recent 9-ball notes

[evergruven]

play with a buddy weekly, we usually do a mix of games, but mostly 8b
we decided to play 9b race last week, I won 9-5, but I donated too much
I lost those games at the end and let my pal clean em up- he did it, good man
but that experience made me feel like I wanted to up my rotation/9b game
so, I've been playing 9b ghost this past week, races to 10 with a triangle
the first two races, I averaged 2.5, and 2.7 balls made, not counting break
I definitely dogged some shots, but found it difficult managing the layouts

on day 3, before my ghost session, I happened on a max eberle vid on yt
"5 mistakes amateurs make" or some such- so what am I doing, I wonder
I watch it and there are no big revelations- but something he said caught me
not while I was watching, but later on when I set up for my 9b ghost game

and it hit me- I then tightened up my bridge off the rail for the break shot
made the wing ball, squatted the cb, 1b predictably tracked side/corner
my break was better, and so the table layout was easier- and it showed!
I went from 2.7 avg. wednesday, to 4.5 yesterday- pretty significant change
to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I did the same thing today for my session
I made sure my bridge was really nice and tight, and broke off ten times
again I dogged some balls, but again my break was really much improved
way more controlled/predictable, and not only did my avg improve (4.7)
but the game itself was more controlled, and I enjoyed that

anyway, it's likely obvious to many of you that having a tight bridge helps
this is a game of millimeters, and eliminating any variance makes sense
I knew that myself, I even thought my bridge off the rail wasn't too bad
but sure enough, it could be tighter! and so far, so good- it seems to help
going to keep playing with it, and see how else the concept can be applied

 

[hang-the-9]

When you play the ghost do you take ball in hand after the break? Was the issue you were having clusters and balls together before and with a better break it's more open?

One thing to do, if you can't beat the 9 ball ghost, just put less balls on the table. It helps with the pattern play since there are not that many balls to worry about till you ramp up your game. I see too many players play with a full rack and all they do is play the first 3-4 balls over and over again, it gets frustrating and discouraging.

 

[evergruven]

When you play the ghost do you take ball in hand after the break? Was the issue you were having clusters and balls together before and with a better break it's more open?

One thing to do, if you can't beat the 9 ball ghost, just put less balls on the table. It helps with the pattern play since there are not that many balls to worry about till you ramp up your game. I see too many players play with a full rack and all they do is play the first 3-4 balls over and over again, it gets frustrating and discouraging.

I take bih if I don't have a real shot on the 1 ball, which historically, is often
I'm getting more looks at the 1 with the improved break, but still mostly bih
balls are definitely more open, fewer clusters and outcomes more predictable
the game is more about execution at a level that's closer to where I'm at

your suggestion to work up to a full rack is a good one, I might tinker with it
I'm nowhere near beating the ghost now- only running out a rack or two so far
but I'm also donating one or two a set, and I'm optimistic I'll keep improving
the last time I played the ghost in earnest, 1 yr. ago, I almost beat it a few times
but that was with a template, now using a cheap triangle and still competitive
getting closer, anyway- but I agree with you that it shouldn't be too frustrating
when that's the case, I'll pull back, change something up, or just take a beat

 

[7stud]

Why would tightening your bridge around the cue (if that is what you are doing?) help your break? To me it seems that the easier the cue can slide through your bridge, the more cue speed you will be able to generate. If you can generate more cue speed, then you don't have to swing as hard to get the same cue speed, which will improve accuracy. When I bridge off the rail for the break, I use a standard rail bridge: the cue is between my first two fingers and the cue slides alongside my thumb.

 

[evergruven]

Why would tightening your bridge around the cue (if that is what you are doing?) help your break? To me it seems that the easier the cue can slide through your bridge, the more cue speed you will be able to generate. If you can generate more cue speed, then you don't have swing as hard to get the same cue speed, which will improve accuracy. When I bridge off the rail for the break, I use a standard rail bridge: the cue is between my first two fingers and the cue slides alongside my thumb.

I hear you, and conceptually agree
but I think in this case, the benefits of keeping my cue on line better/more accurate
is worth sacrificing power. which incidentally, I'm not sure I'm really losing much/any ?
not sure. and definitely a work in progress. but I like the track I'm on. thanks for checking in!

 

[Ghost of OBC]

Breaking square and squatting the rock definitely makes nine ball a lot easier. Just watch a league match where one or both players has no break, the layout after a poor break is almost impossible to run out even for a good player. Whatever it takes to get a good hit on the one is probably worth it.