Question about safety play

B

bdorman

Dead money
Silver Member
I know the answer to this question begins with "It all depends on the situation...", but I'll ask it anyway.

When you're faced with the need to play safe do you focus the majority of your attention on the end position of the cue ball or the object ball? (let's assume we're talking 9-ball and 10-ball, but I guess it applies to other games too)

In an ideal world I'd execute a shot that puts the CB and OB tightly behind other balls, but that rarely happens (Okay...it's never happened for me).

I find myself focusing on the cue ball's position because I think I've got better control over it. But maybe that's a bad habit.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.
 
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It depends on the game. In 9ball you usually need to control both the OB and cueball. In 8ball you can get away with strickly controlling the cueball in some cases.
 
The ability to control/put whitey in a tight spot is 90% of the effort. It's great to control both balls, but most of the time you're moving the OB as little as possible and ducking with the CB. Some times, poking the OB out and moving the CB as little as possible is a good safety, but too easy to shoot out of, usually. Kind of depends, but if you work on ducking the CB into a tight spot, you'll be good to go most of the time.
 
Watch the PRO's play...

Watch a professional match. Pro's will do both the CB & the OB.They will jam up the CB for their opp, AND get position on the OB for correct angle to play rotation when they get the ball again.(if possible to do that to the OB on that turn)
 
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If you can't hide the OB then at least try toleave it out in the open away from the rails.
 
I remember playing a guy in the SBE Open at Valley Forge. I broke dry and he plays a safe sending the one ball down table setting up the one nine combo while putting me in lock down. It was over 10 years ago and it still hurts! :eek:
 
Both, but I like to favor the cueball because of the control others have stated. But if neither is available, leave distance at the very least. What I do not like to do if given the choice is to leave the object ball behind a cluster of balls because more often than not, if they make a good hit they will kick safe and I'm screwed. I would much rather put the cueball behind the cluster.

But as you mentioned in your post, It all depends on the situation...

Dave
 
bdorman said:
I know the answer to this question begins with "It all depends on the situation...", but I'll ask it anyway.

When you're faced with the need to play safe do you focus the majority of your attention on the end position of the cue ball or the object ball? (let's assume we're talking 9-ball and 10-ball, but I guess it applies to other games too)

In an ideal world I'd execute a shot that puts the CB and OB tightly behind other balls, but that rarely happens (Okay...it's never happened for me).

I find myself focusing on the cue ball's position because I think I've got better control over it. But maybe that's a bad habit.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Click to expand...


Each safety has a different answer, but in general, my rule of thumb is to first leave no real shot on the object ball, then if you get a hook that's a bonus. Too many safes are blown because the object ball is left open and the hook is missed.
 
bdorman said:
I know the answer to this question begins with "It all depends on the situation...",
Click to expand...

Asked and answered.

Although I see all too often when someone plays safe they are so concentrated on the cueball they do nothing with the OB leaving it in a place that even with ball in hand they still cant really do anything.
 
Thanks for the great ideas.

I guess another reason I tend to lock up the CB instead of the OB is that sometimes I've locked up the OB so tight that when I get BIH my only option is to 3-foul my opponent; I've put the OB in a spot where there's no shot.


JohnPT said:
If you can't hide the OB then at least try toleave it out in the open away from the rails.
Click to expand...

I've got to burn that into my memory! I've got lots of "pool rules" in my memory cells...I just can't seem to recall them when I should.

desmocourtney said:
I remember playing a guy in the SBE Open at Valley Forge. I broke dry and he plays a safe sending the one ball down table setting up the one nine combo while putting me in lock down. It was over 10 years ago and it still hurts! :eek:
Click to expand...

OUCH!

DallasHopps said:
You're all missing the option I tend to favor, which is selling out and leaving both out in the open.
Click to expand...

Because you want your opponent to feel over-confident, leading to his demise...right? :grin:
 
Why settle for one or the other? Both is what its all about. If one doesn't go safe the other has the chance to go safe. Doubling the odds. Obviously the CB position is the easiest to manipulate and often is the cause of why BIH is awarded. But what goods BIH if you can't run out the rack because the OB isn't in a favourable position?

Never try to tie up the OB completely. You are aiming for BIH so leave the OB where its beneficial to you, but not to your opponent. Say you leave your opponent a jump shot - leave the OB in a position that makes the CB the wrong side to gain position for the next ball.

Same applies when you have a cluster, especially in rotation. Leave the OB where you can disturb the cluster with BIH but leave the CB where your opponent can't do the same.

You'll be suprised how many matches are won because of a well thought out safety.
 
I'm thinking in terms of probabilities...yes, one should endeavor to always control BOTH balls; but let's say I push the OB into a bad position, but leave the CB locked up to get BIH...if I can't see a pocket with BIH after that, then I've got another lock up safety. How many times have you seen a guy try for both balls and roll long or short with the CB, leaving a hanger for his opponent? Or an easy jump shot? Especially when there was likely a nice pocket of balls to roll the CB up behind/against? That's my simple advice and I'm sticking to it...but I'm just a banger, so buyer beware! ;)
 
For your safeties to be most effective, you need to control where both are going. Against A players and above, if the object ball is within 2 ball widths of a rail or a diamond of a pocket or within close vicinity to other blocking balls, you are not likely to be left well on your next turn if you even get back to the table. It goes without saying that you shot also have the cueball buried as well.
 
Here's an analogy that works for me, sometimes, lol.

Your brain is a CPU. You have 3 Megs of RAM to divide between the CB & OB.


Depending on the shot, you consciously decide before you go down to give 2.5 Megs to the CB & .5 to the OB. On others it may be 50/50. But like a woman, the CB almost always get the most RAM. :eek:
 
Early on you can only do so much. So, you play for one ball or the other. Later on when you can see the shots better, control both balls.

"I guess another reason I tend to lock up the CB instead of the OB is that sometimes I've locked up the OB so tight that when I get BIH my only option is to 3-foul my opponent; I've put the OB in a spot where there's no shot."

Whats the problem with locking up the object ball? Stop shot safeties are often very easy, and also a great way to feel how to control an object ball. If my opponent scratches on the break, I go for the safety if I don't like the clusters(or the general difficulty of the rack).
 
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