Straight Pool ?

Steve Dickey

Steve Dickey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have always read suggestions on this forum stating that practicing straight pool would help improve CB control and position play. I have no doubt this is true, yet somehow have never got around to it.

In a recent thread BBB suggested to start with only six balls including the break ball. Rack the 6 balls, remove the head ball and place it where ever you want for your break ball. Then, with CB in hand, go to work.

My results seem to be very highly dependent on my break. I place the break ball with in 6-8" of the stack and have tried stunning into the first, second, and between balls, inside/outside english, all with mixed results.

Any of you straight pool players have any suggestions for me?
 
unless your a really good player that 6 bal 14.1 drill is tough and very discouraging
i know ive tried it

if i wanted to improve position play and cb control i would practice 9 ball
but each of us learns differently

14.1 is the only game i practice though
 
If you are a complete beginner that might be okay but I'd recommend equal offense. Rack 15, break them open, bih behind head string. If you make a ball on the break it gets spotted on the foot spot. After that you are playing straight pool. High score for an inning is 20. 10 innings is a game.

With 15 balls you work on cue ball control and there are usually clusters to break open and the advantage over 14.1 is balls are spread all over the table so you practice moving the cue ball more.
 
I can't know for sure, but Grady Matthews did say one one tape that one of the ways Dallas West got so good at straight pool was throwing three balls out on the table at random, then taking cue ball in hand, and working position for a break shot. That does make some sense as a drill.

All the best,
WW
 
ShakesSea said:
I'm having trouble locating a source but there are some basic guidelines for when to follow, draw, etc. for your break shot depending on the break ball position. Generally, when my break ball is near the top of the stack and I'll be hitting one of the first couple of rows I'll use some draw to clear the cue ball out of traffic up table. If the break ball is near the bottom of the stack I'm typically using follow to drive the cue ball through the rack.

I've seen material that addresses multiple specific break situations and the likely best stroke to use for them, including a pretty good video on Youtube that was from the 80s, but I'm coming up dry right now. Search around.
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If you go to the 14.1 forum Dennis Walsh has hundreds of hours of videos and you can get a good idea from watching pros play the game. A general guideline is if the cue ball is closer to the long rail than the object ball you follow but there is more to it than that and not everybody does it the same way. Europeans tend to draw the ball in situations where others would follow.
 
alstl said:
A general guideline is if the cue ball is closer to the long rail than the object ball you follow but there is more to it than that and not everybody does it the same way. Europeans tend to draw the ball in situations where others would follow.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what u mean by this I'm not picturing what u mean as far as ur each ball in reference to the long rail like if the cue isn't closer to the long rail ur going away from the stack right? and u r talking specifically about the break shot right?
 
Steve Dickey said:
In a recent thread BBB suggested to start with only six balls including the break ball. Rack the 6 balls, remove the head ball and place it where ever you want for your break ball.

My results seem to be very highly dependent on my break. any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Well, I assume a 6-ball break is gonna be different than a 14-ball break, so dont worry too much about your 6-ball break (which you will never use in a real game anyway).

I assume the real point of the practice is to work on your end patterns, and if so, you can just roll balls onto the table for that if you want......

One problem I see with a 6-ball break, is you probably wont end up with a new break ball, so you have to "manufacture" one, which is an advanced skill (especially with only 6 balls to work with).....with a 14 ball break, you probably will have a good break ball (after the balls are mostly open), so all you have to do is "leave it there" until the end. Easier said than done, but at least you dont have to manufacture a break ball.
 
If you're targeting cue ball control, then you might want to do different drills.
Playing 9ball will help (or any rotation), but can be frustrating at times.

I sometimes just put 10-15 balls in the lower quarter of the playing area, in various spreads I like. The goal is to move the CB absolutely minimally and pot balls to left and right pockets alternating, for example.
The typical Snooker game with red - black - red could also serve as an example.
Playing just in this quarter will also force you to adjust your speed accordingly and be very careful.

If you need to work on your break, then JUST work on your break shot with and try to not really go "into the pack" but try to hit between balls to spread the balls AND have the CB travel away from them. That's what the spin is used for :)

Unfortunately I cannot find a nice video talking about the various positions to hit in the pack anymore...

Cheers,
M
 
I demonstrated the 6 ball practice method in this video (link provided below) several years ago - I call it 5.1 ... it's challenging - but like anything else in this game, it is only as difficult as you make it for yourself. Just don't blast the $hit out of the balls and you'll be ok. That part of the video starts at around 11:48.


14.1 Evaluation - wigglybridge
 
211b7e_85968f66cbfa4667872fd61df3615f9e~mv2.webp
 
ShakesSea said:
I'm having trouble locating a source but there are some basic guidelines for when to follow, draw, etc. for your break shot depending on the break ball position. Generally, when my break ball is near the top of the stack and I'll be hitting one of the first couple of rows I'll use some draw to clear the cue ball out of traffic up table. If the break ball is near the bottom of the stack I'm typically using follow to drive the cue ball through the rack.

