Just a thought, if a ball diameter is 2.25" and a pocket is cut to 4".....
That leaves 1.75" to cheat, is that not enough??
Russ.....
That leaves 1.75" to cheat, is that not enough??
Russ.....
Tight pocket tables
- Thread starter StevenPWaldon
- Start date
poolhustler said:
Considering that the entire pocket is not available from certain angles..... No, it's not. I think if you already have perfect fundamentals, 4 inch pockets may be enough to take you to the next level, but let me ask you this...
If you are used to practicing on 4 inch pockets... And a certain common position shot is just not available for whatever reason.. (i.e., cannot be hit at correct speed on 4 inch pockets...) And you come up with another position route to compensate, now, you are not as good at the other route as you SHOULD be.
Or, in the back of your mind, you have some small bit of apprehension when you are FORCED to shoot it. Or, for that matter, you may play safe on a shot you would otherwise shoot at on 4.5 inch pockets.
I trust Eddie Robin's advice just fine, because he left home less than a shortstop in pool, and a little over a year later, (I think) he was a worldbeater.
Not loose pockets, but FAIR pockets... induce creativity, and aggression. Pockets that are too tight induce cautious play. If you get to pro level and find you are missing shots just barely, THEN you can go practice on 4 inch pockets and sharpen your aim.
JMHO, even tho I am a C player...
Russ
tighter the better
I want to use exactly what the pro's use and practice on. Fast and tight. I did like the sardo rack set up with the ipt setup.(great set up on diamond table) Some friends and I practice one pocket and straight pool on 5-10ft snooker. I hate little tables,leagues but love straight pool,banks, rotation, and english pool. mark
I want to use exactly what the pro's use and practice on. Fast and tight. I did like the sardo rack set up with the ipt setup.(great set up on diamond table) Some friends and I practice one pocket and straight pool on 5-10ft snooker. I hate little tables,leagues but love straight pool,banks, rotation, and english pool. mark
Russ..........
I follow what you are saying and I would agree with you except for the fact that I am capable of playing to the limit that the table will allow. If a table has buckets, I have no problem using that to my advantage by cheating the pocket more, shooting harder, spinning the rock more, etc...
Also, I don't play ONLY on my table. I play alot on slow azzzz tables with buckets, so I do have experience on different types of tables.
I am done with this topic forever now!!! I have tried to explain my side of the coin and others have explained theirs. To each their own!!
And, not to give people the wrong take just because I prefer tight tables, I am also a lowly C player......
Take care buddy!
Russ....
I follow what you are saying and I would agree with you except for the fact that I am capable of playing to the limit that the table will allow. If a table has buckets, I have no problem using that to my advantage by cheating the pocket more, shooting harder, spinning the rock more, etc...
Also, I don't play ONLY on my table. I play alot on slow azzzz tables with buckets, so I do have experience on different types of tables.
I am done with this topic forever now!!! I have tried to explain my side of the coin and others have explained theirs. To each their own!!
And, not to give people the wrong take just because I prefer tight tables, I am also a lowly C player......
Take care buddy!
Russ....
It's slighly wider than 4 1/2". If it were 4 1/2" wide, the tits of the pocket would be spliting the balls in half, since they're added together...4 1/2" across. Take a look at the picture of the two balls in the picture I posted, that is a 4 1/2" pocket...I know, I did the work rebuilding Mikes table, tightening the pockets and replacing the cushions.gutshot said:This is my Diamond at 4 1/2". It's somewhat tight, but I would prefer it to be around 4 3/8" or slightly smaller.
Glen
metro
Ive got the brunswick metro tournament edition and its got 4.5 inch pockets. i dont know about the angles or the cuts on the rails but if you dont hit the ball good it isnt gonna go. I could go tighter but i miss often enough for now. One awesome table though, also got the simonis 860 and super aramith pro balls with the measles cue ball.
Ive got the brunswick metro tournament edition and its got 4.5 inch pockets. i dont know about the angles or the cuts on the rails but if you dont hit the ball good it isnt gonna go. I could go tighter but i miss often enough for now. One awesome table though, also got the simonis 860 and super aramith pro balls with the measles cue ball.
poolhustler said:You are CORRECT, and I agree 100%, but everyone has their opinion. I have stated mine on this topic many times. Some people just can't shoot on tight pockets, so they of course will disagree. My table was set up be Ernesto and plays great. And, 4" pockets CAN be cheated......
Agreed. Not one of my finer moments in posting history. What I SHOULD have said...everything being relative, that there is less MARGIN to cheat with...mathematically, so the angle of variation you can get vs. center pocket aim is that much less.
But I hold FIRMLY to two things. One being practice. Without practice on a given table, you simply don't know how the pockets are going to accept the balls and therefore, you don't know the outer limit of how much you can shoot away from center pocket.
Secondly, shot speed when the line of approach is well off perpendicular to the jaw points. With 4 in. pockets you have no choice other than to run into the facing pad on down the rail shots were practically none of the "actual pocket" is available.
So, if the OB lies, say a diamond and a half from the corner pocket and a ball away, your're going to have to slam it pretty hard to get "Z ball" draw position back down to the opposite end of the table...just for example.
And you simply can't put the same force on such a shot with a 4" pocket as a 4.5". So...if you spend most of your practice time on your own 4" and play most of your matches on about 4.5" tables (that the majority of votes in this poll suggest are "tight" then you are going to be gun shy about using such force when a guy who practices on 4.5s would not be.
Finally, I've never seen or heard of smaller than regulation basketball hoops used for practice.
T411, at what college or pro gym have you seen them?
And again, my original post re: practicing pocket cheating was poorly worded. Sorry.
Regards,
Jim
StevenPWaldon said:I have been wondering this a while, since everyone plays on different equipment : What are AZBers notions of what constitutes a tight pocket? It seems like every joint has a few tables that are tight pocket tables, but a tight pocket in one pool hall might be considered a bucket in another. Opinions?
Here's a photo of one of the pockets at my local joint. They measure a hair under 4". Anyone have a tighter table you play on?
I think anything less than 4.5 can be considered tight. Less than 4.25 is super tight, unless the cloth is new and you are playing in the desert.
Tight pockets are more than just narrow dimensions.
The amount of humidity plays an important part in determining how "tight" a pocket seems to be.
The condition of the equipment will play an important part in determining the "tightness" of a pocket. Thin worn out cloth expecially on the insides of the pocket will help reject a ball far more easily than less worn cloth.
The amount of chalk on the table cloth above and below the surface will make the pockets seem tighter.
Dirty balls will also make the pockets seem tighter as well.
There is also the bet that tightens up some pockets for some people.
Your least liked shot can shrink a pocket too.
And then there is the ultimate pocket tightener, an errant stroke.
JoeyA