Learning Safety Play

Dan White

Dan White

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I didn't want to hijack another thread, so I thought I'd start my own. I wonder whether there is a definitive writing on safety play in straight pool. It seems like people scratch the surface here and there but I'm not aware of anybody who's really spent some time to go into the subject in depth. I have a feeling Blackjack must have at least a video or two on this, so maybe he'll chime in.

Am I wrong? I mean, if somebody did a two hour video on safety play I'd buy it.

Dan
 
Grady Mathews touches on it a little in his instructional video. He shows about 3 or 4 different types of safeties and the situations in which to play them.
 
Ray Martin has a few standard shots in his Book. Freeze to the side of the rack and bump a few balls out, but I do not recall seeing much else. There may be a little something in the straight pool bible. I would love to see more.

Sounds like a project for SJM to me. :D
 
Thanks for the compliments, of which I am undeserving.

Truth is, there is little written about 14.1 defense, and I think it's chiefly because there is very little demand for it. I have always been fascinated by it, and learned a lot when I went to all but one of the PPPA World 14.1 championships form 1976-86, as well as five world 14.1 championships since. In my youth, two top professionals, Irving Crane and Jack Colavita helped school me in 14.1 defense, but there's no substitute for studying the defensive play of the old masters.

The science of 14.1 defense is a lost one, in my view. Some of it is attributable to the fact that so much less 14.1 competition takes place now than in the 1970's and 1980's. Some of it is attributable to the fact that on the fast cloth in use today, fewer safety battles occur, because players get stuck after the break shot less frequently. Finally, some of it is attributable to the fact that 14.1 defensive theory is a bit boring, both to teach and to learn.

Although there are, perhaps, twenty standard defensive shots (most of which pertain to a not-yet-disturbed rack of either fourteen or fifteen balls) that can be memorized and practiced, 14.1 defense is much more about point of view, about good habits and bad habits, about good ideas and bad ideas, about gradually learning how to apply pressure on opponents. Unlike in nine ball, it's a war of attrition. The defense in 14.1 is probably more comparable with one-pocket defense than nine/ten ball defense. You can't really lock your opponents up, so you strive to wear them down. I knew Irving Crane well, and anyone who thinks Crane won safety battles in one or two innings is mistaken.

Finally, there's nearly as much theory associated with escapes from difficult positions as that which pertains to creating them for your opponent.

I don't write pool books, but I'd give a lesson in 14.1 defense for free to any serious student of 14.1 as long as its in New York City. Sadly, I have played very little 14.1 since 2003, so my knowledge may not be very sharp right now.
 
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Dan,

great players and instructors already responsed. But especially defense game in straight-pool is learnd through experience by playing yourself competition (or really good training matches with advanced players) and furthermore watching 14-1 matches again and again. There are for sure some standard safeties you can train- but many safety-shots are just coming up or will be created in special situations, depending on the opponent, depending on the pressure, depending how the whole match was til this situation.
It s always a game of percentages<----often said, but also often forgotten after being under pressure. It s also a great ability to just reset your mind and watch the table layout and just ask yourself "what would be IF...".

In straight-pool in my opinion the safety situations live from your own experiences- on one side if YOU made a real good one-on the other side if your opponent made one and you re feeling like *oh my god..i m done*. Just *screenshot* those situations in your brain and you can recall them anytime :-)


if you play a safe, you have to set your opponent under pressure! You always have to try to get an advantage out of every shot!

lg from overseas,

ingo
 
Ratta said:
Dan,

great players and instructors already responsed. But especially defense game in straight-pool is learnd through experience by playing yourself competition (or really good training matches with advanced players) and furthermore watching 14-1 matches again and again. There are for sure some standard safeties you can train- but many safety-shots are just coming up or will be created in special situations, depending on the opponent, depending on the pressure, depending how the whole match was til this situation.
It s always a game of percentages<----often said, but also often forgotten after being under pressure. It s also a great ability to just reset your mind and watch the table layout and just ask yourself "what would be IF...".

In straight-pool in my opinion the safety situations live from your own experiences- on one side if YOU made a real good one-on the other side if your opponent made one and you re feeling like *oh my god..i m done*. Just *screenshot* those situations in your brain and you can recall them anytime :-)


if you play a safe, you have to set your opponent under pressure! You always have to try to get an advantage out of every shot!

lg from overseas,

ingo
Click to expand...

Very Good Reply Ingo !!

I couldnt of said it better myself

-Steve
 
Bob Jewett has a great little article on safety play,someone else
will have to post the link!
 
thx Steve :)


Furthermore: If you read carefully the first pages in George Fels Book *Mastering Pool* there are fundamental things about the so called *Standard Safeties* which you find on a *closed and frozen rack*. These safeties have to be 120 % in your arsenal- If you are able to play just these safeties *dead save*, you re already one step further! Just think about how you feel if the CB is frozen to the rack and 2 balls are definitley playable on 2 sides of the rack. It would be really hard to escape.

The advanced safety-play is more depending on your experience and more about to be able * think one step further* and what could happen in the future -
You alway think in the present in straight-pool on defense-and then just one step further. Not like makin a high-run where you are planning always more balls ahead. You just have to set your opponent under pressure- you have to act and keepin your enemy into the position that he can just *react*.

lg
Ingo
 
Ratta said:
thx Steve :)


Furthermore: If you read carefully the first pages in George Fels Book *Mastering Pool* there are fundamental things about the so called *Standard Safeties* which you find on a *closed and frozen rack*. These safeties have to be 120 % in your arsenal- If you are able to play just these safeties *dead save*, you re already one step further!
Ingo
Click to expand...

Pretty sure I have this book boxed up somewhere. I'll have to look that up.

Dan
 
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