Efren's "Z" Kick...There's a System For That

Rubyron

R.I.P. Smorgass Bored
Silver Member
Yes, I'm talking about this one. This is the kind of shot that comes up once in a blue moon but, you never know, it might come up hill-hill in the finals of a big tournament. :D
 

JB Cases

www.jbcases.com
Silver Member
Yes, I'm talking about this one. This is the kind of shot that comes up once in a blue moon but, you never know, it might come up hill-hill in the finals of a big tournament. :D

Well there is a system that will allow you hit it almost every time. Making it is lucky.

But actually there are lots of similar shots where knowing the system will put you in the right space to hit the ob and have a chance for something good to happen.

www.jbcases.com
 

Rubyron

R.I.P. Smorgass Bored
Silver Member
Well there is a system that will allow you hit it almost every time. Making it is lucky.

But actually there are lots of similar shots where knowing the system will put you in the right space to hit the ob and have a chance for something good to happen.

www.jbcases.com

Exactly! You can't get lucky if you don't hit it.

BTW, Where is my rubber band case? ;)
 

The Chinchilla

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Its ironic that this shot has gone down in the annals. It is pure luck that he won that game. He pretty much sh#t out is the truth. For him, he dogged that safety right before that so bad, he missed his line with the ob by a half a diamond maybe. Even funnier, he tried to dog the hanger layout after that, but being the champ that he is he knocked them in.

The most important part for me when it comes to that kick, watch the speed. Strickland would have had like a HANGER shot 1 foot away with a perfect little angle almost assuredly. But, efren knocked it in... more power to him I guess.
 
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Autist

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The most important part for me when it comes to that kick, watch the speed. Strickland would have had like a HANGER shot 1 foot away with a perfect little angle almost assuredly. But, efren knocked it in... more power to him I guess.

Don't you think that it was the only speed he could make the hit with?

Imo, any stronger than that, and IMHO, 2 things can happen:

1) Whitey jumps off the table after contacting the 1st rail
2) Whitey may hit the 7(?) ball after contacting the 2nd rail

Correct me if my opinions are way off.
 

poolpro2

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The system is, he is just AWESOME!!! Anyone can make any shot on any given day. (how is that for a stolen cliche!) It is all about WHEN you make that ridiculous shot and how often. And Nobody does it better!
 

JB Cases

www.jbcases.com
Silver Member
Its ironic that this shot has gone down in the annals. It is pure luck that he won that game. He pretty much sh#t out is the truth. For him, he dogged that safety right before that so bad, he missed his line with the ob by a half a diamond maybe. Even funnier, he tried to dog the hanger layout after that, but being the champ that he is he knocked them in.

The most important part for me when it comes to that kick, watch the speed. Strickland would have had like a HANGER shot 1 foot away with a perfect little angle almost assuredly. But, efren knocked it in... more power to him I guess.

Come on Chinchilla that's harsh. He played the safe perfectly and just got an unlucky kiss. Then he had to get out of his own perfect safety and the only way to do it was to hit it with speed to make the cue ball dive after the second rail. Under that pressure it would have been hard for any of us to even hit the five.

I might set up this exact lay out at the upcoming SBE and bet people they can't even hit the five.

I think that it's not ironic at all that this shot stands as one of the greatest ever. Yes Efren got lucky to make it but to even hit it under that pressure required the skill and heart of a champion.

Especially since he had to fade his own safety. A lot of players would crumble if that happened to them. Aspiring players can learn a lot from this sequence.
 

JB Cases

www.jbcases.com
Silver Member
Don't you think that it was the only speed he could make the hit with?

Imo, any stronger than that, and IMHO, 2 things can happen:

1) Whitey jumps off the table after contacting the 1st rail
2) Whitey may hit the 7(?) ball after contacting the 2nd rail

Correct me if my opinions are way off.

1. With a level stroke you can hit it much harder than that without the cueball coming off the table.

2. The only way to hit the seven would have been on the way to the second rail whch meant he went to low or off the second rail which would have meant he hit it way too high to get to the five anyway.

The important thing on this shot is that the cue ball dives into the five after the second rail. That's knowledge to know that it is going to react this way off the second rail is the key here. That knowledge and experience doesn't come cheap. Shots like this at these times is the payoff.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Efren was the Karambola King of the Philippines before he became great in pocket billiards.
He might know something about kicking and banking.
 

mosconiac

Job+Wife+Child=No Stroke
Silver Member
Efren was the Karambola King of the Philippines before he became great in pocket billiards.
He might know something about kicking and banking.
Surely you jest...everyone knows he just got lucky! He'll be the first to tell ya!
 

scottjen26

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Jimmy Reid has a Z-bank system on one of his DVDs, forget which one. I think I have it written down somewhere, the details escape me a bit at the moment. It actually worked pretty well if the shot was within certain boundaries, at certain extremes it broke down, as a lot of kicking/banking systems do, requiring further adjustments through experience.

Understanding the reaction of the balls off the first and second rail when various speeds/spins are used, as well as working backwards on the shot, can go a long way as well in helping to determining the first rail hit point.

I'm certain that Efren's rotation and billiard knowledge allowed him to work it out, obviously making it was very fortunate since he knew he would probably leave a shot at that speed even if he hit it. But there was always a chance he could leave a tough shot, or even make it as he did, better to hit it and see what happens vs. just giving him ball in hand.

Scott
 

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
Watched the OP's video link and am I the only one that didn't understand it? I mean the guy seemed to be trying to figure it out as he was explaining it. Not saying he didn't know what he was talking about but it might have been a little easier to comprehend if it had been scripted out beforehand. He seemed to have a difficult time conveying the information. To me anyway.
 

PoolBum

Ace in the side.
Silver Member
Watched the OP's video link and am I the only one that didn't understand it?

Nope, I watched it once and didn't understand it. It's a valuable type of kick to know, so I'll probably go back and see if I can make sense out of what he's trying to say.
 

scottjen26

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Oops - I can't get to youtube at work, didn't realize the the embedded link was for the exact system I was talking about... :)

Scott
 

Slasher

KE = 0.5 • m • v2
Silver Member
I made this shot in Vegas (7 footers) on my last ball B4 the 8 to bring my team to hill hill and on to win the match, first thing the guy says to me is Efren's shot! :p
Speed is the key to making it more predictable but man it's hard to judge that second rail.
 

3RAILKICK

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I made this shot in Vegas (7 footers) on my last ball B4 the 8 to bring my team to hill hill and on to win the match, first thing the guy says to me is Efren's shot! :p
Speed is the key to making it more predictable but man it's hard to judge that second rail.



Just like the same 2 rail 'Z' bank is tough to figure how much 'release' will occur on the second bank. Different speeds give way different results.

Tough kick and tough bank. Can be a good option in the right safety or two-way situation. Usually only goes when you dont want it to.:grin:
 
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