I only play on 7 foot tables. Scared of 9 footers. Not any more😎

J

judochoke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
the last time I played on a 9 foot table, was at a 9 ball tournament a year ago, at a local pool hall by my house. It did not go well. I could not make a shot. Driving home, i swore to NEVER AGAIN to PLAY ON A 9 FOOT TABLE. at age 63, I could not see or hit a long shot to save my life. I made my decision and stuck with it. So I just stayed home and practiced on my home 7foot table for the last year. Three hours a day.

so last night, the Monday night 9 ball tournament at the same pool hall, I decided to go at the last minute, as I have not played another person in basically a year, I went back to the pool hall. But they do not have the tournament anymore because of the virus.

but the music was playing, everyone in the pool hall was playing and having a good time, the place smelled like a old pool hall, I decided to stay for a hour and hit some balls on a 9 footer, just to get out of the house. ( I did wear a mask, as did other people)

to my total surprise, I could not miss. All the things I had worked on the last year transferred easily to the 9 foot table.
frozen ball on the rail shots, all my angle shots with draw, long stop shots, 3 rail shots, short draw shots, etc. the only problem was my long draw shots, launched the cue ball a couple of times, will have to work on that😂

I could not believe it. I was like a little kid after getting his first kiss from a girl. I was planning to starting practice on a 9 foot table sometime early this year so could go to the tinmans boot camp in Minnesota, as he only has a 9 foot table.

so now I will be at DANNY Ks in orange, twice a week. One hour on a 7 foot diamond, and one hour on a gold crown 9 foot table.

see you in Minnesota😎
 
I only play on 9 footers and usually play terrible when I drop to a 7 footer. Go figure.
 
I double shimmed my 8 foot table so that 2 pool balls touch at the corner pockets points.

Then practice 1-3 hours peer day, and this did wonders for my "long" game on bigger tables.
 
I think judo touched on a huge influence that impacts play each and every time we play, comfort.

Be it nerves from pressure, different equipment, environmental stressors...they all add up to create the whole stage upon which one must perform.

I've always found it hugely helpful to visit a venue where I will be playing before the play starts. I am unable to come up with any reason, other than psychological comfort, why this is helpful... but I am convinced it has been of measurable benefit to me historically.
 
Black-Balled said:
I think judo touched on a huge influence that impacts play each and every time we play, comfort.

Be it nerves from pressure, different equipment, environmental stressors...they all add up to create the whole stage upon which one must perform.

I've always found it hugely helpful to visit a venue where I will be playing before the play starts. I am unable to come up with any reason, other than psychological comfort, why this is helpful... but I am convinced it has been of measurable benefit to me historically.
Click to expand...
All about one's comfort-zone for sure. A lot of league players where i go will NOT venture over to a big table. They are convinced that they can only play in the kiddie pool. As long as they think that way they will be correct in that assessment. The actual difference in the two table sizes is not the vast gulf that many believe.
 
judochoke said:
I could not miss. All the things I had worked on the last year transferred easily to the 9 foot table.
frozen ball on the rail shots, all my angle shots with draw, long stop shots, 3 rail shots, short draw shots, etc.
Click to expand...
Oh my. You said that out loud... 😱

The pool gods may well hand you an epic beat down for speaking such!

😂
 
My man! Glad to hear you had a great session and you're back on the big track! Excited to hear your hard work is opening the door to new levels of play!

Don't fall for the trap of thinking you'll always play that well on a 9'. You had the perfect mix: Zero expectation, full engagement and connection with what you were doing in the here and now. You had no expectations because you thought you'd play poorly. And because you hadn't played on a 9' for a while, instead of being dismayed at how tough it was or frustrated you weren't playing well, you were just in childlike wonder experiencing the game again. This state of mind leads to good pool.

Next session will be different. It is easy for part of you to think "OK, now you know you can do it, let's do it again". Expectations creep in, and then the challenges that were fascinating and engaging before become frustrating because they stand in the way of the good play you were hoping for, and you don't remember them being as difficult as they are this time.

THIS IS NORMAL. No one can play in the zone all of the time. Good players learn to play with every part of their range. You take dead stroke when you get it, but when things stall to a grind you relax and go with the flow.

So my advice to you is to be prepared for things to get harder, not easier, as you move forward. If you can budget for a really painful session and are prepared to keep swinging even when things get tough you will be ok. Trust me, if you find dead stroke again you will take it. But don't count on it or try to cage it.

