+ T E C H T A L K +

BY Bob Jewett THE LETTER OF THE LAW In our sport, rules are made to be refined and reworded.

N MY February 2 0 0 2 column, 1 did a days near Chicago to work out the re- The WPA General Assembly will be brief history of the rule changes in maining details. The rules drafted from meeting as this c o l u m n is going to 8-ball. I was surprised by how many that meeting were distributed to the na- press, and will be voting on whether there had been. The Billiard Congress tional federations for further feedback, to adopt the new proposed Rules and of America (BCA) had published an- and a final final version was finished in Regulations. If they are adopted, you nual rule books, sometimes with signif- November. will notice a few minor changes, which icantly different interpretations of the The WPA's World Standardized Rules we'll cover here. same rule from year to year. Three fouls differentiates between Rules, concerning T h e major change for U.S. players for loss of game was in very briefly; and game play, and Regulations, the periph- will be the disappearance of the old there have been perhaps six different eral issues like dress code, referee behav- Rule 1.16, which suggested "cue-ball sets of rules for what fouls only." This pertained happens on the break. to non-refereed matches: Of course, this prolifer- If the shooter acciden- ation is dwarfed by the tally move an object ball, variety of rules that you it is not a foul. T h e non- will find in your local shooter has the option of taverns, but more than leaving the moved ball once 1 was startled by in position or moving it changes the BCA made b a c k to its original posi- for no apparent reason. tion. Basically, by discard- The global rules situ- ing the option of cue-ball ation for pool is some- fouls only, all rules are to what different now. The be applied in all matches. BCA is a m e m b e r of the T h e Regulations suggest World Pool-Billiard As- h o w to handle the situa- sociation ( W P A ) , which tion where a referee can- has been the world gov- not be continuously at the erning body of poo! table. since about 1 9 9 0 . ( T h e T h e meeting in 2 0 0 6 was BCA follows WPA rules, a real eye-opener to me on while the BCA Pool this rule. It seems that the League, n o w a private whole world — except the organization, prints U.S. — is happy to apply their own rules, sepa- all the rules all the time. If rate from the WPA.) you brush a ball with your One of the most impor- sleeve, it's a foul. While tant policies of the WPA your local leagues may de- is enforcing a five-year cide to play with the old period between rule rule (meaning cue-ball changes. While there fouls only) since "all fouls" may be s o m e wording requires a level of sports- adjustments between the revisions, you ior and shot-clock operation. While the manship that is too rare these days, I can expect few surprises most years. Rules are intended to be changed only think they would be doing their players About two years ago, I was asked as absolutely necessary, the Regulations and the game a favor if they would try to begin editing a new revision of the are considerably more flexible and had to implement this change. rules for possible adoption in January to be rewritten to match the new word- Also under the proposed changes, a 2 0 0 8 . A first revision was put on the ing of the Rules. Together, the two docu- late lag is no longer penalized as a loss Web, and a lot of players provided feed- ments amount to about 30 pages of text of lag. Instead, the lag will be replayed. back on both the wording and intent. and diagrams. A further document is the Maybe you were unaware of this rule. In September 2 0 0 6 , about 15 delegates Equipment Specifications, but that was Some players wait until their oppo- from around the world met for three not part of this effort at revision. nent's lag is nearly done before they

34 BILLIARDS DIGEST J a n u a r y 2008 lag. T h a t way, they can get a better feel ball and straight pool. Black ball is a for the speed of the table. Of course, game similar to 8-ball that is played in if both players adopted this strategy, England and quite a few other coun- the game would be called on account tries. Among other rules that Ameri- of darkness with no shot having been cans might find surprising is that a foul fired. is penalized with a "free shot." This In straight pool, a stalemate rule allows the shooter to hit whatever he has been added at the same time that pleases, before starting his normal in- the "nurse-safety" rule was removed. ning. A nurse safety is where both players In 14.1 play, it is no longer an option play safe on the same ball that is near to accept the balls in position after your a rail. Under the old rules, the ball was opponent commits three successive declared frozen after each player had fouls. Under the new rules, the fouler played safe twice on the ball, which will always re-break under normal con- forces play in s o m e other direction. All ditions, while still being penalized 18 racks now can be declared a stalemate, points (3 for each foul and 15 for three meaning the balls are re-racked and the consecutive). players lag for the break. One change that generated a surpris- T h e rule for "No Rail" in the case of ing amount of controversy concerns the frozen balls was revised. T h e old rule rack in straight pool. If you need to spot was quite confusing and didn©t really the 15th ball with an untouched 14-hall rack on the table, the referee is permitted to WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME re-rack all 15 balls. If he can©t make a proper YOU READ THE RULES? NOW 15-ball rack by simply placing the 15th ball on WOULD BE A GOOD TIME. the foot spot, then he cover the reason for the rule. ( T h e has to re-rack. The referee has to decide "No Rail" rule was intended to prevent whether a re-rack is necessary. Evident- repetitive safeties, like rolling the cue ly there was an unwritten rule used in ball off a ball frozen to the rail.) Under some areas that the triangle was not to the new rule, many strange exceptions return to the table after racking. I think have b e e n eliminated. For example, if it©s fairer to give the incoming player a the object ball is frozen to the corner of correct rack if the spotted ball doesn©t the side pocket, and your shot causes fit well on the original 14. it to rattle back and forth in the j a w s Finally, under the old rules, if you of the side, you do not get credit for wanted to play a ball behind the head- having hit a rail under the old rules. string when you had cue ball in hand T h a t has been fixed. You will need to behind the headstring, the cue ball had understand the revised definition of to contact a cushion above the head- "Driven to a Rail" in c o n n e c t i o n with string before coming back. Under the this rule. new rules, the cue ball is j u s t required Several things were moved into "Un- to cross the headstring before any sportsmanlike Conduct" that were pre- contact with a ball behind the string. viously specific fouls. A major example That means that the two shots shown of this is the intentional miscue. Un- in the diagrams are now allowed. For der the rules currently being reviewed the shot in D i a g r a m 1, the referee will by the WPA, the only permissible way have to make a decision on whether to set the balls in motion is by a for- the cue ball has crossed the line before ward stroking motion of the cue stick contacting the object ball. As long as on the cue ball. To intentionally move the cue ball has completely crossed the the balls in any other way is completely headstring before making contact with outside the rules. T h e referee is allowed the 2 ball, this shot is legal. considerable latitude in penalizing un- Similarly, in D i a g r a m 2, as long as the sportsmanlike conduct, ranging from a entire cue ball crosses the headstring, warning to expulsion from the tourna- you can pocket the 7 ball without hit- ment. Play fair. ting a rail. T h e rules for black ball are included W h e n was the last time you read the in the new rules along with 8-ball, 9- rules? Now would be a good time.

J a n u a r y 2008 B I L L I A R D S D I G E S T 35 + T E C H T A L K +

BY Bob Jewett KILLING ME SOFTLY? The outbreak of the soft break threatens the game of 9-ball.

WO RECENT competitions have shown the dullness encountered in Manila, enough spin and draw that it went one what many have been saying for a Matchroom Sport made three major rail into a head pocket. There were few Tnumber of years: the current game changes to the break. First, the 9 ball break-and-runs. of 9-balI is fundamentally flawed as a was racked on the spot, which moved D i a g r a m 1 shows the break b o x , a test of skill. T h e rack and the break have the natural line of the wing ball up the typical cue-ball position, a typical path b e c o m e major problems, and tourna- table — enough to make it very unlikely for the 1 ball and a c o m m o n scratch. ment organizers have not found a good to go in. Second, the breaker was re- Also shown is the path that the "wing solution. quired to shoot from the middle half of ball" takes due to the rack being higher At the recently completed World Pool the kitchen, which eliminated the nor- on the table — it no longer goes straight Championship in Manila, the problem mal angle used for the wing-ball break into the pocket. was reported to be worst on the TV Finally, the breaker had to get at least The so-called "three above the line" table, which was used for most of the three object balls to cross the headstring rule produced some strange results. On live broadcasts. The players discovered or be pocketed to keep the table, which one or two breaks during the Cup, two that a fairly soft break almost guaran- eliminated soft breaks. Each object ball balls were pocketed but no ball crossed teed to pocket a wing ball, and the cor- could only be counted once, so that if the head string, so the breaker had to rect hit would get position on the 1 ball. a ball was pocketed in a head pocket, give up the table. On some breaks, a ball (The wing ball is the ball on the "side it was only counted once even though that was about to drift into the kitchen corner" of the rack.) In one rack I saw it both crossed the headstring and was to validate the break was knocked away on YouTube, a player who is known for pocketed. by a ball exiting the kitchen. Fortunate- hammering the balls shot a break that It took the players a while to get used ly for the breakers, a "soft break" viola- looked like a soft stop tion did not result shot on the 1 ball. All in ball in hand; the the balls were on one breaker just lost half of the table and his turn. the run was nearly "Three above the automatic. line" is not a new In one sense, there's rule. It has been in nothing wrong with force on the Euro- this technique. The Tour for some time players have discov- to prevent the soft- ered that if they get break, easy-run a really tight rack, it's problem. This is a not necessary to risk large issue in Eu- losing the cue ball to rope, because they get a good break. In have a technique fact, if the rack and that gets m u c h the rules permit such tighter racks than a controlled break, you find in most only a fool would smash the balls with to the breaking rules. The standard break American tournaments. Their method is all available force. It is a natural evolu- was to place the cue ball as far to the left to "train" the table by tapping the balls tion of the game. or right as possible and then hit the 1 into place, making small indentations in The problem is that it makes 9-ball a ball toward the farther foot pocket with the cloth in the exact locations where poor game to find the best pool player. draw and some sidespin. This hit on the the balls should be for the break. This If the break is automatic and the runout 1 ball often pocketed it in the side pock- is not done by tapping the balls in a full is usually easy with simple patterns, the et. Without a full hit on the 1 ball, the rack because that way will nearly always game does not separate the champions cue ball had a lot more energy than the lead to gaps between the balls. Instead, a from the also-rans. You might as well usual "park whitey" break shot, and it template like the one shown in D i a g r a m flip coins. was c o m m o n to see it go straight to the 2 is used, with one ball at a time being The second event of note was Decem- side rail from the 1 ball and then either placed in each hole and then tapped to ber's Mosconi Cup, which was held in go straight b a c k and forth and scratch in form the indentation in the cloth. The the M G M Grand in Las Vegas. To avoid a side pocket or catch the side rail with thin sheet of tough material has holes

3 4 BILLIARDS DIGEST F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 punched through it in nearly the cor- the wing ball nearly always goes in if the Another possibility is to require the rect locations of the balls. I say "nearly" 1 ball is racked on the spot. incoming player to always play a push- because if you space the holes apart by One additional problem that the "three out. Optimum push-out strategy is when the regulation size of the balls Ð 5 7 . 1 5 above the line" rule causes is the need to your opponent is 5 0 - 5 0 to pass the shot millimeters or 2.25 inches Ð you will count the number of balls that get above back to you, so this assures that most inevitably end up with some of the balls the head string. O n c e or twice during racks will start fairly enough. slightly misplaced. the Mosconi Cup, For any plan that does not require a Instead, the holes the refs had to refer tight rack, the 9 ball should be spotted need to be a little to the instant replay if made on the break. If the rack is tight, closer to each other for a ball count. the 9 ball only moves if kicked by a ball than the ball diame- So, what do you that comes b a c k through the rack area. ter so that when the think should be done At the Mosconi Cup, the majority of 9 balls are sitting in about 9-ball? Some balls at the end of the game were shot off their little craters, argue that a normal, the foot spot where it started, and there the sides of the cra- slightly loose rack were only one or two 9 balls made on ters will make the should be used, but the break. If the rack is loose and the 9 balls press together this is not fair to the goes in, the non-breaker was cheated. and be as close to player who gets the W h a t do you think of the alterations perfectly tight as "bad" racks while his used in the Mosconi Cup? possible. opponent gets the The final solution may be 10-ball. So On a table that is "good" racks. Each far, no easy automatic break has been trained like this, a player should have discovered for that game, although the 1 triangle is not necessary. J u s t get each the same chance on the break. ball in the side is fairly easy to plan. As a ball close to its assigned hole and it will One possible change is for the breaker hint of things to come, the W P A Ð the fall into it. Among other advantages, this to always get the next shot. That at least world governing organization for pool eliminates arguments over who should would be fair, but the break might not Ð has decided to publish official rules rack and how tight the rack is. As noted be too exciting as soon as all the players for 10-ball for the first time. above, the large problem that results figure out how to get position on the 1 You may want to start practicing with from such a consistent, tight rack is that ball. one more ball on the table.

