Constant trouble with these shots...

RoryHunt

The King of "so close."
Silver Member

CueTable Help




These will stop a run out for me so many times. I know I need to practice them, and I do, but I just see it wrong. I constantly hit it into the end rail and it come straight back. If I try to compensate, I drive into the near rail way to far up, and I miss the pocket completely.

If they are on the rail, I drill them, but one ball width off the rail and I start freaking out before I even shoot it. Is this shot a common problem shot for people? Just me? Any tips on how to look at it that I am missing?
 
may sound rediculously simple... ignore the rail. Aim/sHoot the shot like there is no rail.
Have you ever noticed if your left cuts are under-cut, and your right cuts are over-cut, or vice versa? My left cuts tend to be 'over' so I think---left,less and hit a little fuller. Helps a little.
 
In one of Bert K's videos... he explains why this shot plays tricks on the minds eye. You need to aim for the pro side of the pocket:smile:
 
along the rail

Yeah. You, me and a lot of other people. Particularly with tight pockets. Previous posters right. The rail is probably drawing your eye away from the contact point on OB. Don't forget , your not shooting at a whole pocket.
What exactly are you trying to do with the CB? Sometimes trying to get perfect position off of this shot will cause the miss. I gotta know what your trying to do with CB before I can advise you on how I wish I could make the shot. Mo info, please. :withstupid:
 
I think that is what it is too. That rail bugs out my eyes.

It is and your right.

I mean, it looks from your diagram to be a fairly standard quarter ball hit. Id bet you make that same 1/4 ball cut dozens of times everytime you play... Your melon percieves 'em differently because they may not be close to a rail... it's the same shot though. the existence of the rail is short circuiting your melon. Lots of tricks to fool saugage in the tower... just figure out which works for you.

start with something simple, I had trouble with the inside-out corner cut for the longest time... funny, but what helped me was everytime I had to take that shot... I would think "this is one of my favorite shots! awesome. I'm money at this shot". LOL, sounds silly. But it helped. Funny how much "mr. know-it-all" up there, gets in the way.
 
This shot has haunted me for years and years and just recently I have gotten to the point where they do not make me freak out. It turns out that it was in my perspective and how I perceived the shot (Nothing you can do about how you look at things that is just the way it is). If it was more than a balls width away from the rail I would over cut it every single time and it drove me nuts. If it was less than a balls width away I would send it right into the rail and I mean this went on for years. Now what I do is if it is a balls width away or less I use the Double the Distance aiming method and shoot a little bit past the contact point and a little outside english does not hurt me either just to be sure and if it is more than a balls width away I use the same aming system shooting a little inside of the contact point but no outside (helping english is what Baddy Hall calls it). This shot is no longer the bully in my play ground. Good luck and I hope this helps. The Double the Distance aming system can be found on this forum posted by a guy called Fastolfe http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=175656
 
?

I always found this as one of the easiest shots in pool, because the rail forms a guideline straight to the pocket. You just need to cut the ball to make it run parallel with the rail. I wish all my cuts had a built-in visual guide to show me what direction to send the object ball.

Useful to know:

· The rail itself blocks about 1/3rd of the pocket, so there is an actual scientific reason why this shot might be a little tougher than a similar cut that's facing the opening of the pocket. It's not always just your imagination or bad execution.

· Lots of people (original poster included) have a fear of overcutting this ball and tend to err on the side of undercutting it. Try looking at and aiming for the outer facing of the pocket. There's a little bit of throw when the cueball scrapes across the face of the object ball and that might be causing it to undercut very slightly. If you aim for the thin side of the pocket, and there's a little throw, you still make the ball.

· When the ball is shown as diagrammed or a little closer to the side rail, the "sweet spot" where you're basically hitting as accurately as possible will send the object ball off the edge of the rail JUST before it hits the back of the hole. That tiny nub of rail is your true aiming point. Slightly overcutting = you hit the outer jaw of the pocket and it drops. Slightly undercutting = you hit into the rail, it bounces into the outer jaw, then bobbles off the other jaw and in.

It seems weird that hitting that rail on the way in is your "heart of the pocket" but it's true.

· Remember the rail runs parallel to the path of the cue ball or close enough. Just visualize what amount of cut will make the object ball run in the exact same direction as the rail and the rest is automatic. This is especially useful if you end up on the other side of that object ball, cutting it into the far corner 6 or 7 feet away.
 
Off Rail Cut

Outside english for those shots, if your game balling it, your not spinning the cue ball,unless you need shape( one tip right of center for this shot) if you hit the object ball fuller, it will still go.

Outside english for cut shots makes the pocket bigger, inside english will make the pocket smaller, because you have to hit the object ball more precise.


Just like a cut for a ball out in the bed of the table, outside english makes the pocket big, and inside english makes it smaller, thus you always more often than not under cut the shot.

Heres a tip for ya to always remember when cutting a ball that will insure you a saftey if you miss.

When cutting a ball, if you miss you want to OVER cut it , compared to Under cutting one, because over cutting a ball makes the object ball bounce toward the short side of the table leaving a bank, ............

When Under cutting a ball and you miss, the object ball will bounce to the more open side of the table, leaving a straight in.

Thats the best tip I can give you in pool, its a money maker!


David Harcrow
 
Back
Top