I just played in a bar-table 8-ball league tournament that had 96 league teams. Good players that are used to breaking the racks well noted that the balls broke apart extremely poorly even though the rules allowed the breaker to rack his own rack. Some say that the league is using balls that afford fewer break and runs to keep the good teams from badly beating the lesser teams with b-'s. Does anyone know if there are ball sets that break apart poorly (more or less elasicity I would guess) and does anyone know if this would be an effective way to control b-r's?
Pool balls affect play?
- Thread starter ndakotan
- Start date
I doubt it
Never heard of anything to this effect. I highly doubt there is any truth to modified pool balls.
Never heard of anything to this effect. I highly doubt there is any truth to modified pool balls.
Just check to see if the balls are dirty. The dirt will make them "cling" to each other, preventing them from breaking well. You can probaly alleviate this problem by taking the balls to the bathroom and washing them with soap and water, and then buffing them with ball wax.
If you have noticed that you have to cut shots quite a bit thinner than normal, then this is most likely the culprit.
JMHO as a C player.
Russ
Russ
If you have noticed that you have to cut shots quite a bit thinner than normal, then this is most likely the culprit.
JMHO as a C player.
Russ
Russ
Another opinion.
I think it would be very hard to positively market a set of balls that "do not break well". Who would want to buy a set of those?
I think it would be very hard to positively market a set of balls that "do not break well". Who would want to buy a set of those?
Pool Ball Quality, as well as the cloth, can have a huge impact on your game.. Slow cloth and dirty Balls make for some tough play, the pockets are tight, and position isnt easy to come by..
If your seriuos about your game, buy quality balls, keep them clean and polished, and use only high quality cloth, that is cleaned and conditioned to play "fast"...
On slow cloth, with dirty balls, my run out percentage is hurt, having to force the cue ball and having to shoot with more speed to get shape, makes the game so tough only Efren could maintain his speed.. If you watch Pro Matches, if the cloth is slow, your going to find the RUN out ARTIST having trouble, at least until you can adjust for the speed, even then, your true speed is going to be compromised..
OR you will find if the cloth is fast, and the balls in new condition, racks are strung together.... This effects every calibur player, from Novice, to pro..
SPINDOKTOR
If your seriuos about your game, buy quality balls, keep them clean and polished, and use only high quality cloth, that is cleaned and conditioned to play "fast"...
On slow cloth, with dirty balls, my run out percentage is hurt, having to force the cue ball and having to shoot with more speed to get shape, makes the game so tough only Efren could maintain his speed.. If you watch Pro Matches, if the cloth is slow, your going to find the RUN out ARTIST having trouble, at least until you can adjust for the speed, even then, your true speed is going to be compromised..
OR you will find if the cloth is fast, and the balls in new condition, racks are strung together.... This effects every calibur player, from Novice, to pro..
SPINDOKTOR
If you do that to a really dirty set of balls the regulars won't be able to make a ball for the first twenty minutes. Waxed balls play REALLY differently.Russ Chewning said:
"Where's Russ been for the last half hour?"
"I think he's in the bathroom washing his balls."
Just playin' with ya, Russ.
i have a set of Raschig(SP?) balls that are bouncy, when the ir in a stack and you just clip the outside ball they open up alot more than Centennials. /they weigh about the same but are brutal for 1P because the stack blows wide open fast.
The cheap Chinese balls I used in Germany(I went and bought a good set of balls the next day) were so bad that I couldnt stand it, they were light and sounded hollow.
Balls are as critical as cloth, cushions or your cue they are a big part of the game. Centenialls or Aramith balls are the standard.
The cheap Chinese balls I used in Germany(I went and bought a good set of balls the next day) were so bad that I couldnt stand it, they were light and sounded hollow.
Balls are as critical as cloth, cushions or your cue they are a big part of the game. Centenialls or Aramith balls are the standard.
I think everyone has valid points but none of them are the main reason.
Vendors sometimes for the sake of saving a dime do not put original sets of balls together in one table. Thus in all tables they become mix and match. Older balls wear down just like the cue balls do. You will find that there are varying sizes of balls in a set. Take a wooden rack a run it over the top of three balls. Put the little one in the center and you will find the rack doesn't touch it.
When you try a rack these balls it leaves gaps everywhere. The result on the break is half or two thirds of the balls may leave the rack area but a cluster always remains. Too many gaps and it becomes a Mississippi Mud rack...
Vendors sometimes for the sake of saving a dime do not put original sets of balls together in one table. Thus in all tables they become mix and match. Older balls wear down just like the cue balls do. You will find that there are varying sizes of balls in a set. Take a wooden rack a run it over the top of three balls. Put the little one in the center and you will find the rack doesn't touch it.
When you try a rack these balls it leaves gaps everywhere. The result on the break is half or two thirds of the balls may leave the rack area but a cluster always remains. Too many gaps and it becomes a Mississippi Mud rack...
Balls were really clean
The balls were clean and polished so I discounted the dirty-ball effect. This happened in North Dakota and the tables came from a vendor in the state. The state-wide vendor association that puts on these league tournaments seems to have a history of trying to slow down b-r's, most recently by using slower cloth on tables (according to most of the regulars I've talked to.
The balls were clean and polished so I discounted the dirty-ball effect. This happened in North Dakota and the tables came from a vendor in the state. The state-wide vendor association that puts on these league tournaments seems to have a history of trying to slow down b-r's, most recently by using slower cloth on tables (according to most of the regulars I've talked to.
ndakotan said:
Clean balls, and slow Cloth, still slow.. The playing Surface is what needs the Most attention, this means Cloth, and rails. The balls are cridical, but the main culprit is the cloth... or dead rails..
SPINDOKTOR
Hopefully this is related and not a hijack to this thread...
I have a brand new set of those super aramith pro-cup balls (the tv balls, pink 4 ball, etc.) with the measle CB.
Which set is better and why.... the Super Aramith Pro-Cups or Centennials?
Without being a name-brand snob (as I frequently am) - why one and not the other?
Dave
I have a brand new set of those super aramith pro-cup balls (the tv balls, pink 4 ball, etc.) with the measle CB.
Which set is better and why.... the Super Aramith Pro-Cups or Centennials?
Without being a name-brand snob (as I frequently am) - why one and not the other?
Dave
SpiderWebComm said:
I like the Centennials because they're old school, however, I'm pretty sure they are damn near the same
I have heard that Centennials are made by Aramith, and what matters most is what you actually like better when you play. I personally prefer the red circle tournament cue ball over the Super Pro or Measles ball, and I believe the red circle is somewhat softer and spins better.
The main reason that racks don't break well is that they are loose. The main reasons that the balls rack loose are that the cloth is pitted and the balls are of different sizes. To avoid the pitting, try racking at the other end of the table or half a ball ahead of the normal spot. On worn cloth, even those areas will be uneven/pitted.ndakotan said:
Even a space between the balls that you couldn't slip a piece of paper through is too large if you really want a tight rack.
The different size issue was mentioned above, but sometimes it is not the owner's fault. Sometimes people steal the eight ball, and the new one, being larger than all the other balls, ensures that the rack has no chance to be tight.