Billy_Bob
06-04-2006, 11:24 AM
Well I drove all the way up to Seattle to watch a bit of the IPT pro qualifier tournament.
I went because I am working on my 8-ball break. I thought I would go see how the "big boys" do this and learn something...
I watched break after break after break. They are no better than I am at this and were having the same problems I have! So I didn't learn any easy tricks about breaking. Many of the pros were basically breaking the same way I do - CB center of table, draw cue ball straight back.
They were having trouble making a ball on the break, but could get a good spread of the balls. I think the cloth was a slower cloth than usually found on 9 ft. tables, but I don't know for sure. So that may have been the trouble
[Note I did not watch *all* the pros, just a few. There may have been others I did not see who were having better luck .]
So anyway one guy would break, good spread, but no ball pocketed. Then the other guy would runout. This happened again and again. They seemed to be trying different speeds, but didn't have much luck.
They all seemed to be able to runout most of the time if given a shot at the table, so the deciding factor as to who won the match seemed to be the player who could sometimes break *and* pocket a ball. Gave him one up on the other guy.
Seemed to me in this situation, it would be to the players advantage (if they had the break), to let their opponent break, Then their opponent would break, nice spread, no ball pocketed, then the other player runs out. Sort of like 14.1 where if you get the break, you "let" your opponent break...
I play 8-ball on a 7 ft. bar table and with championship 3030 cloth, I can many times in a row (if playing well) break, CB center of table, shoot dead center, slower break, draw CB straight back. I pocket at least one ball and get a good spread. A faster break does not get as good a spread of the balls and may not pocket anything.
BUT... If playing on a 7 ft. table with slow cloth and trying the same break, it does not work. I think the cloth is slowing down the balls so they never make it to the pocket????
So seems to me faster breaks (8-ball) do not pocket balls for some reason, yet slower cloth would require a faster break? Also I read something about the "entire rack" sliding back a bit before spreading with a faster break. Maybe that is what it is?
Comments?
I went because I am working on my 8-ball break. I thought I would go see how the "big boys" do this and learn something...
I watched break after break after break. They are no better than I am at this and were having the same problems I have! So I didn't learn any easy tricks about breaking. Many of the pros were basically breaking the same way I do - CB center of table, draw cue ball straight back.
They were having trouble making a ball on the break, but could get a good spread of the balls. I think the cloth was a slower cloth than usually found on 9 ft. tables, but I don't know for sure. So that may have been the trouble
[Note I did not watch *all* the pros, just a few. There may have been others I did not see who were having better luck .]
So anyway one guy would break, good spread, but no ball pocketed. Then the other guy would runout. This happened again and again. They seemed to be trying different speeds, but didn't have much luck.
They all seemed to be able to runout most of the time if given a shot at the table, so the deciding factor as to who won the match seemed to be the player who could sometimes break *and* pocket a ball. Gave him one up on the other guy.
Seemed to me in this situation, it would be to the players advantage (if they had the break), to let their opponent break, Then their opponent would break, nice spread, no ball pocketed, then the other player runs out. Sort of like 14.1 where if you get the break, you "let" your opponent break...
I play 8-ball on a 7 ft. bar table and with championship 3030 cloth, I can many times in a row (if playing well) break, CB center of table, shoot dead center, slower break, draw CB straight back. I pocket at least one ball and get a good spread. A faster break does not get as good a spread of the balls and may not pocket anything.
BUT... If playing on a 7 ft. table with slow cloth and trying the same break, it does not work. I think the cloth is slowing down the balls so they never make it to the pocket????
So seems to me faster breaks (8-ball) do not pocket balls for some reason, yet slower cloth would require a faster break? Also I read something about the "entire rack" sliding back a bit before spreading with a faster break. Maybe that is what it is?
Comments?