Another Nemesis Shot

I think you need to watch some more professional play or practice playing with somebody who's a better strategist. There's really no need to draw the 1 or the 8.

I think the best shot is to hit the 1 with force follow w/ left spin, popping it out off two rails ending up below the middle pocket, then you can draw off the rai when you shoot the two going up for the 8.

Option #2 is to go a little longer with force follow and possibly right spin to put the cue ball nearer the rail to shoot the 2 and follow that as well to go off the short rail up for the 8.

On the 8, that's plenty of room to softly draw it back. Even if you do get left on the rail, as long as you're not straight in you can go forward and go around the 9 to shoot in the opposite pocket. Good players can draw the ball well even very close to the rail but great players will limit the number of draw shots they have to take, if you default to drawing everything you stand a much bigger chance of something going wrong and losing position. Draw is fun and the ball looks pretty when it's dancing, but that doesn't mean you should use it when you have other options that make it easier to control the pace of the shot.

Jacked up

When you are jacked up close to the rail look at the cue ball last, just like you would a jump shot or shooting off of the rail. When stroking the ball the smoother the transition from you back swing to the forward acceleration the more accurate you will be hitting the vertical center, you don't want to hit any left or right when jacked up because it will cause your cue ball to masse.

Let's forget about position play for a minute and just discuss shooting draw shots when the cb is near the rail. These shots are among the toughest in pool.

Remember: It's easy to see a distorted view if you try to align your cue in a jacked-up position.

Assuming you have no choice but to jack up if you want to draw the cue ball, your margin of error is going to be very small. You have to be just about perfect.

I suggest lining the shot up like a jump shot. Line it up with a level cue and secure your bridge hand. Keep the tip there and then set your cue stick angle of attack and your stance very carefully, keeping your stick in alignment.

isnt there an instructor you can work with ON A REGULAR BASIS to answer/fix your problems near you???

If you have a lot of trouble drawing back off a straight in shot with a normal stance, don't expect to do any better when jacked up off the rail. First off, you should get your normal draw strokes down pat.

What I do on rail draw shots is very unorthodox, yet at the same time very orthodox. Meaning, I use an orthodox stroke, which you rarely if ever see anyone else use.

I first get my line of aim, just as if I was going to use follow. I then firmly tighten my bridge hand around the cue. I then start walking forward, while also raising my body up to a more upright stance. While going up in the stance, my back hand is extremely loose on the cue, and slides right up the cue.

Now, I am not fully erect in my stance, but still bent over, just not as much as normally. I now am in a "normal" stance over the cb, (almost literally over it), in a normal stance, but now my back hand is at the joint of the cue, and sometimes even on the shaft. This is the result of the elevation of the cue and still using most of an orthodox stance.

When starting to move forward, it is imperative that you keep on the shot line. The shot line should be firmly fixed in your mind.

Because of the extreme forward placement of the back hand, it is also necessary to grip with the back hand tighter than usual as most of the cue weight is now behind your hand.

You will only have one or two inches of backstroke using this method, but that is usually enough to accomplish the task, and the short backstroke also helps enable you to keep on the correct line of the shot.

It's not for everyone, but it has worked quite well for me over the years. And, I can't say as I have ever seen anyone else use this method. Most have their arm sideways to the cue for power. I have never been able to use that method and still be on the shot line, so I devised my own method that works pretty well.

Shot on the left....if you refuse to go forward by creating an angle, you can always bank the shot with a little center right...this would get you on the 2 pretty easy...shot on the right...I cannot fathom why you would want to draw on this when the 9 plays in the side so easily...literally a 5 inch follow

I do know that I make a very important change. I look at the QB last.

Several years ago I walked into Pool School and there was my old partner, Master Instructor, Leslie Rodgers, running off a couple of racks of 9-ball....Jacked Up. I quietly sat down and just observed as Leslie did a great job of getting out. I asked him what was up? He replied that this was a weak spot in his game. He needed to put this type of shot into his comfort zone.

randyg

randyg said:

I do know that I make a very important change. I look at the QB last.

Several years ago I walked into Pool School and there was my old partner, Master Instructor, Leslie Rodgers, running off a couple of racks of 9-ball....Jacked Up. I quietly sat down and just observed as Leslie did a great job of getting out. I asked him what was up? He replied that this was a weak spot in his game. He needed to put this type of shot into his comfort zone.

randyg

Click to expand...

Good Post Randy.:wink:

I have never been one big on drills... but age has a way of influencing most of us...

So... when I started having a bit of trouble with jacked up shots (I think it became a sighting issue for me) I place all 15 balls at the diamonds about 1/2 inch off the rails... & then toss the cue ball out into the middle of the table..

I then shoot it into a pocket with one of the balls along the rail & then that ball is the new OB. I shoot stop, draw, & some follow shots to keep the ball in the middle area of the table as much as possible.

I also change to looking at the Cue Ball during the stroke too...

but I also choke up on the cue stick too.

I hope this & your post might help the OP with this type of shot.

Best Wishes for You & Yours.

DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE DEAD STRAIGHT. That's what cheating the pocket is for. Works especially well when you add spin to a stiff force follow you, aim to one side of the pocket, use a touch of spin to throw it into the middle of the pocket, and ZSCHOOOOM CB bounces out of the corner and back towards you.


1) On the 1 you just do that, and bounce the CB out of the corner and back towards center table for a cut on the 2.

Don't like that? Just stop CB after hitting the 1 and take the bank on the 2 into the same pocket.


2) As for the 8/9

a) that CB is far enough off the rail you should easily be able to draw that back, come off the rail, and land straight on the 9. Work on your stroke. Even if you're a hair on the wrong side of the 8 to draw straight back off the rail at the 9, you can draw with your tip low-left to reverse your draw off the cushion and end up pretty on the 9 or even get above it to take it to the other corner. But why even do that?

For the 8/9, what's wrong with rolling forward a few inches and taking the 9 in the side or even far corner? Or again, if you feel like it, force-follow and bounce out of the corner and take the 9 in one of the corners.

Work on your force-follow while adding with a touch of side. In American pool at least there is no such thing as being too straight unless the pockets are smaller than any pro-cut pocket I've ever seen.

But if you need to know how salvage a draw off the rail, choke up a bit, use a short stroke, and drive the tip firmly but smoothly into the ball almost like you're going to masse or jump. The cue needs to be going in a STRAIGHT line when you jack up at all, if you have to change your grip and pinch the cue in your fingers, do it.

edit: duplicate