Going from 9-footers to barboxes

justadub

justadub

Rattling corners nightly
Silver Member
Looking for a little advice. Both my 8 & 9-ball teams are playing in our APA LTCs this weekend. We play exclusively on 9-footers, and there isn't a 7-footer within 35 miles, and those are Valleys. Where we will be playing, the majority of the tables will be 7-foot Diamonds.

At least 3-4 of the players on each team have never played on anything but a 9-footer before, and never a Diamond of any size.

Any suggestions to help me get them acclimated as quickly as possible? We will have very limited practice time, if any. (The room is 2 hours away, we can't just drive over ahead of time to get used to them.) Picture 32-34 teams trying to get on 16 tables :)

I've played on these tables for about 10 minutes, 2 years ago. (We got stuck on the 3 Valleys they bring in for this tourney every year.). No one else on either team has any experience with Diamonds, even those who have played on barboxes before.

Suggestions? Thanks
 
Pockets accept balls nicely. Don't get cute with position play, keep it general into open areas as best as possible. Side pockets are tighter than you wold think, so play the corners as much as the table allows. Depending on the cloth, be prepared to be amazed at fast spots and slow spots.
Chuck
 
They(Diamonds) tend to play fast and the pockets aren't very forgiving. If you're accustomed to playing on a similar 9, then you shouldn't have to worry too much. They also kick very well - use a hair of top at a rolling speed and the in/out angle should be pretty much the same.

As for barboxes.. if you're talking Valleys, don't take the ease of pocketing for granted or you'll find yourself slacking off and missing. Don't be afraid to be aggressive, just make sure you're aiming and you'll be fine.

Good luck! My team fell a couple of matches short of Vegas. It would've been nice if I could've played beyond the regular season. :frown:
 
The blue badge and the red badge Diamond tables play different. The rails will either play short or long on banks and kicks. They bank a lot different from a valley bar box too. It's been mentioned already, but don't try a bunch of fancy position play. This is, in my opinion, the best advice to follow. Keep it simple. Speed control is the key.
 
It really depends on the table you are coming from.

I know when our bar replaced their tables with 7 foot Smart Tables the lower ranked people on my team had a hell of a time getting used to the fast play of the 860 cloth. I was in heaven while the majority seemed to complain...
 
Big thing about bar boxes is clusters. If you play exclusively on 9ft tables you will quickly realize that you will need to spend a couple extra shots on moving some balls around. Otherwise as for speed,rails, etc.... It's just the same as all tables, acclimating to speeds,etc. but I love diamond tables and the way they play.
 
justadub said:
Looking for a little advice. Both my 8 & 9-ball teams are playing in our APA LTCs this weekend. We play exclusively on 9-footers, and there isn't a 7-footer within 35 miles, and those are Valleys. Where we will be playing, the majority of the tables will be 7-foot Diamonds.

At least 3-4 of the players on each team have never played on anything but a 9-footer before, and never a Diamond of any size.

Any suggestions to help me get them acclimated as quickly as possible? We will have very limited practice time, if any. (The room is 2 hours away, we can't just drive over ahead of time to get used to them.) Picture 32-34 teams trying to get on 16 tables :)

I've played on these tables for about 10 minutes, 2 years ago. (We got stuck on the 3 Valleys they bring in for this tourney every year.). No one else on either team has any experience with Diamonds, even those who have played on barboxes before.

Suggestions? Thanks
Click to expand...

The pockets are big
So don't get hooked settle for a little harder shot
To make sure you are not hooked.
And you can really cheat the pockets more then you
Think
 
real bartram said:
The pockets are big
So don't get hooked settle for a little harder shot
To make sure you are not hooked.
And you can really cheat the pockets more then you
Think
Click to expand...

Big pockets on 7 foot Diamonds compared to a Valley Bar Box? I've never played on any Diamond with pockets anywhere close to a factory Valley or anything else for that matter.
 
It's been my experience that playing on the 9 ft will make your transition to the 7 ft much easier, (7 to 9 ehhhh... not so much). I have commonly found that the pockets on the Diamonds are a lot deeper, further back than on the Valleys so balls to tend to get jawed up.
It's also been my experience that every bar table, Valley and Diamond, have their own personalities. Don't expect table one to play like table two. You'll get more clusters so plan ahead and like the earlier post, keep position play general, pick areas instead of precise location. The Diamonds I have played on usually have some sort of top of the line cloth and they play pretty fast, control your CB speed. I think once you guys get the feel you'll love them
 
For practice on the 9 footer, don't break the balls, just spread them out randomly on one half of the table, making sure to leave some balls in trouble, and then take ball in hand and run them out using all pockets.
 
