catkins
Verified Member
I just realized I was spending hours doing the 5 rack thing and actually getting worse so needed a break.
I've discovered if I am looking for the perfect high run video then a lot of time is spent racking and breaking. But, if I use it for practice then I am getting a great benefit. I am reading clusters better, combo's are better, position and pocketing/focus is better, and the pattern play is now starting to jump out for me, seeing the table. If I miss a shot, I set it up again, if I miss shape I set it up again. Separately I believe a guy should also work on banking, and work on the shots that are giving trouble.I just realized I was spending hours doing the 5 rack thing and actually getting worse so needed a break.
I believe Catkins break seems to be the easiest break to control and depend upon. It seems to open up the balls good, just not on my table with older balls, so I have to use more force which makes it harder to control the cb. WhiteyThanks Whitey. I have to go back through to remember all the breaks, there has been so many.
Because it's a sickness. LOLI look at the 5 rack drill/exercise/game, whatever you want to call it, as training for ball running. That said, I don't understand why you guys are beating your head against the wall with the break. Why not take BIH and work on the drill for what it is....running balls!
My .02
Chris, all you have to do is increase the size of your pockets to 4.75" that's the secret.Now if I can learn to shoot consistently like Dave I will be in business
Thanks, it's a lot of fun.12squared, thanks for sharing your play.
At 7:39 you went around the table on the 10 ball , was it possible to finesse that ball and get an angle on the ball near the spot ? That seems more the way Efren and Alex would run the balls clearing that ball then coming off the ball 2 rails out of opponents corner off the rail side of the balls near his pocket breaking all those up? You can either leave the ball near your bottom rail as insurance, or if you have a good break out shot , make it so it can't interfere.?I had an epiphany. Since the pool gods like to play with our minds while playing 5 rack by allowing a good break and run then laying down multiple bad breaks ruining our total scores, I thought of a way to trick them...use different breaks for each of the 5 racks. Brilliant! (I thought). How could I not run 50?
Well, the best I could do was 29 (again, thank goodness for large pockets), here it is:
It sounded good on paper.
Thanks for chiming in Billy. The angle was too severe to simply finesse the QB without going to the rail first to get position on the ball on the spot (if that's what you meant) and I thought there was a scratch if I simply rolled the QB naturally with reverse to get to it using one rail.At 7:39 you went around the table on the 10 ball , was it possible to finesse that ball and get an angle on the ball near the spot ? That seems more the way Efren and Alex would run the balls clearing that ball then coming off the ball 2 rails out of opponents corner off the rail side of the balls near his pocket breaking all those up? You can either leave the ball near your bottom rail as insurance, or if you have a good break out shot , make it so it can't interfere.?
It would give me a better feeling to run the balls that way in a game , maybe in this format it is the wrong way to go after the shot, just thinkng out loud . What do you think?
Thanks for chiming in Billy. The angle was too severe to simply finesse the QB without going to the rail first to get position on the ball on the spot (if that's what you meant) and I thought there was a scratch if I simply rolled the QB naturally with reverse to get to it using one rail.
So my thinking was to 3 rail position to get on the stripe up there and get to the ball on the spot from there. The problem was that dang 6 ball sitting there in the natural 3 rail path so I decided to miss the shot to avoid hitting it.
I'm not sure what is right, but those were my thoughts at the time. The shot previously, I meant to hit the QB a little harder and a hair longer to run into the 10 ball(?) To get a better angle on the stripe I missed to do exactly as you suggested, but things change during a run as you know. More importantly, you mentioned my name with Alex and Efren's!!! (See how I did that?)
I would give $1000.00 to be able to go play pool today and not have to fight thru pain every shot. All of you guys who can still play and have fun should be very thankful.I've discovered if I am looking for the perfect high run video then a lot of time is spent racking and breaking. But, if I use it for practice then I am getting a great benefit. I am reading clusters better, combo's are better, position and pocketing/focus is better, and the pattern play is now starting to jump out for me, seeing the table. If I miss a shot, I set it up again, if I miss shape I set it up again. Separately I believe a guy should also work on banking, and work on the shots that are giving trouble.
If I miss a shot, or miss shape, there is a reason. So I try and fix it.
By doing this I am working back into stroke. The runs will only come (consistently) once the work has been put in. What are realistic goals, I say 'realistic', for as Billy Jackets states; "we are not hitting balls everyday 10 hrs.".
I actually played OP against myself the other day, it has been decades since I have done that, I enjoyed it!
If the MOT does a 5 Rack Mini then we have a heads up! Whitey
Billy, what exactly is wrong with your back! If you do not mind saying that is. WhiteyI would give $1000.00 to be able to go play pool today and not have to fight thru pain every shot. All of you guys who can still play and have fun should be very thankful.
5 herniated and 1 crushed disc lower back . Then I have arthritis and fibromyalgia from the damage. Then I have something undiagnosed either in my upper back or neck , my head is forward about a foot to 18 inches and I scuttle along pretty bent over. Can't call it walking anymore.Billy, what exactly is wrong with your back! If you do not mind saying that is. Whitey