F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 BILLIARDS DIGEST 3 5 + T E C H T A L K +

BY Bob Jewett FREEZING TO DEATH Here is how the perfect rack changes the game of 9-ball.

AST MONTH I discussed the problem front of the other two and j u s t slightly be able to hit this three-ball group with the rack and soft break at 9- angled, like the balls shown in Shot from almost anywhere and squeeze the Lball. T h e issue has come up because B (but still having the 8 on the s p o t ) . middle ball into the p o c k e t . it is n o w possible to get a consistently See h o w the 8 ball is squeezed into the After you can get the shot to c o m e tight rack — and that allows nearly corner pocket? In theory, you should close a fair percentage of the time, put anyone to make a con- a small gap between the sistent, effective break. b a c k ball (the 1) and the W i t h the break drained ball that's supposed to of the smash-and-luck go in (the 8 ) . How m u c h factor, it's not clear the does it change the angle game can survive. of the middle ball toward T h e r e are several pretty the pocket? simple shots that dem- A s e c o nd frozen-ball onstrate h o w m u c h situation is s h o w n in the action of the balls D i a g r a m 2. It is devel- changes if a pair that is oped from an old propo- supposed to be touch- sition shot that is in Shot ing isn't quite. Shot A in C. T h e goal is to m a k e D i a g r a m 1 is a standard the ball nearest the side shot in one-pocket. W i t h p o c k e t (the 5) in that the cue ball as shown side pocket. T h e client and 8 ball spotted on the is likely to try shooting foot spot, it's possible to from cue-ball position X drive the 8 into pocket and to hit the two balls A simply by drawing the simultaneously. By sym- cue ball straight back. metry, the far ball has This shot only works if to go straight into the the two balls are really pocket. Well, that would frozen, but many play- be true if there are no ers can't see when two gaps between the balls balls are truly frozen. and the cue ball really If you are one of those, hits both balls together. it may help to tap the T h e frozen part you can balls against each other take care of by tapping. or to use white paper T h e simultaneous hit, reinforcement donuts to however, is nearly im- force the balls to freeze. possible to achieve. Ball- Tapping a ball down into to-ball contact takes the cloth with another only about 2 0 0 m i l ¬ ball creates a small dim- lionths of a second. In ple in the cloth that the terms of how m u c h left- ball "wants" to sit in. to-right tolerance this It turns out that al- gives you, you have to though many claim that land centered on the two you need draw on the balls within a l / 5 0 t h of cue ball to make the a millimeter. That's only front ball follow into the about half the thickness pocket, you can make of this magazine page. the shot without draw. To T h e standard way to see this, place a third ball win the proposition is to (the 2 ball in this case) in play the cue ball from Y,

3 4 BILLIARDS DIGEST I March 2008 j u s t graze the 4 ball and run into the 3 m a k e work, but the range of angles the m a i n point of this article is to con- ball fairly fully. W i t h a little practice, that it will w o r k for is pretty small. vince you that the presence or absence you will find the thickness on the 4 You must select an angle for the cue of small gaps in clusters of object balls ball that drives the 5 over j u s t enough ball that drives the 7 ball into b o t h of can have a huge influence on where that it is set for a second hit by the 3 its neighbors (the 8 and 9 balls) at the the balls end up going. In the case of ball into the pocket. same time, or you are b a c k to the me- the rack in 9 ball, the result is that the Shot D shows h o w to get that simul- c h a n i c s of the Butterfly shot, w h i c h is wing ball is dead in the p o c k e t if the taneous hit all the time. Rack four balls to first contact one neighbor and then rack is perfectly tight. Conversely, if together and m a k e sure they are all to c o n t a c t the other. your opponent (or the table) gives you touching, which is no easy task. On Although you may have learned some a loose rack, the wing ball may not be fairly new cloth, I couldn't get all four new proposition shots and s o m e shots dead. Even a small gap can change ev- of them frozen together after five min- that c o m e in handy on rare occasions, erything. utes of tapping and rubbing the cloth. Eventually, I had to put a piece of pa- per under them, so the tapping formed fairly deep craters that would keep the balls frozen in place. W i t h all the balls frozen, you can sim- ply shoot the cue ball straight at the 6 ball and the 5 ball goes straight ahead into the p o c k e t even from quite a dis- tance away. W h i l e you have the balls properly frozen, try shooting the cue ball at different angles into the "head" ball and see where the back ball goes. Now, try adding small gaps to the dia- mond-shaped cluster and note the new angles taken by the 5 ball. I find that even with nearly invisible gaps, the b a c k ball goes wide of the pocket by a substantial margin. Finally, Diagram 3 shows a frozen- ball shot derived from the standard old trick shot, " T h e Butterfly." In the Butterfly, w h i c h is s h o w n as S h o t E, the cue ball is shot up the middle of the group of six balls. It drives the 3 and 4 balls into the balls in front of them and then they hit the balls be- hind them and are redirected into the side pockets. F o r the exact setup, you can c h e c k out pretty m u c h any b o o k that covers trick shots, or experiment on your own. In the three-ball group shown in Shot F, if the balls are all frozen, you can shoot the 7 ball straight into the side pocket even though the kiss lines, which m a k e the Butterfly work, are in the wrong directions. T h e middle ball seems to ignore the two balls touching it. Put a small gap in, and the shot no longer works. T h e 7 will end up tak- ing the kiss-line off the ball that has the gap. Note that to get the middle ball to go through at all, the three frozen balls have to form an angle greater than 90 degrees. T h e larger the angle — that is, the closer to a straight line the three balls are — the easier the shot is to

M a r c h 2 0 0 8 B I L L I A R D S DIGEST 35 + T E C H T A L K +

BY Bob Jewett MEASURED FORCE Practicing shots on the outer limits of speed control.

HINGS THAT vary can be sorted into two MPH. Their comfortable speeds are me- the table. Using the one-third rail-loss main types: those that vary in steps dium, fast, and break speed. factor, it's possible to deduce that if you Tand those that vary continuously, The physics behind shot speed has a had a table of unlimited length, that shot or without perceptible steps between few interesting wrinkles. First, the prac- would have traveled 1.000 diamonds, all possible examples. The first kind of tical quantity in a shot is how many where a diamond is 12.5 inches. variation includes species of birds, gears diamonds it will travel on the cloth. It In making our list of categories, we in a manual transmission, the named turns out that this is directly propor- need to cover the whole range of shot colors in a rainbow (remember Roy C. tional to the energy in the ball ( E ) and energies with a reasonable number of Biv), and the number of balls categories, and we need to dis- pocketed in a ran. In the tinguish between shots that continuous category are your seem fundamentally different. If car's M P G efficiency, how we want to include safety shots long lunch takes, the actual with less than a diamond of en- colors in a rainbow, and the ergy, the steps better not be uni- speed of the cue ball. form or we would need 1,000 Humans like to put things steps to get to the top end. In- into categories, even if they stead, let's use something like don't fit very well. If you look the scale used for earthquakes at the colors in a rainbow such that each magnitude step carefully enough, you will in the scale represents a con- see that there are more colors stant ratio of energy larger than than you could ever count — the next-lower magnitude. Since and not just the red, orange, yellow, etc. consequently proportional to the square a rail-contact causes reduction in energy that people commonly name. At pool of the velocity (V) of the ball. This fol- by a factor of 3, it seems like a reason- you see this in the division of shots into lows directly from the equation for ki- able energy ratio to use. and it turns out draw, stop and follow, and the pigeon- netic energy: that it simplifies the speed levels. holing of cut shots into fractions of a E = ''i mv 2 After a little math — contact me di- ball such as a quarter, half, three-quar- We will measure kinetic energy in dia- rectly if you are really interested in the ters and full. The reality is that there monds traveled on a typical tabic rather details — here is a table of shot speed are infinite variations within and/or be- than in the technical correct unit of categories. Note that the energy is listed tween the categories. The practicality joules. as a distance. is that the human mind tends to group A second aspect is that when a like things into a manageable number of ball hits a cushion it loses roughly piles. CATEGORY DISTANCE, DISTANCE, SHOT a fixed fraction of its energy. The NUMBER THEORETICAL ACTUAL S P E E D , MPH So, let's categorize shot speed. Several fraction seems to change a little for 1 1/3 inch same 0.1 such arbitrary lists have been created, hard shots versus soft shots, but a 2 1 inch same 0.17 usually without rhyme or reason. Here good average value is 2/3. Yes, the 3 3 inches same 0.32 is a shot speed system with some rea- ball retains only a third of its en- 4 1 diamond same 0.55 son. ergy in each full-on rail collision. 5 3 diamonds same 1 First, consider the full range of speeds This fact becomes very important 6 9 diamonds 1 length+ 1.7 used in games. At the high end is the in multi-rail shots. 7 31 diamonds 2 lengths 3.2 break shot which is about 20 MPH for For shots that don't hit any cush- 8 100 diamonds 3 lengths 5.5 good players of usual ability. At the low ions, you can just measure the trav- 9 310 diamonds 4 lengths 10 end are soft safeties — shots in which el with the diamonds on the table 10 1000 diamonds 5 lengths 17 you are either taking a foul (in games to get their energies, while for lon- such as straight pool or one-pocket) or ger shots you need to include the you are playing a safety on a ball very losses at the rails. As an example, if you You may be puzzled by category 10 close to a cushion. Beginners often prac- shoot straight up and down the table at where a 1,000-diamond shot only goes tice breaking but rarely practice the soft near break speed, you may be able to hit 5 lengths (or about 40 diamonds). Let's shots, and consequently they are fre- the far cushion three times with the cue go through the shot. Suppose you start quently stumped by any shot below 1 ball traveling a total of five lengths of on the head string and shoot straight up

34 B I L L I A R D S D I G E S T A p r i l 2008 and down the table. The ball arrives at than two-thirds of the energy on each leave the cue ball within a chalk©s-width the foot rail having lost 6 diamonds of bounce, in which case five lengths may of the object ball. F o r a real safety, the its original 1,000 diamonds of energy Ð not be possible except with a bouncing idea is to leave no j u m p shot. See how- remember that distance and energy are cue ball that flies from cushion-nose many times you can do this in a row tak- equivalent for ball travel. The 9 9 4 is cut to cushion-nose. Don©t go to that tech- ing the cue ball in hand each time but by a factor of three in the first rail con- nique; instead back off to four lengths. leaving the object ball as is. tact leaving 3 3 1 (in round numbers). For completeness, try all of the speeds As another soft-shot drill, try this one The ball arrives at the second cushion 6 through 10. that I got from Tom Riccobene, an in- with 8 diamonds less than that due to D i a g r a m 1 shows two low-speed drills structor in New Mexico. Place all the the travel back, leaving 3 2 3 . Coming off to help you with the low end. In shot A, object balls along the headstring spaced the second rail it has 108. Continuing the cue ball is close to the object ball, apart evenly. The cue ball is not involved the arithmetic, off the third rail it has 3 3 , and the goal is to make the ball in pock- in the shots. Knock the first ball as short and off the fourth rail just 8 diamonds et A taking as many shots as possible a distance as you can up the table. The of energy, which barely gets the ball to Ð no rail is required on each shot, but second ball has to go further than the the fifth rail. you must hit the object ball. Taking 10 first, and so on. See if you can shoot all How many of these categories are you shots is good for a beginner. Once you 15 balls with constantly increasing dis- comfortable using in actual play? Most have mastered soft shots, 40 should be tances. An alternative to this drill is to players seem to struggle with any shot your goal. There is a simple cheat that shoot each ball to try to freeze it to each outside of just 6, 7 and 8. Some begin- allows you to take a few hundred shots if successive diamond (or pocket) around ners never shoot as softly as 6, having you have the patience, but don©t use that the table Ð there are conveniently 15 learned that the farther the ball travels, cheat if you discover it. such spots around the table outside the better chance it has to find a pocket. In shot B, the object ball starts close the kitchen. Set your own tolerance on As a drill for the high-speed end of the to the cushion with the cue ball a little "freezing," such as a ball diameter or a scale, try shooting the cue ball straight farther out. Pretend you are playing 8- hand span. up and down the table five lengths to ball. You have no real shot, and all your Of course, real shots often require far leave it within one diamond of the far opponent©s balls are up-table by Shot A. more speed precision than this arbitrary rail and within a diamond of the center Play the cue ball to contact the ball, then division into categories, but I think that of the table, it may be that your table the cushion and then freeze to the ob- spending a little practice using these has cushions that take away even more ject ball. Count the freeze as good if you steps will help your speed control.

