Howcome I'm so lousy on a bar box???

[Ky Boy]

Today, Cindy & I went to Salem, just fun 8 ball on 9' Brunswicks at our favorite hall. I did well...by my standards.

Then we went to a local bar (For food) that focuses on league pool, it has quite a few well maintained Valleys.

Cindy suggested we play some, so out came the quarters.

She clobbered me! My aim was pathetically off, easily 1/4 diamond from the pockets.

I'll confess to feeling claustophobic on a bar box...everything seems so close, with no "room".

But it might have been the bar itself? Rap on the Juke, people talking loudly, people milling about. It was a bear to concentrate.

Anybody else have this problem? Any suggestions on how to oversome it?

I imagine you have the same trouble I do when playing on bar boxes. I am used to playing on a big table with tight pockets where it is imperative you hit the heart of the pocket or the OB will not fall. Hitting any part of the rail on it's way to the pocket will result in a miss.

On a bar table, I overcut the OB forgetting that most tables will allow you to undercut the OB, slide into the rail leading to the corner pockets, and still manage to go in. This is how I miss balls on a bar table mostly due to not playing on them unless its for a tournament.

Just keep in mind you can cheat pockets on most bar tables and you will be fine!!

Gary

 

[Shaft]

The cue ball could have been oversized, or heavy, or all of the balls could have been really realy dirty, creating a lot of throw. That would explain missing the pockets.

I agree that a small table creates a totally different game.

 

[pwd72s]

Many thanks for all the responses. Good advice given. I guess the bottom line is to keep playing...or to avoid bar boxes at all costs. :wink:

 

[Banks]

Many thanks for all the responses. Good advice given. I guess the bottom line is to keep playing...or to avoid bar boxes at all costs. :wink:

Nah, don't avoid them.. play more aggressively. Don't be afraid to be the boss of the cueball.

 

[ridewiththewind]

Many thanks for all the responses. Good advice given. I guess the bottom line is to keep playing...or to avoid bar boxes at all costs. :wink:

Paul, were they 8ft Valleys, like we have up here? Those 8ft Valley bar boxes are a totally different animal...some can be quite tough to read and play. But once you get them figured out, they can be a blast to play on, especially with the regulation sized CB.

Personally, I love a well-maintained 8ft Valley bar box.

The rest of the country tend to have 7ft bar boxes, which is why I asked.

Lisa