This was by far the weakest part of my game for a long time. It is the one type of shot that sets the best from the nearly the best. But all it takes is a bit of practice and a little bit of knowledge to know how to improve.
It all starts with the bridge. Knowing what types of bridge works best for the shot at hand is a must...
- Cue ball glued to the rail -- Open bridge with just the finger tips resting on the rail keeps the cue as level as possible. You may have to raise the bridge very slightly as to not miscue, but its the bridge that will get it as level as possible and give you the most margin for error on the pot or shot.
- Cue ball a ball off the rail to a ball and a half off the rail -- again with the bridge above, use an open bridge but you can afford to get more of the fingers onto the rail instead of just the finger tips. This keeps it level if you need to play just above centre ball and roll a shot in. If you need to hit lower for draw or stun then you need to raise the open bridge. Don't raise it more than you need to to give you the biggest margin for error.
- Cue ball 4 - 8 inches off the rail -- this is probably the most common in match play and you can do anything you want with the cue ball (draw, stun, follow, swerve, side spin) with no real difficulties. I advise getting the cue resting on the table with a closed rail bridge. By this I mean rest the cue in the table, place the hand with the middle finger up against the cue and secure it in place by looping the index finger over the top and apply a little bit of squeeze with the fingers to keep the cue snug, but not tight. The thumb can either be tucked unger the hand and resting up against the side of the cue or as I like to do, pushed back and the tip of the thumb gripping the edge of the rail. This works especially well for power shots. This then rests the cue along the webbing between thumb and index. For this type of shot you want the back of your hand to be as close to the edge of the rail as possible so the fingers don't hook over the cushion too much...unless you have huge hands or small rails.
- Cue ball just far enough from the rail that you cant get your hand comfortably on the bed of the table -- same as above mostly. Same type of bridge but this time you can afford to move the bridge closer to the cushion and really hook the fingers over the cushion. You van even use a full closed bridge resting the finger tips on the bed, and the palm resting on the cushion with the thumb under the cue connected to the index finger. Again you can do anything you normally can with the cue ball, the pots are just as easy as normal and you can really let loose with the stroke.
There will be times when say, for a right handed player you are cueing down the rail to your left and bridging is awkward. For this you can use a full closed bridge, rest half the palm on the rail, other half off, have the pinky and ring finger testing along the cushion and the others on the bed. It looks awkward but its the most stable and effective way to bridge in situations when the rail gets in the way of getting your entire hand on the table. Other situations like having to bridge over a ball off the rail will crop up... These are tough tough shots. Just use the most stable and comfortable bridge for you and keep that cue as level as possible.
...onto the cue action...
Your back swing will be largely reduced on most rail shots which makes people feel they have to hit the shot harder. This is definitely not the case. Use your practice strokes to gauge how far back you can comfortably bridge the cue back without the tip touching the rail. Make them slow and have a purpose. Concentrate on cueing through the cue ball and when practicing really exaggerate the follow through to get a feeling of not stopping shortly after contact. Focus on bringing the cue back straight and the forward motion will be straight. I use my chest on these types of shots as a guide to cue straight. I focus on hitting my chest with the grip whilst keeping the elbow fixed and it really helps me cue through the ball straight.
Some players have an issue with not being able to see their tip at all during the shot because the bridge blocks it out and most of the cue ball at the same time. If you look at the OB last during normal shots then this shouldn't matter and you should continue to look at the OB last. If you are a CB last kind of guy then you may have to stand taller or make the head higher slightly. Just enough to see where you are hitting the cue ball.
I have also found that shifting my weight a lot more to the front and into the bridge on these shots really helps. I don't know why, but it does. When the cue ball is tight to the rail I would say 80% of my weight is towards my bridge hand.
My final chapter is on finding the centre of the cue ball when you can only see the top half. This was probably my biggest problem with these shots. I found that not focusing on the cue ball as I get down I automatically get down to centre ball. I then cue over the ball for a feather or two just as a double check as I'm getting down. The most important thing with these shots is to commit yourself 100% to it. Don't have doubts, make sure you cue through the ball not at the ball and keep the cue action slow and controlled.
