practicing/playing playing on super good equipment vs average equipment

[vapoolplayer]

i know this goes without say, but damn, what a difference great equipment makes.

i was at a friends house last night playing. he is super tedious(sp?) with the up keep of his table. he's even put reinforements under his table to make sure the slate is as perfectly level as possible. he has a ball cleaner!!!LOL brunswick table by the way. the pockets were 4 3/4 with the sides right at 5. we played for 11 hours. 8 ball, 9 ball, 1 hole, straight pool, then two races to 21 in 9 ball. where i practice daily during the week has very good tables, but they get played on all the time by anyone and everyone, so of course they play good, but still the cloth gets worn, the rails are kinda funny from time to time. but what a difference it was. the balls rolled perfectly true, the rails weren't "boingy" and cue would kill off the rail if you wanted it to, or run off the rail if you wanted it to. where i normally would use a tip of sidespin, a quarter or half tip would do plenty, a max draw would go almost a length and a half of the table.(i had to be very careful here, as i over drew the cue for about the first 45 min) he also had his table set up for a sardo.

point being, is my play improved considerably. we both ran out plenty of times, a couple times we managed to string together a few racks. i had a couple 2's and a 3. he had about the same with a 4 pack mixed in.

couple questions here:

is it better to try to practice on super good equipment, or average equipment? ( i see a small advantage to practicing on average equipment, because it seems to let you adapt to other playing conditions easier. its a good medium between great equipment and bad)

also, is the sardo rack the reason for the alternating break format?
it was TOO EASY to make 1-3 balls on the break and kill the cue. if the two of us can put together racks, then a pro would be able to get 6 or 7 ahead on a regular bases before the opponent got out the chair in a winner break format. i guess there is such a thing as too perfect.

and lastly, has anyone else noticed that the aramith t.v. balls cut more than the brunswick centennials? i've played on two different tables with two different sets of aramiths, and they seem to cut a slight bit more. it did seem that the aramiths stayed a little cleaner, where as centennials seemed to get dirty quicker, which may have contributed to it.

thanks

 

[Jimmy M.]

My table is a little too tight, the rails play a little dead (I think it's because they're a touch too high), and the lighting is terrible. I have to admit that, since I've had this table, every time I go play anywhere else the tables seem really easy. The pockets never seem too tight, and I can actually see the balls!

 

[vapoolplayer]

My table is a little too tight, the rails play a little dead (I think it's because they're a touch too high), and the lighting is terrible. I have to admit that, since I've had this table, every time I go play anywhere else the tables seem really easy. The pockets never seem too tight, and I can actually see the balls!

i had been beating myself up lately, i felt i wasn't playing as well as i should in practice. but i've played on a few very nice playing tables lately and i play way over my head compared to my practicing.

 

[Williebetmore]

is it better to try to practice on super good equipment, or average equipment? thanks

VAP,
I'm not sure if fabulous equipment helps elevate your game - but I DON'T CARE!!!! Nothing beats heading down to the basement, watching the game on the 50" plasma (or listening to tunes on the kick-ass stereo) while playing on the IMMACULATE GCIV with freshly polished balls. Yeah, maybe I would get better quicker spending my time on the filthy, crappy, smoke drenched tables down at the pool hall; but maybe not. You can still get where you are going in your Pinto, but isn't the Ferrrari really just a little more fun?

 

[vapoolplayer]

VAP,
I'm not sure if fabulous equipment helps elevate your game - but I DON'T CARE!!!! Nothing beats heading down to the basement, watching the game on the 50" plasma (or listening to tunes on the kick-ass stereo) while playing on the IMMACULATE GCIV with freshly polished balls. Yeah, maybe I would get better quicker spending my time on the filthy, crappy, smoke drenched tables down at the pool hall; but maybe not. You can still get where you are going in your Pinto, but isn't the Ferrrari really just a little more fun?

makes sense.......LOL i'm actually thinking of adding a florida room for a pool table. i like the setup my friend has.