Hey Bruce....One thing I can tell you is this. Being used to 9 footers you are used to using a different stroke. The way I found to not over shoot on 7 footers is to shorten my grip and shorten the back swing as well. Use more of a punch stroke and that should keep you from letting the cb get away from you. It takes a few minutes to get used to doing this but it's worth the time.
 
dabarbr said:
For practice on the 9 footer, don't break the balls, just spread them out randomly on one half of the table, making sure to leave some balls in trouble, and then take ball in hand and run them out using all pockets.
Click to expand...

Good advice right here. Johnnyt
 
If your team really hasn't played on 7' tables I can't see your team doing well with the 7' tournament in just a few days. Going from 9 to 7 seems to be stuck in your head. I hope you prove me wrong...go get em. Johnnyt
 
If you have to go from 9' tables to bar boxes be thankful that you are going to Diamond 7' tables and not Valley tables. The Diamond 7' tables that i've played on play so much better than Valley tables it's not funny. I play in a local 9 ball league on 7' Valley tables that are in horrible condition and it hurts my game so much trying to play with dirty balls, worn cloth that's loose, and rails that are all different (some are dead and some are lightning fast so you have to keep in mind which end of the table you're playing shape off the rails).

The transition from 9' tables to Diamond 7' tables won't be as bad as you might think. Now if you were going to the junk I have to play on then it would be a big difference. Good luck in the tournament and don't think about the table size just play the balls and be smart!

James
 
I normally play on 9' tables ( Brunswick and Diamond ) but a couple days a week I practice on 7' diamond tables and I think they play fantastic. I think they reward better play when compared to Valley tables, but that's what makes them nice. I don't really change my game at all, for me they play really close to what I'm used to on bigger tables.
 
justadub said:
Looking for a little advice. Both my 8 & 9-ball teams are playing in our APA LTCs this weekend. We play exclusively on 9-footers, and there isn't a 7-footer within 35 miles, and those are Valleys. Where we will be playing, the majority of the tables will be 7-foot Diamonds.

At least 3-4 of the players on each team have never played on anything but a 9-footer before, and never a Diamond of any size.

Any suggestions to help me get them acclimated as quickly as possible? We will have very limited practice time, if any. (The room is 2 hours away, we can't just drive over ahead of time to get used to them.) Picture 32-34 teams trying to get on 16 tables :)

I've played on these tables for about 10 minutes, 2 years ago. (We got stuck on the 3 Valleys they bring in for this tourney every year.). No one else on either team has any experience with Diamonds, even those who have played on barboxes before.

Suggestions? Thanks
Click to expand...

I'd call the nearest vendor who supplies equipment to businesses in one of the towns you'll be passing thru on your way there. He may have or know of a good table that may be accesible.
 
Bruce, don't overthink this stuff. It's just POOL.

Shoot the ball in the hole, PSR and repeat!!!

Most of all........have fun!!!

Maniac
 
I posted a very similar thread a few months back. One useful tip was to remember that leaving distance wasn't as strong of a move when playing a safety.

My own experience from the tournament: on a 9' table, I love using the rails for position, breakouts, etc. After some hours of practice on the 7' tables, I found that a more direct route (less rails) was easier to control, and easier to execute successfully. So it may be beneficial for you to practice a few games and try not to touch the rails.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, the half-table layout drills will also help a lot.

Then again, as Maniac said, don't get too worried about the change. After all, you're still playing pool, and 99% of the game will be the same.

Best of luck! Have fun!!!

-Blake
 
One problem I typically see is speed related. If you lag across the width of the table it will help you adjust / lower your speed to better match the table. Just be sure to keep the cue accelerating through the hit so you don't start having problems with draw shots and such.

You may also notice the smaller table causing your better players to start taking shots for granted which can lead to misses.

Of course what you can't really plan for is your opponent... you often find bar box players who crash into balls very hap-hazard and play super aggressive. On such a small table players don't even need balls particularly close to a cluster to go for it and when the rolls are with them it can be very very frustrating. It is easy to get taken out of your normal game and sucked into this mode - and sometimes you have to but just make sure it is a conscious decision.
 
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