IMO

 

[Justaneng]

Short set/winner break 9-ball improves bracket variability and field doesn’t just stratify by Fargo rating.

 

[hang-the-9]

Keep in mind that the pattern rack soft break is pretty much fully shamed out of the game. The forceful break these days is meant to (A) make the 3-point rule’s occasional, confusing, and unlucky non-compliant forceful break a thing of the past and (B) make the medium-soft cut break a non-viable option. It looks like a normal break until you notice a player can repeatedly control the CB and 1B in a manner that in today’s manifestation of the game is the next door neighbor to Corey’s break but also can often pass the 3-point rule.

This is a good point, it's not just the soft break, it's soft break combined with pattern racking combined with a template/Sardo rack that caused issues.

 

[MattPoland]

This is a good point, it's not just the soft break, it's soft break combined with pattern racking combined with a template/Sardo rack that caused issues.

And nowadays it can be a problem without a pattern rack. A template/Sardo rack with the right medium-soft cut break can take the game in the same ballpark as a trick shot break. Controlling the 1B to layup in front of the corner pocket and guiding the CB in a path that’s highly unlikely to get kissed and highly likely to have extremely ideal position on the 1B is also available.

And maybe that doesn’t work out 100% of the time but it can occur enough to take too much luck out of the break greatly diminishing the amount of push out and safety play that occurs in a match. Enough so that it feels like less “pool” is being played.

Breaks like this…