Questions & Answers

This is where I will attempt to answer any questions you might have for me. You can send your questions to me here. Here are some questions that were asked in the past.

Q.
Chris at Mindspring writes
Charlie:
I have been playing pool for about 1.5 yrs now. I have taken some lessons, and found that my break is currently about 22-23 mph. What can I do to increase this speed, and also where do you aim on the cue ball when you are breaking to keep it from going wild?

Thanks,
Chris

A.
Chris
Sorry this has taken so long to respond to. To increase your break speed, try using your other body parts such as your legs and hips. Use your whole body instead of just your arm (like Archer). Hit the cue ball with a slightly below centerball hit. Let me know how you do.

The Dragon

Q.
Jay at Netcom writes
I wanted to ask some questions about the way you play. I saw you in Sharp Shooters in Miami this past weekend. When you break, you really smash the rack, but it seems like you lose control of the cue ball. I've practiced really hard to control my break to keep the cue ball in the center of the table. I was wondering if you did this because you feel it increases your chances of running out that much or if you are trying to sink the 9-ball, etc. What is the reasoning? Do I need to re-think my own break? Do you still get over to Newport News, VA? My wife is from Richmond and we are there all the time. Also, I never saw you jump. You were never in very much trouble though, but it seemed like you never jumped the ball (Mizerak too). Is this because you feel more confident kicking at the ball? I would imagine that the best players would kick rather than jump to keep more control of the cue ball.

A.
Jay, here are my answers,
1) Yes I do smash them hard, but even so, I was only trying to break them about 70% of my top speed most of the tournament. I only broke them about 80-90% in the finals against Miz because I felt really confident because I had broken on the table in 3 previous matches and I knew exactly where to break from and what balls were going in. Prior to that match, I overall did not break that great through the tournament(I didn't play that great either as I tell in my future journal) but I did break very well against Miz in the finals.

2) I do try to keep the cue ball in the center of the table, that is why I only hit them at 70%. And a lot of times I try to hit the rack so my cue ball banks off the side cushion and back to the center. Many people mistake this as an accident and wild cue ball but I definitely play it that way many times. Other times my cue ball does hit the center of the table, but the balls are moving so fast that it gets hit by other balls and is sent whirling around the table,so it has the appearance of looking like a wild cue ball. I have a 27-29+mph break(which is very fast even if it doesn't sound like it is) and you cannot hit the rack that hard without the cue ball flying off the table unless you hit the rack squarely. And I almost never jump the table in a tournament. In fact, I did not jump the table at all in that tournament on the break, which is a strong feat when breaking 27+mph avg.

3) I do jump the cue ball, but only when it is the right shot and when kicking is the lower percentage option. Recently I just started playing with a Predator shaft, and they are more difficult to jump with than another shaft. But I have learned to jump with it a lot better, but still my jumping technique with the shaft is not perfect(Predator is still a great cue nevertheless!).

4) Most of the time I would rather kick than jump. It is usually a lot more predictable, especially when trying to judge where the cue ball and object ball will end up. I think that is a very common reasoning for most of the pros on tour as well.

5) Yes I live in Orlando, I no longer live in Newport News but I do visit there throughout the year (In fact, I'm here in Newport News, VA right now writing these answers!)

I hope I answered your questions and feel free to drop me a line anytime!

Truly,
The Dragon

Q.
Tony at IBM writes
You mentioned that you were shooting with a Predator shaft. I just purchased a Predator cue. My question is what do you feel is the best method for cleaning your cue. Also do you use any products like Q-slick or Q-wax.

Thanks Tony

A.
Hi Tony!
Funny you should ask that! A good friend of mine, Tommy Kennedy, just recently gave me a sample of his new product called TK. It works great! It is an odorless solution that you just spray onto a damp cloth and wipe down your stick with. Soon your shaft will be clean and then you just burnish it with a dry towel or very fine sandpaper. Try TK. Mike at AZBilliards can give you more on how to get it. (Ed. Check out the marketplace section of Tommy's site at www.azbilliards.com/tommykennedy for info on this product.)

Charlie