Jumping to the next level

StormHotRod300

StormHotRod300

BigSexy
Silver Member
Ok, i am kinda stuck in a rutt, and it being I cant seem to get to the next level of playing performance. I have a pretty decent break where i 99% of the time get one or two balls in, but my problem is, i always seem to have two balls bunched up.

So i break and run to the bunched up balls, and i can normally play safe, but alot of the times cant, because the balls break up too much or theres nothing to play safe with.

i do know one of my weekness's is running the cue ball into a balls that are bunched up, and still being able to get position or even a shot, on the object ball.

Running racks isnt really a problem, but my high run its only 2 racks lol, because on balls bunching up. And I am not so concerned with breaking and running all the time, because I know that i can run a rack if i get a decent spread on the break, and if not, i normally play safe and then take over with ball in hand.

But how do you, deal with balls that get bunched up, or when it happens to be the last 3 or 4 balls on the table? And when i mean bunched up, i do mean locked on each other, or both are on the rail only a inch or two apart.


Dave
 
im no expert but it sounds like your break needs work. I mean sure, occasionally you will end up with some balls bunched up, but it shouldnt be a problem all the time, especially if you are making 2 balls on the break. As far as running out.....id be more concerned about whether i win or not. If you watch the accustats matches, it seems most racks involve a safety or a tough shot or something, with an occasional rack run. The main thing is running out a rack when youre supposed to be able to.
 
i feel like an idiot......sorry i didnt realise your post was in the "ask the pros" section........i thought it was in the general section lol......how do you delete a post out of here lol
 
i feel like an idiot......sorry i didnt realise your post was in the "ask the pros" section........i thought it was in the general section lol......how do you delete a post out of here lol
 
Scott,

Hey its kewl, i dont mind if you chime in for your 2cents.

I will say my break is ALOT better than it was 6months ago, i have even started using 5280 sneeky pete as a break cue, to control the cue ball more.
And its not all the time, but probably if i did 10 breaks in a row, 2 or 3 of them would have balls that get locked up or bunched, after they stop rolling.
I probably should have said, when i do get a break, where I should run out easily, i get that 1 ball that is locked up with another, and makes the run out tough.
As for running out, normally i do play safe if i feel iffy about where a ball is, and just go from there.
And your right, as long as you win, who cares if you run out all the time, playing safe works just as good.
On another note, i did go back to using my Viking that has a Phenolic ferrule/tip, and that seems to help a good deal with the balls bunching up, but it still does happen.

Anyways, i am going to do some practicing tomorrow, and i will post again.
 
ok well kewl

i dont know what percentage of your power you feel you are breaking at, and how well you control the cue afterwards. My break got much much better when i stopped trying to break like i see the pros do, and started breaking with me staying in my stance with my head down, almost like a soft break but as hard as i can just using arm and a little forward body rock. Using this i almost always make a wing ball in one of the sides and i leave the cue in the middle with the one up near a corner. I used to always try to kill it and and do a hop forward getting all my body into it but where the cue ended up was anybodys guess lol. good luck......let me know if you find something that works well for you, im still working on my break as well.
 
StormHotRod300 said:
Scott,

Hey its kewl, i dont mind if you chime in for your 2cents.

I will say my break is ALOT better than it was 6months ago, i have even started using 5280 sneeky pete as a break cue, to control the cue ball more.
And its not all the time, but probably if i did 10 breaks in a row, 2 or 3 of them would have balls that get locked up or bunched, after they stop rolling.
I probably should have said, when i do get a break, where I should run out easily, i get that 1 ball that is locked up with another, and makes the run out tough.
As for running out, normally i do play safe if i feel iffy about where a ball is, and just go from there.
And your right, as long as you win, who cares if you run out all the time, playing safe works just as good.
On another note, i did go back to using my Viking that has a Phenolic ferrule/tip, and that seems to help a good deal with the balls bunching up, but it still does happen.

Anyways, i am going to do some practicing tomorrow, and i will post again.
Click to expand...
Sorry to be the "out of the blue" guy, but just a few things for you.
1. Do you break better with a phenolic tip? If you have a good break on a cue with a (example only) Le Pro, you don't need phenolic. Phenolic was intended for people who don't have an easy time spreading the balls.
2. If your breaking situation is fine, maybe more straight pool would help. Finding a way to carom/crash into the stack may help you a little bit when you get into those jams.
3. Are you taking it too seriously? Don't forget to have some fun! Don't be WAY TOO hard on yourself.
4. How long have you been taking pool seriously?
 
Hey Dave,

Sorry for the delay...I'm in NC right now and I just found a computer. It sounds like you are breaking the balls well if you are making one or two balls and you have a shot at the first ball. The first thing you need to do after your break is survey the table. Don't just get down and start shooting just because the one is open. If there is a cluster see if there are any balls near it that you can use to break it out, but make sure the breakout has a very low risk of hooking you.

If you can't find a safe breakout shot then you must evaluate which ball you should play safe on. Instead of running out to the cluster and then making something up you should look for an easier safe on what is sometimes a very makeable ball. You can look for a way to play safe on a that ball which will break up the clustered balls. You can also play a safe that sends the next ball near the cluster so your opponent has to kick in that direction and possibly break it out for you. If that doesn't work and you get ball in hand you may have an easy break out.

Tied up racks are like puzzles. You have to study them and solve them, and that's one of the most fun parts of the game to me.

Hope this helps!

Jenn
 
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