Racking the balls
- Thread starter berlowmj
- Start date
Well generally if the SPOT has come off the felt, you can see the outline of were the SPOT usta be. And I just rack in the same spot lol. Or if you cant see the outline of where the spot was, i just eye up the 1ball with the second diamond.
im about to get a cheap 56' table that has no spot or diamonds what to do then......the table is for nothing serious just to have fun and work on my stroke
.....heres the table http://cgi.ebay.com/56-Small-Billia...goryZ234QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
.....heres the table http://cgi.ebay.com/56-Small-Billia...goryZ234QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Good point by NittiFan. I've seen Ralf Souquet racking the balls when he played at a local tournament here. First he finds the place where the head ball of the rack comes to rest, then places a triangle so that it secures the head ball without moving it, and presses the balls forward to the head ball.
From my experience I would add that if a ball doesn't rest on the spot exactly it is always better to place it down the spot, not high. That is moving it closer to the foot rail. If a rack is set too high it is much harder to make a ball on the break.
From my experience I would add that if a ball doesn't rest on the spot exactly it is always better to place it down the spot, not high. That is moving it closer to the foot rail. If a rack is set too high it is much harder to make a ball on the break.
Shhh, don't let our secret out.Vahmurka said:
Seriously, on a poor racking table, that is generally what happens...the racker will continue to nudge the rack forward until he gets the balls stuck. I've done it and when I stepped back and looked at the rack, it was a 1/2 ball forward of the spot.
On my own table, I've tapped the balls in so they take their position if you get the rack ANYWHERE close. In fact, I could rack by hand...until my nephews got a hold of the table.
BTW, this sucks for 14.1 as the balls don't want to spread when you nudge them.
Yep, and that's disastrous IMO. Especially when playing 9-Ball and racking for each other, I try to do my best and in return get a rack being that high. I always check it since usual way of setting up a rack is pushing it forward.mosconiac said:Shhh, don't let our secret out.
Seriously, on a poor racking table, that is generally what happens...the racker will continue to nudge the rack forward until he gets the balls stuck. I've done it and when I stepped back and looked at the rack, it was a 1/2 ball forward of the spot.
Vahmurka said:
On the table I usually play on, the balls cooperate. The one ball settles, and the second row behind it settles, too; but not anywhere near the one ball. All of the balls rack terribly. I think it's from years of people thinking that you have to beat the balls in place.....don't do it. Rack them where the one ball settles, and in extreme cases very lightly (and also very quietly) tap them with a ball.
The balls are so hard to rack that we need to have some sort of racking degree or some other formal training in order to give a good rack!
It bothers me the most, because I always get the racks from the less experienced players and they get the good tight racks from me...
mosconiac said:Shhh, don't let our secret out.
Seriously, on a poor racking table, that is generally what happens...the racker will continue to nudge the rack forward until he gets the balls stuck. I've done it and when I stepped back and looked at the rack, it was a 1/2 ball forward of the spot.
Awwwww hell. That's what I do. I'm not going that far forward, but I am trying to get the one ball to the "front half" of the dimple so that - if anything - it wants to "lean" back against the rest of the rack. I don't see any other way to get the game started on a table with a big bruise where the spot is. I value a tight rack over placement, I guess. If the table is in decent shape, the rack will go where it's supposed to.
Bottom line is, the breakers are still making balls, and I still don't win, so...
Ken
Diamond racks suck
I don't know who brain-farted and decided that a diamond-shaped rack was better for 9-ball. I've seen countless re-racks where the racker jostled the balls trying to get the triangle away from the table. The diamond is just too small. That's bad enough, but there's also no easy way to get your fingers in there to hold all of the balls together and move the rack into place at the same time like you can with a triangle.
Has anyone else noticed the loose racks that Steve Tipton gives the WPBA players on TV? You can actually see the rear balls roll off as soon as he lets go.
Ken
I don't know who brain-farted and decided that a diamond-shaped rack was better for 9-ball. I've seen countless re-racks where the racker jostled the balls trying to get the triangle away from the table. The diamond is just too small. That's bad enough, but there's also no easy way to get your fingers in there to hold all of the balls together and move the rack into place at the same time like you can with a triangle.
Has anyone else noticed the loose racks that Steve Tipton gives the WPBA players on TV? You can actually see the rear balls roll off as soon as he lets go.
Ken