straight poolmakes me dog it

D

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i miss shots that are hangers at one pocket
i can not see patterns
and spend all day trying to run 16 balls

funny thing though after an hour or so of missing,my one pocket game has improved,i make balls better

i only practice straight pool alone
i never see anyone play it
 
Get yourself on YouTube and start watching the pro's play. Find a few videos you like and really analyze shot selection,etc and watch them over and over. Learn to break down the pro's game to individual shots and not just watch them make balls. I have done this and it helps.
 
Responding to your original post I think people dog it because there are so many options in 14.1 and the situation does not force you to do a certain thing such as hit the 1 or shoot at a stripe playing 8 ball. But if you know what you need to have to get in the next rack then the table is either in good shape just run to the break ball or their are lots of problems get to work fix your problems, or cause problems for your opponent and end with a safe or even an intentional foul. Their are people playing 14.1 it is a great game especially when played by a great player it is beautiful to watch.

Straight pool will make you play all other games better. 9 ball players have the advantage of the balls indicating which one they have to hit first on each shot. One pocket players try to move balls toward/in their pocket and keep the opponent from getting balls near/ in their hole. In 14.1 any ball any hole run till you miss break up the next rack on the last shot of each rack. In 14.1 the balls as a whole indicate to you what to do and they guide you backwards from the break ball not by the numbers on the ball but the balls location on the table. You need to analyze look for problem balls fix those early and then at the end of the rack it should be simple shots.

So to get better start at the end of the rack shoot a few break shots and open the rack. To do this rack 14 put out a good break ball and make it while opening up the rack. Notice how a more full hit on the object ball allows for easy pocketing but take all of the energy out of the cue ball. If you cut the break shot thin pocketing gets tougher but the cue ball keeps most of its speed. A half ball hit or slightly less is a good mid point. Next watch the hit on the first ball you collide with in the rack will you hit the top half or bottom half of that ball this has a lot to do with how the rack opens and what the cue ball does afterward. Some players load the cue ball up and it drives through the rack if you want to do that you have to hit the first ball very full and the cue ball has to be rolling not sliding at a good rate of speed. Break a lot of racks from the sides and from the bottom. There are good and bad areas on the table for the break ball find out where the general location is for a good break ball for you. Then when you are running balls noticce when a ball is in that location that you like. When you have one try not to move it saving it as your break ball. If you do not have any good break balls early in a rack you will have to start manufacturing meaning to bump a ball into a preffered brak ball location.

Next set up a key ball and a break ball shoot those and rack the balls break the next rack after shooting the key balls. Do that typically with a stop shot on the key ball or float the tangent towards where you want to be on the break shot. Now when you play notice if you have key balls tied to your break ball(s) that you have noticed if so save these for the end of the rack if you do not have good key balls you will need to manufacture them.

Then after you get going on that set up 3 balls at the end a key ball to the key ball and a break shot. A good book is available showing pros shooting end patterns it is by Phil Capelle and comes with a DVD and layouts like I am talking about here shoot those end patterns and actually rack the balls you will learn how to transition into the next rack. You can buy his books here http://www.bebobpublishing.com/capelle.htm or many other places.

Now all you have to learn how to do is read the table, find your trouble balls, open up lanes and pockets, clear clusters, learn to manufacture, get superb pocketing skills and pin point control along with consistent mental discipline and preshot routine and you will be a great straight pool player. Easier said than done and I am a bit of a banger myself but that is good way to learn how to run some balls in 14.1.
 
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elvicash said:
Straight pool will make you play all other games better.
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I agree with all of the last comment, except for the part I quoted above, and I hear this all the time.

Not a great player, but To me, 14.1 really improves your mental game and your short distance position play, but if I play 14.1 for a long time, and go back to 9 ball, I suck, because 14.1 doesnt really help my 9-ball stroke (if there is such a thing)....This is probably just my issue, because I dont have the best of strokes to begin with, but I would say to play all games better, practice "all games".

(not saying 14.1 doesnt help all games some, just that the help is concentrated in certain areas).
 
