Rail or Jacked Up

[dougster26]

I would appreciate any comments, tips, or advice in shooting from the rail and also shots where you have to jack up. I know when you jack up you have to hit dead center so as not to spin the ball. I seem to have a problem either finding the center or hitting accurately because most of the time my shot is way off. On this type of shot (jacked up) do you position yourself differently then on a normal shot or grip the cue differently. Or is it simply lining up and striking the CB dead center.

When shooting from the rail with your cue fairly level, the only tip that I have ever seen is from Jimmy Reid. He advocates stroking and not stopping prior to hitting the CB. I have had some success with this but I see people execute this shot as they would any other shot.

Just curious as to how when people started out and had problems with these types of shots what they may have done on how they practiced to improve upon.

Thanks

 

[FranCrimi]

Whenever possible, level is better than jacked up on the rail. Try taking a very short backstroke.

 

[BeiberLvr]

post not found

 

[Mikjary]

I would appreciate any comments, tips, or advice in shooting from the rail and also shots where you have to jack up. I know when you jack up you have to hit dead center so as not to spin the ball. I seem to have a problem either finding the center or hitting accurately because most of the time my shot is way off. On this type of shot (jacked up) do you position yourself differently then on a normal shot or grip the cue differently. Or is it simply lining up and striking the CB dead center.

When shooting from the rail with your cue fairly level, the only tip that I have ever seen is from Jimmy Reid. He advocates stroking and not stopping prior to hitting the CB. I have had some success with this but I see people execute this shot as they would any other shot.

Just curious as to how when people started out and had problems with these types of shots what they may have done on how they practiced to improve upon.

Thanks

One helpful thing I do is to not crowd the table. You elevate the cue slightly when you're shooting off of the rail and your bridge length is probably shortened. I see some players move too close to the table and take a short jab at the cue ball with bad results.

I make a bridge where I can have a close to normal length bridge and take a fairly close to normal stance. I make a point to stroke through the cue ball to help eliminate bouncing and any masse' effect. You can use a shorter backswing if you'd like.

I spin the cue ball, if needed, for shape. A simple way to practice is to aim at a target on the rail and try to hit it using spin. You'll learn to adjust for cue ball deflection and swerve because you're jacked up slightly. Try different speeds and cue elevations until you learn to control the cue ball. I even do this when I get on an unfamiliar table to check out the playing conditions. They all play different and change throughout the day.

Best,
Mike

 

[RWOJO]

Rail shots - stay as level as possible, Short stroke (back swing and follow through) and grip the cue a little tighter

Jacked up shots - only jack up as far as you have to, play extreme follow to allow you to stay as close to level as possible. use the very top of the ball to find center. When you aim the shot find 3 contact points near the cue ball (one in front of the ball, one the center of the cue ball and one behind the cue ball) and when raising up make sure your head is still over the cue the same as a normal shot and double check your alignment with the 3 points you found.

I would appreciate any comments, tips, or advice in shooting from the rail and also shots where you have to jack up. I know when you jack up you have to hit dead center so as not to spin the ball. I seem to have a problem either finding the center or hitting accurately because most of the time my shot is way off. On this type of shot (jacked up) do you position yourself differently then on a normal shot or grip the cue differently. Or is it simply lining up and striking the CB dead center.

When shooting from the rail with your cue fairly level, the only tip that I have ever seen is from Jimmy Reid. He advocates stroking and not stopping prior to hitting the CB. I have had some success with this but I see people execute this shot as they would any other shot.

Just curious as to how when people started out and had problems with these types of shots what they may have done on how they practiced to improve upon.

Thanks

 

[Scott Lee]

dougster26...When the CB is frozen to the rail, slightly elevate the cuestick to the angle of the bevel on the front edge of the cushion. Off the rail, try to keep the cue as level as reasonable for the shot. Depending on the shot, I use as normal a bridge length as possible. Sometimes a short backswing is the correct move...but not always.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

I would appreciate any comments, tips, or advice in shooting from the rail and also shots where you have to jack up. I know when you jack up you have to hit dead center so as not to spin the ball. I seem to have a problem either finding the center or hitting accurately because most of the time my shot is way off. On this type of shot (jacked up) do you position yourself differently then on a normal shot or grip the cue differently. Or is it simply lining up and striking the CB dead center.

When shooting from the rail with your cue fairly level, the only tip that I have ever seen is from Jimmy Reid. He advocates stroking and not stopping prior to hitting the CB. I have had some success with this but I see people execute this shot as they would any other shot.

Just curious as to how when people started out and had problems with these types of shots what they may have done on how they practiced to improve upon.

Thanks

 

[dougster26]

Thanks

I want to thank everyone for the tips/advice. I had a chance last night prior to my match to practice a little. I can see the difference shortening up on my back stroke. In trying to keep the cue level I did miscue a couple of times. I shot a number of balls straight into the corner pocket from the furthest rail. No problem drilling dead center. Then I put an OB 2 diamonds from the pocket and missed miserably. That tells me that I'm not stroking or following through properly. I may be a little tight on my grip also. Lot to work on.

Had a shot where the CB was against another ball and I had to jack up. Not even close. I'll have to figure out if I am seeing the shot correctly and hitting the CB in the center. I'm probably jabbing at the ball. When I get a chance to practice, I'll make it a point to spend a considerable amount of time working on these shots utilizing the advice given.

On the plus side, I did win my match. I give a lot of the credit in my improvement to the people on this site giving of themselves to help a fellow pool player. Thanks again everyone.

 

[BasementDweller]

The following discovery has helped me tremendously on jacked up shots.

