Racking template
- Thread starter Cuebacca
- Start date
Rack-M-Rites were used on the Billiard Channel Tour in all of their events with league volunteers racking by hand. Nobody, not even Buddy Hall (maybe the greatest nine-ball player ever) seemed to realize the corner ball was dead with a good rack until then. Before that time when the corner ball flew in everybody complained the rack was bad.
One thing it does is save the crowd from sitting there watching players rack the balls for half the match. It can be astonishing how much time is spent trying to get a good rack in pro matches. BORING.
One thing it does is save the crowd from sitting there watching players rack the balls for half the match. It can be astonishing how much time is spent trying to get a good rack in pro matches. BORING.
av84fun said:
The spacing of the Rack-M-Rite template holes is not the same as the ball spacing in a rack. The holes are just close enough together to cause each ball to lean in toward the others so they will freeze. That is why it works far better than tapping balls in place in a rack.
Tapping works best on new cloth without a spot. With use, the area of the rack, including where the spot would be won't get trenches that make it so hard to rack the balls. That's because you don't slide the balls up and down with a rack trying to freeze them, and they're always in the same place instead of just somewhere on the center line however far you have to put them up to get them to freeze. So the cloth doesn't get worn as fast or in the same way. After a long time racking without a spot it will wear a small hole at the 1 spot instead of any kind of trench, but then you can patch it and put a spot on it or just move the template up or down a little (since there's no trench) and reset it in a slightly different place.
Using a spot causes more roll off because the dent is wider with less rolling resistance. Not to mention balls hitting the side of the spot.
It can work until the cloth is very old if it is used from the beginning. Older cloth that's been racked on a lot already without it may not work too well.
unknownpro said:
Thanks for your comments, unknownpro. You make a lot of good posts about the rack and the break, which I always appreciate, as this is one area of pool that seems really tough to figure out on one's own. Your post in that other thread was where I heard of the Rack-M-Rite template.
I'm really surprised actually that the template hasn't caught on in the states; especially for one-pocket and straight pool tournaments.
Can anyone think of a good reason why this template shouldn't be used for 1-hole and 14.1 events (setting aside rotation games for a moment)? If the reason is to keep it more like a regular pool hall conditions, ie., rack imperfections, I don't think that's a good reason. It would be kind of like saying that the NBA should start using blacktop courts with chain nets. (OK, not a very good analogy, but the first one to come to mind.)
It would be nice to see the big events use as pristine conditions as possible, but of course that's just my own humble opinion. Don't get me wrong; it does seem like they do try to do that, but I guess maybe the rack is the final frontier.
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Hey Cuebacca, UnknownPro!
I own the Rack M Rite. It's by far the best $10 I ever spent. I struggled with understanding the 9 ball break for a long time. I filmed hundreds of breaks trying to figure out the whole spacing thing. With the template, I get a perfect rack in just a few seconds. Understanding where all of the balls go on the break was very easy once using the template.
After figuring that out, I made the wing ball 96 out of 100 times! I made the one in the side 31 times in the same set.
After reading Joe Tucker's book, I went back to my notes on one hundred breaks (before the template). It was incredible how Joe's info matched up with the spacings I wrote down for each break! I just never put it together right until reading the book.
I remember talking with the "inventor" many years ago and like unknownpro says, the key is that the template openings are ever so slightly closer together than balls just sitting in a wooden rack. 4/1000ths of an inch IIRC. I know many people swear by a wooden rack but there's just no chance that you can get all contact points touching like you can with the template. Outside balls in the rack will just roll off the edge of the cloth threads. Tapping eliminates that period.
You can even get all contact points touching in a 15 ball rack!
It's a great product although it could severly change pool games.
Andy
I own the Rack M Rite. It's by far the best $10 I ever spent. I struggled with understanding the 9 ball break for a long time. I filmed hundreds of breaks trying to figure out the whole spacing thing. With the template, I get a perfect rack in just a few seconds. Understanding where all of the balls go on the break was very easy once using the template.
After figuring that out, I made the wing ball 96 out of 100 times! I made the one in the side 31 times in the same set.
After reading Joe Tucker's book, I went back to my notes on one hundred breaks (before the template). It was incredible how Joe's info matched up with the spacings I wrote down for each break! I just never put it together right until reading the book.
I remember talking with the "inventor" many years ago and like unknownpro says, the key is that the template openings are ever so slightly closer together than balls just sitting in a wooden rack. 4/1000ths of an inch IIRC. I know many people swear by a wooden rack but there's just no chance that you can get all contact points touching like you can with the template. Outside balls in the rack will just roll off the edge of the cloth threads. Tapping eliminates that period.
You can even get all contact points touching in a 15 ball rack!
It's a great product although it could severly change pool games.
Andy
billiardshot said:
Here's an idea; let's make this one a traveling "tapping rack" since if done correctly it only is needed once. Then we can all benefit. we all just pay the shipping with an extra for handling fee's. And a small % goes to the house (you).
Let me know if you're interested, I'll get in on that once my table is set up.
But off that subject and onto how they work I did the same thing but with a rubber mallet and my huge hands to hold all the balls in place. Work fairlywell, but having a template would be better.