As for long draws, you'll be delighted to know that what I teach has nothing to do with hard shots, and is all about using easy shots to avoid difficulty. I frequently go matches at a time without drawing my ball and I play my patterns so I am very rarely long and flat on my object ball. I'll show you how to win playing with soft strokes, rolling cue balls, and easy maneuvers. I'm about 3 months out so if you want something in May or June PM me soon, but no rush, I'll be around when you're ready!
 
judochoke said:
the last time I played on a 9 foot table, was at a 9 ball tournament a year ago, at a local pool hall by my house. It did not go well. I could not make a shot. Driving home, i swore to NEVER AGAIN to PLAY ON A 9 FOOT TABLE. at age 63, I could not see or hit a long shot to save my life. I made my decision and stuck with it. So I just stayed home and practiced on my home 7foot table for the last year. Three hours a day.

so last night, the Monday night 9 ball tournament at the same pool hall, I decided to go at the last minute, as I have not played another person in basically a year, I went back to the pool hall. But they do not have the tournament anymore because of the virus.

but the music was playing, everyone in the pool hall was playing and having a good time, the place smelled like a old pool hall, I decided to stay for a hour and hit some balls on a 9 footer, just to get out of the house. ( I did wear a mask, as did other people)

to my total surprise, I could not miss. All the things I had worked on the last year transferred easily to the 9 foot table.
frozen ball on the rail shots, all my angle shots with draw, long stop shots, 3 rail shots, short draw shots, etc. the only problem was my long draw shots, launched the cue ball a couple of times, will have to work on that😂

I could not believe it. I was like a little kid after getting his first kiss from a girl. I was planning to starting practice on a 9 foot table sometime early this year so could go to the tinmans boot camp in Minnesota, as he only has a 9 foot table.

so now I will be at DANNY Ks in orange, twice a week. One hour on a 7 foot diamond, and one hour on a gold crown 9 foot table.

see you in Minnesota😎
Click to expand...
Glad you had a good experience. Know what you mean about long shots...at 66 even with glasses distance shots are daunting. I play on an 8 ft table at home. I grew up on a 10 ft snooker table....much easier to transition to a smaller table. Pool hall more enjoyable than playing by yourself.
 
Pfs896 said:
Glad you had a good experience. Know what you mean about long shots...at 66 even with glasses distance shots are daunting. I play on an 8 ft table at home. I grew up on a 10 ft snooker table....much easier to transition to a smaller table. Pool hall more enjoyable than playing by yourself.
Click to expand...
When I was young (early-mid 1970s) there were only 12' snooker tables in the "pool halls", so that's what we played on. Fast forward to about 2000 when a friend moved into an apartment complex with a 10' snooker table .... had several runs in the 60s, well over my previous best of 25 or 30 ... that 10' table looked so small :)

Dave
 
Well Demetrius, as my family would say, I do tend to spice up my stories some. 😂 but I was very happy in the way that all The things I taught myself, worked on the 9 footer. I will contact you soon my friend, as your style of play and theories are just what I need. 👍 I keep rewatching you and little chris on you tube, how you kind of started slow, then went into pro mode. Unbelievable
 
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judochoke said:
the last time I played on a 9 foot table, was at a 9 ball tournament a year ago, at a local pool hall by my house. It did not go well. I could not make a shot. Driving home, i swore to NEVER AGAIN to PLAY ON A 9 FOOT TABLE. at age 63, I could not see or hit a long shot to save my life. I made my decision and stuck with it. So I just stayed home and practiced on my home 7foot table for the last year. Three hours a day.

so last night, the Monday night 9 ball tournament at the same pool hall, I decided to go at the last minute, as I have not played another person in basically a year, I went back to the pool hall. But they do not have the tournament anymore because of the virus.

but the music was playing, everyone in the pool hall was playing and having a good time, the place smelled like a old pool hall, I decided to stay for a hour and hit some balls on a 9 footer, just to get out of the house. ( I did wear a mask, as did other people)

to my total surprise, I could not miss. All the things I had worked on the last year transferred easily to the 9 foot table.
frozen ball on the rail shots, all my angle shots with draw, long stop shots, 3 rail shots, short draw shots, etc. the only problem was my long draw shots, launched the cue ball a couple of times, will have to work on that😂

I could not believe it. I was like a little kid after getting his first kiss from a girl. I was planning to starting practice on a 9 foot table sometime early this year so could go to the tinmans boot camp in Minnesota, as he only has a 9 foot table.

so now I will be at DANNY Ks in orange, twice a week. One hour on a 7 foot diamond, and one hour on a gold crown 9 foot table.

see you in Minnesota😎
Click to expand...
I’ve turned to practicing on a 7’ table recently, to try and get my confidence back. It will be a while to see how this experiment goes.
 
