Hi. Well, you know, each situation is different and it's impossible to make a hard and fast rule, but, if for example you had one ball on the rail, on the nameplate all alone, I'd suggest getting it asap.
On the other hand if you have a ball hanging near an upper corner pocket, or one with it, then you can reevaluate your opportunities to get them out and perhaps even view them as insurance balls.
Usually, whenever you have to play position from up the other end of the table back down to your rack area, it's in your best interest to have a few balls available to get shape on rather than waiting for the last few balls and having to land perfect back down table for your key ball and break shot.
I guess as a good rule of thumb, if they aren't doing you some specific positive good for sure being there, get them out first opportunity you have.
Take care of your uptable and trouble balls as soon as you can. There are exceptions but as far as balls on the rails and stranded up table balls they need to be removed.
Also, remember that balls hanging in the pockets at the top of the table can be used to regain lost shape and give good insurance. Balls like this are not nearly as dangerous to a run and will often come in handy.
This should be what you hear from everyone but if the experience in the forum sees a mistake please correct me.
I was taught that when the balls by the rack are open then you can shoot the other shots up table, but each situation is different.
You also need the insurance balls if you get stuck.
Although great players probably look at uptable balls as more of a hassle than of benefit, and although a single ball uptable close to the head rail, as 3andstop said, presents a problem, I actually like balls in certain positions uptable as key balls for break shots. I know this isn't standard fare, but I feel that as long as the break ball itself is not too close to the long rail, position on it is usually pretty simple from uptable. The reason for this is the often huge margin for error coming back down along the break ball cut angle. The only real challenge then becomes getting the cueball as close as you dare to the break ball.
Here are a few examples. Anywhere in the shaded zone and you have a workable angle on the break shot. On each of these shots I would try not to cross the shaded zone but rather ride as close as possible to its long center.
I was taught that when the balls by the rack are open then you can shoot the other shots up table, but each situation is different.
You also need the insurance balls if you get stuck.
I agree with you. As long as there's a natural way to get uptable, I don't see what the big deal really is with uptable balls, except for a lone straggler along the head rail, or maybe one around or above the head spot. So once all of the issues of clusters are resolved and all balls have paths to pockets, then I would ask myself whether those balls uptable are worth getting now or leaving for later.
How early really depends on other things. If there are more pressing issues to deal with (like secondary clusters that aren't easy to get to), you may have to delay it until your earliest convenience. Also, balls up-table aren't as much of a problem, per se, if you have other balls that lead to them. When you have a lone ball up-table, or balls that are up on the top rail, it's much more of an issue than it would be if you had another ball that led up-table.
Although great players probably look at uptable balls as more of a hassle than of benefit, and although a single ball uptable close to the head rail, as 3andstop said, presents a problem, I actually like balls in certain positions uptable as key balls for break shots. I know this isn't standard fare, but I feel that as long as the break ball itself is not too close to the long rail, position on it is usually pretty simple from uptable. The reason for this is the often huge margin for error coming back down along the break ball cut angle. The only real challenge then becomes getting the cueball as close as you dare to the break ball.
Here are a few examples. Anywhere in the shaded zone and you have a workable angle on the break shot. On each of these shots I would try not to cross the shaded zone but rather ride as close as possible to its long center.
I agree. In general, I wonder if players who started off playing 9-ball and then moved to straight pool are more likely to play for these patterns, while players who started off playing straight pool are more likely to get rid of uptable balls early and stick with the more traditional key balls. Effectively what you're doing here is playing zone position with a fair bit of cueball movement, which is something that 9-ball players are naturally more comfortable with.
Yeah. I never would have seen patterns like that if it weren't for the cuetable. Once I discovered that most good end patterns have a consistent shape of the letters "y", "p", "q" or the number "4", they've been popping out like crazy and now I don't discount uptable balls as potential gems. As a matter of fact, all of the balls in that layout could be used as key balls. Check it out:
Once I discovered that most good end patterns have a consistent shape of the letters "y", "p", "q" or the number "4", they've been popping out like crazy and now I don't discount uptable balls as potential gems.
You simply draw a continuous cursive y, mirror image of y, q, or p (actually, the p isn't drawn/written the way you normally would, but rather drawn like a mirrored q with the round part formed before the vertical line) to find two balls that connect nicely to the break ball.
I added a page 7 here to show an example of a "q" shape. The rest are "y" shapes. The following technique works just as easily to create p and q shapes.
You'll notice that on the first 6 pages, a line starting from the 1-ball break shot's corner pocket connects to the 1-ball to form the left line in a letter "y". Draw this line with your finger and stop at the 1-ball.
Next, to find an easily workable key ball, only IMAGINE this line continuing straight through the 1-ball to the other end of the table. Any ball above that line, on that line, or slightly below that line is a workable key ball for that break shot.
Once you see a ball that fits, you continue drawing the "y" by connecting the break ball to that key ball. Stop there.
Now you have to decide which pocket you want the keyball to go into. It may go in more than one. To decide this and to find a perfect setup ball for this particular keyball, you continue the "y" by drawing a line from that ball to one of the pockets the ball has available.
Once you hit the pocket, reverse directions and straight go back through and beyond the key ball to locate a ball somewhere on or near that line. If you find one, you've finished and have a beautiful end pattern. If you don't find one, go back to the key ball and try another pocket. If you still don't find one after exhausting the key ball pockets, try the method using another key ball.
Nice end patterns are all over the table if you know how to look for them. I was lost until I found this. As I explained in the original thread, depending on the spread of balls, you can potentially continue backwards for many balls with this same "ball to pocket and back through" technique.