 

[sjm]

i know this goes without say, but damn, what a difference great equipment makes.

couple questions here:

is it better to try to practice on super good equipment, or average equipment? ( i see a small advantage to practicing on average equipment, because it seems to let you adapt to other playing conditions easier. its a good medium between great equipment and bad)

also, is the sardo rack the reason for the alternating break format?
it was TOO EASY to make 1-3 balls on the break and kill the cue. if the two of us can put together racks, then a pro would be able to get 6 or 7 ahead on a regular bases before the opponent got out the chair in a winner break format. i guess there is such a thing as too perfect.

Yeah, playing on great equipment not only raises your game, but it makes the game more enjoyable. Still, my philosophy is that your practice equipment should be at least as tough and probably a bit tougher than the equipment on which you exepct to compete.

Though it's certainly arguable, the Sardo rack probably is the reason for alternating break in men's pro pool. The problem was that it was too easy to make the corner ball with the Sardo in use when the player was allowed to break from anywhere in the kitchen. At first, it was hoped that mandating the use of the breakbox would be enough, but it wasn't. The next attempt at anadjustment was to rack the balls having the nine rather than the one on the spot, but that wasn't enough either. Ultimately the solution was alternate break.

The straw that probably broke the Camel's back was the BCA Open semifinal (in 2000, I think) between Archer and Immonen. It was a race to seven with the Sardo and no breakbox. Afrer winning the lag by a tenth of an inch, Archer broke and ran the first five racks with such ease he barely broke a sweat. Mika's first attempt to pocket a ball in that match came with Archer already on the hill and in the end, the result was 7 - 0. Mika's a friend of mine, and he sat down next to me shortly after the conclusion of the match. I've never seen Mika more disgusted, and he told me he felt that the playing conditions had denied him the opportunity to even compete for a major title. I think a lot of the fans concurred.

It was the last BCA Open ever played without alternating break.

 

[TheBook]

VAP,
I'm not sure if fabulous equipment helps elevate your game - but I DON'T CARE!!!! Nothing beats heading down to the basement, watching the game on the 50" plasma (or listening to tunes on the kick-ass stereo) while playing on the IMMACULATE GCIV with freshly polished balls. Yeah, maybe I would get better quicker spending my time on the filthy, crappy, smoke drenched tables down at the pool hall; but maybe not. You can still get where you are going in your Pinto, but isn't the Ferrrari really just a little more fun?

Agree 100%. I cannot bring myself to go to a hall when I have a 9 Ft Brunswick Gold Crown, Centennial balls, with a kick ass sound system of Mac and K Horns in the basement. Life is great. I just wish that I could afford a better cue than my SW. I don't have a plasma but I do have a 60 in LCD with surround in the entertainment room. I do have to sacrifice on a few things.

Don't regret selling my 63 Vette in 68. It was a basket case. Glad to get $2000 for it at the time. Needed a lot of work and had over 170,000 miles on it. Don't know for sure because all the gauges and dials were broke. I did enjoy if for 6 years though. Not bad for being 18 and having a new Vette. Paid $3,200 for it brand new. Was working for $2.22 per hour at the time. It did teach me one lesson. Buy quality stuff. You get to enjoy it, and have more fun plus it keeps its value.

 

[JLW]

I would definitely have to say that practicing with good equipment is better IMO. It's very hard to learn cue ball control, pattern play, kicking and banking, how to slow roll a ball, etc. on inferior equipment. You can always adjust your game if you go out and play on inferior equipment, but at least you are practicing under conditions that really allow you to learn to play the game the way it should be played.

 

[Billy_Bob]

I think it is good in general, but before tournaments, it is a good idea to go play on the table(s) at the tournament location for awhile.

I got used to my table being very level, then went and played on an un-level table, shot a slow shot, cue ball curved to hit my opponents ball, and I lost the match.

And then old dirty worn balls play differently.

So good to practice on good equipment, but also play on the bad equipment out there before tournaments.

 

[mjantti]

My two cents...

I've been practising with a set of good used balls at our club. Good balls, but for some reason one day we were able to shoot a few racks with a brand new set of balls. I noticed a substancial difference when shooting a soft follow. The cueball rolled forward much more than with a worn set. And that was because I was so used to the worn set of balls, which had a slightly smaller cueball. With a brand new set the cueball was slightly bigger thus making it roll more forward ! That taught me a lesson, I always try to practise with a good set of balls !