Why does SVB hit the cueball low almost all the time ?

Mr. Wiggles said:
I have noticed lots of great players hitting lots of shots very low. Low certainly kills speed and I am of the school which says most shots should slide to the object ball maybe turning over when very close. People tell me I cue low right when I strike but I feel like I cue it just below center. Can't really see myself shooting. If I cued it as low as some of those boys I feel like I would jump the cue ball into the air. LOL. I have been working on my high lately which has always been weak. I believe killing speed is a huge part of controlling whitey.
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Sliding the cue ball, and making it only roll forward when you want, and any distance, means you have great cue ball control.

I have hit this way for a long time. I learned this by watching one of my favorite players play. Who has a great game, and great cueball control. Scotty Townsend.

You can get lots of shape that others cannot, if you are able to slide the cue ball accurately at any distance. Many people do not have a loose enough follow through stroke to pull this off from what I have seen, lots of rigid players.

I've seen him do things with the cueball while gambling that are amazing........
 
The Chinchilla said:
I guess you could say its personal preference, but it is personal preference that results in more accurate play.

I can't really explain what i'm about to say, and not really ready to argue about it for hours, but most good players just intuitively know that low ball hits give them better control and less masse or swerve relative to a high ball hit. You can also put quite a bit more spin on a cb with a low ball hit relative to a high ball hit with the same amount of off axis english applied. In essence, you can put more spin on a cb when it is hit low and it wont curve as much (esp important on wet cloth eg philllipines, any aha moments??). I think this phenomena has to do with some of the torque energy not being "pinched" away from above with a high ball. This is one of those things where you will either be smart, and listen or try it out, or argue and lose out for the rest of your life. I just can't believe how manyy times i've been asked why I hit it low when i want to go forward with the cb, and people don't really believe the answers. All this doesn't necessarily mean yo should never hit the cb high, I would say it means you should hit the cb low whenever possible.
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Good post my man.
 
Anything off the Vertical Axis,is English,isn't it?

Hey All,this is my first post. I was always taught that anything off the Vertical Axis is English! In other words,2 & # o'clock is High Right,Right Follow or Top Right,and 4 & 5 o'clock is Bottom Right,Right Draw,or Low Right,etc... I know that many have learned to shoot with english,Follow,or Draw on their shots,even Bank that way,and hard shooting and soft shooting can be compensated for at the same time! Mosconi even mentioned using Center-Ball whenever possible,but I don't think Today' players would be as Basic as Players were 50 or 60 years ago. I was also taught that Follow was much easier to control,especially when you need to move the Cue Ball around the Table or a long distance,when possible. Am I messed up on this? Thank You.
 
LeftyIke said:
Hey All,this is my first post. I was always taught that anything off the Vertical Axis is English! In other words,2 & # o'clock is High Right,Right Follow or Top Right,and 4 & 5 o'clock is Bottom Right,Right Draw,or Low Right,etc... I know that many have learned to shoot with english,Follow,or Draw on their shots,even Bank that way,and hard shooting and soft shooting can be compensated for at the same time! Mosconi even mentioned using Center-Ball whenever possible,but I don't think Today' players would be as Basic as Players were 50 or 60 years ago. I was also taught that Follow was much easier to control,especially when you need to move the Cue Ball around the Table or a long distance,when possible. Am I messed up on this? Thank You.
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Nope!
randyg
 
LeftyIke said:
Hey All,this is my first post. I was always taught that anything off the Vertical Axis is English! In other words,2 & # o'clock is High Right,Right Follow or Top Right,and 4 & 5 o'clock is Bottom Right,Right Draw,or Low Right,etc... I know that many have learned to shoot with english,Follow,or Draw on their shots,even Bank that way,and hard shooting and soft shooting can be compensated for at the same time! Mosconi even mentioned using Center-Ball whenever possible,but I don't think Today' players would be as Basic as Players were 50 or 60 years ago. I was also taught that Follow was much easier to control,especially when you need to move the Cue Ball around the Table or a long distance,when possible. Am I messed up on this? Thank You.
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That last question you have is an interesting one. I think in general draw gives you more control of the cb, but, if you really need to pinpoint the cb, i would think follow would be your best bet. Confused? haha. I think when you see players get ball in hand they will shoot the ball into an odd (far) pocket at times so they can roll to their spot (that's most accurate), but considering we can't always get the exact angle we need, draw is generally more accurate. That's what I think, hope I explained it good enough.
 
LeftyIke, the answer is yes, remember though, english amount varies by how hard or soft you hit the shot and with distance. Say you want a stop shot, two ways to do it, you hit very hard center so CB sliding when it hits OB, but on say 6 or 7 feet shot it is very difficult to do, the alternative is you can put just enough draw such that when it hits OB it stops. The tricky part is your aim for shots that have angles is different for sliding shot, or rolling (forward or backward) shot, especially on slightly dirty balls & new cloth. Also true putting hi english is good because you grantee CB is rolling all the time so your aim variation/adjustments is limited to distance and angle only (of which can be offset with a little left or right english) and you take slide aim out of the picture. With draw english, smooth stroke, speed and how much low you hit, ensures consistent rolling (backward) CB, of which in my opinion, the main reason one needs to practice on the table before you play a match, to get the feel of the cloth, as well as cloth speed.
 
