I've been playing just pool for the past few months, turns out that masse is not that effective in 9 ball.
Opponent played safe on me. What would you do and what I did
- Thread starter madmiller
- Start date
Good to hear that! I watched your runouts on fb, your regular game improved a lot!
You talk to Steve lately? Does he play normal pool? When I met him in Vegas, he kinda sucke at it:smile: We played some nine ball and I beat him then.
I was amazed - how someone who could do all those crazy jumps and masse shots, power strokes, couldn't make regular straight in shots. regular pool is a different beast !:thumbup:
I'm hitting it thin, going to the short rail, and locking on the ball....if you
play straight-rail a little, this is very doable.
It takes away the long rail kick...leaving him a reverse 4-railer or jump off
the close long rail.
I have made your masse shot, but I'll get the snooker far more often.
However, nice shot...if you feel good about this shot.....
...don't play it any other way.
No you don't.
pj <- not born yesterday
chgo
Are you calling him a liar without using the word 'liar'?
What he is doing at home has some historical precedence, PJ.
Walter Lindrum, the finest 'english billiard' player that ever lived, traveled
with a set of billiard balls....he would practice 'nursery cannons' on rugs,
dining tables, and leather seats on trains and cruise ships.
In the 30's, he would amaze the British players by getting off a boat from
Australia, walk into a club, and sometimes have a 1,000 break his first
turn at the table.
What would Efren do?
When faced with tough situations, I like to ask myself, "What would Efren do?" If it's something I'm capable of, that's what I do!
In a serious game, I have no doubt that Efren would do as you describe.
When faced with tough situations, I like to ask myself, "What would Efren do?" If it's something I'm capable of, that's what I do!
In a serious game, I have no doubt that Efren would do as you describe.
Surely you weren't born yesterday but as "Willie Shakes" said:
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I used to practice masse shots on the floor. It was in an Air Force barracks that had hard, polished linoleum tile floors. Lots of wax, so you could slide quite a ways if you were wearing socks but not shoes. Anyway, you can get some really amazing cue ball action with such equipment. The irregular loud thumps also really irritate the people on the floor below who are trying to sleep.Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Yeah, but that's not masses on an old table cloth laid on the floor. I'm pretty sure that's impossible.
pj
chgo
In that particular case we weren't gambling, it was just for fun.
And as far as easy safety- I don't know about that. Here in this thread a lot of guys with tons of experience ,some of them are A players, couldn't tell me that there's an easy safety for this table layout.
I am just a beginner and a lot of times safeties are a 50-50 miss for me, sometimes I can do them, but mostly when I try to play safe, I either scratch or leave the opponent wide open. I am getting better at it, but nowhere there yet.
I can make just about any shot, my shotmaking is above average,I would say- way above average( a lot of times when I play semi-pros they can't believe what shots I can make) if I see the ball and got an idea what I wanna do with the object ball,I usually can make it, no matter how tough the shot is, but position,cue ball control and speed control in my game at the moment are still lacking. Big time.
You guys had linoleum tiles on your barracks floors, Bob? Wouldn't have been allowed in the USN, as they try to replicate shipboard conditions in shore-base barracks -- which, if installed prior to 1981, floor tiles were made of asbestos.
I remember we used to do a version of Mike Massey's "finger pool" with pool balls and even marbles or ball bearings. It was fun trying to bank balls off of the running boards on the walls, and having the ball hook around certain beds (either around the entire bed, or just around a certain leg). The amount of masse was incredible on those waxed/buffed floors! Heck, we may as well have had all that fun -- for the amount of stripping, waxing, and buffing we did on those floors!
-Sean
So, you don't believe me?
Well - I got an answer for you. Yes, I do practice masse and jump shots on the floor. When I started, I didn't use the cloth, because I didn't have any, but as soon as someone gave me used cloth left after recovering a table, I started using that.
For a couple of reasons.
One of them is that when you masse on the bare floor the ball spins like crazy and goes way , way, way further, then when you do it on a cloth covered table.
One of the other reasons is that it's possible to break your ferrule, tip or the whole shaft a lot sooner. Believe me, when you hit a thousand masse shots directly vertical into the bare floor for a few hours, the stick shows it.
Here's a picture of a cue that I had at a time when I started practicing masse on the floor. I had a brand new tip put on it and that's what it looked like after two hours.
I wish I could practice on a real table of course , but I don't have that possibility at the moment, that's why I practice on the floor and that's why I made something that looks somewhat like a table out of my dresser on which I put table cloth with a pocket made out of cardboard, where I practice regular straight shots.
LOL I can relate to that, when I was working in Vegas earlier this year, I had 5 days in between jobs , so I stayed in this hotel.
Luckily for my neighbors I lived on the first floor, but one time I was taken out of my "masse hitting trance" by loud banging on the door by my next door neighbor . I forgot how late it was and those thuds could get really loud at night
I was so mad, because it happened just when I could get the ball all the way around the refrigerator!
I have not done it in a while, but you're correct. It's at least a 50/50 shot once you've done it some. Probably more like 60/40.
Have you tried a drafting table?
I just tried this shot on my table. With 2 tips of english and hitting into 1 diamond away from the opposite corner, I was able to hit the OB on the first try and almost every shot. But more often then not I just hit the OB, without kicking it in, selling out. In a serious game I'd only try it if the safe seemed impossible.
Madmiller, your home improvisation is admirable. It reminds me of a less elaborate story from when I first learned to play. I was about 16 and wanted to get into pool. I arranged to borrow a friends table and set it up in my house. In the meantime someone gave me a six piece cue. I've never seen such a thing since. The butt was two pieces, the shaft three pieces, and the tip screwed on as well. I had a few weeks to wait for the table to be installed, so every night I used the cue and my drafting table to practice my bridge. By the end of those two weeks I had a rock solid closed bridge and elevated bridge. Every week I see SL4's and below with terrible, fist-type, bridges. Maybe they need a 6-piece cue and a drafting table...
I just tried this shot on my table. With 2 tips of english and hitting into 1 diamond away from the opposite corner, I was able to hit the OB on the first try and almost every shot. But more often then not I just hit the OB, without kicking it in, selling out. In a serious game I'd only try it if the safe seemed impossible.
Madmiller, your home improvisation is admirable. It reminds me of a less elaborate story from when I first learned to play. I was about 16 and wanted to get into pool. I arranged to borrow a friends table and set it up in my house. In the meantime someone gave me a six piece cue. I've never seen such a thing since. The butt was two pieces, the shaft three pieces, and the tip screwed on as well. I had a few weeks to wait for the table to be installed, so every night I used the cue and my drafting table to practice my bridge. By the end of those two weeks I had a rock solid closed bridge and elevated bridge. Every week I see SL4's and below with terrible, fist-type, bridges. Maybe they need a 6-piece cue and a drafting table...
Yes...I'm not saying I'd make that shot 9 out of 10 but I make the cueball come straight back 9 out of 10
I hear you. If the ball is more in the pocket, obviously the odds go up on making the ball. As I said earlier, given the seemingly win or 'lose if you mis' aspect, I would shoot the saftey.
It just amazes me of the absolute negativity of so many here on AZB. My Dad told me, 'there's always a shot...you just have to find it'. The best pool advice I ever received.
If you do not look for them, you will not see them & if you don't see them you will not shoot them, if you do not shoot them you can not make them.
I've made my share because my Dad did not make me think they were one in a million shots. He made me think if you shoot it right you can make it.
Best Regards,