Speed Pool???

W

Williebetmore

Member, .25% Club
Silver Member
Anyone here ever try "speed pool"??

I was helping a friend yesterday practice for a speed pool competition. You break a rack of 15 balls, then pocket the balls as fast as you can. You must wait for whitey to stop rolling, but object balls can still be moving when you shoot. Fouls/scratches are a 10 second penalty. I think that David Pearson guy can do a rack in 40 or 50 seconds - I don't know the exact times.

I'll tell you that you can really get a cardio workout playing this game. After 2 or 3 racks the old heart rate will REALLY be going.

It was kind of stupid, but still kind of entertaining. My friend could do a rack in one minute and 7 seconds; I couldn't break 2 minutes (several times I got down to 1 ball in about one minute 30 or 40; then completely botched the last ball). I have no idea what the world record is; but anything below 1 minute is mind-boggling (we were playing on a very tight Diamond, IPT style table; but pockets smaller than IPT-spec).

There are some special techniques that help (such as using extreme low inside kill on any significant cuts to minimize cue ball travel); any advice from the peanut gallery??? I'm afraid I may be forced to play again, I need the help.

P.S. - there is an "8-ball version" as well, where you make all solids first, then all stripes, then the 8-ball (yes you could choose stripes first instead). Times for this average about 10 seconds more than the regular version.
 
Last edited:
At the annual BCA Amateur & pro events ( in the month of May in las vegas) they have this speed pool contest.I saw some women pro players also in that contest.It is against a fixed amout of time.Do not remember any details now.
 
The only advice I can give is no coffee before you play :)

The other thing that may help is to prop up one side of the table... I was finally able to break one minute.

facets--
 
That's good..

72 seconds is my record. I used to do that all the time when I was younger.
Plus I practiced a lot on Rolling Ball shots (where the ball has to be at the foot spot or beyond before you shoot it). They used to have competitions for Rolling Ball shots, and I remember the Record as being 11 in a row on a
big table.

Rolling Ball shots used to be one of my 'Hustles', especially for better players that didn't normally shoot fast. They looked like a Giraffe trying to shoot those, but their egos wouldn't let them not compete. Speed Pool is the same way. You have to get your rithymn going.
 
i do this on my table when done doing my drills, i get lazy and not rack and break just spread the balls around and with ball in hand i shoot one group first getting position on the eight then shoot the other group then then the eightball. I can clear up the table really fast, even faster if not shooting at one group but anything i want.
 
Dave Pearson's personal best is quite a bit less than 30 seconds. Mine is about 45 seconds. The key to speed pool is learning the 'bump and run' technique. As stated the CB must stop before you can shoot again. Clusters and problem balls are "moved" into more favorable positions by 'bumping' them lightly, several times in a row, if necessary. Usually this is most easily done using a very short bridge, and lag speed strokes. There are no requirements to contact a rail, etc., like there are in regular pool games.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Scott Lee said:
There are no requirements to contact a rail, etc., like there are in regular pool games.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Scott,
Thanks for the update. I believe for the upcoming competition (which I think does include Dave P.) the rules say that there IS a requirement to drive something to a rail - so we could not use the bump strategy without driving something to a rail. Such table fouls are a 10 second penalty added to your score. I'm sure there are a lot of different variations of the rules.

I am VERY impressed by your "sub-60 second" performance. What kind of equipment was used? It appears that it might be slightly easier if the pockets were kinder and gentler than our table.

Any other suggestions???
 
i played it once as a side event on a tournament. i didnt do very good. i payed for 2 tries and i think i did 2:30 and 2:00 or something. the winner of the day did it in 57 seconds.

under 30 seems impossible almost. i saw the 57sec run, and he didnt miss a ball, almost never had to travel alot with the cb and he run alot. he did still use his 2 warmupstrokes. but still 30seconds seems really crazy.

id love to see a video of that on youtube.

ps we played: a fault = u had to touch a pocket, run around the table, touch the same pocket and then u could chose.

its actually a fun thing to play :)
 