If you can get good at pattern play it will carry to other games. A nine ball game can be played with a lot of cue ball movement or if you see a pattern it can be done with pretty much stop shots. As mentioned, find the break shot early and clean up areas.
 
michael4 said:
I agree with all of the last comment, except for the part I quoted above, and I hear this all the time.

Not a great player, but To me, 14.1 really improves your mental game and your short distance position play, but if I play 14.1 for a long time, and go back to 9 ball, I suck, because 14.1 doesnt really help my 9-ball stroke (if there is such a thing)....This is probably just my issue, because I dont have the best of strokes to begin with, but I would say to play all games better, practice "all games".

(not saying 14.1 doesnt help all games some, just that the help is concentrated in certain areas).
Click to expand...

Well yes & no; 14.1 will improve your pool game overall over time even if you only played it because it involves a more all encompassing set of skills than any other game. However the reason you (probably) don’t play well in 9ball after some 14.1 is that in 9ball you have to make “crowd pleasing” shots in almost every rack sometimes even more than 1 consecutively.

So in 9ball you are mentally prepared for it, it WILL come up you know this and you are prepared for it; but you aren’t when you have been playing tick, tick, tick and out. That’s why you see so many good straight pool players really “loose their cool” when they have to make a really low % shot. But this is an effect that only lasts a day or so.

I play all games even some you might not have even heard of; but there is nothing that will teach you pool faster or better than 14.1. There is a chance that if 2 players of equal merit 1 being the 14.1 champ and the other being the ____ champ that the 14.1 champ is going to beat the ____ champ at his own game; but when you reverse the situation once that 14.1 champ gets a hold of that break ball the party is over for that ____ champ.
 
what i am referring to is that shots that are routine in one pocket are more difficult

i tend to miss simple easy shots in addition to playing an overall pitiful game
 
PGHteacher said:
..... but there is nothing that will teach you pool faster or better than 14.1. There is a chance that if 2 players of equal merit 1 being the 14.1 champ and the other being the ____ champ that the 14.1 champ is going to beat the ____ champ at his own game; but when you reverse the situation once that 14.1 champ gets a hold of that break ball the party is over for that ____ champ.
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Disagree. At least for my pool room. The straight pool players could not beat the 9 ball players at 9 ball. Of course they kicked butt in straight, but in 9 ball they did not fair well. That is both in the leagues and tournaments.

Another thing, I am like the original poster. I really have trouble with the patterns in straight pool (my high run 54 but I consider 20 an accomplishment). I did take a lesson or two from Grady. He coached me on shot selection and position running a straight pool rack. It was either 3 or 4 full racks I ran without missing. But he told me everything I needed to do.

Bob
 
deanoc said:
what i am referring to is that shots that are routine in one pocket are more difficult

i tend to miss simple easy shots in addition to playing an overall pitiful game
Click to expand...

Me too. and I play a lot of straight pool\
I think the thing of it with this game is there is to much to think about, to many variables, to many problems to solve, Gotta save a good key ball and break ball, a couple other balls are tied up uptable. every time you bump a ball by mistakes it ties up 3 more balls, now besides having all these things to contend with you are afraid to hit a ball and start playing defensively.
I agree routine shots in 1pkt or any other game become so much more difficult in straight pool. I think its' the same for everyone though. Grady was talking about on one of my accustats. When you get a tough shot a good way to approach it is with fundamentals. get your feet in the right place, line it up best you can and let the stroke shoot the shot.
Now that I am thinking about it I am not going to play this game for 7 days. I am thinking the best practice game for 14.1 is nine ball. 9 ball has got to get you in stroke in a hurry and if you are hitting it good and not having to think about it it should free up some mental energy to contend with straight.

another thing is the game requires player's complete attention always. bad work days, irritations, whatever they are and you can forgetaboutit.

steven
 
doitforthegame said:
Disagree. At least for my pool room. The straight pool players could not beat the 9 ball players at 9 ball. Of course they kicked butt in straight, but in 9 ball they did not fair well. That is both in the leagues and tournaments.

Another thing, I am like the original poster. I really have trouble with the patterns in straight pool (my high run 54 but I consider 20 an accomplishment). I did take a lesson or two from Grady. He coached me on shot selection and position running a straight pool rack. It was either 3 or 4 full racks I ran without missing. But he told me everything I needed to do.

