Lessons learned from playing center ball

[Kato]

Well, tonight I went out and played 3 hours of 9-ball with my buddy George. On my best night George will win 60% of all games, whether I spin the ball or not. I told him tonight IF I hit a ball with english it was ACCIDENTAL!!!! This is what I learned.

1) You can't get there from here: If you are not in the correct spot you CANNOT get to your next ball. No matter what.

2) You can get there from here: If you are on the correct side of the ball, english is not necessary. I broke and ran my last rack. Only one of the night using nothing but center, top, and low.

3) Every one of my kick shots involve english: Many kick shots I would have played with english and made, I missed. They would've been easy with english but extremely difficult using center.

4) Playing pool without english is very frustrating: I learned that there are many shots that I played tonight I ALWAYS use english on, therefore aiming is difficult.

5) It can be done: As I went on and on tonight I hit 'em better and better. I did not deviate from the plan and exclaimed to everyone in the pool room that I would not deviate. I will learn to play pool the RIGHT way, no matter what the cost, win or lose.

6) I can gamble using this style: I think, no I know that I can play this way. Originally I believed I would not gamble because I'm missing 90% of my offense but I digress, I can and will do it cheap.

7) Everybody that gave me advice: Chris, Dr. D, Voodoo, Scott Lee, ect. Thank you because you guys know the game better than I ever will. You have my respect, you know what I wish to know and I will bust A$$ to get where you are.

In closing I realize that there is a very simple part of the game that I've been missing out on. That huge spot in the middle of the object and cue balls that I've been missing out on. I truely believe with each and every one of your intrusction, patience, and knowledge that I'll get where I have to be in order to be content or at least take the next step.

Thank you all for your advice and your knowledge. You'll never know how much I appreciate it.

Kato

[Voodoo Daddy]

One Ball at a time RJ...keep up the new look, it fits you.

Voodoo...loves to see people excel

RJ, just as my beer cooley states 'don't lie, cheat, or steal unnecessarily,' so too with center ball stroking, imo.

That is, if people want to say that English isn't necessary for 80%, 90%, whatever, of shots, even assuming that is true, then English IS necessary for whatever the residue is, and therefore should be used.

This is especially true for making a good hit on a ball you must kick to. It's no answer to say you shouldn't have left yourself that kick in the first place, because your OPPONENT is more likely leaving you in that position.

Often there are simply no center ball kick lines that will make the hit, and you MUST go off the centerline in those cases.

I think your experiment is a good one, to help you see how much you can do with center ball, and where that idea breaks down, to where you have to abandon that goal.

Besides, I haven't ever seen anyone claim that center ball was adequate for almost all kicks, just for directly pocketing balls. I believe that a self-imposed no spin zone (shades of Bill O'Reilly!) MUST eventually be relaxed, to account for those times where even the 'no spin' advocates on this forum would tell you to stroke with side.

[John in NH]

Hi Kato,

Good luck with using center ball. When i'm in a slump in pool it's usually because i've gotten away from using center ball and then I must revert back to the basics which includes a little top, a lot of center ball, a little draw, to work my way out of it.

I think that the majority of the board members will agree that you cannot use center ball 100% of the time but it's imperative that you use center ball the majority of the time in order to be consistent in pocketing balls and playing for angles and this leads to running racks.

Good luck,

John

[JackPot_George]

[Kato]

Ha, ha, ha. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet my best bud George. Good pool player, good knowledge, good man. Welcome aboard Jackpot. The CCB just became one stronger.

Kato~~~knows eventually he'll have to spin but not yet.

Whereabouts in NH?