The First Shot in One Pocket

Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Fargo 1000 on VP4
Silver Member
Here's a plain vanilla one pocket break to see how you'd play the first shot. It's not designed to make a point or illustrate anything, I just want to hear how players approach common situations. What goes through your mind? How do you make your shot choice?

pj
chgo

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This is my choice if I am executing well.. Firm hit, just above center, speed to freeze on bottom rail.

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That is the super aggressive option. This one is a bit safer. Hit with the same just above center ball, but softer. Danger of leaving a bank on the 1. The 1 CAN be gotten out of there if you hit harder, but the cue ball is harder to control.

This other shot is the safer one.

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If I am playing a champion, I go with shot 2. If I am playing anyone else, including a hot chick who happens to be a banger, I play shot 1, unless I am not executing well.

For me, there is no such thing as a "trying to get laid" shot. When I first met my wife, I slaughtered her, playing as well as I could. Trying to impress a girl has never once crossed my mind while I was playing or practicing on a pool table.

Russ
 
poolplayer2093 said:
does my computer suck that much i can't see the table diagram
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For some reason I don't see it either. I see the shock wave logo and that's all. There is an adblock rectangle and I suppose somehow the image got turned off. I'm on Firefox and I don't know how to straighten this out. Any ideas?

Rod
 
I think it's just a glitch. I got the same thing earlier but now see the tables. Firefox also.
 
I'd shoot the 4 across the 10 and take it out. Then hide the c/b behind the 7. Fairly simple and aggressive plus it cancels his break advantage. I'd live with it even if it was hit less than stellar. Looks something like this but I don't know how to hide whitey without actually moving it.

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Rod
 
14-3 bank. Stop CB on 2. Trying to move 5 toward pocket and take a ball (3) out of play for her.
 
I say this so often that I might paste it into my sig.
mosconiac said:
Ducking on the wrong side of the stack will get you busted in short order...DON'T DO IT...EVER! Your opponent will typically push more balls to his side on the next shot and leave you trapped within or on top of the balls.
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Patrick Johnson said:
Here's a plain vanilla one pocket break to see how you'd play the first shot. It's not designed to make a point or illustrate anything, I just want to hear how players approach common situations. What goes through your mind? How do you make your shot choice?

pj
chgo

CueTable Help

Click to expand...
I wonder if anyone bothered to read your text comments on all the diagrams!!!!

Anyway, I like Russ' second shot (get behind the 10-ball). But, I also like this intentional:

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or crawl this safety, which may end up scratching a point:

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Fred
 

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I like the #2 by Russ normally.

However, I have to jump in and put myself into the category #3:rolleyes: : I'd increase the power from Rod's shot. This would be a mating call... Over here in NYC a few friends have started a special research study on this subject matter. (Hey Jude?)

If any of the following happens I would be happy:

1, The 10 moves off the hot spot
2, The CB follows to the other side
3, She laughes at the shot and thinks it's stupid <<< :eek: WOW! What a chance... Try finding a girl who understands one pocket, I am dreaming of paying for the table time, all drinks, the dinner, the movie and so forth...

The initiation might appear stupid, but whatever afterwards are not...
(Thought of my dad being a genius 37 years + 9 months ago):cool:

All kidding a side, since there are no other balls go for her, I like the idea of equalizing the break damage and make my opponent feel I have broken the rack, not her.

What a pleasant surprise to see you here, Pat. Welcome to AZ world :)
 
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Patrick Johnson said:
Here's a plain vanilla one pocket break to see how you'd play the first shot. It's not designed to make a point or illustrate anything, I just want to hear how players approach common situations. What goes through your mind? How do you make your shot choice?
pj
chgo

CueTable Help

Click to expand...

What goes through your mind? 1. What's the easiest shot available? What other shots are available? What are the risks and benefits associated with attempting the available shot(s)? How do you make your shot choice? I try to weigh the above factors and make my decision from past experience. If I see a shot that is easy and that I think could turn the tables around, I will shoot the shot fairly quickly after glancing at the other options. If the road isn't so clear, I may take a minute or two to pick my poison. For the situation diagrammed, I like hitting the 4 with force follow, medium to hard speed, moving the 10 from her pocket. Of course, it's always difficult to tell with the one dimensional diagrams if the layout even allows for it. If that is not a possibility, looks like you may be forced to try to draw behind the 10 off of the 15. These shots are almost always my last option. Not much immediate or future reward in this shot unless you get lucky and stick it perfectly on the 10. I am more prone to draw off the 15 two rails behind the 10 in order to move the 10 away from her pocket.
 
