playing 10 ball and can run 5 to 6 balls most of time. How to increase it?
- Thread starter pinoyincalgary
- Start date
Ron Swanson
Banned
Pool needs to find a format that eliminates safeties entirely. Too cheap. Shot makers are who people will pay to watch, and they must be encouraged.
Is this about snooker? uhhhh no
I agree. I would take American Rotation and make it a shooting game. If you dont
pocket a ball, in coming player has ball in hand behind the line. Shoot and repeat.
All offence leads to great position play and great shot making.
If you want to 'duck' , play 1 hole!
Ron Swanson
Banned
Well, it wasn't...
I like your line of thinking (the major rotation games are built around OFFENSE and running balls, which is why I'm against the too tight pocket movement) but no game, from board games to ball games, can ever eliminate defense entirely. Besides, you get to see some of the greatest shotmaking from safety escapes.
Safety play is already tough enough in the major rotation games, so I don't see a need to change it.
I'd take out the Magic Rack and return to a speed of cloth in between nap and Simonis 860, so that those with the best strokes and best imagination (no Magic Rack = more clusters and tough outs, but still keeps the offensive spirit of the game intact) are rewarded more.
This is exactly what I think should happen aswell. What cloth did they play on the IPT tour? It was nap but it didn't seem like it was too slow
Most beginners use too much spin. When I started I used way too much spin, thought it was exciting. Hurt my progress a lot till a pro wised me up. In rotation games ya need angles. So one has to be a decent shot maker also but they don't have to be long shots.
Obviously top players don't get out of line as often, but another aspect that sets them apart is their ability to play more advanced shots to get back in line.
A good drill to improve a player's ability to get back in line is to play the 3,4 or 5 ball ghost using 1, 2 and even 3 rails for position. To do this well, it will require developing competency playing with english, especially inside english.
I usually set myself a 2 rail minimum, usually the CB hitting 2 rails after hitting the OB, but a bank would count as 1 rail, meaning the CB only has to hit 1 additional rail. I've run 2 racks back to back v 11 Ball Ghost 2 Rail doing this, though I usually just throw 5 or 6 balls on the table randomly when practicing this method.
Developing these shots takes the pressure off trying to get perfect position, which can lead to self-hooking and getting too close to the OB.
The last 5 balls should be about twice as easy as the first 5 balls (playing the 10 ball ghost - as there are less obstacles) once a player has the skills to move the CB around the rails.
Colin
Last edited:
I forgot the brand, but I bought one to practice on. After a few weeks in my humid apartment it slowed up and got grippy, which was what they had intended.
During the IPT, it played similar to new napless cloth speed (perhaps a little less roll) but the rails slid terribly and hardly took spin. It was awful imho. The problem was they were brand new and sat in a 24 hour air conditioned environment.
Colin
I agree, the safety reduces the punishment for losing position and stops players from attempting the kind of difficult pots that we don't see often enough in the pro games.
I play a version like this, but it's just ball in hand after a miss. The kicker is each shot must hit two rails to continue the visit. Personally, I've seen way too many Kosmo outs. I tune out once a player gets in line with 8 balls remaining. I want to see the top players regularly play shots that are at least reasonably difficult, not shots that any half decent amateur can make 9/10 (albeit with a bit less CB control).
Other than the rare ring game 10 ball event, we almost never see the pros attempt BIG shots, unless it is a shot to nothing with a saftey aspect.
How popular would golf be if the players could knock each other's balls in the woods every time they got in trouble?
Interestingly, in the early forms of billiards, breaking off and defense played a minimal role in the professional games. They were run building games primarily. The masses flocked in to see high runs, the media reported the high runs.
In today's games, you could estimate the tournament placings based on break off success % v opponent and safety success % v opponent. This is why 2 cue jump trick shot shenanigans get more air time than pro pool in the US.
Colin
In rotation games, this can be partially achieved by allowing the incoming player to send the safety player, or lucky misser back in, along the lines of the 2 Foul rule.
This doesn't work for 8-ball though.
The problem with BIH in today's games is that it is pretty much the same as awarding the game at pro levels unless the pockets are reduced to sizes that the masses wouldn't want to play on.... not to mention that reducing pocket sizes leads to even less offensive shots taken on.
So, to keep pocket sizes attractive to the masses, and to stop BIH being akin to awarding a frame, you need to add difficulty to playing requirements, be it shooting into limited pockets, requiring multi-rail hits, banking or making caroms in addition to pocketing a ball.
Preferably, the method chosen ought to be not too hard to follow, as was the case in bonus ball, which went part way to developing a more offensive style of game.
Colin
Hi,
Thanks again for all the tips as I am learning alot. It looks like I would be spending alot of time playing the 5 ball ghosts for now as it seems to be where most of my struggle is. Primarily, I get out of line on the last 2 balls plus I have to settle my nerves as I start putting pressure on my own self when I'm down on the last ball. Will try out all the other recommendations here tonight. I do feel tho that my layout and planning is getting better. Still need a lot of work on ball control and shot making. Thanks again for all the help.
Thanks again for all the tips as I am learning alot. It looks like I would be spending alot of time playing the 5 ball ghosts for now as it seems to be where most of my struggle is. Primarily, I get out of line on the last 2 balls plus I have to settle my nerves as I start putting pressure on my own self when I'm down on the last ball. Will try out all the other recommendations here tonight. I do feel tho that my layout and planning is getting better. Still need a lot of work on ball control and shot making. Thanks again for all the help.