It all starts with the bridge. Knowing what types of bridge works best for the shot at hand is a must...
- Cue ball glued to the rail -- Open bridge with just the finger tips resting on the rail keeps the cue as level as possible. You may have to raise the bridge very slightly as to not miscue, but its the bridge that will get it as level as possible and give you the most margin for error on the pot or shot.
- Cue ball a ball off the rail to a ball and a half off the rail -- again with the bridge above, use an open bridge but you can afford to get more of the fingers onto the rail instead of just the finger tips. This keeps it level if you need to play just above centre ball and roll a shot in. If you need to hit lower for draw or stun then you need to raise the open bridge. Don't raise it more than you need to to give you the biggest margin for error.
- Cue ball 4 - 8 inches off the rail -- this is probably the most common in match play and you can do anything you want with the cue ball (draw, stun, follow, swerve, side spin) with no real difficulties. I advise getting the cue resting on the table with a closed rail bridge. By this I mean rest the cue in the table, place the hand with the middle finger up against the cue and secure it in place by looping the index finger over the top and apply a little bit of squeeze with the fingers to keep the cue snug, but not tight. The thumb can either be tucked unger the hand and resting up against the side of the cue or as I like to do, pushed back and the tip of the thumb gripping the edge of the rail. This works especially well for power shots. This then rests the cue along the webbing between thumb and index. For this type of shot you want the back of your hand to be as close to the edge of the rail as possible so the fingers don't hook over the cushion too much...unless you have huge hands or small rails.
- Cue ball just far enough from the rail that you cant get your hand comfortably on the bed of the table -- same as above mostly. Same type of bridge but this time you can afford to move the bridge closer to the cushion and really hook the fingers over the cushion. You van even use a full closed bridge resting the finger tips on the bed, and the palm resting on the cushion with the thumb under the cue connected to the index finger. Again you can do anything you normally can with the cue ball, the pots are just as easy as normal and you can really let loose with the stroke.
There will be times when say, for a right handed player you are cueing down the rail to your left and bridging is awkward. For this you can use a full closed bridge, rest half the palm on the rail, other half off, have the pinky and ring finger testing along the cushion and the others on the bed. It looks awkward but its the most stable and effective way to bridge in situations when the rail gets in the way of getting your entire hand on the table. Other situations like having to bridge over a ball off the rail will crop up... These are tough tough shots. Just use the most stable and comfortable bridge for you and keep that cue as level as possible.
...onto the cue action...
Your back swing will be largely reduced on most rail shots which makes people feel they have to hit the shot harder. This is definitely not the case. Use your practice strokes to gauge how far back you can comfortably bridge the cue back without the tip touching the rail. Make them slow and have a purpose. Concentrate on cueing through the cue ball and when practicing really exaggerate the follow through to get a feeling of not stopping shortly after contact. Focus on bringing the cue back straight and the forward motion will be straight. I use my chest on these types of shots as a guide to cue straight. I focus on hitting my chest with the grip whilst keeping the elbow fixed and it really helps me cue through the ball straight.
Some players have an issue with not being able to see their tip at all during the shot because the bridge blocks it out and most of the cue ball at the same time. If you look at the OB last during normal shots then this shouldn't matter and you should continue to look at the OB last. If you are a CB last kind of guy then you may have to stand taller or make the head higher slightly. Just enough to see where you are hitting the cue ball.
I have also found that shifting my weight a lot more to the front and into the bridge on these shots really helps. I don't know why, but it does. When the cue ball is tight to the rail I would say 80% of my weight is towards my bridge hand.
My final chapter is on finding the centre of the cue ball when you can only see the top half. This was probably my biggest problem with these shots. I found that not focusing on the cue ball as I get down I automatically get down to centre ball. I then cue over the ball for a feather or two just as a double check as I'm getting down. The most important thing with these shots is to commit yourself 100% to it. Don't have doubts, make sure you cue through the ball not at the ball and keep the cue action slow and controlled.
