straight pool help

5ballcharlie

5ballcharlie

GHOSTBUSTER
Silver Member
Hello I really need some help... I am a decent A player in 9 ball and can beat the ghost on a tight 9 footer with regularity. I have strung 5 racks of 9 ball before on a loose 8 footer but still 5 and 3 racks of 8 ball on a bar box. I have just started playing straight pool and I really do suck at it. I have run 51balls on that tight 9 footer but I have a hard time running 14 balls with regularity. Is this normal? My consitency is a total joke and I know that I am a better player than this. Is there any advice that you can give me on straight pool like what to practice. I have a table so practice time is not a problem because I play atleast 6 - 8 hours everday. Any knowledge will be put to use.

THANKS FOR THE HELP:)
 
I like Jim Rempe's suggestion...put all 15 balls on the table with none near a cushion, take ball in hand, & and try to run all 15 balls without touching a cushion. Straight pool is a lot of things, but seeing patterns is important. Do this every day for two weeks and see what happens to your straight pool game.

Jim Eales
 
5ballcharlie said:
Hello I really need some help... I am a decent A player in 9 ball and can beat the ghost on a tight 9 footer with regularity. I have strung 5 racks of 9 ball before on a loose 8 footer but still 5 and 3 racks of 8 ball on a bar box. I have just started playing straight pool and I really do suck at it. I have run 51balls on that tight 9 footer but I have a hard time running 14 balls with regularity. Is this normal? My consitency is a total joke and I know that I am a better player than this. Is there any advice that you can give me on straight pool like what to practice. I have a table so practice time is not a problem because I play atleast 6 - 8 hours everday. Any knowledge will be put to use.

THANKS FOR THE HELP:)
Click to expand...

I feel a little odd offering any advice, my high run is only 36. But anyhow, it sounds like you have pocketing and position skills, you just need a little time to learn the game. I would suggest to finding good straight pool players to play and getting a few good matches on accu-stats.
 
5ballcharlie said:
Hello I really need some help... I am a decent A player in 9 ball and can beat the ghost on a tight 9 foo,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,what to practice. I have a table so practice time is not a problem because I play atleast 6 - 8 hours everday. Any knowledge will be put to use.

THANKS FOR THE HELP:)
Click to expand...

if you consider yourself a good 9ball shooter, don't let your ego get in the way. play like you can't shot and focus on position and getting closer to the ob.
 
There are times when I can't get past a 30 ball run no matter what. Just seems that things go wrong and I'm not in sink with the game. Other days it seems like I can run 50's, 60's, 70's with not too much trouble. Every so often I'll hit 100 and beyond, but cannot break 150.

As John Schmidt told me once..."it's difficult to run rack in straight pool until you really learn the secrets to finding the key ball/balls and the break ball and working around them". It still does not come easy for me, but I have become better in the last two years by really identifying them early in the rack. Since I am interested in prolonged runs I sometimes take some risk earlier in the rack in order to leave myself a good break shot. Unless you can get the balls reasonably open, then your run will stop.

Keep in mind that straight pool requires extremely precise position play. You can't play the wide open zones like you do in 9-ball and still get out. The game requires a different touch and a great ability at slow rolling balls....and even using a punch stroke which I rarely seem to use in 9-ball.

Lastly...

In the words of Nick Varner..."I always try to shoot every shot with a plan in mind". This is very important in straight pool since you are confronted with many options....but if you look closely, there is probably a "best" option.

Regards,

Doug
 
take heart, i too have the same problem, i can run racks in 8-ball, but in straight pool, not good. i am just learning straight pool, the right way, and can't seem to run past 25 balls or so, however to our defense, what's going on here is this, the ironic thing is this, taking any ball that you want, confuses 8-ball and 9-ball players alike!!!!! you would think "well, that's easy enough isn't it?" take any ball you like, well that's where my mind goes, but what about paint by numbers what about stripes as a guide? no,no, you must "go on your own" we get lost on our own, ability wise, we could probally run 300 balls, but seeing which balls to clear off first, that takes getting used to, for now, try reading "play your best straight pool" it's the best book ever written on striaght pool, and although i haven't seen immiedate improvment, i believe i'm gonna make a leap soon, stick with it.
 
better straight pool

The key is to forget the score and make sure you do the right thing every time. If you are worried about the run you might just do something stupid to achieve it which causes bad play and bad habits besides, winning the game of straight pool is about great play (the right move) not high runs of coarse this does make easy work of competant players. The idea is to make this ball and have a plan to make the next. If you can do this you will see your focus go up and with this also your high run. Don't worry yourself to death about the future or you will die early. In other words don't worry about the score until you miss. If you can do this then you will see results. As far as practice just start with your favorite break shot and go for broke and always play with a clean rack of balls or else bad rolls (kicks) will happen more often. Nothing I can't stand more than bieng 100 balls in and watching a cue ball stick to the pack or the pack is a dud. Also everyone else made good points it is very helpful to see other peoples methods for breaking into the stack and remember the less movement out of the CB the better.
 
