patterns

[berlowmj]

I have been advised to think a minimum of 3 balls ahead, plan for clusters, "trouble balls"...

However, I recently saw an interview with Mike Siegel in which he said that he habitually decides where he will sink the 9 ball & plots back from there.

Extrapolating from this, (1) I would assume that it is required that you decide where the 8 ball will go & work back the 7 stripes or solids from there (2) in 14:1, decide on the breakshot & work 14 balls back.

How many of you do this?

If so, how do you develop the skill?

 

[Ratta]

in 8-ball and 9-ball this is probably right. for straight pool it is perhaps a bit different. first u have your break-shot- if u practiced your break-shots many times enough *g*, you ll usualy know 2-3 balls after your break. then you ll have to analyze your open table (if u really opened it). but usualy you ll have not an open table in straight pool without any lil clusters that often. so it s hard to analyze 14 balls backwards to your breakball. sure u will have your masterplan inside your head to shoot your rack- but if u prefer to know EACH time what happens on the table, you ll shoot straight pool breaks not like an 8-ball break just to have an open table to know what happens after your pocketed ball is the secret in straight pool...and ofc the easiest way to receive the best position of your choosen breakball

lg
ingo

 

[Scott Lee]

berlowmj...3rd Ball Position is the trademark of professional players. Why?...because the angle on the 3rd shot is dependant upon the angle of the 2nd shot, which is dependant upon the angle of the 1st shot. What Sigel said is also true. In pool school we call it liability...8-ball liability and 9-ball liability...which means is there a pocket for the game ball, at the outset of the lay of the table (or is there a necessity to CREATE a path to a pocket). After that you must determine the LINK ball, which is what you utilize to set up on the game ball (primarily a stop shot, if possible...since this is the ultimate control shot in pool). Then you also have trouble balls, transition balls, hangers, clusters and several others. This is why it is imperative to "take a lap", or study the lay of the table from all four sides, before making decisions in your pattern play.

As far as what was said about 14.1...good straight pool players usually have at least two break shots that they work, as they make their way through the rack. That way, if something happens unexpectedly to one break shot, you still have another, to continue your run.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I have been advised to think a minimum of 3 balls ahead, plan for clusters, "trouble balls"...

However, I recently saw an interview with Mike Siegel in which he said that he habitually decides where he will sink the 9 ball & plots back from there.

Extrapolating from this, (1) I would assume that it is required that you decide where the 8 ball will go & work back the 7 stripes or solids from there (2) in 14:1, decide on the breakshot & work 14 balls back.

How many of you do this?

If so, how do you develop the skill?

 

[berlowmj]

drills

berlowmj...3rd Ball Position is the trademark of professional players. Why?...because the angle on the 3rd shot is dependant upon the angle of the 2nd shot, which is dependant upon the angle of the 1st shot. What Sigel said is also true. In pool school we call it liability...8-ball liability and 9-ball liability...which means is there a pocket for the game ball, at the outset of the lay of the table (or is there a necessity to CREATE a path to a pocket). After that you must determine the LINK ball, which is what you utilize to set up on the game ball (primarily a stop shot, if possible...since this is the ultimate control shot in pool). Then you also have trouble balls, transition balls, hangers, clusters and several others. This is why it is imperative to "take a lap", or study the lay of the table from all four sides, before making decisions in your pattern play.

As far as what was said about 14.1...good straight pool players usually have at least two break shots that they work, as they make their way through the rack. That way, if something happens unexpectedly to one break shot, you still have another, to continue your run.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Are there drills to improve a player's ability to perceive these patterns?

 

[greyghost]

one of my favorite ways to pratice the 3 balls ahead drill is pretty simple

I just throw 4 balls onto the table, and run them in numerical order, take cue ball in hand I play position for the first two, after making the second ball I throw two more balls out...I just keep doing this for as long as I want...its like a never ending 9 ball rack. Its not a really hard drill by any means but I find it fun, and can actually keep track of how many balls you pot before you miss.

I'm sure there are much better ones out there, but this is my favorite. Like I said its fun for me, and having fun while you pratice is a big key to keeping a good attitude towards the game.

Grey Ghost

 

[Scott Lee]

berlowmj...Of course there are. They've been around for decades. Here's the best, and easiest one...throw any three balls out on the table. Take b-i-h, on the first ball, and run them in order. The key is you MUST get easy on the next two shots (easy means that you have an easy angle...not straight in, and not steeper than 30 degrees). Just being able to make the shot and finish the run does not count. This is how you train yourself, through having an accurate and repeatable stroke, to learn speed control, which will alleviate ending up on the wrong side of shots, and build a "library" of position patterns in your mind, that you can use in game-playing situations. When you can do this drill successfully 15 out of 20 tries, then throw out four balls and do the same thing.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Are there drills to improve a player's ability to perceive these patterns?

 

[berlowmj]

thank you

berlowmj...Of course there are. They've been around for decades. Here's the best, and easiest one...throw any three balls out on the table. Take b-i-h, on the first ball, and run them in order. The key is you MUST get easy on the next two shots (easy means that you have an easy angle...not straight in, and not steeper than 30 degrees). Just being able to make the shot and finish the run does not count. This is how you train yourself, through having an accurate and repeatable stroke, to learn speed control, which will alleviate ending up on the wrong side of shots, and build a "library" of position patterns in your mind, that you can use in game-playing situations. When you can do this drill successfully 15 out of 20 tries, then throw out four balls and do the same thing.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Thank you. I'm off to the basement.