How good is your cue ball control?

Dan White

Dan White

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My experience with discussion groups is that there is plenty of talk about how to pocket balls, but not so much on knowing where the cue ball is going.

http://CueTable.com/P/?@1AHCU4BIkp4CLVs2PFXk4WLVs4WKxa4WLGb4WLGb2kFXk1kEhX4kMDX4kPev@

You're playing straight pool and want to peel the 3 away from the 2, which is your break ball. Don't worry about strategy -- this is purely a set up to illustrate cue ball control.

Here are 2 questions:
1. Can you predict the cb path toward the 3 well enough to KNOW that you will hit it (and NOT the 2) with natural follow.
2. If you have determined that natural follow will not put you on the 3, can you reliably alter the cb path to make it hit the 3?

This is not a question as to whether it can be done. I'm wondering whether YOU can do it! Think in terms of:

1. Of course I can do this 100% of the time, blindfolded, who can't?
2. I'm probably 50% likely to make that shot.
3. Maybe if I practice it a few times first.
4. Forget the 3 ball, I'm lucky if I pocket the 1!

Thanks - just interested in how good you guys are. :)

dwhite
 
most likely I would play to bump both balls for a higher percentage result. If you try to play perfect and clip the 3, you may end up with nothing. If you bump them you almost HAVE to get a shot, and a good chance to manufacture a break ball. With both balls near the rack, and the corner pocket, I only see good things from hitting both of them.

Gerry
 
qstroker said:
[...]
1. Of course I can do this 100% of the time, blindfolded, who can't?
2. I'm probably 50% likely to make that shot.
3. Maybe if I practice it a few times first.
4. Forget the 3 ball, I'm lucky if I pocket the 1!

Thanks - just interested in how good you guys are. :)

dwhite
Click to expand...

Treating the above as a continuous scale, I'm a 3.2.
 
I could hit the pack 80% of the time, the 3 ball only perhaps 60%, but I fear that hitting AND getting shape might be 50% or a bit less. Of course I will miss the 1 about 5% of the time cause I'm paying too much attention to the breakout :mad:

Dave
 
I'll try it out tonight and let you know. I'm confident I could hit the pack, but peelling the 3 off the 2 off hand I'd have to give myself a less than %45 chance of making it.
 
qstroker said:
My experience with discussion groups is that there is plenty of talk about how to pocket balls, but not so much on knowing where the cue ball is going.

http://CueTable.com/P/?@1AHCU4BIkp4CLVs2PFXk4WLVs4WKxa4WLGb4WLGb2kFXk1kEhX4kMDX4kPev@

You're playing straight pool and want to peel the 3 away from the 2, which is your break ball. Don't worry about strategy -- this is purely a set up to illustrate cue ball control.

Here are 2 questions:
1. Can you predict the cb path toward the 3 well enough to KNOW that you will hit it (and NOT the 2) with natural follow.
2. If you have determined that natural follow will not put you on the 3, can you reliably alter the cb path to make it hit the 3?

This is not a question as to whether it can be done. I'm wondering whether YOU can do it! Think in terms of:

1. Of course I can do this 100% of the time, blindfolded, who can't?
2. I'm probably 50% likely to make that shot.
3. Maybe if I practice it a few times first.
4. Forget the 3 ball, I'm lucky if I pocket the 1!

Thanks - just interested in how good you guys are. :)

dwhite
Click to expand...

On the first attempt, I would make the ball and there is a 97.235% chance I would hit the 2 & or 3....In all honesty though...there is a 100% chance I would have no idea how the balls will end up...

Now if I could set them up a second time the exact same way...I would probably be able to then shoot the shot hit the intended ball and get fairly close to the desired results...

(I suspect there are many decent players that fall into this catagory)

Too bad we don't ever get a second chance....
 
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Gerry said:
most likely I would play to bump both balls for a higher percentage result. If you try to play perfect and clip the 3, you may end up with nothing. If you bump them you almost HAVE to get a shot, and a good chance to manufacture a break ball. With both balls near the rack, and the corner pocket, I only see good things from hitting both of them.

Gerry
Click to expand...

But the question is whether you can hit the 3 and not the 2. It is a question about how well you know where the cue ball wants to go, and whether you can reliably change that path if you want to send the cue ball somewhere else.

I wasn't really interested in the strategy of the shot. Just assume it isn't straight pool. It's just a drill.

thanks,
dwhite
 
qstroker said:
But the question is whether you can hit the 3 and not the 2. It is a question about how well you know where the cue ball wants to go, and whether you can reliably change that path if you want to send the cue ball somewhere else.

I wasn't really interested in the strategy of the shot. Just assume it isn't straight pool. It's just a drill.

thanks,
dwhite
Click to expand...

BTW.....how would you rank on shots like this??? ....and if you answer #1...please back that up on some info on what you worked on to get to that level of CB controle.......Actually that goes for anyone else that can honestly answer #1....on the first try....very few I suspect ....On second look at that shot, there is quite some distance from the 1 to the 2/3.....hitting 1 & not the other would take some skill...
 
qstroker said:
But the question is whether you can hit the 3 and not the 2. It is a question about how well you know where the cue ball wants to go, and whether you can reliably change that path if you want to send the cue ball somewhere else.

I wasn't really interested in the strategy of the shot. Just assume it isn't straight pool. It's just a drill.

thanks,
dwhite
Click to expand...

As a drill I think there are a number of players on AZB that will hit the three and not move the two with pretty good consistancy. Thats because you shoot it several times. On a one time basis those numbers drop drastically. An even more drastic drop is actually having a good shot to play position on the 2 as in your original post. Your eliminating almost everyone including many pro's.

So as a drill I think I can fairly often, on a one time basis maybe if I'm in stroke and know the table conditions well. Straight pool players get this type of shot often (usually closer) but it would be very rare to see a good 14-1 player leave this shot.

Lets suppose by some freak of nature it really happened. If I was shooting and actually left this, first I'd consider shooting myself.:D Seriously I'd play position behind the 2 and 3. I should have a decent (maybe good) shot to play shape on the other.

Rod
 
> 4. Forget the 3 ball, I'm lucky if I pocket the 1!

Most of the time I am lucky

Just want to take this chance to demo the <Tangent Line> function, which
is very useful in this case

From the original by Dan:
http://CueTable.com/P/?@1AHCU4BIkp4CLVs2PFXl4WLVs4WLGb2kFXk1kEYX4kLec8kPev@

1, Click on the cue ball once
2, Press "h" key to turn on the ghostballs for cue ball (or click on the
<GhostBallOne> button in the toolbox)
3, Click on the ghostball contacting the 1 ball
4, Press "J" key (capital case) to turn on the tangent line (or click on
the <TangentLine> button in the toolbox)

Now you should have this:
http://CueTable.com/P/?@1AHCU4BIkp4CLVs2PFXl4WLVs4WLGb2kFXk1kEYX4kLec4kPevzc1vEYXhkj@

There seems to be appx. 30 degrees gain from the line. With top follow it
might look closer to this on the table (shift-clicking on a ghostball with
toggle its point bt sharp corncer/curve point ):
http://CueTable.com/P/?@1AHCU4BIkp4CLVs2PFXl4WLVs4WLGb2kFXk1kEYX8kDrB8kERF4kLec8kQkozc1vEYXhkj@

Thank you all for supporting the new table!
 

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