Oh God I'm agreeing with Russ

I like Russ's second shot. It's close to what I thought of first. Everything else I've seen so far moves too many balls around and leave to many options for the "her" incoming player.
 
Hey, Pat, welcome. Hope you've been well. I'd shott Russ's second shot... or at least try to. In reality I'd probably just roll off the face of the 10 ball and leave her a run out.
 
supergreenman said:
I like Russ's second shot. It's close to what I thought of first. Everything else I've seen so far moves too many balls around and leave to many options for the "her" incoming player.
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Pretty sure multiple balls moving would be a good thing, starting with blasting the stack with the 10, if possible.
 
senor said:
Pretty sure multiple balls moving would be a good thing, starting with blasting the stack with the 10, if possible.
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You're assuming you get a perfect hit on the 10 with the 4. I'm not even sure your ball path on the 4 is correct. It looks like you drew the angle of the 4 ball too sharp. I see the 4 ball hitting the 10 fairly square, which, although the 10 will vacate the area, the 4 ball won't.

Your shot requires:

1. A perfect hit on the 4 ball. If you hit the 4 ball slightly too thin, or slightly too thick, your opponent is shooting at their pocket. After you mixed the balls up, creating more runnable balls.

2. Good speed control while applying both sidespin and follow on the cue ball, WHILE maintaining the perfect hit on the 4.

On a side note: Moving balls in front of your pocket does no good at all if you let you opponent see them. That's why people are looking my second shot, because it leaves zero chance of selling out, and moves two balls away from your opponent's pocket. It has an added benefit of, if you make a REALLY good hit and get him right behind the 10, his response to your shot will move the 10 further away from his/her pocket.

Russ
 
Russ Chewning said:
You're assuming you get a perfect hit on the 10 with the 4. I'm not even sure your ball path on the 4 is correct. It looks like you drew the angle of the 4 ball too sharp. I see the 4 ball hitting the 10 fairly square, which, although the 10 will vacate the area, the 4 ball won't.

Your shot requires:

1. A perfect hit on the 4 ball. If you hit the 4 ball slightly too thin, or slightly too thick, your opponent is shooting at their pocket. After you mixed the balls up, creating more runnable balls.

2. Good speed control while applying both sidespin and follow on the cue ball, WHILE maintaining the perfect hit on the 4.

On a side note: Moving balls in front of your pocket does no good at all if you let you opponent see them. That's why people are looking my second shot, because it leaves zero chance of selling out, and moves two balls away from your opponent's pocket. It has an added benefit of, if you make a REALLY good hit and get him right behind the 10, his response to your shot will move the 10 further away from his/her pocket.

Russ
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First, I don't use the table, so I think you're talking about someone else's diagram. Second, I speculated in a previous post that I'm not sure if the layout allows for the shot. But if it does allow for the shot, seems like a no brainer to me. Force follow on the 4, knocking the 10 out, cue ball to the side rail around the 1st diamond, maybe a bit higher. Not saying there isn't any risk involved, but at least there is the potential reward of shifting the game around by hitting a rather large sweet spot. It looks like if the 10 hits the bottom of the 11, up to the bottom of the 6, and up to the bottom of the 13, something good will happen more often than not.

Bottom line, if you have a chance to move balls towards your hole, and the cost/benefit analysis is in your favor, it's a much better shot than trying to duck behind one ball with no balls moving to your hole. I will say this, if I could snuggle up behind the 10 ball nine out of ten times, I may think differently about the shot. But it's really not that easy of a shot to get it to fall perfectly.

And speaking from first hand experience, there is no way any of the well known, top one pocket players shoot to duck behind the 10 if the 4 is laying right.
 
senor said:
Bottom line, if you have a chance to move balls towards your hole, and the cost/benefit analysis is in your favor, it's a much better shot than trying to duck behind one ball with no balls moving to your hole. I will say this, if I could snuggle up behind the 10 ball nine out of ten times, I may think differently about the shot. But it's really not that easy of a shot to get it to fall perfectly.

And speaking from first hand experience, there is no way any of the well known, top one pocket players shoot to duck behind the 10 if the 4 is laying right.
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Risk isn't very high since I was the first to mention the shot. Although mine will be a softer shot it is effective. Its the first step to equalizing the break. Wei wanted to hit it firm, Me, I'll just wait a bit and set the other guy up in time.

Shooting behind that 10 is just asking for trouble and you haven't changed anything, you'll still be ducking. It it walks like, quacks like, well...............

Like senior said, no real good player will duck behind that 10, well unless he doesn't know 1 hole. LOL

Rod
 
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