OK.... Straight Pool has me at my wits end

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Scottster

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This game has really humbled me. Actually it has me wanting to pull my hair out! I thought I was a decent player, I have won some local 9 ball tourny's and cashed in some one pocket tourney's. I have done that "Q-skill" game and avg 140 in 10 innings.
Now when it comes to straight pool I am struggling to run 2 racks :o
I believe I am picking the correct key ball, but my breakouts are exremely weak. My best run was 47 4 years ago. Since I started playing again the best I have done is 33 in the past 2 months.
I guess I am sharing this because I am hoping that showing my humility will help overcome a hump. SO... now that my A$$ is hanging out in the wind as to how bad I play.. Rip away.
 
It's not an easy game...you have to think...

Scott...here's one my observations...I remember playing straight pool for breakfast, lunch and dinner way back when.

When you are in staight pool mode...and in constant competition...you develop a level of concentration that imo is missing from 9-ball and other games that allow you to let up mentally.

Straight pool requires a high level of concentration that is not easy to come by in today's short attention span world. I'm willing to bet...very little...that your high runs are stopped by careless errors...or in other words...lack of concentration...

I know that I have to really force myself these days to not let my mind wander and stick to it...
 
Just keep with it Scottster it will soon start coming to you. I had a terrible time. I would run 14 and be in aweful shape for a breakout time and time again. My high run in a 3 week period was...a 14! Then I read a George Fels book and ran patterns a little differently and was searching for that breakball from the start. My high run is only a 47. My next closest is only 29!
 
Straight pool is a game (a great game) that will show any weakness you have in cueball control or pattern play.

Try and pay attention to what is stopping your runs. You mention that you make the break ball but are getting poor results (keep in mind on some breakshots getting one ball out of the rack is a good shot :) ) are the breaks poor because the last OB is in a poor position or is it because your shape on the breakball was poor not giving you enough of an angle to get into the rack?

Do runs stop because of missed balls or poor shape that keeps making you pocket difficult shots? Are you leaving clusters and balls near the rails till the end of the rack and then not being able to deal with them? When breaking out clusters are you playing shape on a ball NOT in the cluster or just hitting them and hoping you will get a shot?

These are just a few of the things to look for when playing the game. Straight pool is not easy, but keep working at it and it will pay off in the end.

Woody

P.S. For straight pool to really help other games, and to get the most enjoyment 14.1 you cant just play the game. You need to study it and see what patterns to work. A good place to start is with a book called the Straight Pool Bible. Easy read and gives alot of good advice. Also get your hands on some Accustat tapes with good commentary, they are not only fun to watch but very helpful in learning the game.
 
i think it all boils down to insurance balls and good position. you just cant go into the balls and expect a shot. you have to do it without and insurance ball at times, you are forced to. in these instances you usually (not always) need to go into the pack harder.

try never to go into balls when things are all open, you will 100% assuredly tie balls up, i will guarantee it.

let me tell you one more thing you wont like. it doesnt matter what your high runs are getting to be, you will never be satisfied. ive made a lot of progress but get just as frustrated as when i started, it (the frustration) doesnt get better when you run more, it may get even worse actaully.

anyway, just so you know, ive broken three cues in my days. two of them were playing strait pool, and i dont even play it that much. that is the truth.

good luck.
 
Or you could just

Walk into a busy Pool room on a Saturday night, get on the mic, and announce you will anyone in the room straight pool to 300 for $100.

Then, when your opponent gets there fast - real fast watch him very
closely the way he plays, ball patterns, breakouts, nudges, and it will
be one of the cheapest $100's you will ever spend.
 
Hey Scott, I am fortunate enough to get to play straight pool with Steve Hassel for the time, ( all games for that matter). I feel he is probably the best Straight pool player in KC. Nine Ball and one pocket I can keep up, but in straight pool he just tortures me. I have been practicing on my table at home, and ENzo, I know exactly the frustraions you are talking about that lead to the "firewood". I generally pride myself in my composure at the table but this straight pool is bringing out the worst in me.
Woody,I think part of my problem is trying to take care of clusters and problem balls too early in the rack, plus concerning myself more with chipping away at the stack than pocketing the ball (this mental fault is a big problem).
Renard, I feel your pain, i have a couple of matches I DL'ed and Johnny, mike, and efren make it look so easy, and there goin 150 and out in competition.
I have another good friend that has a standing bet that he can run 100 balls in an hour ( look towards Springfield).
I sometimes wonder if I am concentrating too much and it is affecting my performance, or maybe thinking about too much before the final stroke and not about pocketing the ball , so Mike I know where you are coming from with the mental frame of mind, and the difference a half inch will make when trying to play out a tight pattern.
Thanks for the replies everyone.
 
Yes, straight pool is a very humbling and frustrating game. It can also give you a huge feeling of accomplishment. My high run is 61. Most days that I practice I don't get out of the 30's. I think that is pretty normal that you will get about half of what your high run is. Then one day when everything is working just right you will again challenge your high score. I think it is good to mix it up also. Don't spend too much time playing it. Play some 8 and 9 ball to keep yourself from being too frustrated.

I ussually make myself at least get into the 3rd rack and when that run ends, then I switch to 8-ball. When I run a rack of 8-Ball, then I try to run a rack of 9-ball. When I run a rack of 9-ball then I start over again with 14.1. It ussually takes me longer to get to the 3rd rack in 14.1 then it does to run a rack of 8 or 9 ball, but I don't mind because it is my favorite practice game. If your high run is 47, I'd say maybe only force yourself to get 20 or 16 before you switch games.

If I had a dollar for every time I scratched after making the break ball, I'd be rich. You'd think I'd learn, but I never do. :eek:
 
I think I have an answer I found it today..........

I stopped playing this game every day about 9 yrs. ago I recently started to play it again and I find that do to the fact that.....you must play very close to balls and sometimes you must hit a very nice rail shot or a very common almost impossible combo..... I found out tonight I don't get as frustated if I just start the rack off with one of my favorite break shots and focos at the begining of the rack and then when I get down to four or five remember where they are run them off and if it's not right I go back to where they were and try again when I think I have found the best possible way to to get to the next rack. I start with that break shot if I mess it up then I will shoot this break shot until I have the best method figured out. The reason we get frustated is we try to break our high run every time. Instead of learning we are playing and not getting better in between play. (I am guilty of this)
 
Scottster said:
This game has really humbled me. Actually it has me wanting to pull my hair out! I thought I was a decent player, I have won some local 9 ball tourny's and cashed in some one pocket tourney's. I have done that "Q-skill" game and avg 140 in 10 innings.
Now when it comes to straight pool I am struggling to run 2 racks :o
I believe I am picking the correct key ball, but my breakouts are exremely weak. My best run was 47 4 years ago. Since I started playing again the best I have done is 33 in the past 2 months.
I guess I am sharing this because I am hoping that showing my humility will help overcome a hump. SO... now that my A$$ is hanging out in the wind as to how bad I play.. Rip away.
Click to expand...


14.1 has a long arc. there is no immediate gratification like 9ball, nor is it a linear game like 9 ball. you build on knowledge. it is a game of many options and making the correct choice from those options. each nuance leads to more nuances.

it is a game of patience
 
bruin70 said:
14.1 has a long arc. there is no immediate gratification like 9ball, nor is it a linear game like 9 ball. you build on knowledge. it is a game of many options and making the correct choice from those options. each nuance leads to more nuances.

it is a game of patience
Click to expand...


Good post!...I like to compare it to an onion...just when I think I know how to play, another layer to the puzzle opens up.

Find yourself a knowledgeable 14.1 player and learn from them. There are repeating patterns to learn in the game, just like there are in 1pocket. Having someone show you these early will help you progress faster. Nobody ever learned the game on their own.