Bob
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So the 14.1 players "kicked butt in 14.1" but "didn't fair well" in 9 ball right?
 
Straight Pool

michael4 said:
I agree with all of the last comment, except for the part I quoted above, and I hear this all the time.

Not a great player, but To me, 14.1 really improves your mental game and your short distance position play, but if I play 14.1 for a long time, and go back to 9 ball, I suck, because 14.1 doesnt really help my 9-ball stroke (if there is such a thing)....This is probably just my issue, because I dont have the best of strokes to begin with, but I would say to play all games better, practice "all games".

(not saying 14.1 doesnt help all games some, just that the help is concentrated in certain areas).
Click to expand...

I believe straight pool DOES help all games because it forces you to THINK WHILE YOU'RE SHOOTING. Not just a few seconds here and there between shot execution, but constantly. This doesn't come naturally and it isn't easy to do if you're not used to it.

Ron F
 
Deanoc......Try Jerry Breisath Pool Lesson on 14.1

Dean,

The Jerry Breisath pool video set that's for sale on AZ contains a great lesson on playing 14.1 and has a drill that's really helpful. In fact, I recommend the video to everyone because it has some clever tips & techniques that I showed some players today at the pool hall. None of us had seen some of these before like the 30 Degree Rule or The 4" Rule.......we tried both lessons on a 9' table and both performed exactly like in the video.

Anyway, not everyone maps their 15 ball runout and selects a primary break shot & a back up break shot at the very outset. Another one of the lessons in Jerry's DVD set was to play the open table in groups of 3 balls to shoot in a pattern/sequence. Each time you pocket the first object ball in your selection of 3 shots, you add/replace it with another shot selection so you will always have 3 balls to play in a sequence......it does really works.....your ball avg. per inning goes up pretty steadily.

Matt B.

p.s. I'm so excited to get an ivory joint Schon........hubba hubba hubba!
 
GREAT info Elvicash, I provided a link and a copy of your content to our 14.1 league members.

Great food for thought, thanks.
 
michael4 said:
I agree with all of the last comment, except for the part I quoted above, and I hear this all the time.

Not a great player, but To me, 14.1 really improves your mental game and your short distance position play, but if I play 14.1 for a long time, and go back to 9 ball, I suck, because 14.1 doesnt really help my 9-ball stroke (if there is such a thing)....This is probably just my issue, because I dont have the best of strokes to begin with, but I would say to play all games better, practice "all games".

(not saying 14.1 doesnt help all games some, just that the help is concentrated in certain areas).
Click to expand...

Hi Michael, I think there are alot of people that play 14.1 like 8 ball bangers they shoot the easy shots and then they duck. I doubt 14.1 does anything for any other game for them and you would be right. I think players that learn to play 14.1 and work to do the stuff I mention above will elevate all of their other games. There control will be better, they will tie more sequences together and they will do better with clusters. I think some people have talent and can pick up these skills by playing but many including myself learn and improve when they are around better 14.1 players. They; meaning 14.1 players with lots of knowledge, are hard to find compared to 30 years ago but the game is coming back and as more players learn to play it right which varies per player their other games will go up. That is my opinion I know it has helped me but I am no lion killer in any pool game but I am glad to be 14.1 player.

Wink said:
GREAT info Elvicash, I provided a link and a copy of your content to our 14.1 league members.

Great food for thought, thanks.
Click to expand...

Thanks Wink. Good luck to all in your league.
 
i played straight pool this week, kinda my first time i tried it for more than just warm up shooting some balls.

i ran the entire rack of 14 balls several times but had trouble with breakshots, very often because of my speedcontroll. but i just liked the mid rack planning, looking to break up clusters, soft rolls etc...

after 2 hours of straight pool my 8 ball game was WAY more consistent,i saw the ways better, same for 9 ball (using more natural angles, stopshots etc).

so when it helped me after just about 2 hours, even without doing a run superior to 15, i gues if i would practice straight pool even more it would help my entire game.

i played mostly 9 ball before and used much more "power" shots, but i like how straight pool is played. guess ill try to play more next week... great game
 
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