Forceful break in 9 Ball...

Guy Manges said:
Is the forceful break in 9 ball to help the underdog ?
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No, it's to protect the game from the soft break which, especially in 2000-02, made the game far less interesting to watch. The soft break has been outlawed ever since, and may it rest in peace. Corey wasn't the only one doing damage with the soft break. On the women's side, living legend and BCA Hall of Famer Karen Corr was very effective with her soft break during those same years.
 
sjm said:
No, it's to protect the game from the soft break which, especially in 2000-02, made the game far less interesting to watch. The soft break has been outlawed ever since, and may it rest in peace. Corey wasn't the only one doing damage with the soft break. On the women's side, living legend and BCA Hall of Famer Karen Corr was very effective with her soft break during those same years.
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Your wright withCorey and Karen, I just see so many breaks that look like pushes to me... Guy, I just don't like the smash or taking the cb in the air and to many times I see games lost from scratch breakes...
 
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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.
 
sjm said:
No, it's to protect the game from the soft break which, especially in 2000-02, made the game far less interesting to watch.
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I disagree. It was as interesting to watch as players smashing the break to high heaven. What is even more interesting is that not everyone around that time went for the soft break - just as under the more recent attempts at controlling how players break most players aren't as good as the best.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with breaking hard or soft. Why does breaking soft and making a ball need to be protected against, while breaking harder than hard and making a ball is ok? I'm all for making it harder to make a ball, but I don't get this.
 
Woodshaft said:
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.
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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.
 
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SVB was the first pro to promote template racks at the same he set new records for breaking.

Corey/Karen for soft breaks is a record of notoriety.

Sponsoring a pool pro could mean giving them the technology or knowledge edge in competition.

The inventors of the template rack are shadowy and mysterious figures that are likely still alive and watching.
 
justnum said:
SVB was the first pro to promote template racks at the same he set new records for breaking.

Corey/Karen for soft breaks is a record of notoriety.

Sponsoring a pool pro could mean giving them the technology or knowledge edge in competition.

The inventors of the template rack are shadowy and mysterious figures that are likely still alive and watching.
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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.
 
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Swighey said:
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.
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That's hilarious! Almost ALL people who take the time to watch pool also play and understand the game. 10-ball is not a niche lol, it's "call pocket 9-ball" with one extra ball.
The only niche rules- and they VERY rarely happen- are "no golden breaks", and "if your opponent pockets a ball incorrectly (out of turn), you have the option to shoot or pass it back to him".
Neither game is hard to understand, learn or follow. Now one-pocket- that's a different animal all together lol.
 
Woodshaft said:
That's hilarious! Almost ALL people who take the time to watch pool also play and understand the game. 10-ball is not a niche lol, it's "call pocket 9-ball" with one extra ball.
The only niche rules- and they VERY rarely happen- are "no golden breaks", and "if your opponent pockets a ball incorrectly (out of turn), you have the option to shoot or pass it back to him".
Neither game is hard to understand, learn or follow. Now one-pocket- that's a different animal all together lol.
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No, it's true. Most people who watch 9 Ball on TV do not understand it. I agree with you that "almost all people who take time to watch pool understand the game". Apologies if my point wasn't made too clearly.
 
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.
 
Swighey said:
I disagree. It was as interesting to watch as players smashing the break to high heaven. What is even more interesting is that not everyone around that time went for the soft break - just as under the more recent attempts at controlling how players break most players aren't as good as the best.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with breaking hard or soft. Why does breaking soft and making a ball need to be protected against, while breaking harder than hard and making a ball is ok? I'm all for making it harder to make a ball, but I don't get this.
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Cannot disagree, but the game evolved based on how soft breaking was received by fans and sponsors when the soft break came into vogue. As you point out, that doesn’t make it right and some were on board with allowing it.
 
Woodshaft said:
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.
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I like to watch the women play 9 ball the world over...
 
sjm said:
Cannot disagree, but the game evolved based on how soft breaking was received by fans and sponsors when the soft break came into vogue. As you point out, that doesn’t make it right and some were on board with allowing it.
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I liked Corey's soft break made more sense to me...
 
Swighey said:
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.
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I don't see anything wrong with the old racks and I've watched many thousands of games... Guy
 
Woodshaft said:
That's hilarious! Almost ALL people who take the time to watch pool also play and understand the game. 10-ball is not a niche lol, it's "call pocket 9-ball" with one extra ball.
The only niche rules- and they VERY rarely happen- are "no golden breaks", and "if your opponent pockets a ball incorrectly (out of turn), you have the option to shoot or pass it back to him".
Neither game is hard to understand, learn or follow. Now one-pocket- that's a different animal all together lol.
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Cute... I've played some variation of billiards for a few decades now, and still have to ask what particular set of rules my opponent wants to play when 10ball is mentioned.

-No golden breaks, unless they want to
-No early 10b unless they want to
-Call safe unless they don't want to
-incorrect pot = return shot, unless you don't want to
-etc

All of the above have been coined as "the right way to play". Truth is, 10ball is the game of whiners that dreamed crap up because they felt 9ball somehow always allowed a weaker (aka: lucky) opponent beat them.

I'm not anti-10ball. Just prefer to call a spade a spade. Use Texas Express rules in 10ball and everyone (general public) would know what's going on.
 
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