So as I launched my final cue ball off the 9 foot table, it just happened to hit a younger girl in her leg. ( I hit it pretty good, it went sailing), very embarrassing For me. But here comes her boy friend, ready to give me the business, ready to stand up for his girl. He starts to get in my space, and I go wait a minute pal, im 64 years old, if you hit me, I will stay down, and have you arrested for eldery abuse!!! he thought about that for few seconds, and said sorry sir. 🙏🏻

just another night at the pool hall.
 
If you shoot <at the pockets> the transition will take more "adjustment" than if you shoot <at the ball>. IOW the shot lines are identical until multiple rails come into play.
 
straightline said:
If you shoot <at the pockets> the transition will take more "adjustment" than if you shoot <at the ball>. IOW the shot lines are identical until multiple rails come into play.
Click to expand...
Biggest difference I’m finding on a 7’ table is, due to the fast cloth and cushions, those last few inches the cue ball rolls can change the angle of your next shot so drastically and result in having to alter your runout plan.
 
Tin Man said:
My man! Glad to hear you had a great session and you're back on the big track! Excited to hear your hard work is opening the door to new levels of play!

Don't fall for the trap of thinking you'll always play that well on a 9'. You had the perfect mix: Zero expectation, full engagement and connection with what you were doing in the here and now. You had no expectations because you thought you'd play poorly. And because you hadn't played on a 9' for a while, instead of being dismayed at how tough it was or frustrated you weren't playing well, you were just in childlike wonder experiencing the game again. This state of mind leads to good pool.

Next session will be different. It is easy for part of you to think "OK, now you know you can do it, let's do it again". Expectations creep in, and then the challenges that were fascinating and engaging before become frustrating because they stand in the way of the good play you were hoping for, and you don't remember them being as difficult as they are this time.

THIS IS NORMAL. No one can play in the zone all of the time. Good players learn to play with every part of their range. You take dead stroke when you get it, but when things stall to a grind you relax and go with the flow.

So my advice to you is to be prepared for things to get harder, not easier, as you move forward. If you can budget for a really painful session and are prepared to keep swinging even when things get tough you will be ok. Trust me, if you find dead stroke again you will take it. But don't count on it or try to cage it.

As for long draws, you'll be delighted to know that what I teach has nothing to do with hard shots, and is all about using easy shots to avoid difficulty. I frequently go matches at a time without drawing my ball and I play my patterns so I am very rarely long and flat on my object ball. I'll show you how to win playing with soft strokes, rolling cue balls, and easy maneuvers. I'm about 3 months out so if you want something in May or June PM me soon, but no rush, I'll be around when you're ready!
Click to expand...



Back long before there were any instructors to speak of it took me two or three years to start getting all the rolls. Some, especially wives and girlfriends watching, felt this wasn't fair! Was a nightly gambler back then so often the rolls were used to slow my game down a bit. Either way, it ain't fair to get all the easy shots!(grin)

More than one person has worked mightily to master extreme spin only to find out in the next stage that they rarely need it. Of course mastering extreme spin is an exaggeration for all but a small handful of people so the next stage is really nice to find, for those that do.

Joe V has a lifetime of experience and teaches much the same thing you do.

Hu
 
judochoke said:
... He starts to get in my space, and I go wait a minute pal, im 64 years old, if you hit me, I will stay down, and have you arrested for eldery abuse!!! he thought about that for few seconds, and said sorry sir.
Click to expand...
Put the judo choke on his punk ass.
 
Black-Balled said:
I think judo touched on a huge influence that impacts play each and every time we play, comfort.

Be it nerves from pressure, different equipment, environmental stressors...they all add up to create the whole stage upon which one must perform.

I've always found it hugely helpful to visit a venue where I will be playing before the play starts. I am unable to come up with any reason, other than psychological comfort, why this is helpful... but I am convinced it has been of measurable benefit to me historically.
Click to expand...
This is so true for me. I play much better when I'm comfortable in the environment. I even have a weird twist on it -- when I'm in a foreign room and totally out of my element the tables even seem bigger than mine. I've used my cue as a measurement before because my brain just doesn't accept that all 9 foot tables are 100x50. So weird.
 
ChrisinNC said:
Biggest difference I’m finding on a 7’ table is, due to the fast cloth and cushions, those last few inches the cue ball rolls can change the angle of your next shot so drastically and result in having to alter your runout plan.
Click to expand...
Yeah. Before the Aramith ferrous ball, guys would just run the ball to use up the speed. 2 or three times across was pretty commonplace. One bar I frequent put Granito or something real fast on the table. I took the bolt out my stick and still have to bunt everything. Getting used to the weight. I think I'll it that way for a while.
 
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