A p r i l 2 0 0 8 B I L L I A R D S D I G E S T 35 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett THE LETTER OF THE LAW In our sport, rules are made to be refined and reworded.

N MY February 2002 column, 1 did a days near Chicago to work out the re­ The WPA General Assembly will be brief history of the rule changes in maining details. The rules drafted from meeting as this column is going to 8-ball. I was surprised by how many that meeting were distributed to the na­ press, and will be voting on whether there had been. The Billiard Congress tional federations for further feedback, to adopt the new proposed Rules and of America (BCA) had published an­ and a final final version was finished in Regulations. If they are adopted, you nual rule books, sometimes with signif­ November. will notice a few minor changes, which icantly different interpretations of the The WPA's World Standardized Rules we'll cover here. same rule from year to year. Three fouls differentiates between Rules, concerning The major change for U.S. players for loss of game was in very briefly; and game play, and Regulations, the periph­ will be the disappearance of the old there have been perhaps six different eral issues like dress code, referee behav­ Rule 1.16, which suggested "cue-ball sets of rules for what fouls only." This pertained happens on the break. to non-refereed matches: Of course, this prolifer­ If the shooter acciden­ ation is dwarfed by the tally move an object ball, variety of rules that you it is not a foul. The non- will find in your local shooter has the option of taverns, but more than leaving the moved ball once 1 was startled by in position or moving it changes the BCA made back to its original posi­ for no apparent reason. tion. Basically, by discard­ The global rules situ­ ing the option of cue-ball ation for pool is some­ fouls only, all rules are to what different now. The be applied in all matches. BCA is a member of the The Regulations suggest World Pool-Billiard As­ how to handle the situa­ sociation (WPA), which tion where a referee can­ has been the world gov­ not be continuously at the erning body of poo! table. since about 1990. (The The meeting in 2006 was BCA follows WPA rules, a real eye-opener to me on while the BCA Pool this rule. It seems that the League, now a private whole world — except the organization, prints U.S. — is happy to apply their own rules, sepa­ all the rules all the time. If rate from the WPA.) you brush a ball with your One of the most impor­ sleeve, it's a foul. While tant policies of the WPA your local leagues may de­ is enforcing a five-year cide to play with the old period between rule rule (meaning cue-ball changes. While there fouls only) since "all fouls" may be some wording requires a level of sports­ adjustments between the revisions, you ior and shot-clock operation. While the manship that is too rare these days, I can expect few surprises most years. Rules are intended to be changed only think they would be doing their players About two years ago, I was asked as absolutely necessary, the Regulations and the game a favor if they would try to begin editing a new revision of the are considerably more flexible and had to implement this change. rules for possible adoption in January to be rewritten to match the new word­ Also under the proposed changes, a 2008. A first revision was put on the ing of the Rules. Together, the two docu­ late lag is no longer penalized as a loss Web, and a lot of players provided feed­ ments amount to about 30 pages of text of lag. Instead, the lag will be replayed. back on both the wording and intent. and diagrams. A further document is the Maybe you were unaware of this rule. In September 2006, about 15 delegates Equipment Specifications, but that was Some players wait until their oppo­ from around the world met for three not part of this effort at revision. nent's lag is nearly done before they

34 BILLIARDS DIGEST January 2008 lag. That way, they can get a better feel ball and straight pool. Black ball is a for the speed of the table. Of course, game similar to 8-ball that is played in if both players adopted this strategy, England and quite a few other coun­ the game would be called on account tries. Among other rules that Ameri­ of darkness with no shot having been cans might find surprising is that a foul fired. is penalized with a "free shot." This In straight pool, a stalemate rule allows the shooter to hit whatever he has been added at the same time that pleases, before starting his normal in­ the "nurse-safety" rule was removed. ning. A nurse safety is where both players In 14.1 play, it is no longer an option play safe on the same ball that is near to accept the balls in position after your a rail. Under the old rules, the ball was opponent commits three successive declared frozen after each player had fouls. Under the new rules, the fouler played safe twice on the ball, which will always re-break under normal con­ forces play in some other direction. All ditions, while still being penalized 18 racks now can be declared a stalemate, points (3 for each foul and 15 for three meaning the balls are re-racked and the consecutive). players lag for the break. One change that generated a surpris­ The rule for "No Rail" in the case of ing amount of controversy concerns the frozen balls was revised. The old rule rack in straight pool. If you need to spot was quite confusing and didn't really the 15th ball with an untouched 14-ball rack on the table, the WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME referee is permitted to re-rack all 15 balls. If YOU READ THE RULES? NOW he can't make a proper 15-ball rack by simply placing the 15th ball on WOULD BE A GOOD TIME. the foot spot, then he cover the reason for the rule. (The has to re-rack. The referee has to decide "No Rail" rule was intended to prevent whether a re-rack is necessary. Evident­ repetitive safeties, like rolling the cue ly there was an unwritten rule used in ball off a ball frozen to the rail.) Under some areas that the triangle was not to the new rule, many strange exceptions return to the table after racking. I think have been eliminated. For example, if it's fairer to give the incoming player a the object ball is frozen to the corner of correct rack if the spotted ball doesn't the side pocket, and your shot causes fit well on the original 14. it to rattle back and forth in the jaws Finally, under the old rules, if you of the side, you do not get credit for wanted to play a ball behind the head- having hit a rail under the old rules. string when you had cue ball in hand That has been fixed. You will need to behind the headstring, the cue ball had understand the revised definition of to contact a cushion above the head- "Driven to a Rail" in connection with string before coming back. Under the this rule. new rules, the cue ball is just required Several things were moved into "Un­ to cross the headstring before any sportsmanlike Conduct" that were pre­ contact with a ball behind the string. viously specific fouls. A major example That means that the two shots shown of this is the intentional miscue. Un­ in the diagrams are now allowed. For der the rules currently being reviewed the shot in Diagram 1, the referee will by the WPA, the only permissible way have to make a decision on whether to set the balls in motion is by a for­ the cue ball has crossed the line before ward stroking motion of the cue stick contacting the object ball. As long as on the cue ball. To intentionally move the cue ball has completely crossed the the balls in any other way is completely headstring before making contact with outside the rules. The referee is allowed the 2 ball, this shot is legal. considerable latitude in penalizing un­ Similarly, in Diagram 2, as long as the sportsmanlike conduct, ranging from a entire cue ball crosses the headstring, warning to expulsion from the tourna­ you can pocket the 7 ball without hit­ ment. Play fair. ting a rail. The rules for black ball are included When was the last time you read the in the new rules along with 8-ball, 9- rules? Now would be a good time.

January 2008 BILLIARDS DIGEST 35 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett KILLING ME SOFTLY? The outbreak of the soft break threatens the game of 9-ball.

WO RECENT competitions have shown the dullness encountered in Manila, enough spin and draw that it went one what many have been saying for a Matchroom Sport made three major rail into a head pocket. There were few Tnumber of years: the current game changes to the break. First, the 9 ball break-and-runs. of 9-ball is fundamentally flawed as a was racked on the spot, which moved Diagram 1 shows the break box, a test of skill. The rack and the break have the natural line of the wing ball up the typical cue-ball position, a typical path become major problems, and tourna­ table — enough to make it very unlikely for the 1 ball and a common scratch. ment organizers have not found a good to go in. Second, the breaker was re­ Also shown is the path that the "wing solution. quired to shoot from the middle half of ball" takes due to the rack being higher At the recently completed World Pool the kitchen, which eliminated the nor­ on the table — it no longer goes straight Championship in Manila, the problem mal angle used for the wing-ball break into the pocket. was reported to be worst on the TV Finally, the breaker had to get at least The so-called "three above the line" table, which was used for most of the three object balls to cross the headstring rule produced some strange results. On live broadcasts. The players discovered or be pocketed to keep the table, which one or two breaks during the Cup, two that a fairly soft break almost guaran­ eliminated soft breaks. Each object ball balls were pocketed but no ball crossed teed to pocket a wing ball, and the cor­ could only be counted once, so that if the head string, so the breaker had to rect hit would get position on the 1 ball. a ball was pocketed in a head pocket, give up the table. On some breaks, a ball (The wing ball is the ball on the "side it was only counted once even though that was about to drift into the kitchen corner" of the rack.) In one rack I saw it both crossed the headstring and was to validate the break was knocked away on YouTube, a player who is known for pocketed. by a ball exiting the kitchen. Fortunate­ hammering the balls shot a break that It took the players a while to get used ly for the breakers, a "soft break" viola­ looked like a soft stop tion did not result shot on the 1 ball. All in ball in hand; the the balls were on one breaker just lost half of the table and his turn. the run was nearly "Three above the automatic. line" is not a new In one sense, there's rule. It has been in nothing wrong with force on the Euro- this technique. The Tour for some time players have discov­ to prevent the soft- ered that if they get break, easy-run a really tight rack, it's problem. This is a not necessary to risk large issue in Eu­ losing the cue ball to rope, because they get a good break. In have a technique fact, if the rack and that gets much the rules permit such tighter racks than a controlled break, you find in most only a fool would smash the balls with to the breaking rules. The standard break American tournaments. Their method is all available force. It is a natural evolu­ was to place the cue ball as far to the left to "train" the table by tapping the balls tion of the game. or right as possible and then hit the 1 into place, making small indentations in The problem is that it makes 9-ball a ball toward the farther foot pocket with the cloth in the exact locations where poor game to find the best pool player. draw and some sidespin. This hit on the the balls should be for the break. This If the break is automatic and the runout 1 ball often pocketed it in the side pock­ is not done by tapping the balls in a full is usually easy with simple patterns, the et. Without a full hit on the 1 ball, the rack because that way will nearly always game does not separate the champions cue ball had a lot more energy than the lead to gaps between the balls. Instead, a from the also-rans. You might as well usual "park whitey" break shot, and it template like the one shown in Diagram flip coins. was common to see it go straight to the 2 is used, with one ball at a time being The second event of note was Decem­ side rail from the 1 ball and then either placed in each hole and then tapped to ber's Mosconi Cup, which was held in go straight back and forth and scratch in form the indentation in the cloth. The the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. To avoid a side pocket or catch the side rail with thin sheet of tough material has holes

34 BILLIARDS DIGEST February 2008 punched through it in nearly the cor­ the wing ball nearly always goes in if the Another possibility is to require the rect locations of the balls. I say "nearly" 1 ball is racked on the spot. incoming player to always play a push- because if you space the holes apart by One additional problem that the "three out. Optimum push-out strategy is when the regulation size of the balls — 57.15 above the line" rule causes is the need to your opponent is 50-50 to pass the shot millimeters or 2.25 inches — you will count the number of balls that get above back to you, so this assures that most inevitably end up with some of the balls the head string. Once or twice during racks will start fairly enough. slightly misplaced. the Mosconi Cup, For any plan that does not require a Instead, the holes the refs had to refer tight rack, the 9 ball should be spotted need to be a little to the instant replay if made on the break. If the rack is tight, closer to each other for a ball count. the 9 ball only moves if kicked by a ball than the ball diame­ So, what do you that comes back through the rack area. ter so that when the think should be done At the Mosconi Cup, the majority of 9 balls are sitting in about 9-ball? Some balls at the end of the game were shot off their little craters, argue that a normal, the foot spot where it started, and there the sides of the cra­ slightly loose rack were only one or two 9 balls made on ters will make the should be used, but the break. If the rack is loose and the 9 balls press together this is not fair to the goes in, the non-breaker was cheated. and be as close to player who gets the What do you think of the alterations perfectly tight as "bad" racks while his used in the Mosconi Cup? possible. opponent gets the The final solution may be 10-ball. So On a table that is "good" racks. Each far, no easy automatic break has been trained like this, a player should have discovered for that game, although the 1 triangle is not necessary. Just get each the same chance on the break. ball in the side is fairly easy to plan. As a ball close to its assigned hole and it will One possible change is for the breaker hint of things to come, the WPA — the fall into it. Among other advantages, this to always get the next shot. That at least world governing organization for pool eliminates arguments over who should would be fair, but the break might not — has decided to publish official rules rack and how tight the rack is. As noted be too exciting as soon as all the players for 10-ball for the first time. above, the large problem that results figure out how to get position on the 1 You may want to start practicing with from such a consistent, tight rack is that ball. one more ball on the table.

