A neutral, competent racker is one solution.
Forecast of things to come?
- Thread starter alstl
- Start date
Yeah, I don't see any advantages to an extremely long cue - just harder to control very much like a longer golf club. It doesn't do you a whole lot of good to be able to reach the cue ball with an extremely long cue or extension on a shot you'd normally be using a bridge stick for, if in doing so your bridge hand is like 2+ feet away from the cue ball - it's going to be a whole lot harder to hit the cue ball nearly as accurately as you can if trained in how to use a bridge stick properly.
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I fit that description (I've certainly done my share of racking over the years). But....could you find enough "neutral" rackers at any given tournament to assign one at every table?
And, for Pete's sake, put it in the tournament rules that the breaker isn't allowed to inspect the rack before breaking.
The rack "shark wars" are very detrimental to the game of pool, at least for the spectators.
And don't even get me started on the Magic Rack for tournament play. It distorts the purity of the game. I've seen those things change the direction of too many balls. We don't want tables that roll-off, or cloth that causes skids, or dead rails. So why in the hell would somebody want to use a device that changes the direction of the balls or cause balls to roll up to it and come to a complete stop? And I don't want to hear all the BS about "you want a tight rack, you need a template", because that don't fly with me. My home table has some overly worn nine-year old cloth (not the new stuff they get in big tournaments) and I can get some amazingly breakable racks most of the time using my Delta-13.
So, yeah....I'm all in for a neutral/competent racker as long as they do away with rack inspecting.
Maniac (fixin' to catch hell for this post :thumbup
Feathering the one ball can mean various things but in general it means the 1 ball rolled forward after lifting rack and feathering (lightly brushing, pulling) the 1 ball back against the other balls.
Sometimes though, if your opponent is up to no good feathering the 1 ball is nothing more than front-loading the rack.
Front loading the rack can be good or bad depending on what game (9 ball, 10 ball etc.) and if your racking your own or not.
In a nut shell, front load 9 ball to help wire wing ball if rack your own. Racking for opponent back load 9 ball to prevent wing ball.
10 Ball is back loaded to insure balls in side pocket. Front load 10 ball to help insure no balls in sides.
Other reasons and ways to do it but all of them, just like above, are unethical and should be avoided.
Rake
So.....get a longer cue made. Nobody's stopping you
58" cue is not a "rule". It is an industry standard, of sorts, since almost all manufacturers use that length for a standard cue.
Maybe the industry standard will change to 60" (or whatever) if enough, or even a majority, of players order longer cues.
Frankly, I'm surprised one of the big cue companies hasn't already developed a "fitting system" based on physical attributes and styles of individual players
Didn't read all the replies, so I apologies if this has
been mentioned. Feathering the one ball is a form
of cheating that these rack geniuses use to help
make a wing ball on a 9 ball rack. Especially if the
rack has already been lifted.
I actually called a young man out for doing it at Derby
and the ref took my side instead of his. Pissed him off,
but I don't want to lose because someone cheated or
tried to gain an unfair advantage.
Things like this are the reason I play 10 ball instead of
9 ball these days. 9 ball was great up until about 10 years
ago as far as I'm concerned.
been mentioned. Feathering the one ball is a form
of cheating that these rack geniuses use to help
make a wing ball on a 9 ball rack. Especially if the
rack has already been lifted.
I actually called a young man out for doing it at Derby
and the ref took my side instead of his. Pissed him off,
but I don't want to lose because someone cheated or
tried to gain an unfair advantage.
Things like this are the reason I play 10 ball instead of
9 ball these days. 9 ball was great up until about 10 years
ago as far as I'm concerned.
Why do you think he was not simply trying to get the tightest rack possible?
Because, along with fingering the one ball for 2 minutes per
rack attempt, he would take both hands and fan them out
over the balls as if to do the exact opposite, loosen the rack.
My explanation may not be all that clear, but he sure made
it more than obvious that he was trying to rig racks. It was
literally taking him one or two minutes each time he racked
the balls. It took me about 10 seconds or less and my break
was producing more made balls and a better outcome each
and every time.
Like I said, I like 10 ball. Had this not been the 9 ball Derby
event, I would have been playing 10 ball instead.
You can do the same thing in 10 ball. It's not as easy to do but it can be done.
Rake
Best post I've read in months lol.
Much much tougher and the wing ball won't be a factor
rack after rack after rack. 10 ball is the better game if
you are playing serious pool in my opinion. 9 ball, with
a skilled shooter and rack expert is basically an automatic
loser.......no thanks. At least in 10 ball you have a fighting
chance and won't get beat before the 1st game is even
played.
Just thought when ready this that with all the tutorials on YouTube I never saw one teaching how to rack the balls right and true.
After reading this and some of your other thoughts I see your logic on the subject. I think based on your cut off length that perhaps there should be a range allowed depending on one's wingspan. For example if one is say 5'1" then their cue could be between 50" - 52", and maybe someone who is say 6'7" could have a range between 64" - 70".
I guess maybe is would really complicate things.
I will say that when watching Alex P play with a standard length cue it looks similar to Earl with is three piece cue.
Now I'm just babbling, sorry.
Very true. 9 ball is by far to easy, especially with rack templates, rack your own, 1 on the spot, break out of box.....etc..etc.
Then again, average tournament player around my parts couldn't get out if you held the door for them.
With 10 I always pay attention to people fiddling with the two balls behind the 10 in the center.
No matter the rack, loading the 10 ball rack from behind greatly increases balls in the side.
Rake