Good stuff

I'm not in the mood to talk much about myself right now. I'm playing pretty well, and my inclination is to just let it be and not over analyze it...or even relive it here in my blog. I'm just going to enjoy it one moment at a time...and *maybe* you'll hear about it later.

Instead, I thought I'd point out a couple of great posts from AZBilliards that I recently came across. I love AZB, but mostly for its entertainment/social value. It can be light on serious pool content, but Jude Rosenstock's posts are usually full of real pool stuff. These two posts, on great shots to know for B & C players, I thought were especially good:

Want to Get Better? This is How. Pt 1
Want to Get Better? This is How. Pt 2

What's great about these shots, is not only are they ones you will use, but as Jude describes, they are one's that teach you a lot about english, speed control and other fundamental concepts. Simply, they are shots that can change your game.

At one time, I had hoped that I would catalog these kind of shots in my blog. Last year when someone showed me the second shot from Part 1, I thought it was a little too challenging for me. But once I got it, I felt like my understanding of the game went from two to three dimensions. I saw so many more options for getting from here to there, the layouts never looked quite the same again. Learning that one shot was a "life" changing moment.

If I discover anymore of these shots, I'll try to include them here. But for now, Jude has done a good start on creating a great list of shots that can change your life. Thanks, Jude. Still waiting parts 3-5.

Cruel summer

9-Ball Break & Run/Break Cue Challenge: Week 1

After setting up my challenge of having a 9-ball break and run before Vegas, I realized I needed to set a few parameters, or I could end up chasing my tail, trying to run unrunnable rack after unrunnable rack, and just wasting my practice time.


So, here are the rules: I can count any break & run in a league match or any other friendly match up. During practice, I get only 5 attempts per week. I can try to run as many racks as I want, but I have to choose, before the break, whether its a challenge rack.

During league, I played well, but none of my breaks produced layouts that were likely to earn me my break cue. No patch. No break cue. Maybe during practice.

Last night, I practiced for a bit, and was feeling pretty good. I hit one practice rack of 9-ball and then started on my 5 challenge racks. First 3 racks, I make a ball every time, control the cue ball, I have a shot on the 1, but either the 2 or the 3 is in a bad spot, so I don't get very far.

Rack #4, I get a good break. The balls spread out evenly. The cue ball centers itself nicely. The 1-ball stops just short of rolling in the side pocket. Dry-break. Grrrr. I go ahead anyway, thinking maybe I should count runs off a dry-break. After all, you're actually pocketing one more ball, right?

I focus on each shot, and get pretty much perfect on each one, until the 6. Of course, I actually put the cue ball where I wanted it. Then I walked to the other side of the table and looked at the shot and thought "What was I thinking. This shot sucks." Fortunately, the 7 was a hanger, so I make the 6,7,8. I'm a little steeper and closer on the 9 than I wanted, but still very makeable.

This could be it.

I start writing in my follow up blog post entitled "Well, that was easy."

I'm lined up. It looks right. I think about how I wrote in my last blog post that I run down to the nine and miss. I think this time is different.

So, what happened?

Did I:
a) Go ahead and pull the trigger.
b) Stop myself. Realize this was for a break cue. This was like a $200+ shot. I had a little too much stream of consciousness going on to be fully focused on making this $200 dollar shot. I got up again. Centered myself and nailed it.

Do I really have to say...the answer is A!

Get up. If you're not sure, if you're not committed, if the shot matters, get up!

Rack #5. Make a ball. Center the cue ball. Shot on the 1. The 3 is completely buried and I don't see a break out.

This is a great challenge for me and I feel like I'm learning a lot, just from the 5 racks I shot last night.

Obviously, I really need to bear down on the 9 more, but my break needs a lot of work. Not sure why the making a ball tends to go with a clustered rack. I've noticed that before. When I break dry, I usually leave my opponent an easy rack.

I haven't spent a lot of time on my break, because I was advised early on, that until you can run out, its not the best use of your time. If I'm going to stick to my original goal of an actual break and run, now may be the time.

My new break cue....

A few weeks ago, I posted about my search for a new break cue. I looked both high and low, with contenders ranging from the Icebreaker, Mezz Powerbreak to the J&J. I was very tempted by the high end, but I just couldn't spend that much money on a cue I hadn't tried, especially if it was a luxury item.

I was about to go for the J&J when a friend of mine offered to sell me his cheap sneaky pete for $25. I've always liked this cue. Its nothing special, but for some reason I always seem to play well with it, and it breaks fine. Plus it can double as a playing cue when I'd rather leave my regular cue safely at home. It was a bargain I couldn't resist.

(Incidentally, a few days later the BCA announced they were banning break cues with phenolic tips, so it will be interesting to see what happens to the break cue market).

I haven't given up the idea of getting a nice break cue...but I did decide that before I spend that kind of cash on a pool item, that it shouldn't just be an impulse buy; it should be attached to reaching some kind of meaningful milestone.

I've had a few break and runs in 8-ball, but I have never, ever, not even in practice, run a rack of 9-ball. I've come close, running down to the 9, getting great position...and every time, I've dogged it.

So, here's the plan...if I get my 9-ball B&R by the end of August, when I'm in Vegas for APA Nationals, I can do a little shopping.

So, here we go, sixty days and counting.