February 2008 BILLIARDS DIGEST 35 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett FREEZING TO DEATH Here is how the perfect rack changes the game of 9-ball.

AST MONTH I discussed the problem front of the other two and just slightly be able to hit this three-ball group with the rack and soft break at 9- angled, like the balls shown in Shot from almost anywhere and squeeze the Lball. The issue has come up because B (but still having the 8 on the spot). middle ball into the pocket. it is now possible to get a consistently See how the 8 ball is squeezed into the After you can get the shot to come tight rack — and that allows nearly corner pocket? In theory, you should close a fair percentage of the time, put anyone to make a con­ a small gap between the sistent, effective break. back ball (the 1) and the With the break drained ball that's supposed to of the smash-and-luck go in (the 8). How much factor, it's not clear the does it change the angle game can survive. of the middle ball toward There are several pretty the pocket? simple shots that dem­ A second frozen-ball onstrate how much situation is shown in the action of the balls Diagram 2. It is devel­ changes if a pair that is oped from an old propo­ supposed to be touch­ sition shot that is in Shot ing isn't quite. Shot A in C. The goal is to make Diagram 1 is a standard the ball nearest the side shot in one-pocket. With pocket (the 5) in that the cue ball as shown side pocket. The client and 8 ball spotted on the is likely to try shooting foot spot, it's possible to from cue-ball position X drive the 8 into pocket and to hit the two balls A simply by drawing the simultaneously. By sym­ cue ball straight back. metry, the far ball has This shot only works if to go straight into the the two balls are really pocket. Well, that would frozen, but many play­ be true if there are no ers can't see when two gaps between the balls balls are truly frozen. and the cue ball really If you are one of those, hits both balls together. it may help to tap the The frozen part you can balls against each other take care of by tapping. or to use white paper The simultaneous hit, reinforcement donuts to however, is nearly im­ force the balls to freeze. possible to achieve. Ball- Tapping a ball down into to-ball contact takes the cloth with another only about 200 mil¬ ball creates a small dim­ lionths of a second. In ple in the cloth that the terms of how much left- ball "wants" to sit in. to-right tolerance this It turns out that al­ gives you, you have to though many claim that land centered on the two you need draw on the balls within a l/50th of cue ball to make the a millimeter. That's only front ball follow into the about half the thickness pocket, you can make of this magazine page. the shot without draw. To The standard way to see this, place a third ball win the proposition is to (the 2 ball in this case) in play the cue ball from Y,

34 BILLIARDS DIGEST March 2 0 0 8 just graze the 4 ball and run into the 3 make work, but the range of angles the main point of this article is to con­ ball fairly fully. With a little practice, that it will work for is pretty small. vince you that the presence or absence you will find the thickness on the 4 You must select an angle for the cue of small gaps in clusters of object balls ball that drives the 5 over just enough ball that drives the 7 ball into both of can have a huge influence on where that it is set for a second hit by the 3 its neighbors (the 8 and 9 balls) at the the balls end up going. In the case of ball into the pocket. same time, or you are back to the me­ the rack in 9 ball, the result is that the Shot D shows how to get that simul­ chanics of the Butterfly shot, which is wing ball is dead in the pocket if the taneous hit all the time. Rack four balls to first contact one neighbor and then rack is perfectly tight. Conversely, if together and make sure they are all to contact the other. your opponent (or the table) gives you touching, which is no easy task. On Although you may have learned some a loose rack, the wing ball may not be fairly new cloth, I couldn't get all four new proposition shots and some shots dead. Even a small gap can change ev­ of them frozen together after five min­ that come in handy on rare occasions, erything. utes of tapping and rubbing the cloth. Eventually, 1 had to put a piece of pa­ per under them, so the tapping formed fairly deep craters that would keep the balls frozen in place. With all the balls frozen, you can sim­ ply shoot the cue ball straight at the 6 ball and the 5 ball goes straight ahead into the pocket even from quite a dis­ tance away. While you have the balls properly frozen, try shooting the cue ball at different angles into the "head" ball and see where the back ball goes. Now, try adding small gaps to the dia­ mond-shaped cluster and note the new angles taken by the 5 ball. I find that even with nearly invisible gaps, the back ball goes wide of the pocket by a substantial margin. Finally, Diagram 3 shows a frozen- ball shot derived from the standard old trick shot, "The Butterfly." In the Butterfly, which is shown as Shot E, the cue ball is shot up the middle of the group of six balls. It drives the 3 and 4 balls into the balls in front of them and then they hit the balls be­ hind them and are redirected into the side pockets. For the exact setup, you can check out pretty much any book that covers trick shots, or experiment on your own. In the three-ball group shown in Shot F, if the balls are all frozen, you can shoot the 7 ball straight into the side pocket even though the kiss lines, which make the Butterfly work, are in the wrong directions. The middle ball seems to ignore the two balls touching it. Put a small gap in, and the shot no longer works. The 7 will end up tak­ ing the kiss-line off the ball that has the gap. Note that to get the middle ball to go through at all, the three frozen balls have to form an angle greater than 90 degrees. The larger the angle — that is, the closer to a straight line the three balls are — the easier the shot is to

March 2 0 0 8 BILLIARDS DIGEST 35 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett MEASURED FORCE Practicing shots on the outer limits of speed control.

HINGS THAT van' can be sorted into two MPH. Their comfortable speeds are me­ the table. Using the one-third rail-loss main types: those that van' in steps dium, fast, and break speed. factor, it's possible to deduce that if you Tand those that vary continuously, The physics behind shot speed has a had a table of unlimited length, that shot or without perceptible steps between few interesting wrinkles. First, the prac­ would have traveled 1.000 diamonds, all possible examples. The first kind of tical quantity in a shot is how many where a diamond is 12.5 inches. variation includes species of birds, gears diamonds it will travel on the cloth. It In making our list of categories, we in a manual transmission, the named turns out that this is directly propor­ need to cover the whole range of shot colors in a rainbow (remember Roy G. tional to the energy in the ball (E) and energies with a reasonable number of Biv), and the number of balls categories, and we need to dis­ pocketed in a ran. In the tinguish between shots that continuous category are your seem fundamentally different. If car's MPG efficiency, how we want to include safety shots long lunch takes, the actual with less than a diamond of en­ colors in a rainbow, and the ergy, the steps better not be uni­ speed of the cue ball. form or we would need 1,000 Humans like to put things steps to get to the top end. In­ into categories, even if they stead, let's use something like don't fit very well. If you look the scale used for earthquakes at the colors in a rainbow such that each magnitude step carefully enough, you will in the scale represents a con­ see that there are more colors stant ratio of energy larger than than you could ever count — the next-lower magnitude. Since and not just the red, orange, yellow, etc. consequently proportional to the square a rail-contact causes reduction in energy that people commonly name. At pool of the velocity (V) of the ball. This fol­ by a factor of 3, it seems like a reason­ you see this in the division of shots into lows directly from the equation for ki­ able energy ratio to use. and it turns out draw, stop and follow, and the pigeon­ netic energy: that it simplifies the speed levels. holing of cut shots into fractions of a E = ''i mv2 After a little math — contact me di­ ball such as a quarter, half, three-quar­ We will measure kinetic energy in dia­ rectly if you are really interested in the ters and full. The reality is that there monds traveled on a typical tabic rather details — here is a table of shot speed are infinite variations within and/or be­ than in the technical correct unit of categories. Note that the energy is listed tween the categories. The practicality joules. as a distance. is that the human mind tends to group A second aspect is that when a like things into a manageable number of ball hits a cushion it loses roughly piles. CATEGORY DISTANCE, DISTANCE, SHOT a fixed fraction of its energy. The NUMBER THEORETICAL ACTUAL SPEED, MPH So, let's categorize shot speed. Several fraction seems to change a little for 1 1/3 inch same 0.1 such arbitrary lists have been created, hard shots versus soft shots, but a usually without rhyme or reason. Here good average value is 2/3. Yes, the 2 1 inch same 0.17 is a shot speed system with some rea­ ball retains only a third of its en­ 3 3 inches same 0.32 son. ergy in each full-on rail collision. 4 1 diamond same 0.55 5 3 diamonds same 1 First, consider the full range of speeds This fact becomes very important 6 9 diamonds 1 length+ 1.7 used in games. At the high end is the in multi-rail shots. 7 31 diamonds 2 lengths 3.2 break shot which is about 20 MPH for For shots that don't hit any cush­ 8 100 diamonds 3 lengths 5.5 good players of usual ability. At the low ions, you can just measure the trav­ 9 310 diamonds 4 lengths 10 end are soft safeties — shots in which el with the diamonds on the table you are either taking a foul (in games to get their energies, while for lon­ 10 1000 diamonds 5 lengths 17 such as straight pool or one-pocket) or ger shots you need to include the you are playing a safety on a ball very losses at the rails. As an example, if you You may be puzzled by category 10 close to a cushion. Beginners often prac­ shoot straight up and down the table at where a 1,000-diamond shot only goes tice breaking but rarely practice the soft near break speed, you may be able to hit 5 lengths (or about 40 diamonds). Let's shots, and consequently they are fre­ the far cushion three times with the cue go through the shot. Suppose you start quently stumped by any shot below 1 ball traveling a total of five lengths of on the head string and shoot straight up

34 BILLIARDS DIGEST April 2 0 08 and down the table. The ball arrives at than two-thirds of the energy on each leave the cue ball within a chalk's-width the foot rail having lost 6 diamonds of bounce, in which case five lengths may of the object ball. For a real safety, the its original 1,000 diamonds of energy — not be possible except with a bouncing idea is to leave no jump shot. See how remember that distance and energy are cue ball that flies from cushion-nose many times you can do this in a row tak­ equivalent for ball travel. The 994 is cut to cushion-nose. Don't go to that tech­ ing the cue ball in hand each time but by a factor of three in the first rail con­ nique; instead back off to four lengths. leaving the object ball as is. tact leaving 331 (in round numbers). For completeness, try all of the speeds As another soft-shot drill, try this one The ball arrives at the second cushion 6 through 10. that I got from Tom Riccobene, an in­ with 8 diamonds less than that due to Diagram 1 shows two low-speed drills structor in New Mexico. Place all the the travel back, leaving 323. Coming off to help you with the low end. In shot A, object balls along the headstring spaced the second rail it has 108. Continuing the cue ball is close to the object ball, apart evenly. The cue ball is not involved the arithmetic, off the third rail it has 33, and the goal is to make the ball in pock­ in the shots. Knock the first ball as short and off the fourth rail just 8 diamonds et A taking as many shots as possible a distance as you can up the table. The of energy, which barely gets the ball to — no rail is required on each shot, but second ball has to go further than the the fifth rail. you must hit the object ball. Taking 10 first, and so on. See if you can shoot all How many of these categories are you shots is good for a beginner. Once you 15 balls with constantly' increasing dis­ comfortable using in actual play? Most have mastered soft shots, 40 should be tances. An alternative to this drill is to players seem lo struggle with any shot your goal. There is a simple cheat that shoot each ball to try to freeze it to each outside of just 6, 7 and 8. Some begin­ allows you to take a few hundred shots if successive diamond (or pocket) around ners never shoot as softly as 6, having you have the patience, but don't use that the table — there are conveniently 15 learned that the farther the ball travels, cheat if you discover it. such spots around the table outside the better chance it has to find a pocket. In shot B, the object ball starts close the kitchen. Set your own tolerance on As a drill for the high-speed end of the to the cushion with the cue ball a little "freezing," such as a ball diameter or a scale, try shooting the cue ball straight farther out. Pretend you are playing 8- hand span. up and down the table five lengths to ball. You have no real shot, and all your Of course, real shots often require far leave it within one diamond of the far opponent's balls are up-table by Shot A. more speed precision than this arbitrary rail and within a diamond of the center Play the cue ball to contact the ball, then division into categories, but I think that of the table, it may be that your table the cushion and then freeze to the ob­ spending a little practice using these has cushions that take away even more ject ball. Count the freeze as good if you steps will help your speed control.