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I think it's just how some people aim. They aim at the bottom of the ball before bringing it up and finishing center ball.
 
SirNoobs said:
I think it's just how some people aim. They aim at the bottom of the ball before bringing it up and finishing center ball.
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And some people line up with the top of the cue ball, finding the exact vertical axis of the cue ball, then move their cue tip to the area they plan to hit.
 
Just to clarify on my previous post # 47. I am talking about the actual contact point between OB & CB it varies due to amount of throw induced by friction or spin due to roll or slide. One has to aim to cut the ball either, center, left or right edge of the pocket, or maybe 2" from the pocket depending on the shot and equipment
 
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randyg said:
Nope!
randyg
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have to agree with Randy here. high is not easier to control by any means. Take the bottom o the cue ball away from most modern players and they will miss and often.
Island Drive told me years ago that most today hit across the cue ball. Aim low hit toward center, aim left hit right, aim right hit left.
it took me years and years to remember something Stevens said, "If you are in trouble and need a doctor, go see the middle of the cue ball, it rarely fails you"!
It took me years to learn this and then not perfectly. i think most players today are not comfortable unless putting something on the cue ball every shot.
I often wonder how deadly some would be if aiming where they are hitting?? I furtherly have thought, "how long has it taken to screw the mind up this much"?
 
Knowing how to control the slide point of a cue ball (the point at which backspin wears off and the cb has no spin) is a very powerful tool. Strong players know how to make that happen to their advantage. There are a multitude of shots that you can execute with this knowledge, like the infamous draw-follow shot, where you strike the cb low to make it follow just a few revolutions after the backspin wears off, particularly if you have to squeeze it through a tight spot or can't afford to have it travel too far.

It's not really hard to master. You just need to practice a lot in order to develop confidence to do it in competition.
 
FranCrimi said:
Knowing how to control the slide point of a cue ball (the point at which backspin wears off and the cb has no spin) is a very powerful tool. Strong players know how to make that happen to their advantage. There are a multitude of shots that you can execute with this knowledge, like the infamous draw-follow shot, where you strike the cb low to make it follow just a few revolutions after the backspin wears off, particularly if you have to squeeze it through a tight spot or can't afford to have it travel too far.

It's not really hard to master. You just need to practice a lot in order to develop confidence to do it in competition.
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Good post, exactly.
 
We are seeing it from another dimension, that's not how it looks in actuality. Sounds stupid, but its true. Serious. :rolleyes:...no really.
 
Hitting Low vs. High & Cue Ball Control

I realize that you can learn to shoot using Draw,Follow,or English on a lot,or most of your shots,but why do so many feel that you can apply more spin by hitting the Cue Ball low? I never believed that. If you were gonna teach someone to play,wouldn't you encourage them to use Center-Ball whenever possible,and to be ABLE to use English,Draw,and Follow,when you NEED to do something that Spin/Follow/Draw will make easier or more effective? In other words,to try to cut down on all the things you have to account for,including table-conditions? I know that it's an advantage to understanding to knowing how to slide the cue,or using various techniques of throw,etc..but should you try to make things simpler,if possible?
 
LeftyIke said:
I realize that you can learn to shoot using Draw,Follow,or English on a lot,or most of your shots,but why do so many feel that you can apply more spin by hitting the Cue Ball low? I never believed that. If you were gonna teach someone to play,wouldn't you encourage them to use Center-Ball whenever possible,and to be ABLE to use English,Draw,and Follow,when you NEED to do something that Spin/Follow/Draw will make easier or more effective? In other words,to try to cut down on all the things you have to account for,including table-conditions? I know that it's an advantage to understanding to knowing how to slide the cue,or using various techniques of throw,etc..but should you try to make things simpler,if possible?
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If you do not need english for the CB position that is fine, but make sure you take throw into consideration and aim appropriately. But in real game you cannot totally avoid the use of english for position play, so armed with the knowledge of every possible way you shoot that cue ball gives you a better chance at making the balls and position
 
naji said:
If you do not need english for the CB position that is fine, but make sure you take throw into consideration and aim appropriately. But in real game you cannot totally avoid the use of english for position play, so armed with the knowledge of every possible way you shoot that cue ball gives you a better chance at making the balls and position
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What makes you think you can't avoid english? I use english much more in Straight Pool and One Pocket but not in 9 ball.
Some of the stuff in this thread is really eye opening.
 
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Pushout said:
Actually, you can indeed avoid english. I've done it and seen it done plenty.
Some of the stuff in this thread is really eye opening.
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If you can shoot without english and consistent go for it. But have to master how to shoot with spin on cue ball in case you get out of line on your position
 
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