Sky Woodward runs 10 pack

Banks said:
Scudder. We've both been here for a while. As is usual, i think people tend to remember the names of those that play a bit better than themselves. Iirc, you've also played in the apa singles, but i don't believe we ever met there.

I got a mr for the bar, but i hardly ever use it, which is why i don't soft break - just never got it down. Just smack it and don't scratch.. that's my 9b breaking strategy.
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Nice. Yeah I play APA singles and Masters every year. I love those tourneys. That and the Super Billiards Expo is pretty much all of my bar table pool. I really like bar table a lot actually. There just isn't much of it near me up here near Boston.

I personally tend to break 9 ball medium speed. I'd like to park the CB or back it up a foot or two, and play shape for the 1 in the corner. I've never played around all that much with the super soft break and magic rack on a bar table. I played the BCA 9 ball once, but didn't really try this out.

Maybe I'll see you in Vegas this May!

KMRUNOUT
 
Ekojasiloop said:
It seems to me a lot of people have a problem with the game of nine ball, and yet they mistakenly think they have a problem with the way the balls are racked. How can you have a problem with tight racks lol. That's like saying you have a problem when the tennis net is exactly at the regulation height or something. Not logical.
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Get that logic nonsense out of here. No one likes it lol.

Seriously, great point!

KMRUNOUT
 
xianmacx said:
Not to discount this accomplishment, but it was 9ball, on a diamond with the magic rack and soft breaking. The corner ball goes in EVERY TIME. They are hitting them so soft the 1 ball is about the only one getting past the side. There is almost no way to NOT get a shot on the 1. I believe there have been other 8+ packs run in this event.

IMO it doesn't compare to the old feats of McCready and matlock, Hitting them hard on a valley to try to make a ball and hopefully get shape on the 1.

I hope they do something to change this event, the combo of conditions are making it very boring.
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Yeah, I see the soft break as being very boring to watch. Is there any player who can break the balls really hard and still get shape on the 1 ball consistently? Back in the 90's (for example), I do not think any players broke the balls that soft. I may be wrong.
 
justinb386 said:
So, do you think he was pattern racking the balls? Is this a fact? Did anyone notice the players pattern racking? I imagine that if he was doing it, then many of the other players were doing the same thing.
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I have been corrected. It looked like he was pattern racking the whole rack, but It was said he only cares about the 2 being on the back.
 
justinb386 said:
Yeah, I see the soft break as being very boring to watch. Is there any player who can break the balls really hard and still get shape on the 1 ball consistently? Back in the 90's (for example), I do not think any players broke the balls that soft. I may be wrong.
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Thats whats wrong with this thinking. Players dont care if its boring to watch, all they want is the$$$$
Jason
 
jasonlaus said:
Thats whats wrong with this thinking. Players dont care if its boring to watch, all they want is the$$$$
Jason
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I completely agree. If I was in their shoes I would do the exact same thing. They figured out a perfect break and should take advantage of it.
 
xianmacx said:
But its not a good point. Did they just tighten up a tennis net? Of course not. Its always been tight.
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Right. Has the configuration of a 9 ball rack, or the expectation that it will be tight changed? No, its always been the same. Fresh cloth and a good triangle rack and the result is that same. The magic rack just makes that outcome easier. Tennis net technology has changed. It is easier now to have a consistently tight net than it was 80 years ago.

The idea is that if all along people have advocated for a tight 9 ball rack, it seems odd to complain once they get it. You are implying that people intentionally and knowingly wished for a less than frozen rack at one point. Do you think this is the case? I don't.

KMRUNOUT
 
justinb386 said:
Yeah, I see the soft break as being very boring to watch. Is there any player who can break the balls really hard and still get shape on the 1 ball consistently? Back in the 90's (for example), I do not think any players broke the balls that soft. I may be wrong.
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Thorsten. He often breaks hard when others are breaking soft. I'd say he does pretty well with his approach.

KMRUNOUT
 
Icon of Sin said:
No it's incredible. 10 racks in a row. Soft break or not is hard as shit. Could get a random cluster (this happens on the box) or the 1 could lay funny and that would mess up your routine really quick. Not to mention, that's 90 balls he made without missing or having to play a safe.