April 2 0 0 8 BILLIARDS DIGEST 35 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett SPRINGS HAVE SPRUNG Don't jump to conclusions with on-table collisions.

HEN YOU look at the equipment ball are moving at the same speed. The something colliding with the tip, which used on the typical table — balls, forces between stick and ball are at their happens starting from the tip pushing Wcushions, cloth-covered slate maximum. The compression along the on its neighboring region which pushes and a cue — it all seems pretty solid. It length of the stick (including the tip) is on its neighbor, and so on. (Note: The may come as a surprise that every inter­ at its maximum. The energy stored in speed of sound in wood and metal is action between any two of those things, the spring-like compression of the tip a lot faster than the speed of sound in such as tip-on-ball or ball-on-ball con­ (and stick and ball) is at its maximum. air, which is only about 1,000 feet per tacts, requires the objects to compress For a typical ball and cue, the speeds of second.) and deform. If you look closely enough, the ball and stick are 75 percent of the The entire tip-stick-ball contact is it turns out that all materials are com­ original stick speed. over in about a millisecond — or one pressible, and that each object's com­ After this point of maximum com­ thousandth of a second. If you know pressibility is critical to how objects in­ pression, the ball is pushed forward the speed of the stick or cue ball, it is teract. Study also shows that each kind from the tip by the compression sys­ fairly easy to estimate about how far of contact has a characteristic time, and tem. The ball starts to move even faster they move together while in contact. the relative lengths of those times are from this delayed force, and the stick A surprising result is that the distance also important to play. continues to slow down. This "unwind­ over which you maintain contact is Let's look in detail at Shot A in Dia­ ing" process continues until the ball fi­ about three times the amount that the gram 1. This is a standard trick shot nally leaves the tip. At that point, the tip is compressed during contact. in which the player escapes the trap by ball is going at about 130 percent of Now with the ball already on its elevating the butt way, the grip hand of the cue a little comes into play. Hu­ and jumping the man flesh makes a cue ball off the much "softer" spring cushion and over than the leather of the blockers to the the tip or the wood ball hanging in the that is compressed pocket. The player along the length of brings the stick the stick. Think of back and then for­ the tip as about the ward to strike the stiffest car spring cue ball. No big you can imagine and surprise here, but your hand like a rub­ the details of what ber band. The cue happens next defy ball is gone by the intuition. time your hand — The stick comes which is still moving forward and the forward at full speed tip meets the ball. — can wind up even The tip starts to compress, and the force the original stick speed, and the stick a little. As the hand winds up on the on the cue ball and its acceleration start has slowed down to about 50 percent stick and relaxes, which takes about to build up. The ball also starts to com­ of its original speed. (The 130 percent 20 milliseconds, the hand is slowed to press a little, since it too is not incom­ would be 150 percent, but the tip is not about 80 percent of its initial speed, pressible. The ball has started to move, perfect in springing back to its original and the stick goes from 50 percent back but is not up to the speed of the stick shape, and energy is lost.) up to 80 percent of its initial speed. Of yet, and the stick has started to slow The stick has transferred energy to the course, this re-acceleration of the stick down as its energy is transferred to the cue ball by compressing like a spring by your hand is useless because the cue cue ball. This continues until the tip along its whole length. The compres­ ball is long gone. (and ferrule and joint and butt) reach sion wave happens at the speed of In Shot A, the cue ball has started to­ maximum compression along their sound in the stick, which is about ward the cushion. Because it was shot length. At this exact point, some amaz­ 13,000 feet per second. This speed is down into the table, it bounces up ing things are happening. The stick and the fastest that the butt can learn of — more on this later — and strikes the

34 BILLIARDS DIGEST May 2 0 0 8 cushion about at its equator. The cush­ don't have a good number for this. I'd If you know the contact time, you can ion is rather compressible, as you can guess it is a "stiffer spring" than the tip, calculate the size of the flat spot, and tell by poking it with your finger. It's since there is less distance to compress vice versa. In his book, "The Physics not as firm a spring as the tip, and it is through. of Pocket Billiards," Wayland Marlow a little firmer than the flesh of your grip The cloth also doesn't make a very describes an experiment he did to mea­ hand, giving a contact time of about good spring, which is not too surpris­ sure the time, and it turned out to be 10 milliseconds. For a hard 0.2 milliseconds. This leads to a shot, the ball might go into flat spot of about a quarter-inch the cushion a half-inch during PLASTIC IS COMPRESSIBLE, SO diameter for a fairly hard shot. that contact time. The spot can be observed di­ The cushion goes through the THE BALLS BRIEFLY FORM rectly by coating two balls with compress-expansion cycle and a thin film and then smacking the ball is sent back whence it A COMMON FLAT SPOT. them together. came. As I mentioned in last Is any of this information im­ months column about ball portant to practical play? Not speed categories, the cushion is not ing. In an experiment of bouncing a really. There are a few special shots that very good about returning the invested ball from an elevated ledge, 1 found that can be predicted or explained by care­ energy, and a substantial fraction is lost half the ball's vertical energy is lost in fully studying these phenomena, but — maybe half. each bounce. This experiment is best you will learn the shots faster by trying The cue ball continues its upward done on your own table or you may en­ them on the table. flight aided by the cushion, clears the counter a really angry room owner. Back to the diagram, Shot B is one balls and lands on the cloth. Again we We aren't done with springs yet. such shot. The 8 ball is trapped on the have compression during the contact When the cue ball finally gets to the rail by the 9 and both are on the head between the bed cloth and the ball. object ball, after a series of progressive­ string. From the position shown, hit as Most of this will be in the softest ma­ ly shorter hops on the cloth, the balls much of the 8 as you can see, and it terial involved, which is the cloth. The collide. Plastic is compressible, and so will compress into the cushion, move contact time can be judged from the the balls compress against each other past the nine and spring into the foot amount the cloth is compressed, but I and briefly form a common flat spot. pocket.

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May 2 00 8 BILLIARDS DIGEST 35 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett RULEBOOKS:REVISITED End misinformation and accept the standardized set.

N THE Internet discussion forums, a way to protect tables in participating league management, including team a common kind of question is rooms. Other times they make signifi­ captains, to be more careful about how Oabout rules. Usually a situation cant changes to the game. 1 played in matches are run. is described, and a ruling is requested. one 8-ball league in which safety shots Sometimes misunderstandings de­ Often, a quick reference to a rule book were not allowed. For an exercise in velop due to local or regional rules that is sufficient to answer the question, logical writing, try to formulate such a aren't written down, but passed on by but sometimes the problem points out rule that can be understood and applied word of mouth. In one area, the rule in a hole in the rules. All too often, a re­ in a pub environment. The actual ap­ straight pool is that if the 15th (break) spondent will offer the rule his uncle plication was lax, and it was amusing to ball is close to the triangle and prevents Bernie told him 40 years ago; and since see the performances that some players racking but doesn't actually interfere Bernie was the tri-city champion, it would put on to make a safe look like with a ball in the rack, it is marked. must be true. an attempted shot. I think rules that en­ The 14 balls are racked, and the break The current standard for rules is the courage players to cheat are bad. ball is put back. The rules have specifi­ January 2008 revision of the World The next higher level of rules muck­ cally covered this for a long time: The Standardized Rules (WSR), which are ing is at the national league level. These outline of the triangle must be drawn available on the WPA Web site at www. leagues feel it is necessary to set their on the table and a ball overhanging the wpa-pool.com. These were developed own rules of play rather than adopt the triangle is considered to interfere with over several years, starting from the WSR. The result is usually somewhere the rack. previous rule set and with the partici­ between pitiful and stupid. I won't If you read my recent articles on the pation of public and official representa­ name names, but if you belong to a na­ problems with the rack at 9-ball, you tives from around the world. tional league, try reading your league's know about "tapping" or "training" the One reason that people have so many printed rules to see where in that range table. This is a technique widely used rules questions is that in the past they they fall. in Europe, in which a thin rack-shaped have changed fairly frequently The WPA Problems can exist even with national template is placed on the table. It has has slowed that process and achieved organizations that are in the WPA (and holes where the balls should be, and some stability in the rules by allowing so have agreed to accept the WSR). The balls are placed in the holes and then changes only every five years. In the new BCA Web site, GenerationPool. tapped to make shallow dents in the case of snooker and carom billiards, the com, has a version of the WSR, but the cloth. (This technique for setting repeat- pace of change has been quite slow for site editor has removed some rules and able positions for the balls is standard a long time. Both of those disciplines added others. Here's my request to the for trick shot artists.) If tapping is used, have had fairly strong governing bod­ BCA: at least provide a link to the com­ you don't use a triangle to rack — you ies for a long time, and they take their plete, official rules. just roll the balls into the dimples. So, rules seriously. One situation that has no clear solution if no triangle is used, when does a break Unfortunately, lots of pool organiza­ from the Net was as follows. In league, ball interfere with the rack? The ad-hoc tions, especially in the U.S., have decid­ a player was told to start his match solution the TD used was to draw the ed to write their own rules. At the low while the other team captain found his outline of a triangle just for the purpose end of the officiating food chain is the opponent. He broke and sat down. The of deciding interference. individual tournament director. 1 recall opponent came over and picked up a A related question sometimes comes one TD who was asked about the three- couple of balls being unaware that the up for a break ball that has been spot­ foul rule. He said that if you fouled match had started. How would you ted. It doesn't actually interfere with and your opponent made a ball on his rule this? I think a player from Europe the rack since it is precisely on the head next shot, then you were off the foul. had the best solution: Since you must spot, but by the definition in the rules, Of course, you remain on the foul, and lag to start the game, the game had not it must be treated as interfering. every written three-foul rule says so. 1 started. Also, you should shake your Sometimes instructors give advice suspect that the TD was just making opponent's hand before starting the that is against the rules. One example things up, never having actually read match. Either one of those would have is the "lift safety" which I discussed the rules. That, or he was giving his prevented the problem. Given that the in my October 1997 article. (My past buddy a break with a little creativity. "foul" did happen, my ruling would be articles are available on the www.sfbil- One step up is the local independent to put the balls back and continue the liards.com Web site.) This technique is pool league. Often they institute rules game as if no foul had occurred. But the used when the cue ball is close to the like no jump sticks or no masse shots as follow-up to this would be to get the object ball and the object ball is close to

