Linking Balls

C

CueAndMe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was just watching the Niels Feijen 116 ball run on Veoh. There was a point around 24 minutes where he has a line up of balls across the table at about break ball height that are all open to pockets. It seems like easy pickins from here, but the position play difficulty this presents makes me realize just how much easier a single ball anywhere between the side pockets or even uptable near a side rail would have been to help the situation. He's a champion, so it didn't stop his run, but it was tough position play with a lot of angle crossing, and his break shot ended up being a more severe angle than he would have liked.

I think it's worth mentioning that pushing a ball or two up at least a diamond above the rack area at some point is a very helpful thing. It not only gives you a great key ball but can serve to link you from one side of the table to the other in a case like this.

Another thing that might be useful would be to leave a ball or two below this row and to use them as linking balls. Be willing to shoot one or two of the lined up balls into uptable pockets, or use the low linking balls for natural one or two rail position to get above the row of balls.

Here's a similar layout Niels':

CueTable Help

 
I don't remember where I saw it but someone, a pro on a video, suggested that if you have a layout like this one you should play the pattern back and forth from one side to the other rather than wiping out one side and then going over for the other. So in the this situation, having taken that advice to heart a long time ago, I would probably choose the 11 as my break ball and then shoot 8, 12, 9, 14.....assuming I have the cue ball in the position that allows me to do that. In my diagram I'm putting the CB where I want it since it's not on the original diagram.

CueTable Help



Like I said, that's one way to play it. That's just one piece of information I picked up many years ago and have always incorporated it into my game ever since when I have balls on either side of the table like that.
MULLY
 
Oh yeah, creating key balls by watching for such opportunities during the clearance was a technique drilled into me by Tom Kollins back in the 70's. He was terrifice 14.1 player and instructor; now plays snooker.

_Rick
 
IIRC, the key shot was from the 6 ball to the 14 - side rail to side rail. Niels set up beautifully on the 6 by getting the correct angle after pocketing the 5 ball.

So basically, Mully hit the nail right on the head - it is wise to go from side to side.

Here is how Niels dealt with this situation (I know the ball positions are not perfect - just posting this to give a general representation as to how Niels got out of that situation):

CueTable Help

 
mullyman said:
I don't remember where I saw it but someone, a pro on a video, suggested that if you have a layout like this one you should play the pattern back and forth from one side to the other rather than wiping out one side and then going over for the other.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mully. Very good advice that I hadn't heard before.
 
Blackjack said:
Here is how Niels dealt with this situation (I know the ball positions are not perfect - just posting this to give a general representation as to how Niels got out of that situation):
Click to expand...

I know you said the ball position isn't perfect, but oh man, there's no way I'd move the cue ball that much. The 2 down below the balls makes all the difference. After his first shot, I'd play something like this:

CueTable Help



Then again, he's Niels and I'm not. Maybe this is why.
 
tsw_521 said:
I know you said the ball position isn't perfect, but oh man, there's no way I'd move the cue ball that much. The 2 down below the balls makes all the difference. After his first shot, I'd play something like this:

Then again, he's Niels and I'm not. Maybe this is why.
Click to expand...

If you go back and watch the video - you will have a better angle and you will clearly see why he chose to do that. When I first saw it, I was confused also, but he dealt with it very well.

I think I probably put the 7 a little too high - I think Niels made the perfect choice for that table that day. He was really controlling the balls and the cloth speed very well. When you are shooting like that, everything starts to fall in place, and that is why he was able to shoot in 40 -50 more balls.
 
Blackjack said:
If you go back and watch the video - you will have a better angle and you will clearly see why he chose to do that. When I first saw it, I was confused also, but he dealt with it very well.

I think I probably put the 7 a little too high - I think Niels made the perfect choice for that table that day. He was really controlling the balls and the cloth speed very well. When you are shooting like that, everything starts to fall in place, and that is why he was able to shoot in 40 -50 more balls.
Click to expand...

That's fair. Cuetable representations are never quite the same as seeing the real-life layout.
 
Just want to add that Feijen is one of my faves to watch. I love his routine, rhythm, confidence. His 250 plus run is a meditation.
 
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