To Sarah, and everyone else

well i have always wonder'd how good the Predator break stick is, cuz i know Platinum Billards rates it as the best Break stick around.

I mean i like my Viking with Phenolic tip on it, and for 200$ its a hell of a break stick.

180$ for the stick and 20$ for the phenolic ferrule/tip :)
 
Well Dave, I guess it is a good thing we all have a choice in what equipment we use. I'm glad you have found something that is comfortable for you. So you are coming around to liking the phenolic tip?? I hope it is still working well for you.

Pete, let us know how things turned out. The Predator BK is very solid. It even plays well if you are in a jam and for some reason only have your break cue.

Take care,
Sarah
 
Sarah

Yes i am getting better with the Phenolic tip, it just took a while to get the fine tuning down on what i can and cant do with it.

Oh so whats the word on you comming to the tournament? i posted a revised edit to my first post, cuz i was wrong on the cost and the amount of games per match n stuff.

but anyways if you cant no big deal. I will let you know how i do in this tournament though.

dave
 
Hey Dave,

I'm probably not going to be able to make it to the tournament this month. Maybe I will be able to make it to one in the future. Are there still spots open? I will let you know if I somehow am able to make it. If I don't make it please be sure to keep us updated on how things go.

Good luck,
Sarah
 
Sarah

Well as far as i know none of the spots are taken, i guess normally guys just pay when they get there. But the owner ( fred ) sent out all his fliers to the poolhalls in nearby cities, and to all the guys who have show'd up last yr.

But hopefully there will be around 40 or 50people there.


Oh and i have the Phenolic tip figured out HEHEHEHEHEHE, i found that i was popping up in my break stroke, and that was causing me to airball or scratch,,, but now when i break, i make sure, that after i strike the cue ball, that my stick slides across the felt, and since doing that i havent, scratched or airballed.

But yes i will keep you informed on whats going on with the tournament.

Dave
 
Hi Dave,

Thanks again for the tournament info. I wish you luck and I'm sorry I can't make it.

I'm glad you figured out how to break with the phenolic tip. Hopefully things will stay consistant throughout the tournament.

Good luck,
Sarah
 
Predator BK

Well I'v had it for a couple of weeks now. It really is a great stick. I really don't have to (or it seems I don't have to) hit the cue ball as hard to get that much speed of it. I would say it's worth the money for anyone how is into pool and competing.

But please keep in mind, this is the only "Big Name" break cue I've used (never the sledgehammer), the one I was using was a $160 speacial, break/jump cue.


Pete
 
Pete,

I'm glad you like the Predator BK. It is a good thing when you don't have to try to hit the balls so hard. I think it is definitely worth the money. Alot of players have found success with it.

Good Luck,
Sarah
 
Break Stats

I use a sledgehammer break cue and like it very much. It seems to work just fine, but what kind of results should you expect from a break?

One pool book that I read said to keep a pool log, which I did. Here are the results for 1657 full rack breaks. I had more games but my computer crashed.

Games Number of balls on the break Percent

601 0 36.27%
592 1 35.73%
254 2 14.79%
57 3 3.44%
8 4 .48%
154 Scratch 9.29%
---- -------
1,657 100.0%
 
Trufil,

That is an interesting study that you did. It would be interesting to see different results for different people. You have pin-pointed the fact that there can never be a guarantee to make a ball. There are too many outside factors involved. You never know what is going on with the rack. It will never be the same. You will probably never hit the exact same spot on the cueball or the same contact point.

I'm glad you have found a break cue that you like. Alot of people use the Sledgehammer and really love it.

Another thing to ponder....how many times do you make a ball on the break and get a shot on the first ball? I have never kept a log but just from watching and experience, it seems like you rarely get a shot after a good break.

Take care,
Sarah
 
I would also like to know what percentage other people get when they break. It seems to me that mine is very low. About 46% of the time I scratch or fail to pocket a ball. Do you think pros make at least 1 ball over 80% of the time (like in 8 ball)? If I can spend time on the computer, I'll see how many times I make a ball after a successful break.
 
I'm willing to test it out. How did you come up with the number of times to break? You were testing this playing 9ball right? Let me know and I will try it out for you and give you the results. You have sparked my curiousity. It will give me something to practice.

Talk to you soon,
Sarah
 
My practice game

I break 15 balls and play straight pool. I keep track of the number of balls (and scratches) on the break and the number of balls I run. I'm new to the game so I'm just trying to pocket balls. I'm trying to work my way up to 14.1, but running 15 balls happens only rarely. My run average, I'm sorry to say is only 4 balls.

I may start breaking 9 balls to collect some data.

My biggest problem seems to be sreading clusters of balls. Instead of spreading them I usually become frozen to them or blocked by them. What am I doing wrong?
 
Let's see, I will try to relay a little bit of what I know about not getting stuck in clusters. One reason could be because you are not using the right english when going into the cluster. I was told when learning the basics of straight pool, always be sure to use a smoothe stroke with a little running english. That way you go through the balls. Another reason you could be getting stuck is you are going into the balls too full. You could aim to not hit the ball full in the face. You could also be shooting too soft when trying to break things up. Sometimes you have to use a little speed and a smoothe stroke.

I'm sorry I am not an expert when it comes to straight pool. I can try to relay all that I know even though it isn't so easy without demonstrating.

Good luck,
Sarah
 
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