34 BILLIARDS DIGEST June 2008 a cushion. Rather than chance a double in fact, are considered unsportsmanlike cept, but that's the rule, and it doesn't hit with a normal stroke, some instruc­ conduct. These two illegal safeties are help to have ignorant instructors and tors say to put the tip under the edge of shown in Diagram 1. authors say otherwise. This particular the cue ball and then lift it straight up. Another instructor-propagated false rule evoked a lot of discussion by the This gets a little motion on the cue ball rule is that you are permitted to arrange Rules Revision Committee for 2008, without the chance and the best alternative of hitting the cue ball — a specified, fixed or­ twice. The problem is der — was rejected. that this technique has Top players themselves been specifically ruled set bad examples. A re­ to be illegal, because markable case was in a a shot must be played match between two Hall- with a forward stroke of-Famers in the 2000 of the cue. US 14.1 Open. Efren The well-read player Reyes was playing Dal­ may be tempted for las West, and got into a this situation to use a tight position against the technique that is used rack. He decided to take legally in snooker: a foul and tapped the Line up perpendicular cue ball against the rack to the way you want with the side of his stick. the cue ball to go, but How would you rule that put your tip so it is half-way outside the the order of balls in a rack of 9-ball for shot? In fact, it's not a shot. You can only cue ball and shoot a soft, normal stroke. your benefit. In fact the rules require a shoot, as mentioned above, with a for­ Of course a miscue is guaranteed, and random order, and if the player attempts ward motion of your cue stick. In that the cue ball will just nudge the object to gain an advantage by the order of the tournament, a 15-point penalty with a ball to the cushion. Sadly for the snook­ balls in the rack, it is unsportsmanlike re-break was assessed against Efren for er-savvy shooter, intentional miscues conduct. This may be a hard thing to lack of knowledge. He clearly had not are specifically forbidden at pool and, police since "random" is a slippery con­ read the rules. Have you?

June 2008 BILLIARDS DIGEST 35 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett FOLLOW ALONG Cranking the numbers to help you get on top of things.

HEN IT comes to controlling where The cue ball at the same time is picking the cue ball goes after contact with up speed. That's because it starts with fol­ Wthe object ball, there are two im­ low that tends to move it in the direction portant rules of thumb that you probably of the E arrow. E represents the amount already know: the 30-degree rule and the of follow the cue ball has at the instant 90-degree rule. The 30-degree rule is also of the collision. Right after the collision, referred to as the half-ball follow angle, all that follow is still on the cue ball, but as it is the angle the cue ball takes when the cue ball is moving along C. The final it strikes half the object ball while rolling path will be some mixture of the follow smoothly on the cloth. The cue ball is and the kiss-line path. The amazing re­ deflected away from its original line be­ sult from physics is that if we take a point tween 25 and 35 degrees for contacts be­ along the B arrow that is 28.6 percent of tween about one-fifth full and four-fifths the way from C to E, we get the final path full. This angle of deflection is remarkably of the cue ball, shown by E stable for hits around half full. Turns out, in practice some follow is lost The 90-degree rule applies to shots that in the collision, and the cue ball only gets would be stop shots if the object ball were about 25 percent of the way from C to E, struck full — the cue ball has neither fol­ which is shown by the green arrow. low nor draw at the instant of contact. OK, so we have a geometric construc­ The cue ball will depart the collision at tion that tells us where the cue ball will a 90-degree (or right) angle to the path go for any follow shot, but how many op­ of the object ball. This path is also called ponents will let us get out the protractor, the kiss line or the tangent line. The cue ruler, tailor's chalk and calculator each ball will start along this path even if it has time we need to play position? We need draw or follow, but any such spin will pull a practical way to construct the angle. the cue ball away from the initial line to That's what's shown in Diagram 2. form an arc. We have a tough shot, and we Let's look at the follow angle in would like to know if the cue ball will more detail. While the 30-degree scratch if we let it roll. The sticks on rule is useful in many situations, the table show how to do the same for precision play something more geometry we did for Diagram 1. It accurate is needed. Diagram 1 can be done in two ways. First con­ outlines the geometry of a sider the stick with an X marked on typical follow shot. The cue its shaft. That stick is placed paral­ ball comes up at an angle lel to the path of the object ball. The from the bottom and strikes the ends are placed to make a right tri­ object ball slightly more than half angle like we had before, with the tip full, driving it straight up. The along the kiss line, but backwards speed of the cue ball is represented on the kiss line, while the bumper is by the arrow A. The cue ball is also shown Complete the triangle with line C, which along the line of the shot. There is only at the instant of contact — this is called is perpendicular to the path of the object one place you can put the cue stick where the "ghost ball." ball and is along the kiss line of the shot. all three requirements are satisfied — par­ The speeds and directions of the cue So, you can see that for this shot, the allel to the object ball's path, tip on the ball and object ball immediately after the speed of the object ball (speed is repre­ kiss line, and bumper on the shot line. collision are easy to find in this drawing. sented by the length of Dl) is initially Now to find the path of the cue ball, just Just draw the line E, which is the same almost as large as the speed of the cue sight from the X in the middle of the shaft length as A and in the same direction, ball before the collision. It starts out with through the ghost ball and you will be but it starts from the center of the ghost no rotation, though, and is sliding across looking along the path of the cue ball. In ball. Draw the right triangle with sides B the cloth. As the object ball acquires top this particular case, there is no scratch. and C where B is parallel to (in the same spin, it slows to five-sevenths of its initial Sometimes it is easier to judge the shot direction as) the path of the object ball. speed, which is shown by the arrow D2. from the other side, as shown by the cue

34 BILLIARDS DIGEST July 2 0 0 8 closer to the ideal 28 per­ nearly full hit — the deflection angle varies cent, that's the point to rapidly but in a nearly straight line versus use. It is the same point fullness. This leads to a rule of thumb for for all follow shots. follow shots where the hit is nearly full- There are various mi­ ball: For each degree you cut a ball to the nor things to take into left, the cue ball is deflected three degrees consideration. Of course, to the right. A corollary of this is that for if you miss the shot, each little bit you miss the exact line for you calculated from the the object ball on such a shot, the cue ball wrong parallel cue stick, is off by three little bits to the other side. so you can't expect the In a sense, any error in aim is multiplied cue ball to go in the right by three to get the carom error. direction. One exception One final point is that if you want to is for shots that are close find the path for a draw shot, it can be to a half-ball hit. Dia­ done in a similar way but is more compli­ gram 3 shows just how cated. First, you must have as much draw insensitive the deflection on the cue ball as a smoothly rolling cue angle is to fullness. You ball would have follow. In Diagram 2, do stick with the Y in the middle of the shaft. can see that within fullnesses of 0.3 to your geometry for both cue sticks to find Again, the ends of the sighting stick are 0.7, the cue ball's angle varies by only 4 points A and B. B represents the backward respectively on the shot line and the kiss degrees. spin which is combined with the kiss-line line, and the stick is parallel to the path There are two other interesting things motion represented by A. The final draw of the object ball. The Y gives you a spot to note from Diagram 3. The first is that path will be toward a point one-fourth the cue ball will pass over on its way to as you get to very thin hits, the cue ball's of the way from A to B. I can't see any the cushion. deflection varies rapidly with fullness, so easy way to judge this with just one stick The X and Y points are to be at 25 per­ controlling the carom angle on thin hits and no marks on the table. If you find a cent of the length of the stick, assuming is most difficult. quick, practical way to do the geometry for draw, please let me know, and I'll do the joint is in the middle. If you find that The other thing to note from the graph my best to make you famous. for your cloth and balls the percentage is is that at the other end of fullness — for a

July 2 0 0 8 BILLIARDS DIGEST 35 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett AS EASY AS 1-2-3 Developing as a player requires a multi-faceted approach.

to me that there are separate So, suppose we have as our two start­ distance to travel, a hand-span can be al­ phases or facets of learning to play ing positions the 1 ball and the X. The lowed, and a coin can be the center of pool. The first part is getting the ob­ goal is to take ball in hand, pocket the your target. IT SEEMS ject ball into the pocket. This takes aim 1 and leave the cue ball on the X, as in The main goal of this drill is to learn and reasonable fundamentals. The sec­ Diagram 1. For the given position of the easy path to get from the 1 ball to the ond part is learning to take the cue ball the 1 ball (a diamond from the cushion X. Which of the six possible no-cushion off the object ball at the right speed and and a diamond from the side pocket), paths is easiest? If you had to bet that in a useful direction for the next shot. you should be able to do that six differ­ you could overlap a coin at X — and This takes knowledge of follow, draw ent ways without using a cushion. Can make the object ball — where would and side spin, as well as feel for the re­ you? you put the cue ball? quired force and familiarity Diagram 2 offers more with chalk. The third main possibilities. The goal is to part of the game is learning get from the 1 to the X us­ to combine known shots ing one cushion. The cush­ into easy sequences to pro­ ion right by the X doesn't duce runouts. This is play­ count. We can describe ing patterns, which is the each of the possibilities ac­ hard part that many never cording to the pocket the 1 achieve. It requires a feeling goes in and the cushion the for which shots are not only cue ball contacts. I think possible but which are easy the easiest cushion to use is and natural, and the ability at A, and the easiest pocket or knack to arrange a series to use for that is 1. Let's call of them into a run. that shot 1-A (diagrammed When watching beginning in purple). It's played with league players shoot after a a nearly full shot and plain foul with ball in hand, their follow. Since the cue ball lack of knowledge about has a much longer run to what is possible and what is get to X, you may want to easy becomes all too clear. relax the position precision Often, I have to grit my requirements some, perhaps teeth to suppress a scream to a hand span. of "Put it there! Shoot the Which other pockets can straight-in!" The begin­ you use to come off A to get ner usually is a reasonable to X? I think all of them are shotmaker, but has not yet fairly easy except for pocket finished or even begun the 3. Do you see immediately second facet of play. where to put the cue ball for Try the following drill to each one? If not, you need see how quickly you can see the easy In playing this shot, try to find a posi­ time on the practice table. way. tion for the cue ball that makes it easy to Shot 1-B (light blue in Diagram 2) The first part of the drill is to select two send the the cue ball anywhere you want seems to me the easiest for the those "random" spots on the table. I described for each shot. I was watching a begin­ shots using the B rail. Again, I think one way to do this in my July 2005 col­ ner recently who put the cue ball at Y; a all six pockets can be used to go off B umn using playing cards and number­ shorter shot is nearly always easier. to X, with pocket 3 the most challeng­ ing the diamonds and half-diamonds to Depending on the shot, you can set ing. Further, I think you can do all of correspond to each card. You could also your own goal regarding precision. For the paths without using side spin. The break a rack of 6-ball and take as your this shot, a target the size of a dollar actual contact points may be different two practice spots the locations of the 1 bill is reasonable. Your goal should be than the spot shown, depending on the and 2. Or, you could take some trouble­ to leave the cue ball at least overhang­ pocket used and whether you decide to some positions from your last match. ing the bill. For a harder shot with more use some English.