When I started getting a better player (20 years ago) a very well known european instructor told me : "if you want to be really good, play straight pool" and that's what I've done.
It has definitely made me a better player and these days (I play 10 to 12 hours a week) I am practicing straight pool only and play local tournaments only when it is straight pool.
I am shooting 4 to 6 racks in a row on regulary base, certainly not each time I come to the table but 2 to 3 times in a week.
I attached a doc (from Tom Ross pool) which describes imo the fastest way to improve at this game, though it has to be said that straight pool improvement takes a lot of time, personal investment and frustration.
Maybe 3 more things:
- this method is very rewarding because you create yourself an artificial pression, you don't have to beat anybody but you want to get better an make a higher score (and not a run!) each time you play,this has a great impact on other games : imagine you have pocketed 98 balls and have a pretty tough shot to continue the run, it is very similar to the last ball play (8 or 9) when both players are on the hill. On the other side it brings a lot to the concentration particulary on the most simple balls.
- when I have time, I don't limit myself to 20 but play the run as long as it lasts and if you have 6 to 8 hours a day, it may suit you quite well
- it is crucial to have a stats diary : it informs you about your progress and its analyzis shows you your weaknesses and what you have to work on to improve
 
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Running balls in striaght pool is about developing good habits. Most racks usually begins with a well-known break shot, and the end-game is well known, too in that one must play a pattern onto a key ball that gives easy access to the break shot that will open the next rack. Let's call everything in between the mid-rack.

I could give you a lengthy laundry list of dos and dont's, but as you're new at straight pool, let's start with two basic principles that apply to the mid-rack.

When I watch a very good shooter that can't run balls at straight pool, two things I tend to notice important in the mid-rack.

1) They don't clear the rails early enough in the rack. The latter portion of any rack is much tougher if there remain a few balls along the rails.

2) When they break medium-to-large sized clusters during the rack, they are power oriented and not precision oriented. Power, of course, matters, but careful examination of clusters will often make it clear that there's an angle of attack that is superior to others available. You must examine clusters before playing a sequence onto the shot with which you will attack them, and must be precise in your stroke selection when you break these clusters to ensure that you break clusters accurately.

Good straight poolers clear their rails sooner rather than later and are very attentive to their attack angles when they open up clusters. Hope this helps!
 
Hi Charlie, I"ve been playing 14.1 for maybe 20 years. I was lucky to work in a great old style pool room with many good players. I went the wrong route IMO in learning the game by playing 9ball first, then learning 14.1. Granted, it did help develope my stroke and shhot making, but made it horribly tought to get back to learning 14.1.

That being said, I asked all the great players I watched over the years "How do I run alot of balls?" most only said...learn the patterns....which does nothing to help someone learn the game! So I went on a quest to set some easy to remember ground rules for when I play 14.1. Here's what I think about when running balls after making the break shot:

These four are my Holy Grail, any one equal to the next.

Open the pocket lanes so all balls have at least 1 pocket to go into.
Clear out the rail balls early as possible in the rack.
Try to play position on more than 1 ball on every shot.
Don't go into balls that already have a pocket to be made in.

Other Rules I use with the above biggies:

Going into the BACK of the rack off the bottom cusion without an insurance ball = DEATH....This one is my biggest run killer.

Again, always have an insurance ball when breaking up clusters

Last but not least, when breaking clusters, take the time to look where
ALL the balls are going to go, and have a plan for position on at least 2 of them if possible. This to me is the art of GREAT 14.1 going into clusters and knowing where everything is going to end up. This one simple sounding thought helped me run my first 100 more than anything else.

On an final note, Going from a fast paced game like 9ball to a game like 14.1 in going to infuriate you to no end. You will have to learn to play at a different pace at first. When you start running balls your pace will naturally pick up as you see the game unfold infront of you. Take your time, practice and learn your break shots as others have suggested, and have fun with it.

Best learning Videos IMO Accu-stats
Mike Sigels 150 and out in the Worlds 14.1 in New York
Jim Rempes "How to run 100 balls"
Anything with Dallas West in it.
I've worn these 3 out!...........Gerry
 
I was watching a Bert Kinister Video for 9 Ball patterns and he said in 9 ball you need to use the rails to get cue ball position unlike straight pool where you try to avoid going to the rails.

I watched a video of Efrin running 140+ balls (don't remember the exact #). It seemed as if he would never blast open the rack. He would just pick out a few balls at a time. He never shot hard and had very little cueball movement. The video was a Accustats. A former team member had it and I don't remember the title. I think he was playing against Dallas West. It is well worth getting to see the best at work.

When practicing straight pool how do you start out? The normal starting break is o hit the corner ball and put the cueball back to the head rail. When practicing to get a high run when do you start your count? Would it be beneficial to start out with a key ball break?
 
