Switching between 9ft and 7ft tables

M

maxeypad2007

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I regularly play on a 7' diamond barbox and then have to switch to a 9' diamond.

What are the best ways to to adjust between 7' and 9' tables.

Also, would anyone care to share a few shots as a point of reference that are "significantly tougher" on a 9' table. I was thinking of the spot shot as an obvious example.
 
i used to play in the APA and play on 9 foot in regular pool halls. the best advice I can give is to play on 9 ft as much as you can.
 
Zhero said:
i used to play in the APA and play on 9 foot in regular pool halls. the best advice I can give is to play on 9 ft as much as you can.
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i 2nd that. i play double jeapordy 1 night a week and we have more team than tables. we rotate between the 7s and 9s. about every 4 weeks its out turn on the 9s.

the pockets on the 9s are a lil bit more unforgiving so i have learned to be a lil more accurate on cut shots and take a lil off my stroke on straight shots so as not to rattle the pockets. my biggest headache on the 9s is controlling the cueball but the more i play on them the better i am getting.

i dont know if your place gives you free time to practice or not but if they do try to take advantage of that.

our room gives us free table time 1 1/2 hours before our matches and free time after our matches until closing time.

several of us have a routine of playing golf on the 9' after our matches even if we played on the 7' that night. we have had up to 8 people in a game and have played at least an hour after closing on a few occasions. you would not believe the sharking that goes on in those games lol. its all just in fun.
 
If you can quantify your speed on your home table, you can use that knowledge and reference point to adjust to different table sizes and different cloth speeds. Many SPF instructors use Mother Drill #5 to develop this.
 
dr9ball said:
If you can quantify your speed on your home table, you can use that knowledge and reference point to adjust to different table sizes and different cloth speeds. Many SPF instructors use Mother Drill #5 to develop this.
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thanks for the info.

i had a lesson from randy g a while back, gotta look and see if i have # 5 in my notes. sad to say with everything going on in my life i havent had much time to practice the drills .
 
Play on both!! And realize that they are two totally different animals. For example: you can leave your opponent a long bank on the big table as a safe. You should only leave that shot on the barbox if you hate money. Also realize that it's much easier to adjust down to the small table than up to the big table.
 
I find the 7 ft BB's to have much tighter side pockets and have to adjust for that. The opposite holds true going from 7' to 9'. The 9' corners seem smaller after playing on the 7's for a while.

I prefer the 9's. I find myself only playing 8-Ball on the 7 footers. The 7 foot tables seem toy-like and not like serious pool.
 
When I was a kid I would practice after work on a 9 footer. Then on Friday and Saturday nights drive to a place in NY state called, yes, The Last Chance Saloon. 7 foot bar box.

Most nights 50 cents would see me through. .25 for the first beer and .25 on the table.

I'd puke out the car door on my drive home. Life was good, I think. I stopped with the beer over 40 years ago, my pool game has sucked ever since.
 
I play on 9' tables all winter then play summer leagues on 7' BB's, at home I have an 8' and I also occasionally play on a 10' snooker table during the winter. I always feel more comfortable going from the larger tables to the 7' tables. To me the biggest difference is as someone else mentioned the side pockets, the larger tables are much more receptive than the BB's.
 
Drew said:
Play on both!! And realize that they are two totally different animals. For example: you can leave your opponent a long bank on the big table as a safe. You should only leave that shot on the barbox if you hate money. Also realize that it's much easier to adjust down to the small table than up to the big table.
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I agree. They play completely different and strategy is much different. I usually play on 9 footers, but just before going to Vegas every year, I play on bar boxes for a few weeks.
 
I've been practicing on 9 footers for a few years now, but play league on 7 footers. I think practicing on the bigger tables helps. However, it takes me a while to re-adjust to the speed when I go back to the 7 footers after having practiced on the 9.
 
I find that safety play is different on the smaller table. Also I play the side pockets a little more cautiously on the smaller table. But as far as speed goes I don't see much difference at all. If I have to move the cue ball 2' it remains the same on either table. After all, 2' is 2'... The longer table may require 2' to 4'+ of additional travel.

As far as the OP goes I spend most of my time on 9' Diamonds and don't adjust down, other than safeties and side pockets, that's it. (Maybe that's why I don't do as well as I feel I should on the BBs...lol)

Gerry S ;)
 
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westcoast said:
I've been practicing on 9 footers for a few years now, but play league on 7 footers. I think practicing on the bigger tables helps. However, it takes me a while to re-adjust to the speed when I go back to the 7 footers after having practiced on the 9.
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This is my issue as well. I spend 90% of my play on 9 footers. Ball pocketing is no problem on the bar box, but I often struggle with speed on the small table. They're both fun and have their place though. Bar box 8 ball is a pretty good game, imo.
 
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