32 BILLIARDS DIGEST August 2008 I think there is only one remaining The hard part for this particular se­ about where the i ball is and going cushion that can reasonably be used for quence is to get from the 2 to the 3, off the rail by the 2 ball to hit A-B-C. a one-cushion path, and that's C. Even and a good spot for position on the 3 Is your side spin accurate enough to pros are unlikely to have much success is about C. You may want to practice try this path? Do you already know the with some of these — best angle to leave for the 2 such as 1-C, which takes ball to run around the rails? a nearly full hit, plenty of You may want to back up a draw to get to C and back, facet. and probably a little right A simple and reasonable English to get the needed path is to leave the cue ball angle from C to X. at E or F from the 1 ball and Can you see some two- then draw from the 2 ball cushion and three-cush­ straight back to C. If you ion paths from the 1 ball? remember the speed you I think all six pockets learned in Diagram 1, you offer at least one two- should be able to leave the cushion path, while only cue ball very close to the one or two three-cushion rail. The position F is better paths have much chance. for left-handed players due Can you make any three - to the reach required. cushion path work? your "middle facet" with just the 2 ball A final path is to leave the cue ball near Now work on the next facet of your for a while to find the easiest path for the I and use left draw on the cue ball to game by putting together small patterns. you. The simplest shot is probably to hit at D and end near C, a zig-zag three- To do that, select a third point and place have the cue ball at G for the 2 and play cushion path. balls on each of the points, as shown in the straight follow shot to C, but in this Mastering the position in Diagram 3 Diagram 3. Beginning with the 1 ball, three-ball sequence, it seems very un­ will get you started on perfect play. Ac­ which you have just practiced with for likely. cording to one estimate, there are only an hour, can you run the three balls in Many players would choose the four- 216 quintillion other three-ball posi­ order? cushion option, leaving the cue ball tions to cover.

August 2008 BILLIARDS DIGEST 33 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett SAFE DRILLING Controlling the cue ball opens up defensive opportunities.

O YOU need work on your safety toolbox? When I first saw some Dabove-average 9-ball players, about 40 years ago, I was startled and amazed by the safeties they could execute. In the backwater rec room where I learned to play the game, there was no one who played much safe — for no other reason than we were mostly so bad there wasn't any need for defense. But as you prog­ ress from one level of play to another, good safeties are a mark of a well-de­ veloped player — one who understands more complex strategy. So here are some drills to help you develop. For all of the examples, assume you are playing 9-ball, so the object ball is the one to hide from the cue ball. Mostly these techniques can also be applied to 8-ball, but you don't have to be so care­ ful about hiding the ball you hit. In Diagram 1, the goal is to leave the cue ball frozen behind a blocker using draw. Begin with the object ball fairly close to the blockers and take cue ball in hand to play the shot. Mark the posi­ tion of the object ball with a coin. Con­ sider the shot successful if there is no way to hit the object ball directly. If you make a good safe, move the coin a few inches farther away from the blockers and try again. Continue until you fail to get a snooker, at which time you can move the coin back toward the blocking balls a little. After each shot, remember to move the coin and so make the shot easier or harder, according to your suc­ cess or failure. In Diagram 2, the goal is to stun the cue ball to get it behind the blockers. (A stun shot is like a stop shot but at an angle, so the cue ball moves more or less at a right angle from the path of the ob­ ject ball.) For this shot, the coin and the object ball move away from the block­ ers to make the shot harder. Try to do this shot without drawing to the end rail with the cue ball. In Diagram 3, you have to follow to get behind the blockers. When you choose the position for the cue ball, pick a spot

32 BILLIARDS DIGEST September 2008 that will both drive the ob­ each shot, the goal is to ject ball directly to the end leave the object ball near rail and allow the cue ball A and the cue ball near to get behind the blockers. B, which shooting a legal This drill will force you to safe. Consider a shot suc­ learn the follow angle for cessful if you leave the ball nearly full shots. Again, the within a certain distance, shot is made more difficult such as a hand-span, of by moving the object ball the goal. away from the blockers. Finally, in Diagram 5, A second drill using Dia­ the goal is not to snooker gram 3 when the object ball your opponent but rather is back about as far as the to leave him "jacked up" side pockets is to take the by the helper balls. With cue ball off the long rail ball in hand, play the ob­ to get behind the blockers ject ball to the other end of (shown in blue). I think you the table and try to leave will find the angle easier to the cue ball frozen to both judge for this side-cushion helpers. Consider the shot path. successful if the cue ball is In Diagram 4, the goal is within a chalk width of the to leave the cue ball and the helper ball. While this kind object ball on opposite side of safety is not perfect, it is cushions. This time I don't often very effective if the see any easy way to make object ball is left far from the shot more difficult, so the cue ball. You will need just try each of the initial to perfect your "finesse object ball locations. For stun" for this drill.

September 2008 BILLIARDS DIGEST 33 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett CLOSE CALLS Split hits can be sticky situations for players and refs.

T THE end of August I had the plea­ be shooting to split the balls. As in most Once while giving a course to referees, I sure of spending a weekend in BD situations, you can work out the path of was shooting this shot so they could call A Acolumnist Dave Alciatore's basement the cue ball by repeated application of or B as practice. The cue ball came straight in Colorado. Like some basements, it's the 90-degree rule. If you draw the ghost back, which gave us a chance to discuss equipped with a pool table, but it uniquely ball out carefully, you will see that, after "split hits." Do you know what the rule also has a high-speed video camera setup. contact with ball A, the cue ball will be is on simultaneous hits? I don't expect to Among various experiments, we taped make the shot again, but I keep trying. We some sequences of close hits to illustrate didn't manage to get it on video. some common problems in telling which In the shot in Diagram 2, the speed of ball is struck first. The clips will probably the object balls can also indicate which be available through Dave's Web site (at was struck first. The first-struck ball billiards.colostate.edu) by the time this will be going twice as fast as the second- column sees print. struck ball. This works for the ideal situa­ Below are the situations we covered, as tion shown, but in more general cases the well as some other shots that I thought speed of the object balls is not necessarily about later. Understanding these is very a good indicator, and you would need a important for any referee so he or she can calculator, a protractor and two radar guns make the right call at 8-ball or 9-ball, and to make the call. for players so they can accept the call as headed toward the outside edge of ball B In Diagram 3, A and B are farther apart. made or have a little ammunition in case and will be redirected along line "ab." For a close hit, the cue ball will ricochet the call defies physics. Similarly, if the cue ball hits ball B first, to hit the second ball half-full, but on the The shot in Diagram 1 is not hard to it has to emerge along arrow "ba." This "inside edge" (unlike Diagram 2.) By now call — the cue ball hits a single ball at an shot is set up so simply — as far as the hit you should under­ angle — but it illustrates the basic reason­ goes — that you could be standing across stand the 90-de- ing that underlies all of the other, more the room and make a good call even if the gree principle well complicated situations. The cue ball hits shooter shot hard. enough to come one side of the object ball, and the object There is a third possibility, and that is up with the "ba" ball is cut to the opposite side along the that the cue ball might hit both object and "ab" lines on line joining its center and the center of balls simultaneously. Although very un­ your own. In this the cue ball at the instant of contact. The likely, it is not impossible. Because the case, the second cue ball moves generally to the first side, balls are slightly compressible, if the cue ball struck will be and the paths of the object ball and the ball hits one ball a millionth of a second moving faster. Do cue ball form a 90-degree or right angle. first, it will still be in contact with the first you see how that The cue ball at the instant of contact with ball when it hits the second. It will have can happen? Again, it is possible to hit the object is also called the "ghost ball." compressed into the first ball on that side, the balls simultaneously (or with contact In the diagrams where there might be and the edge on the other side will come time overlap) so all paths between the two several outbound paths of the cue ball, into contact with the other object ball and arrows are possible but unlikely. I will label each exit arrow with the ob­ start compressing there as well. Diagram 4 is sort of a trick, and is the ject ball letters in the order they were In general, situations like this have no best way to illustrate split hits. The balls struck. For the "A" ball, the cue ball has easy solution. For this particular case, are arranged so A, B and the ghost ball no choice, and it has the path "a" due to the outbound path of the cue ball will go form a right angle. If you strike A first, striking that ball. (Note that the arrows smoothly from the "ab" direction to the the cue ball will carom straight into B and for the cue ball apply to the direction of "ba" direction as cue ball contact moves stop dead. If you strike B first, the cue ball movement at the first instant after the hit; from hitting A separately from B, then will go straight into A and stop dead. In if the cue ball has draw or follow, the spin both together but more A, then A and B either case, the object balls will have iden­ may curve the cue ball's path away from exactly the same, then more B than A, tical speeds equal to 70 percent of the ini­ the carom line.) then B separately from A. With a little tial speed of the cue ball. If you place the Diagram 2 shows a more interesting math, it turns out that if you do manage balls cleverly on the table, you can have A case. Two object balls are touching, and to hit both at the same instant, the cue and B enter pockets at the same instant. you have to determine which is struck ball will come straight back toward you Hint: Use the spot, Luke. first, even though the shooter appears to with one-fifth of its starting speed. Diagram 5 shows one of the problems

32 BILLIARDS DIGEST October 2008 in trying to extend the fairly simple rea­ scoots off along the "ab" line, soning of the 90-degree rule to all situ­ I think you will lose the "but ations. This is like the shot in Diagram it compressed into A!" argu­ 2, but the cue ball is coming in from an ment with most referees. angle where it can barely hit B full if it hits One improbable hit that both balls simultaneously. Dave and I did manage to 1 have marked a "b" for the stop shot on catch on high-speed video is ball B, trying to indicate no movement at in Diagram 6. The goal is to all after contact, but it is not quite correct. pocket A along the "ab" line with B nearly possible for a good referee to make a bad Suppose the cue ball lands on B with the blocking the shot. If you happen to hit B call on this shot. tiniest possible separation remaining be­ going in, it will go along line "ba," but a Finally, Diagram 7 adds a third ob­ tween itself and ball A for the good hit on good hit will drive ball B along "ab" as ject ball to the mix. The balls arc sitting B. As the cue ball compresses into ball B the cue ball comes off the side of A and so that the cue ball could freeze to all of — and the amount of compression might drives B partly backward. (The path of the them at once. An extension of Diagram 3 be more than a millimeter — it will move cue ball will be generally off to the lower should let you see how to get the rather forward and come into contact with ball right for both hits.) What we managed to amazing "acb" and "cab" lines. If you hit A. The force from A on thai side will cause capture on video after a few dozen takes A first, the cue ball ends up going straight the cue ball to move to the right just as if it was the cue ball just barely waggling the to the left! If you manage to thread the had struck ball A first. B ball on the way needle and hit all three balls simultane­ I think that the "B first in, driving A along ously, I expect the cue ball to come back and then A and B to­ the intended line, along "(abc)" but I haven't worked out gether" line, or "b(ab)," and then com­ the physics. might be a little differ­ ing back into B to My personal solution to the split hit ent from "ab," but I'm drive it along the problem is to avoid it by concentrating on not sure by how much, "ab" line. The hu­ 14.1 and one-pocket, but if you find your­ and it may depend on man eye is not fast self in either a hit-caller or hit-callee situ­ speed. If you try to hit enough to see the ation, remember the 90-degree rule and B first, and the cue ball first hit, and it's its manifold manifestations above.

October 2008 BILLIARDS DIGEST 33 +TECH TALK+

BY Bob Jewett GET SNOOKERED Looking for a new challenge? Try the U.K.'s pastime.