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thanks everyone I will use everything that you have told me. It is very infuriating because my runs seem to end on bone head shots that my sister can make. I miss the easy ones or get stuck in the pack. I have got efren reyes vs mike sigel match from the new york rosealand ball room 14.1 match and have worn it out. I think that I have learned some basics like making break balls but the advice I recieved on picking off rail balls asap is going to help me alot because rail balls get tied up very easy and are hard to break out with control.... thank you guys
 
Johnny Holiday

5ballcharlie said:
Hello I really need some help... I am a decent A player in 9 ball and can beat the ghost on a tight 9 footer with regularity. I have strung 5 racks of 9 ball before on a loose 8 footer but still 5 and 3 racks of 8 ball on a bar box. I have just started playing straight pool and I really do suck at it. I have run 51balls on that tight 9 footer but I have a hard time running 14 balls with regularity. Is this normal? My consitency is a total joke and I know that I am a better player than this. Is there any advice that you can give me on straight pool like what to practice. I have a table so practice time is not a problem because I play atleast 6 - 8 hours everday. Any knowledge will be put to use.

THANKS FOR THE HELP:)
Click to expand...

If you want to learn the game, get Johnny Holiday's book, position play for high runs, its value will help all your games, a must if you want to run over a 100 balls. You'll never be a great 8-ball player till you can play straight pool properly.
 
You may be beyond this point already, but I think running 14 balls consistently is difficult for some 9-ball players because they're used to playing longer position, and straight is mostly a game of short, tight position. I like this drill to work on tight position.

Set up the balls as diagrammed and run them in numerical order, taking ball in hand for the first shot. Try to keep the cue ball within the zone marked by the yellow arrow. If you get out of position by more than an inch or two, the drill becomes much more difficult, but if you do it right, you never have to move the cue ball much between shots.

START(
%AD5L3%BF2L2%CH0L2%DI7L2%EK5L2%FK5J0%GK4H1%HK4F1%IK4D2%JB6[8
%KB6\0%LB7[7%MB7\1%NB6[9%OB8[9%PF7Q1%_R9D7%`P9R5%aC7T5
)END

-Andrew
 
14.1

There are so many good suggestions in this thread.

Rempe's don't hit the rails drill, clear the pockets, clear the rails, Rempe's and Sigels how to videos, watching Dallas West.

I've got all the accustats straight pool matches and you can learn on some even if the play is not spectacular. I was listening to Johnny Ervolino commentating a Vlahos/Reyes match and he was dumbfounded at some of their choices and explained how he thought the patterns should go. Grady Mathews, Dallas West and many others are also good at telling the viewer the right way to go about getting through a rack.

I was reading just today where Babe Cranfield mentioned Ralph Greenleaf running 60 balls once and only hit the rails 2 times.

less cue ball movement is better, especially at the end of a rack.


Now if I could only remember and apply these thoughts while playing.:rolleyes:
 
offensive shot to open the game vs. safety

TheBook said:
When practicing straight pool how do you start out? The normal starting break is o hit the corner ball and put the cueball back to the head rail. When practicing to get a high run when do you start your count? Would it be beneficial to start out with a key ball break?
Click to expand...

The best way to practice is to start out with a break shot you set up. However, here's a shot I haven't seen anyone mention yet...it is not too difficult to learn to bank one of the corner balls straight back, to begin the opening rack with an offensive shot, rather than a safety. It just takes the correct amount of topspin, inside english, and speed...and of course a good rack!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
I've seen that shot also Scott, but I would never do it to a player that could run balls. It's almost a slap in the face IMHO, especially if you make it!:)

Gerry
 
I agree shooting pack shots out of the full stack like the coner ball long rail is a bad habit but, while practicing alone it might be a good shot to continue the run. I don't personally like the long rail shot but, there are two or three other shots that I would rather play ie the corner ball cross side, or my favorite and on some equitment not risky at all corner ball straight in like on a one pocket break. However I do agree it shows you have no respect for your opponents game unless you are trailing in the score and you think the shot will get you back in the lead in this case your a hero unless you miss. If I'm winning 149 to 0 and I run out of easy shots I play safe to show my opponent that I still believe he's a threat it shows a great deal of class even if he can't win. If the play is friendly I try not to win by 100 or more no one likes to lose that bad in straight pool but, for cash I just can't help it...lol :) always pay by the ball the score meens more that way.
 
I've been playing 14.1 every since I started to play any game and it did helped me in all sorts of situations. Straight pool requires almost surgical precision! In 9 ball you can miss your position play by 1 or 2 feet and in most cases you will be okay, in straight pool you can be screw by missing your position play by 1 or 2 inches (give or take centimmeters or even milimmeters). There are lots of things you need to look for when getting through a rack like: breakin clusters, insurance balls, opening pockets etc. In 9 ball a good player is thinking about 3 shots ahead. In 14.1 you have to be able to think 5 and more shots ahead, especially by the end of a rack when you are trying to find the best way to get to the key ball which will get you to a good breaking ball position. Straight pool requires lot more knowledge than 9 ball and it takes lots of time to imrove even for a good 9 ball player like you.
 
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