If you’ve ever felt you hit an awesome break shot and yet you didn’t get a good spread, its probably because the rack was too lose. This can be very frustrating but fortunately, getting a tight, solid rack isn’t hard to do and in this article we’re going to show you how.
If you’re brand new to pool and aren’t familiar with what a rack is, or racking in general, we’ve got you covered. This article will walk you step by step through how to rack a game of pool properly as well as how to rack seven different games of pool including:
What Is a Rack?
What Is a Rack?
A rack is the piece of equipment used to get the object balls in proper formation for the break. Its used in all major pool games and without its use it would be nearly impossible to get the object balls tight enough to support a solid break.
Triangle Rack
Racks are typically made of wood or plastic and come in 2 standard configurations. One is typically referred to as the triangle rack due to its shape and is used for any game that requires the use of all 15 object balls. The other is called a diamond rack, again due to its shape, and is used mainly for the game of 9-Ball. The triangle rack is sometimes called the 8-Ball rack while the diamond rack is sometimes referred to as the 9-Ball rack.
Here is a picture of both a triangle rack and a diamond rack.
Diamond Rack
Triangle Rack
Diamond Rack
How to Rack Straight Pool (14:1 Continuous)
Now that you know what the rack is, the next thing you need to know is what racking is.
Racking a game of pool simply refers to the act of placing all the necessary object balls into the rack at the proper spot on the table. Each game of pool is racked somewhat differently but the concept is the same regardless of the game being played or how many balls are being used.
Tips for Getting the Perfect Rack
The main thing to keep in mind while racking is that if the balls are loose within the rack, the break will suffer. Make sure you’re rack is tight. Most people accomplish this by using their fingers, placed inside the rack, to push the object balls forward. Another common way to get the balls tight is by using your fingers to keep the balls pushed forward while sliding the rack quickly into position.
If the balls move any when you lift away the triangle, rack them again. A set of balls that is properly racked should move very little, if any, when the rack is lifted.
In Conclusion
Here’s a quick YouTube video on how to get your racks tight.
If you’re having trouble getting the balls to remain completely still, you may want to check out the Magic Rack. The Magic Rack is a racking system that gives you the perfect rack every time.
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As you can see from the pics above, the Magic Rack is completely flat. It works like a placeholder by keeping the balls secured tightly within itself. You don’t remove it until after the break so you never have to worry about disturbing the object balls like you do with traditional racks.
Now that you’re familiar with what a rack is, and what racking is, you need to familiarize yourself with certain spots on the pool table.
Most pool games start with the object balls being racked along the ”Foot String” with the ”Apex” ball at the ”Foot Spot” and the cue ball placed from behind the ”Head String”. These are all just technical terms for certain spots on the pool table, and a certain ball within the rack, but taking the time to learn them is necessary.
The cue ball position has more to do with breaking than racking so I won’t go into too much detail about that.
As you can see from the diagram above, the Foot String is the imaginary line that runs across the table connecting the two center diamonds towards the foot of the table. The Foot Spot is just the center of the Foot String. And the Apex Ball is the object ball at the very top of the triangle that sits on the Foot Spot.
Knowing these terms will help learning to rack properly a bit easier. Plus, you’ll probably learn them anyways if you spend enough time at the pool hall.
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