Why Don't Players Practice The Lag?
- Thread starter Johnnyt
- Start date
I've often said its the most important shot of the match at the highest level of play. No matter how good your break is, if you never get a chance to use it what good does it do you? Even in an alternating break format, you have a distinct advantage by breaking first. Seems the old timers were better at it than today's sharpshooting rotation players appear to be.
How big an advantage do you think the break is now? Among equal players around ranking 20 or so in the world, how likely is the breaker at nine ball to win each game? Where are the statisticians when you need them?
During the Durbin Cup, Mark Wilson stated that he makes his students at Lindenwood University practice the lag religiously. I think that's awesome and I too have spent time practicing it and I have to say, it feels good breaking first more times than not 
Race to 3 1P is a different story
My guess is that they do practice it to some degree. The problem is that every table and every rail will play it's own way. Most players also likely feel that their game is much more important to practice.
The lag has an added bonus of being a sort of measuring stick for any particular table's speed. If you get the lag down perfect for a table, it is pretty easy to extrapolate roughly how much speed you need on any given shot, especially those with natural roll.
Also, it makes it easier to guess if a table is going to lag (or play for that matter) fast or slow if you have a standard lag speed to work from and take note of the table conditions.
I practice the lag when I actually practice or am warming up for a match (which means not often recently, lol)
Also, it makes it easier to guess if a table is going to lag (or play for that matter) fast or slow if you have a standard lag speed to work from and take note of the table conditions.
I practice the lag when I actually practice or am warming up for a match (which means not often recently, lol)
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It depends on the speed of the cloth and cushions, but generally yes.
Pool-Trax has not had time to establish a large database of player stats, but looking at the B&W percentages of most of the top players, the evidence is pretty clear that the top players, in general, sport pretty hefty B&W percentages. Well above 60% for most of them, right up to 77% for Niels Feijen (3 matches total).
Interesting to me is that Feijen only had a 32% B&R average over the same three matches. Obviously, there are many outcomes aside from running out after the break that favor the breaking player.
Sure tables are different. But I never see pros take a few practice lags before a match (hey, it's the same table they are about to play on).
It would seem a large advantage to win the lag in certain scenarios. For example the USBTC 8-ball is a race to 5. It often becomes a breaking contest, with B&R's very common. So if you win the lag you:
1) Get a chance to get on the board first
2) If the match goes hill-hill in an alternate break format, you will be breaking
It would seem a large advantage to win the lag in certain scenarios. For example the USBTC 8-ball is a race to 5. It often becomes a breaking contest, with B&R's very common. So if you win the lag you:
1) Get a chance to get on the board first
2) If the match goes hill-hill in an alternate break format, you will be breaking
Thank you. That's what I'm talking about. Johnnyt
They do :wink:
3-rail lag?
Had to laugh just a little at Deschaine the other day.
Before lagging, MD was blasting the "lag" so it went three rails up and down. He was clearly just showing off for the crowd.
Then he lost the actual lag, and eventually the match!!
Had to laugh just a little at Deschaine the other day.
Before lagging, MD was blasting the "lag" so it went three rails up and down. He was clearly just showing off for the crowd.
Then he lost the actual lag, and eventually the match!!
Well a lot of them need to lag more hours. :smile: Johnnyt