We used to play this way back when. We called it "call shape." I think the local record was 17, which means he got through a break shot.
Making 14.1 Harder To Make High Runs
- Thread starter Johnnyt
- Start date
I didn;t get close to that in 4 racks. Johnnyt
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old teritory
Once upon a time this is what me & my partner would do against each other in play. The idea was to start with play one, call one ahead. Progress to play one, call 2 ahead & so on. We did this with "Straight Pool", 8 ball. Try this one on for size, we even did this with short rack bank pool. Absolutely brutal.
The idea was to actually map out a pattern & be able to actually execute the pattern. You don't have to get out of line by very far for that to snowball by degrees to cause failure. I know Jimmy Reid after a rack had "opened" was able to map out his pattern & execute it. 8 ball, 9 ball didn't matter what it was. Other players did the same thing.
How many times have you heard of mapping the out from the game ball back to the key ball, back through the rack? In 14.1 it would be the break ball. This sort of practice described in this thread enables us to acheive the ability to controll the cue ball & execute pattern play.
Speaking of 9 ball,...to the same end we had a method to encourage patterns & execution. We went to the bar (closest place for us to practice) with a jar with a lid. Mind you this did not consider all phases of the game most notably saftey play. This was run out practice. The rules are simple. If you make a ball on the snap & get a lead shot you either have to run out or you have to put $ in the jar.
I would highly reccomend this. Even better if you can get a partner to actually play this with you. It's benefits over time can be very substantial.
It can give you the proper mindset, confidence & ability that may give you the edge in the heat of battle over an opponent who has not done so. The advantage you may have could be a "Learned Skill Set". It's been my experience that the guy with the better "Learned Skill Set" at the end of the day usually goes home with "The Cash".
But hell don't mind me I'm just a long winded fat old fart
That's my 2 cents folks. Damn gotta rob my piggy bank now. 
Good luck & good pool folks,
Billy Bones :thumbup:
Once upon a time this is what me & my partner would do against each other in play. The idea was to start with play one, call one ahead. Progress to play one, call 2 ahead & so on. We did this with "Straight Pool", 8 ball. Try this one on for size, we even did this with short rack bank pool. Absolutely brutal.
The idea was to actually map out a pattern & be able to actually execute the pattern. You don't have to get out of line by very far for that to snowball by degrees to cause failure. I know Jimmy Reid after a rack had "opened" was able to map out his pattern & execute it. 8 ball, 9 ball didn't matter what it was. Other players did the same thing.
How many times have you heard of mapping the out from the game ball back to the key ball, back through the rack? In 14.1 it would be the break ball. This sort of practice described in this thread enables us to acheive the ability to controll the cue ball & execute pattern play.
Speaking of 9 ball,...to the same end we had a method to encourage patterns & execution. We went to the bar (closest place for us to practice) with a jar with a lid. Mind you this did not consider all phases of the game most notably saftey play. This was run out practice. The rules are simple. If you make a ball on the snap & get a lead shot you either have to run out or you have to put $ in the jar.
I would highly reccomend this. Even better if you can get a partner to actually play this with you. It's benefits over time can be very substantial.
It can give you the proper mindset, confidence & ability that may give you the edge in the heat of battle over an opponent who has not done so. The advantage you may have could be a "Learned Skill Set". It's been my experience that the guy with the better "Learned Skill Set" at the end of the day usually goes home with "The Cash".
But hell don't mind me I'm just a long winded fat old fart
That's my 2 cents folks. Damn gotta rob my piggy bank now. Good luck & good pool folks,
Billy Bones :thumbup:
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This confuses me a little. I kind of thought it's what everyone already does. I don't call anything out loud, but in my head I know what and where I'm going to shoot next...in fact, I do so for several balls ahead. Things don't always go the way I planned to work the pattern, but I try, and then adjust when needed--and rethink the planned run. The same kind of thing I did when I played competitive chess. Similarly, in 9-ball, I visualize the whole run, working shape on each ball backwards from the 9.
To make it really hard, try playing with pool balls on a snooker table.
I play 3 or more balls ahead also, but this shows how often you don't get shape for the next ball, instead of falling on another ball and acting like you ment to be there:smile:. Johnnyt
Right, you adjust when needed. But under the OP's rule, you could not adjust the ball, i.e., when you're about to shoot the 6-ball, say, you also designate the 13-ball as your next ball. That then becomes what you must shoot after the 6-ball. No adjusting.
Under the OP's rule, you could shoot the 13-ball in whatever pocket you designate when the time comes to shoot the 13-ball. Under the harder version of "call next shot," you must designate the ball and the pocket for the next shot in advance of shooting the current shot (for which, of course, you designated ball and pocket at the time of the previous shot).
What he's saying is basically if you can't stick to the plan, you get penalized in some way... either you must take a wild shot at the ball you intended to get leave on (even if you accidentally hid yourself from it) or you must duck because you cannot play the 'called' next ball. You not only have to do it mentally, you have to execute it or your inning ends and it's the opponent's turn. No Plan B allowed.
I think for most people, ball-in-hand for any miss would be appropriate. The game is hard enough without adding safes. For learning purposes, ball in hand will give you more opportunity to plan break-and-shape patterns. The first ball of each run should not be counted, I think, if you start with ball in hand.
If both players regularly run in the 20s, change to normal safe play.
I think I'm harder on myself for missing shape than I am for missing a ball.
When I get really serious about playing, one of the exercises I use is to throw three balls on the table at random. Get ball in hand, and call each of the balls before I shoot the first one. If I miss a ball, I have to start over with a new set of three. Sometimes, if I get too far out of shape, it means shooting a wild shot to try to get the ball to the pocket I called in advance. If I run three balls, three times, I move to four balls, four times, and so on.
Never gotten to nine balls, nine times. *grin*
Try it--you'll hate it.
Whatever game I play, I always try to think about shape first....
When I get really serious about playing, one of the exercises I use is to throw three balls on the table at random. Get ball in hand, and call each of the balls before I shoot the first one. If I miss a ball, I have to start over with a new set of three. Sometimes, if I get too far out of shape, it means shooting a wild shot to try to get the ball to the pocket I called in advance. If I run three balls, three times, I move to four balls, four times, and so on.
Never gotten to nine balls, nine times. *grin*
Try it--you'll hate it.
Whatever game I play, I always try to think about shape first....
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I do this sometimes in practice also.
I'm sure it's true. Gene Nagy used to do the same thing...the things he knew about the pack and clusters and where balls would end up was scary.