problem with ball in hand in rotation games

[marikian]

I seem to have a problem when i am playing the ghost. After the break i take ball in hand and for some reason can not get the right position. When i do i usually can get out but that first shot kills me. What can i work on to help that. Thanks

 

[marikian]

sorry i put this thread in the wrong part of the forum

i meant to put it in Ask the Instructor

 

[HawaiianEye]

I seem to have a problem when i am playing the ghost. After the break i take ball in hand and for some reason can not get the right position. When i do i usually can get out but that first shot kills me. What can i work on to help that. Thanks

BIH after the break is your ONLY "freebie" that allows you to put the cue ball on your desired line. Your primary concern should to chose the correct path that will allow you to make the ball and STAY IN LINE on the path that YOU chose to the next ball. If you choose the wrong path or make a mistake, then you have to get back in line on your own without the benefit of BIH.

 

[Straightpool_99]

I'm not an instructor, but it seems nobody else will say anything so I might as well throw my 2c in.

1. When a position is difficult, even with ball in hand, there is no shame in playing safe. Maybe you can play a creative safety, where you break up the cluster with the object ball, while hiding the cueball? Your opponent will allready be on a foul, remember, so cranking up the heat a bit can be a good idea.

2. Less is more. If I can get a good angle on my next shot with minimal movement, then I will mostly prefer a shot choice that allows that.

3. In general it's easier to control a soft follow shot when you shoot shots that require some movement, so unless there are strong reasons against using that kind of spin, in tend to favor it over all others when I have ball in hand in those kinds of situations.

4. I position my cue ball in such a way that the cueball follows the extended line formed by the intended angle. I play "into" the angle, not across it. If that means I have to touch an extra rail, then I will sometimes do that, even if the cueball must travel a bit longer. In general though, I favor caution. If there is any chance I might get hooked, I won't get fancy.

 

[marikian]

thanks for the reply

I love the idea of going into the line and not crossing it

Do you guys play the ghost for 9 or 10 ball practice

 

[Straightpool_99]

I love the idea of going into the line and not crossing it

Do you guys play the ghost for 9 or 10 ball practice

I play the 10 ball ghost. I'm having a little break from pool right now, but when I come back I don't think I'll bother with playing the traditional ghost anymore (with ball in hand). I've learned the pattern lessons from years of doing this, and I think I'll skip ball in hand all together. If that means I must start at a lower "ghost level", then so be it. I realize that I could increase the level of difficulty and keep the ball in hand aspect by adding balls. IMO this is artificial and somewhat silly. If you just breeze through the 10 ball ghost, then only the few first shots of the 12, 13, 15 ball ghost will give you difficulties. Why not work exclusively on those, then? Start with 15 and pocket only the 5 first balls. Then rebreak etc..Seems to me that is more efficient? I'm not quite that good at the 10 ball ghost yet, but I'm talking about those that are.

I'm doing the same thing in straight pool as well. I start the game up the traditional way and "play both sides". I'm playing some seriously stiff competition and I need to tighten up my safety game, as well as work on my shotmaking. Again, I've learned the pattern lessons from years with ball in hand practice. That's no longer a productive use of my time.

Snooker is a bit different, as I don't really work on "patterns" per se. I play only "line-up" and similar exercises and focus only on my cueing and fundamentals. My focus is completely different in snooker and pool.