Video from Derby

[dmgwalsh]

Here is another video from this year's George Fels Memorial Derby City Classic Straight Pool Challenge.

It is the high run for the event, a 178 by Ralf Souquet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPFqNhRk70Q&feature=share

He also had a 139, which would have been plenty to qualify. He only purchased one sheet of 12 attempts for $100. Not too shabby. :thumbup:

 

[alstl]

Thanks for the video. My run would have ended at 8.

I haven't seen him in person but on the video it appears to me Ralf puts the cue slightly under the left side of his chin. Don't see that very often.

 

[oldplayer]

thanks for the post....the graphics are sweet! :thumbup:

 

[rikdee]

What an amazing run. The rack spreads could not have been more contrary. His shot making and cue ball control were impressive to say the least. From a pure display of billiard skills, I can't remember viewing a better run.

 

[buzzmc]

I can't imagine even thinking of banking ball #99, the break ball that had no break, only to call a bank out of the 14 ball rack, and that being the best two options you had to keep the run alive.

That's just not in my playbook. Maybe now it will be, but hopefully I'll never have to try and remember such shenanigans.

 

[alstl]

I can't imagine even thinking of banking ball #99, the break ball that had no break, only to call a bank out of the 14 ball rack, and that being the best two options you had to keep the run alive.

That's just not in my playbook. Maybe now it will be, but hopefully I'll never have to try and remember such shenanigans.

I end up in that situation more often than I'd like to admit. I guess I've been playing the shot wrong all this time. I hit the second ball and try to make the corner ball - 11 ball in the video - in the corner pocket.

I'm going to have to practice that shot to see how he hit it.

 

[sfleinen]

Ralf's left-eye dominance

Thanks for the video. My run would have ended at 8.

I haven't seen him in person but on the video it appears to me Ralf puts the cue slightly under the left side of his chin. Don't see that very often.

Yes, Ralf is *very* left-eye dominant, and not only is the cue under the left side of his chin, but his face is noticeably turned to the right as well, favoring the left eye. When you view him in shooting position from the front, you can see this plain as day:

Most everyone knows that Niels Feijen places the cue under his right eye, because of the significant loss of sight in his left eye. Looking at the first and third pictures above -- at how his right eye is slightly displaced / misaligned -- I wouldn't be surprised if Ralf has some sort of vision discrepancy in that right eye. But that's pure conjecture on my part.

Regardless, Ralf's in great company -- Willie Mosconi and Ray Martin are examples of other left-eye-dominant players, and there are many others.

-Sean <-- is "middle-eye dominant" (square-face alignment, cue under center of chin)

 

[alstl]

Yes, Ralf is *very* left-eye dominant, and not only is the cue under the left side of his chin, but his face is noticeably turned to the right as well, favoring the left eye. When you view him in shooting position from the front, you can see this plain as day:

Most everyone knows that Niels Feijen places the cue under his right eye, because of the significant loss of sight in his left eye. Looking at the first and third pictures above -- at how his right eye is slightly displaced / misaligned -- I wouldn't be surprised if Ralf has some sort of vision discrepancy in that right eye. But that's pure conjecture on my part.

Regardless, Ralf's in great company -- Willie Mosconi and Ray Martin are examples of other left-eye-dominant players, and there are many others.

-Sean <-- is "middle-eye dominant" (square-face alignment, cue under center of chin)

Good picture. I to the right eye like Niels, Earl and a lot of others. Problem is old age has handed me a cataract on that eye but I still play okay.

 

[markgw]

Thanks for the video. My run would have ended at 8.

I haven't seen him in person but on the video it appears to me Ralf puts the cue slightly under the left side of his chin. Don't see that very often.

I've seen another shot made from the same angle he had where you cut the 1st ball and it comes straight back at you where he made the bank but it's the first ball that goes in, not the one he banked. A guy posted that shot here a couple yrs ago....Incredible recovery's in this run!!!

 

[alstl]

I've seen another shot made from the same angle he had where you cut the 1st ball and it comes straight back at you where he made the bank but it's the first ball that goes in, not the one he banked. A guy posted that shot here a couple yrs ago....Incredible recovery's in this run!!!

I tried in on my table - not a diamond like the one Ralf was on - and the only way I could make it was by hitting the top of the ball. If I hit it the way Ralf did the ball always hit half to a full diamond long.

That's a good shot to know.

 

[markgw]

I tried in on my table - not a diamond like the one Ralf was on - and the only way I could make it was by hitting the top of the ball. If I hit it the way Ralf did the ball always hit half to a full diamond long.

That's a good shot to know.

The bank shot he made was EPIC to be sure. The shot I am speaking of reminds me of the shot in the Hustler movie in a way. You don't cut the top ball much but just a little to the right side of it, hitting it pretty full and it comes right back to you by the side pocket you're standing at. I never saw the shot before someone posted it here...I like the odds on Ralf's bank a lot better, but I have made the shot I am explaining to you after a few tries. It's very low percentage though. I noticed Ralf used draw on the combonation bank out of the stack as well. I have a GC3. I'm gonna try that shot when I get home tomorrow

 

[wigglybridge]

the bank shot out of the full stack is in Ray Martin's 99 Critical Shots book. he details where to position the cue ball, the english to use, and where to hit the top ball. i've made it several times, but missed it many more. it looked to me like Ralf had studied that shot, because he got similar position to play it; this was a case of advanced preparation for every contingency!

i guess if people like Mosconi could reliably deliver 150-ball runs, there really are no bad rolls, but watching this run convinces me that there are. Ralf made a few bad plays himself (overrunning that ball in the first rack, and bumping his break shot later in the run are the 2 that stick out in my mind), but jeebus, it seems like a lot of those others were out of the blue kisses and weird crap. don't think i've Ever seen a big run like that with so many long testers off the rail. fortunately, he's steady as a rock on those.

 

[sfleinen]

the bank shot out of the full stack is in Ray Martin's 99 Critical Shots book. he details where to position the cue ball, the english to use, and where to hit the top ball. i've made it several times, but missed it many more. it looked to me like Ralf had studied that shot, because he got similar position to play it; this was a case of advanced preparation for every contingency!

i guess if people like Mosconi could reliably deliver 150-ball runs, there really are no bad rolls, but watching this run convinces me that there are. Ralf made a few bad plays himself (overrunning that ball in the first rack, and bumping his break shot later in the run are the 2 that stick out in my mind), but jeebus, it seems like a lot of those others were out of the blue kisses and weird crap. don't think i've Ever seen a big run like that with so many long testers off the rail. fortunately, he's steady as a rock on those.

Bob, I flipped through my copy of 99 Critical Shots in Pool (a later printing -- 1993), and I didn't find this breakshot you mention. I looked through the 14.1 breakshots chapter (pages 133-158), and there's no mention at all of any "out of the rack" shots. The closest I could find was on page 167 (in the "Some Cluster Shots -- A Test For Your Eye" chapter), which is a combo-carom shot directly into a pocket -- not a bank as would be that top-of-the-14-ball-rack shot.

Maybe you have a different revision of the book?

-Sean <-- wondering if someone ripped pages out of his copy of 99 Critical Shots in Pool?