I also agree with the post about the frustration level going up as your runs get longer. I never used to get pissed at myself when I was learning 14.1 because it was new and I was learning. Now I'm running 40/50 every day, and when I miss I start fuming. The knowledge is there, but just a slight laps in concentration and your out of line....and about to waste a perfectly nice cue!:mad:

Stick with it...it's worth it in the end...

Gerry
 
Gerry said:
Good post!...I like to compare it to an onion...just when I think I know how to play, another layer to the puzzle opens up.

Find yourself a knowledgeable 14.1 player and learn from them. There are repeating patterns to learn in the game, just like there are in 1pocket. Having someone show you these early will help you progress faster. Nobody ever learned the game on their own.


I also agree with the post about the frustration level going up as your runs get longer. I never used to get pissed at myself when I was learning 14.1 because it was new and I was learning. Now I'm running 40/50 every day, and when I miss I start fuming. The knowledge is there, but just a slight laps in concentration and your out of line....and about to waste a perfectly nice cue!:mad:

Stick with it...it's worth it in the end...

Gerry
Click to expand...

I like to compare it to an onion as well: I make a few cuts, and before you know it, I'm crying.

-Andrew
 
Andrew Manning said:
I like to compare it to an onion as well: I make a few cuts, and before you know it, I'm crying.

-Andrew
Click to expand...
LOL, SO true Andrew, thanks for the laugh. I have a practice regime specific to each day of the week. I spend about an hour and a half to two hours a day focusing on each days specific drills. I can execute the drills pretty well. THen when I start with the straight pool it is like I am playing for the first time. I understand that playing primarily nine-ball for the first first 8 years, then picking up one pocket in my early twenties, with basically zero straight pool experience and starting to give it a valiant effort will be difficult. But I didn't realize I would struggle so much. I honestly expected to be able to run 30 relatively easy. I guess this could add to my frustration as well, since I am not meeting what I thought would be an easy goal for me right off the bat.
If straight pool is the game to measure one's skill in pool, then I am a "D" player. This is a tough pill for me to swallow when I would have rated my game in the low "A" range, prior to giving straight pool an effort :(
 
the game fustrated me until John Schmidt walked in the pool room and ran like 150. then i gave up,,,,,,,,,,,lol
 
Well, I have started practicing this game a different way now. Instead of re-racking every time I miss, I keep track of how many misses I have untill I reach 100 made balls. I did this for the first time tonight.
I still really suck, I had 13 misses. THat is an avg of less than 8 balls before a miss :( I had a run of 21 and most of the misses happened close together.
Looks like I am a LONG ways away from reaching my 100 consecutive balls.
Since I have started playing straight pool pretty much religiously this past few weeks I have gained a huge respect for those that have the mental toughness to run 100 plus balls.
 
Scottster,

don't worry about days where you cannot run more than a few balls. I've had days were I'll set up a break shot and can't run f'ing 3 balls. I've run into the 100's several times....but every so often I'm not in sink whatsoever. I've noticed with straightpool that it generally requires a softer touch than nine ball. Keep in mind that straightpool requires much more precise precision play than 9-ball. In 9-ball, you can play some fairly wide upon zones. If you have a nice stroke, than you can get out of some trouble playing nine-ball. In straight pool you are confronted with shots that are fairly easy, but require you to be practically perfect in your execution. It is only in this way that it is possible to transend racks.

I generally find that the days were I am running balls, I am playing short position and almost always with a soft touch. Keep an eye out for opportunities to create breakouts....keeping special attention to the required speed necessary to spread the balls nicely...not too hard, nor too soft....

You will have a day when it all clicks...pay special attention to what it is that you are doing, so as to repeat it.

Regards,

Doug
 
I agree with Salamander. Straight pool is a game of finesse and touch. Cue ball position play is the key. I stopped playing straight for a long time and got back to it a couple of years ago. I forgot more than I used to know. One thing 9 ball players do a lot (me included) is they go into the rack with a lot of low english, like on a typical break shot. Try using high english on those break shots and your cue won't end up at the far end of the table as much. Anyhow, keep practicing those patterns and it'll improve.
 
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