I assume 10 racks in a row is just a cake walk for you? I swear AZ cant give anyone props without trying to take some of the feat away from them.
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Skyler Woodward is an amazing player. I imagine that he could adjust to any playing conditions, and still play great. All of the other 128 players in the tournament had the same advantages that he had, and he is the other player who was able to run a 10 pack? If that is true, then he did something that no other player was able to do, and I consider that a great feat. His 8 ball game really amazes me too. I heard about how great of a Bank pool player he is, but sadly there is no streams on youtube of him playing any Bank pool (other then a few short shots in the Derby ring game). Such a great talent, he is.
 
Tin Man said:
No one is disputing it is an impressive display of execution.

What they are pointing out is simply that running 10 racks with a soft break on a bar table with a magic rack is not nearly the same level of difficulty as running 10 racks with a wooden rack where a hard break is needed to 'hopefully' make a ball, and position on the 1 ball is always in question. And that's important to distinguish so the two feats aren't mistaken for each other. It's quite a bit different from, say, Earl's run for the million on 9 foot tables.

Would you agree it is easier to run a rack on a bar table with a magic rack and a soft break and a consistent pattern? I'm not saying running a million in a row isn't impressive, but can we agree that it is easier?

I think the cause of these reactions by many is that some of us don't like the direction the game is going and see old records toppling because of what feels like gaffs that take much of the challenge out of the game. This isn't to suggest that Sky isn't a beast or that him performing this feat is easy by any stretch. This is simply what a very good performance will look like from our top players if these conditions continue and they gain more experience on the idea rack and break.
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Yeah, you make some great points. Good, smart post. I still love Skyler's game though. He is very smart, and will adjust to any conditions, and use them in the best way possible to his advantage. All the other players had the same advantage, if he was in fact pattern racking the balls.
 
xianmacx said:
I have been corrected. It looked like he was pattern racking the whole rack, but It was said he only cares about the 2 being on the back.
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I live here in Tennessee. It's very commonplace for the tournaments to require the 2 ball to be racked in the back.
 
xianmacx said:
Exactly. 10 pack, safety, 10 pack. Very very impressive, and no I certainly couldn't do it.
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Yeah, and when they see a player that is good enough and smart enough to do this, they will change the rules in order to try to make it more difficult to do these incredible feats. Sky is not only an amazing player, but he is a very smart player. Reminds me of how smart of a player Corey Deuel is.
 
Bar box packages.matter.
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KMRUNOUT said:
Nice. Yeah I play APA singles and Masters every year. I love those tourneys. That and the Super Billiards Expo is pretty much all of my bar table pool. I really like bar table a lot actually. There just isn't much of it near me up here near Boston.

I personally tend to break 9 ball medium speed. I'd like to park the CB or back it up a foot or two, and play shape for the 1 in the corner. I've never played around all that much with the super soft break and magic rack on a bar table. I played the BCA 9 ball once, but didn't really try this out.

Maybe I'll see you in Vegas this May!

KMRUNOUT
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Singles is what got me hooked on apa and how i found my way here - a year into playing, newly raised to a 6 and looking for more info. Been there 3 more times since and once for masters. Lost to Gunia in the semis a few years back, but did give him a few good games. Got regionals in 6 weeks. Let's see if i can still luck my way through it, as I'm hardly a monster. :o. I don't even bother trying to qualify for 9.

As for the mr.. the part many don't like is the repetitive nature of the spread. Miniature gaps in a standard rack create more variables. When my friends are doing their breaks, the layouts are very similar and they set up for the 1 in the side to start. I hope you're able to give it a try soon. Your fargo is similar to some of the stronger players around portland, so im kinda interested in the results. We have a lot of bar pool up here and our regional bca events use the mr/diamond setup and the ones that really have it down are impressive, but it looks like a drill.
 
jasonlaus said:
Thats whats wrong with this thinking. Players dont care if its boring to watch, all they want is the$$$$
Jason
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Yeah, I understand that it is not about what the fans might like to see. It is about figuring out any possible advantage that they can do, in order to give them the best possible chance of winning. That is pattern racking, soft breaking, or anything else they can think of (that is not breaking any rules of the tournament).
 
For what it's worth, it looks like they are using Outsville's Accu-Rack by Chris Renfro (this board's "TheRenfro") and NOT the Magic Rack.

The Accu-Rack does a magnificent job of freezing the balls, but doesn't guarantee that they are wired. You gotta find the sweet spot and hit it with the right speed.

That rack template isn't a complete gimme.
 
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