Get the cue on your chest. Snooker players use their chest to ensure proper cueing on just about all their shots. Most of us pool players don't do this but when you are jacked up it's so easy to cue this way I don't see any reason not to. This may be a bit stance dependent -- I'm not really sure. I use a snooker stance for the most part and getting the cue to my chest is very easy on these shots. When you cue on your chest in this manner you are really creating a channel for the cue that ensures you cue in a straight line, which is the most important thing in the game and even more important (if that's possible) when you are jacked up.

If you try out this tip be sure that you bring your chest to the cue and not the other way around.

 

[Mikjary]

I want to thank everyone for the tips/advice. I had a chance last night prior to my match to practice a little. I can see the difference shortening up on my back stroke. In trying to keep the cue level I did miscue a couple of times. I shot a number of balls straight into the corner pocket from the furthest rail. No problem drilling dead center. Then I put an OB 2 diamonds from the pocket and missed miserably. That tells me that I'm not stroking or following through properly. I may be a little tight on my grip also. Lot to work on.

Had a shot where the CB was against another ball and I had to jack up. Not even close. I'll have to figure out if I am seeing the shot correctly and hitting the CB in the center. I'm probably jabbing at the ball. When I get a chance to practice, I'll make it a point to spend a considerable amount of time working on these shots utilizing the advice given.

On the plus side, I did win my match. I give a lot of the credit in my improvement to the people on this site giving of themselves to help a fellow pool player. Thanks again everyone.

It's easy, on jacked up shots, to move off of the shot line as you raise up. Start with your normal PSR as if there was no interfering ball to shoot over, and sight the shot. Place your bridge hand where it needs to be and raise up slowly. The key is to, "keep your eye on the ball." If you maintain a visual on this shot line, you won't have to re-aim after you're up.

Best,
Mike

 

[dougster26]

It's easy, on jacked up shots, to move off of the shot line as you raise up. Start with your normal PSR as if there was no interfering ball to shoot over, and sight the shot. Place your bridge hand where it needs to be and raise up slowly. The key is to, "keep your eye on the ball." If you maintain a visual on this shot line, you won't have to re-aim after you're up.

Best,
Mike

Mike,

I had a chance to practice a little today. I could clearly see a difference in paying more attention to my PSR. I think a lot of my problem was not staying on the shot line. When raising up, I was moving off line. I feel I am on the right track, given the advice I have received. I just need to put it all together and make it part of my practice routine. Also, I may be guilty at times of crowding the table on rail shots. I'm working on that also.

Thanks Mike,

Doug

 

[Mikjary]

Mike,

I had a chance to practice a little today. I could clearly see a difference in paying more attention to my PSR. I think a lot of my problem was not staying on the shot line. When raising up, I was moving off line. I feel I am on the right track, given the advice I have received. I just need to put it all together and make it part of my practice routine. Also, I may be guilty at times of crowding the table on rail shots. I'm working on that also.

Thanks Mike,

Doug

I elevate when I'm on the rail. What keeps me from jabbing at the cue ball is to remember to stroke through the ball normally. Jabbing causes the cue ball to hop and all kinds of bad things due to masse' type spin. On occasion you can use a jab stroke off of the rail to create an angle, but this is rare.

A way to check yourself is to shoot a medium speed shot and see where your cue ends up. It's up in the air or moving left and right, you may want to consider trying to go through the cue ball at contact a little better. You're probably not hitting where you think you're hitting. This can cause holes in walls and broken shafts...from frustration! :grin:

Best,
Mike

 

[CJ Wiley]

stop using a level stroke if you miscue every time.

Perhaps you should stop using a level stroke if you miscue every time.

Maybe it's just in my head, but when shooting balls frozen to the rail I have to jack up slightly. I shoot with a Z2 shaft, and anytime I use a level stroke, I always miscue.


Fran's advice about the short backstroke is dead on.

 

[BeiberLvr]

post not found

 

[FranCrimi]

Perhaps you should stop using a level stroke if you miscue every time.

So according to that logic, if you stumble while you're walking, should you stop walking?

Maybe all that's needed is a minor adjustment.

 

[dougster26]

Miscues

I have found myself miscueing off the rail because I am trying to keep the cue level. Scott Lee, in an earlier post, said to elevate to the bevel of the angle of the cushion. I have had some success with the advice given so far. Like anything else, you need to keep practicing, when it doesn't come easy.

One question I have is, does anyone ever lock their wrist in a forward position, putting a little pressure in a downward position on the cue to help with the miscues? I seem to remember reading or hearing this somewhere. I would think that this action would be better than gripping the cue tighter. Any comments on this?

 

[Mikjary]

I have found myself miscueing off the rail because I am trying to keep the cue level. Scott Lee, in an earlier post, said to elevate to the bevel of the angle of the cushion. I have had some success with the advice given so far. Like anything else, you need to keep practicing, when it doesn't come easy.

One question I have is, does anyone ever lock their wrist in a forward position, putting a little pressure in a downward position on the cue to help with the miscues? I seem to remember reading or hearing this somewhere. I would think that this action would be better than gripping the cue tighter. Any comments on this?

I always elevate the cue on rail shots slightly. I like to go through the cue ball and not lift my tip up into the air. I'm not saying to spear the cue ball and get a swerve going (which may happen anyway to some degree), I am saying to be deliberate and commit to a smooth accelerating forward stroke. I check my finish position to see how I did and make a note for the future.

Locking your wrist forward can probably be avoided by doing what I suggested above. I wouldn't change my grip/stroke to avoid doing something (miscueing) that is caused by a bad technique. I would improve my delivery and use that on most shots.

Best,
Mike

 

[CJ Wiley]

there's a strong possibility you're walking incorrectly.

If you stumble every time you walk there's a strong possibility you're walking incorrectly.

So according to that logic, if you stumble while you're walking, should you stop walking?

Maybe all that's needed is a minor adjustment.