HEN I was first learning to play, 1 sociation (USSA) Web site at www.snook- The positions of the "high" balls are easy had three kinds of tables to learn erusa.com. to remember once you know their point Won: pool, snooker and carom. Most The game begins with 15 reds packed in values — blue, pink and black increasing of the good players in the room — guys a triangle and six other balls, called "col­ toward the "top" cushion. (The British who could run four or five balls in a row ors," on designated spots as shown in Di­ seem to have gotten the head and foot of regularly at straight pool — played at least agram 1. The point value of each color is the table confused some time in the past occasionally on all the tables. Each table shown, and the reds are worth one point 200 years; you break from the "bottom" of has its own thing to teach the new player: each. the table towards the "top.") The order of Accuracy of aim is paramount at snooker, You score points by first pocketing a red the colors on the D can be remembered by spin and cushion reaction is essential for ball and then pocketing any color, getting the mnemonic "God Bless You" for green, carom play, and I think brown and yellow position play is pool's from left to right. strong suit. Since individual The snooker tables shots are harder we had were only 10- than on a pool table, foot tables, but on defense tends to be trips to "The City" we a much larger part sometimes tried the 6- of the game. If the by-12s for a "frame" cue ball is left on the or two. Any ball pock­ "baulk cushion" and eted was a triumph. all the reds are 10 The best players in San feet away, most play­ Francisco would often ers will opt for safety play "pink ball" on the rather than offense, snooker tables, which unless a red is "over is a rotation game a pocket." played by a group of A major point in players using six object balls, with one the corresponding number of points for snooker safeties is that no cushion con­ point for each ball pocketed and two "potting" it. You have to say which color tact is required after the cue ball contacts points for the pink ball. you are going for, but you don't have to a ball. For example, suppose that a red Where 1 play now, we are lucky to have specify the pocket. The reds are not re­ had fallen in on the break off in Diagram two full-sized tables, and they are kept turned to the table except in very rare 1 and the cue ball had rolled up nicely be­ quite busy by recent immigrants from for­ situations, but the colors come back up hind the green. The striker would then be mer British colonies and those of us who to their spots if any reds remain on the required to play for a color, but he could like a challenge. I think you will like this table. Once all the reds have been pot­ choose the green and barely tap it, leaving challenge if you give it a try. Don't expect ted, and the shooter ("striker") has tried the cue ball stuck tightly to its backside. too much at the start, and be sure to work for his color after the last red, the colors You could also play the break-off as a very on your fundamentals to help your prog­ are cleared off in numerical order, ending soft shot that just touches the pack, but ress. with the black. no one does. The basic rules of snooker are fairly The first shot of the "frame" is as shown, Another major point is that when you simple. You need to be a little careful with the cue ball beginning in the "D." are snookered — and on any shot for that because there is an American version of The only requirement is that you contact matter — you must try to hit a ball that's the rules used in some places, but what I a red first, so although no cushions are re­ on. In the case of being stuck behind the describe here is the "real" version of the quired, most players play a safe as shown green, the striker must figure out some rules, used by all of the top players. Also, that looks a lot like a straight-pool safe. way to hit the reds, presumably off cush­ if you are playing with people familiar Ideally, the cue ball on the "break-off will ions. While masse shots are permitted, with the standard rules, their vocabulary roll up to the back of the green, leaving jump shots are not; you may not cause the is a little different from pool — I'll try to the next player "snookered" — techni­ cue ball to pass over a blocking ball to get introduce some of those snooker terms as cally defined as being unable to hit both a hit on a ball on. well. It's handy to have a printout of the extreme edges of any permitted target (a The penalty for a foul depends on the rules, available on the U.S. Snooker As­ "ball on"). balls involved. The minimum penalty is

30 BILLIARDS DIGEST November 2008 four points, but it is increased to the value Some other fouls to note are pocketing a minutes, and many of the online frames of the highest ball involved. For example, color when trying for a red, pocketing the include a "century break" (running over if you were snookered by the green as wrong color, pocketing a red when going 100 points). Some championship match­ above, and you tried to bank off two cush­ for a color, and not hitting the ball on first. es are up to best of 35 frames. ions and touched the green with your cue It's not a call-shot game, but slop usually Although snooker is far less popular in stick, it would be a four-point foul. But if goes against you, although it's OK to pot the U.S. than it is in other former Brit­ the cue ball went two cushions and the two reds — you get one point each. ish colonies, there are several very nice first ball it struck was the pink while try­ Toward the end of the game, it may hap­ places to play here, and a few rooms have ing to hit a red, you would lose the value pen that you need more points than are as many as 12 full-sized tables. Condi­ of the pink, or six points. All fouls count left on the table. You then need to try to tions can vary quite a bit, and in the U.S. in snooker, unlike most non-refereed pool snooker your opponent. Usually it is con­ the tables are sometimes set up with very matches. sidered bad form to continue when you small pockets and very fast cloth to ac­ When you foul, you score whatever legal need several snookers; most players con­ commodate a game called "golf." You can points you had on previous strokes, and cede if they are that far behind. recognize a regulation snooker table by your opponent gets the point value of the Snooker is tremendously popular on TV pockets that permit a ball on the cush­ foul. He also has the option to have you in Europe and especially in the U.K. Al­ ion to be playable along the rail if struck shoot again. If you foul and leave your though the snooker frenzy has subsided well, cloth that has a noticeable nap opponent snookered, he has an additional somewhat in the past 20 years, you can which runs from the D to the rack and, of option of a "free ball." Under this rule, he still see many hours of live snooker on course, 6-by-12-foot dimensions. can name any ball to be the next legal tar­ BBC each year. The United States Snooker Association get (usually as a red ball, since his turn There are also lots of great snooker is starting a tour to encourage play in the is starting). So, in the snookered-behind- matches on YouTube. Many of the match­ U.S. Tournaments can be played on as few green scenario, if you try to bank the cue es from the last world championship as two full-size tables, and the USSA has ball and just tap it three inches leaving all were online shortly after play ended. Try arranged sponsorship so the host room the reds hidden, your opponent could de­ searching for the names Stephen Hendry, will get new English wool cloth and new clare the brown ball to be a red, shoot it in Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams, Steve regulation 2 1/16-inch diameter balls. If for one point, have it spot up and shoot it Davis and Alex Higgins. A typical quick you know of a candidate room, the USSA in again for four more points. frame of snooker takes about 10 to 12 would like to hear from you.

November 2008 BILLIARDS DIGEST 31 +TECH TALK+

by Bob Jewett GAME CHANGERS 9-Ball rules have changed a bit in the last four decades.

N 1966, the BCA had a problem with hand," which meant that if you scratched a third time if he had missed the ball its rules for 9-ball. It didn't have any. on a shot, your opponent could have twice. Under shoot-out, a scratch gave I The rules for 16 other pool games you shoot from behind the line for the ball in hand behind the line, and any were listed in the Official Rule Book, but hit, but if he took the shot after a scratch lowest object ball behind the line was 9-ball was not among them. This might and fouled himself, you got ball in hand. removed, not spotted. not have been a problem, except for the Or the two fouls might be you pushing As with most pool games of the time, resurgent interest in pool and the "hus­ out, and your opponent getting a good it was OK to jump object balls off the tler" tournaments that had been held hit but scratching. table — they would be spotted, and you in Johnston City, 111. Two of the games The 1967 rules aren't perfectly clear, would continue your turn if you had le­ featured in the Jansco brothers' tourna­ but they seem to say that any illegally gally pocketed a ball. ment were 9-ball and one-pocket, and pocketed ball is spoiled. They also don't On a bad break — meaning fewer than any reader of the resulting articles in specify what to do after a scratch, but the four balls went to the cushions — the Sports Illustrated or viewer of the games usual practice was to shoot from behind incoming player had the choice of taking on ABC's "Wide World of Sports" who the headstring, and if the lowest ball was ball in hand behind the line or breaking sought the rules would be frustrated by behind the headstring, it was spotted. himself. Either the winner or the loser their absence. would break subsequent racks, as In 1967, the rechristened "Rules specified at the start of the tourna­ and Records Book" included a ver­ CURRENT BCA RACK: ment. sion of the rules of 9-ball. (A brief "As stated in Rule 2.2, balls other than In 1985, another set of major set of one-pocket rules also appeared the one and nine are placed randomly changes was adopted. The shoot-out at that time.) Let's take a look at how in the rack and should not be set in any option was permanently dropped, they evolved. particular order during any rack." while the push-out after the break The original set of rules, which made its first appearance in the rule were unchanged until 1980, had book. Other notable changes includ­ some interesting twists. The order of ed no balls spotted; "winner breaks" the balls in the rack was partly speci­ was specified; and a bad break gave fied, with the 2, 3 and 4 on the "cor­ the incoming player ball in hand ners" in counterclockwise rotation anywhere on the table. (as shown in Diagram 1). There was The most significant change was no ball in hand by standard rules, that the game of 9-ball became call- and the loser of each game broke shot, although any ball made on the the subsequent rack. Players were break counted. If you made a ball in expected to try to hit the lowest ball the wrong pocket, your opponent as best they could — there was no could have you shoot again. In a bi­ penalty at all for failure to hit the zarre twist of the concept of safety, lowest ball first and/or failure to get to a The rules as written seem to say that if you called safe, your opponent could cushion after a hit. masse and jump shots were not allowed have you shoot again. If you wanted to An optional "shoot out" rule was spec­ to hit a hidden ball, but that probably play safe, you had to call a pocket and ified, and that's the way most money was not intended. then miss the ball. games were played at the time. If you A major rewrite of the whole rule book If an object ball was jumped off the didn't like the shot you had, you could occurred in 1980, and 8-ball and 9-ball table, it stayed down and wasn't a foul, roll the cue ball to any point you liked, got promoted to "tournament games." but your opponent could require you to just like the modern push-out shot after Ball in hand for any foul first appeared, shoot again. the break. Your opponent could take the along with loss of game for three con­ Also, the rule known as "cue-ball fouls new shot or pass, but a bad hit on the secutive fouls by the same player. The only" appeared for the first time, but new shot by either player gave ball in fixed order of the rack was discarded, televised matches or tournament finals hand anywhere on the table to the non- except for the 9 ball in the center and the were played with all fouls. The start of fouler. 1 in the front. All illegally pocketed balls the game was defined as when the cue I remember this rule as slightly differ­ were spotted, except on coin-op tables. ball crossed the headstring, so if you just ent from what I described above. It was The shoot-out option was still given, tapped the cue ball on your break-shot usually stated as "two fouls for ball in but you could have your opponent shoot warm-up strokes, it was OK.

32 BILLIARDS DIGEST December 2008 More rules riddling was seen in the remain in force until 2013. Few actual balls must go above the headstring or be 1986 edition. If the rack was missed en­ changes appeared in this current revision. pocketed. The concept of "cue-ball fouls tirely on the break, the incoming player Alternate break is suggested, but options only" is mostly discouraged, but is still had the choice of who would rebreak. are allowed. A specified ball order for the allowed if there is no referee around. The game was still call-shot, but a safe rack was considered by the rules revision In my experience, most people learn call was permitted. Your opponent could committee, but was thought to be too the rules from the people they play with. require you to shoot again if you made much of a change to include. An open If you would like to get them directly a ball when playing safe or you made a break remains four balls to cushions, from the source, visit the WPA Web called ball in the wrong pocket on a nor­ but the Regulations (which are separate site at www.wpa-pool.com. The Rules mal shot. from the "Rules") provide for other re­ and Regulations are in separate down­ In 1990, the rule book had two sets of quirements on the break. A common re­ loadable documents and total about 30 9-ball rules to help the confusion. The quirement on the Euro Tour is that three pages. regular rules were the same as in 1986, but the "Professional Rules" as specified by the Men's Professional Billiard Asso­ ciation were also included. In the MPBA rules, the game was again not call shot. All balls jumped or pocketed illegally were spotted. A scratch or cue ball off the table on the break gave ball in hand behind the headstring. An "open" break was required, but not defined as four balls to the cushions. The start of the rack was defined as the cue ball striking the 1 ball. "Cue-ball fouls only" was better defined, so that movement of an object ball that changed the outcome of the shot became a foul. In 1992, the amateur rules were omit­ ted, and only the PBT rules were giv­ en. (The PBT was the successor to the MPBA.) The only significant change was that a double hit was defined and was a foul, whereas the rules from 1990 had been silent on the subject. The "World Standardized Rules" made an appearance in 1993, under the auspic­ es of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), the newly-established world gov­ erning body for pool. Again, there were major changes to the rules. No balls were ever spotted. While "winner breaks" was recommended, suggested options in­ cluded loser breaks, alternate breaks and player behind in score breaks. The open break was defined as four object balls to cushions. Jumped balls became fouls for all pool games including 9-ball. The be­ ginning of the rack went back to the cue ball crossing the headstring. And "cue- ball fouls only" was better defined.

Since 1993, the pace of change of the rules has slowed, largely as a result of the WPA requiring five years between any changes to the World Standardized Rules. In '02, the start of the game was defined as any tip-to-ball contact, and the addition of a stalemate rule was added in 2006. A complete rewrite of the rules came into effect in January 2008, and should

December 2008 BILLIARDS DIGEST 33