Scott Lee said:
Dave Pearson's personal best is quite a bit less than 30 seconds. Mine is about 45 seconds. The key to speed pool is learning the 'bump and run' technique. As stated the CB must stop before you can shoot again. Clusters and problem balls are "moved" into more favorable positions by 'bumping' them lightly, several times in a row, if necessary. Usually this is most easily done using a very short bridge, and lag speed strokes. There are no requirements to contact a rail, etc., like there are in regular pool games.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...
Scott
I understand that Jeff Boucher from Bozeman has shot in one of the league tournaments in Vegas that had a speed pool tournament. Was told he placed pretty high in it. Since he is in your backyard do you know how he did?
Jack
www.johnmaddencues.com
 
As people have pointed out, Dave Pearson holds the record time for potting all 15 balls in 26.5 seconds. Nick Nikolaidis, who recently came 2nd in Trick Shot Magic, held the record for sinking almost 17,000 balls in 24 hours. I'm not sure if he still holds the record, though.
 
Jack Madden said:
Scott
I understand that Jeff Boucher from Bozeman has shot in one of the league tournaments in Vegas that had a speed pool tournament. Was told he placed pretty high in it. Since he is in your backyard do you know how he did?
Jack
www.johnmaddencues.com
Click to expand...

Jack...I have no idea what Jeff's time was, or what place he got. It was on a barbox, though, not a 9' table.

Scott
 
Williebetmore said:
Bruin,
Sillier than race-walking or hot-dog eating????? Possibly. Perhaps this should be a WPBA event, bikini's mandatory.
Click to expand...

sorry, but nothing's sillier than watching earl scamping around a table.
 
Speed Pool -- rules..?

Solartje wrote:
> we played: a fault = u had to touch a pocket, run around
> the table, touch the same pocket and then u could chose.

Yea, that sounds more fun than the 10 sec. penalty.

Btw, do you play slop or call pocket? And if you scratch the cue-ball, do you spot it or is it ball-in-hand?

-- peer
 
Peer said:
Btw, do you play slop or call pocket? And if you scratch the cue-ball, do you spot it or is it ball-in-hand?

-- peer
Click to expand...

Peer,
I believe the rules for this competition are slop counts (except on the 8-ball version, where the 8-ball must be called - if it goes in the wrong pocket it is a 10 second penalty but the game still ends).

Scratches are ball in hand anywhere on the table, player must retrieve the ball.

In the 8-ball version, if the 8-ball goes in a pocket early, the referee spots it, the player receives a 10 second penalty.

I'm thinking that ESPN will be televising this; so rules may be subject to last minute changes.
 
Peer said:
Solartje wrote:
> we played: a fault = u had to touch a pocket, run around
> the table, touch the same pocket and then u could chose.

Yea, that sounds more fun than the 10 sec. penalty.

Btw, do you play slop or call pocket? And if you scratch the cue-ball, do you spot it or is it ball-in-hand?

-- peer
Click to expand...

we play it with 14-1 rulez. u can pocket any ball anywhere. if you scratch you have to take the ball out of the pocket, run around the table, touch the pocket where it felt, and then u have ball in hand.

26seconds seems AMAZING!!.

on the break the time doesnt start. u can scratch or whatever u want. after the break, u get ball in hand. as soon as u stroke, the time starts.

maybe we could do a fun little AZB tournament :p where people can post there record on you tube. id LOVE to see a 26sec run !!!
 
vagabond said:
At the annual BCA Amateur & pro events ( in the month of May in las vegas) they have this speed pool contest.I saw some women pro players also in that contest.It is against a fixed amout of time.Do not remember any details now.
Click to expand...

Last year, Dawn Hopkins' famous son, Billy was running the speed pool event. I took 2nd in it, as well as 2nd in the Artistic. This past year, I had no time to even enter. :(

The amount of time you are trying to beat is the best time posted so far, not a fixed amount of time.
 
rackmsuckr said:
Last year, Dawn Hopkins' famous son, Billy was running the speed pool event. I took 2nd in it, as well as 2nd in the Artistic. This past year, I had no time to even enter. :(

The amount of time you are trying to beat is the best time posted so far, not a fixed amount of time.
Click to expand...

WW,
Was the event held on bar tables or 9 footers (I would call them "real" tables, but I would take heavy fire)? What was your best time? Do you have any pointers (I'm dreadfully afraid that I may be compelled to play again)??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top