I've seen material that addresses multiple specific break situations and the likely best stroke to use for them, including a pretty good video on Youtube that was from the 80s, but I'm coming up dry right now. Search around.
Click to expand...


Watch some video of some 14.1 mechanics running balls. You can learn a lot this way about patterns, breaking up secondary clusters, shot selection, key balls, and break shots.

I think an important distinction to be made is to watch he guys that know how to play14.1 and are not just shot makers who make everything, because most of us are not that guy. Learning the right patterns makes it easier.

I'd recommend Danny Harriman's 351. The picture quality is not the best but it's a great run. That he does it basically only using 5 pockets because one of the up table corners is gaffed up makes it even more remarkable.

Lou Figueroa
 
Steve Dickey said:
I have always read suggestions on this forum stating that practicing straight pool would help improve CB control and position play. I have no doubt this is true, yet somehow have never got around to it.

In a recent thread BBB suggested to start with only six balls including the break ball. Rack the 6 balls, remove the head ball and place it where ever you want for your break ball. Then, with CB in hand, go to work.

My results seem to be very highly dependent on my break. I place the break ball with in 6-8" of the stack and have tried stunning into the first, second, and between balls, inside/outside english, all with mixed results.

Any of you straight pool players have any suggestions for me?
Click to expand...

Blackjack said:
I demonstrated the 6 ball practice method in this video (link provided below) several years ago - I call it 5.1 ... it's challenging - but like anything else in this game, it is only as difficult as you make it for yourself. Just don't blast the $hit out of the balls and you'll be ok. That part of the video starts at around 11:48.


14.1 Evaluation - wigglybridge
Click to expand...
steve its nice to know there is at least one person who pays attention to my posts....:grin:
blackjack thanks for providing a link to you doing and explaining the drill
also thanks for your pic of general rules for break shots
also thanks for your contribution to teaching /helping us in our quest to play better pool....:thumbup:
 
ShakesSea said:
I'm having trouble locating a source but there are some basic guidelines for when to follow, draw, etc. for your break shot depending on the break ball position. Generally, when my break ball is near the top of the stack and I'll be hitting one of the first couple of rows I'll use some draw to clear the cue ball out of traffic up table. If the break ball is near the bottom of the stack I'm typically using follow to drive the cue ball through the rack.

I've seen material that addresses multiple specific break situations and the likely best stroke to use for them, including a pretty good video on Youtube that was from the 80s, but I'm coming up dry right now. Search around.
Click to expand...

You might want to avail yourself of a copy of "Play Your Best Straight Pool" by Phil Capelle. The Break Shot section has a ton of stuff on cue ball position, speed of stroke, tip position, etc. Well worth having. Also, "Break Shot Patterns" book/DVD combination, showing the last few balls leading to the key ball and break ball. Oh, and, ANYTHING from Blackjack!
 
ShakesSea said:
Capelle's name comes up here a lot and I once got "Play Your Best Pool" on a strong recommendation from a friend. I found that a little basic. I love Fel's Mastering Pool for 14.1 instruction.
Click to expand...

"Play Your Best Pool" is not the same book, by a long shot. "Play Your Best Straight Pool" goes into a LOT more detail regarding that particular game. I agree about George's book, I knew him via the Internet for years though we never met in person. George's 101 Tips in my sig has a lot of great tips in it, many from his articles in Billiards Digest.
 
14.1 Advice From Jerry Briesath

Recognizing that most intermediate 14.1 players are held back by their inability to advance easily from one rack to the next, Jerry Briesath advised me to practice this way:

1. Place an ideal break ball on the table.

2. Place a good key ball.

3. Spread a few balls at random.

4. Take ball in hand and run down to the break ball.​

I think it is great advice.

The other thing that might be worth mentioning is to note that none of the advice given above about shooting the break shot advised stunning the cue ball. That increases the chance of it "sticking" to the rack.
 
Thanks all for the great advice! So much so, I can't thank everybody. This is exactly why I frequent this forum. I've learned so much in one day it's amazing. The videos were a big help and I will pick up a book or two. Yes, SF, I learned how to stick the ball to the stack with great proficiency! PPP I pay attention. Blackjack, exactly what I was looking for.

Off to practice!
Steve
 
Steve Dickey said:
Thanks all for the great advice! So much so, I can't thank everybody. This is exactly why I frequent this forum. I've learned so much in one day it's amazing. The videos were a big help and I will pick up a book or two. Yes, SF, I learned how to stick the ball to the stack with great proficiency! PPP I pay attention. Blackjack, exactly what I was looking for.

Off to practice!
Steve
Click to expand...

glad you fund' what you lookin fer, if your ever lookin' for an ace in the whole check out the 351. there are no politics - just 14.1 re-rack. Thanks Lou for the kind words. Even steven
 
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