 
Capelle
on Nine Ball which will be published in October, 2002, is an in
depth look at a match that took place between Johnny Archer and Efren Reyes
at the 1996 Sands Tournament in Reno. In the first part of the book I analyze
a number of their shots and analyze several key patterns. The second part
of the book provides an in depth look at their performance and shows their
contrasting styles of play. Part of my research involved watching the tape
10 times, making extensive use of special effects, particularly slow motion.
Below is a small sampling of the results of the study. After each section,
I provide a summary that tells how you can apply the findings to your game.
For
further information on the book/video and for a complete listing of the
table of contents, please see the Video Section.
Innings
Summary
The
pros cherish every turn at the table. They know their opponent will not
often relinquish control of the table without a fight. The average game
lasted 3.38 turns, but only because of Game 21, which took 13 innings.
This figure is in line with my 500 Game Study in which the average game,
when played from the break box, lasted 3.27 innings. Games in which the
players could break anywhere lasted an average of 2.93 turns.
Overall
Bridge Usage:
|
Type
|
Archer
|
%
|
Reyes
|
%
|
|
Closed
|
19
|
22.4
|
48
|
47.5
|
|
Open
|
35
|
41.2
|
13
|
12.9
|
|
Rail
- Cl.
|
24
|
28.2
|
31
|
30.7
|
|
Rail
- Op.
|
7
|
8.2
|
9
|
8.9
|
|
Total
|
85
|
|
101
|
|
#
of Warm Up Strokes Fits the Shot:
The
table below summarizes the player's typical number of warm up strokes.
The table clearly shows that they adjust the number of warm up strokes
to the difficulty of the shot.
|
Archer
|
Reyes
|
| Easy
shots |
1-2
|
2-3
|
| Average
shots |
3-4
|
4-5
|
| Tough
shots |
5-8
|
6-8
|
Position
Across the Spectrum of Speed
The
1-10 scale defines the boundaries of the Spectrum of Speed. Nearly 80%
of all position plays fall in the range of soft to medium hard. The 3-6MPH
zone is one that promotes accuracy and excellent speed control. One reason
why many of the pros shots fell into this range is they are experts at
using angles to play position. They avoid the long small angle shots in
which the cue ball must be sent a considerable distance to the position
zone.
Summary
of Speeds of Stroke
The
table below gives you the average speed of stroke for all of the primary
categories of shots, excluding the break shot. The "average shot", interestingly
enough, clocked in at just under medium at 4.8MPH.
App.
Ave. Speed Spectrum:
| Safeties |
3.03
MPH |
3S |
| 9-Ball |
4.53
MPH |
4MS-
5M |
| Position
Plays |
4.85
MPH |
5M |
| Kick
Shots: |
6.67
MPH |
7H |
| All
Shots |
4.80
MPH |
5M |
Comparison
of Time
The
table below gives the combined totals for both players. The break clearly
takes the most time to execute while kick shots are by far the most labor
intensive in the planning phase.
Time
for All Shots:
|
Preparation
|
Execution
|
Total
|
| Break |
-
|
6.71
|
6.71
|
| Position
Plays* |
11.66
|
4.49
|
16.16
|
| Safeties |
28.00
|
4.85
|
32.85
|
| Kick
Shots |
44.60
|
4.47
|
49.07
|
* Includes
only those on gamewinning runouts. |
