one or two rails
- Thread starter kaznj
- Start date
I like 2 rails. they are easier for me to see and the english is running english which is more natural.
I think that first you'd have to present a case for "all things being equal."
I find that usually one way will present itself better than another way, depending on the situation.
Joel
I agree to a point (of course).
One rail is hard to predict. Two rails are easier for angle and speed.
randyg
another reason that 2 rail kicks are sometimes easier is you can often have a larger margin for error that way do to approach angle. Another reason is that the systems like the plus system and corner 5 system can be very effective if you know them and how to apply them.
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Would someone like to elaborate on this? My thinking (which is usually wrong) is, if you miss by an inch on 1 rail, you are off by at least 2 inches coming off the second rail.
Kicking is not my strong point for sure.
Most of the time it is the opposite. When you go multiple rails it's usually to get a better effective angle to the ob which gives you a larger target area.
And what Randy said too.:thumbup:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=154455&highlight=kicking+academy
Here is a link to some very good kicking systems.
The two-rail option (typically using the corner-5 system for the calculation/estimate) self-corrects for the cushions. If the first cushion is, say, dead so that the cue ball comes off more parallel to the cushion than expected, it will go into the second cushion too steeply. The second cushion, if it's also dead, will make that steep angle shallower and you will be back to the expected angle, more or less. The corner-5 system is quite reliable over a wide range of cushions. The tricky part is where the cue ball goes after the third cushion (in case you are shooting a longer shot).Would someone like to elaborate on this? My thinking (which is usually wrong) is, if you miss by an inch on 1 rail, you are off by at least 2 inches coming off the second rail.
Kicking is not my strong point for sure.
This file: http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/cols2010r.pdf has a 5-part series on diamond systems. It's important to note that such systems are not magic and not always accurate. They will work only if you practice with them.
If you want to study diamond systems, I think the best written explanation is in Robert Byrne's books. Dr. Dave has a bunch of videos on-line and in the VEPS videos. See http://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/index.html for an overview, or look in http://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/2010/nov10.pdf where there are links to videos on Youtube.
I'm a little late to the party, so what they said... 
2 or 3 rail kicks are self correcting as mentioned, possibly more difficult to estimate than a 1 rail kick without experience or use of some systems to approximate the line. But I prefer using multiple rails whenever I can.
Usually though the choice between the two options also boils down to the angle of attack and the best chance I have of hitting/making the ball and/or kicking back safe, approaching the ball at the correct angle and speed makes all the difference.
I also have a series of kicking articles on 1 and 2 rail kicking that I did a few years ago that can be found at poolstudent.com, just search for kicking or my name (Scott Rohleder) to find them, they are probably buried in the archives somewhere since I haven't written any new ones in a while. Now that I'm back into playing pool maybe I'll finish some of the others I had planned.
Scott
2 or 3 rail kicks are self correcting as mentioned, possibly more difficult to estimate than a 1 rail kick without experience or use of some systems to approximate the line. But I prefer using multiple rails whenever I can.
Usually though the choice between the two options also boils down to the angle of attack and the best chance I have of hitting/making the ball and/or kicking back safe, approaching the ball at the correct angle and speed makes all the difference.
I also have a series of kicking articles on 1 and 2 rail kicking that I did a few years ago that can be found at poolstudent.com, just search for kicking or my name (Scott Rohleder) to find them, they are probably buried in the archives somewhere since I haven't written any new ones in a while. Now that I'm back into playing pool maybe I'll finish some of the others I had planned.
Scott
Just wanted to add that I have had this discussion too with a friend. During league when I am coaching I will usually go multiple rails with lower skilled players especially if they need to make the ball. It drives him crazy.
My reasons are that the lower skilled players have trouble hitting the center of the cb consistently but can usually hit left or right english. So we try and use that to give them the best chance to make a hit or make the ball. I kept track of our success rate for our lower players with one rail and multiple rail kicks for 2 sessions. Multiple rails had a considerably higher success but only with coaching.
My reasons are that the lower skilled players have trouble hitting the center of the cb consistently but can usually hit left or right english. So we try and use that to give them the best chance to make a hit or make the ball. I kept track of our success rate for our lower players with one rail and multiple rail kicks for 2 sessions. Multiple rails had a considerably higher success but only with coaching.
I'm a little late to the party, so what they said...
2 or 3 rail kicks are self correcting as mentioned, possibly more difficult to estimate than a 1 rail kick without experience or use of some systems to approximate the line. But I prefer using multiple rails whenever I can.
Usually though the choice between the two options also boils down to the angle of attack and the best chance I have of hitting/making the ball and/or kicking back safe, approaching the ball at the correct angle and speed makes all the difference.
I also have a series of kicking articles on 1 and 2 rail kicking that I did a few years ago that can be found at poolstudent.com, just search for kicking or my name (Scott Rohleder) to find them, they are probably buried in the archives somewhere since I haven't written any new ones in a while. Now that I'm back into playing pool maybe I'll finish some of the others I had planned.
Scott
scott ive read your articles
they were very helpful
:thumbup:
