When the cut angle is around 30 degrees I feel like sometimes the CB comes off dead with little speed and sometimes it comes off flying. Y'all have any tips on how to ensure it does one or the other. This seems to happen a lot when the OB is near the long rail and you need to get the CB near the other long rail and sometimes it just comes off so slow
Speed control tips on certain cut angles
- Thread starter longhorns2
- Start date
Hit whitey low, it comes off the rail faster than hitting it high.
...when I want to keep the cue ball’s speed to a minimum....high outside english.
30 degree angle or pretty much "half-ball-hit", should be your comfort zone when under pressure.
Learn to speed up / slow down the cue ball by:
Hitting CB a hair lower/higher
Adjusting stroke speed to match desired CB travel
Personally,
I like to shoot stun shots in those particular situations. That way I can shoot with as much speed/force as I want and still not travel to-far....
Or
As PT added:
A little bit of bottom will almost always get you more distance.
Short answer: you’re not hitting the same spot on the cue ball each time.
Long answer: you’re over using top spin. Once the cue ball hits the rail, you’re perception of the angle is backwards. The top is killing the natural roll of the cue ball. If the OB is on the right side long rail, stand at it and look towards the opposite long rail. Take a cue ball and spin it by hand. Top takes it to the other rail, bottom causes it to stop. Another factor is speed. You’re probably just hitting a touch too soft at times.
I agree with the "stun".
Inside english will slow the cue ball down quickly after hitting the rail on a 30 degree cut and outside will help the cue ball go 2 or 3 rails around the table with little speed. Remember, you dont need to go into the short rail with a lot of speed to travel all the way back to the other short rail, all you need is lag speed coming off of the short rail with a rolling ball and no spin.
Everything you said is true but, I get the feeling from the type question the OP asked that he is way less than advanced and should probably learn to slow things down while staying on the vertical axis for now.
Again, your answer is a good answer. I just dont see someone asking that type question being able to use side spin with any type of consistency.
JMO
Rake
Dealing with acquired english
A half ball contact imparts acquired outside english to the cue ball. If the cue ball is struck with follow that turn will check the speed on the ball on rail contact. If the ball is hit with draw or stun, the angle created going to the rail, will mean the outside acquired turn will contact the rail at a running speed angle and speed up. If the object ball is very close to the rail, speed is even more important. On ALL contacts the cue ball initially goes along the tangent line or ~90°. The harder it is struck the longer it stays on the tangent line. When hit hard the tangent line direction may not be altered by spin off the first cushion, due to lack of time to gain traction due to the shot speed.
On a more subtle note the outside english normally acquired on contact can be countered by the cue ball have an equivalent amount of cancelling inside english. The result is a cue ball going into the rail without check or running english. If the angle needs to be altered to ahead of the tangent line, follow can be added to the cancelling english. Likewise, draw alters the angle in the opposite direction. Stun now tends to follow the tangent line and on a ball close to the rail simply rebound straight across table. The advantage of using enough inside to cancel acquired english rotational force is a consistent speed off the cushion, since no check or running side are present going into the rail. Except in extreme cases, draw and follow allow enough directional alterations for good positional play. Follow and draw shots take as close to geometric rebound angles as possible, off the rail contact. And, all shots use a consistent pace off the rail.
Hope this gives the OP the information he needs to better understand the situation.
A half ball contact imparts acquired outside english to the cue ball. If the cue ball is struck with follow that turn will check the speed on the ball on rail contact. If the ball is hit with draw or stun, the angle created going to the rail, will mean the outside acquired turn will contact the rail at a running speed angle and speed up. If the object ball is very close to the rail, speed is even more important. On ALL contacts the cue ball initially goes along the tangent line or ~90°. The harder it is struck the longer it stays on the tangent line. When hit hard the tangent line direction may not be altered by spin off the first cushion, due to lack of time to gain traction due to the shot speed.
On a more subtle note the outside english normally acquired on contact can be countered by the cue ball have an equivalent amount of cancelling inside english. The result is a cue ball going into the rail without check or running english. If the angle needs to be altered to ahead of the tangent line, follow can be added to the cancelling english. Likewise, draw alters the angle in the opposite direction. Stun now tends to follow the tangent line and on a ball close to the rail simply rebound straight across table. The advantage of using enough inside to cancel acquired english rotational force is a consistent speed off the cushion, since no check or running side are present going into the rail. Except in extreme cases, draw and follow allow enough directional alterations for good positional play. Follow and draw shots take as close to geometric rebound angles as possible, off the rail contact. And, all shots use a consistent pace off the rail.
Hope this gives the OP the information he needs to better understand the situation.
Hopefully, someone more qualified than myself can describe the theoretical transfer of energy and corresponding traveling distances associated with the major fraction ball hits.
We’re all just guessing here, Philo....we really need a pic or a diagram.
...sometimes you can move either ball an inch...
...and voila, you have a different shot to play.
What I mean, for example, is, in theory, with a half ball hit, 50% of the cueball's energy is transferred to the object ball and both balls travel the same distance after contact... or so I heard.
Of course, rails and pockets get in the way and throw a monkey wrench into things.
Last edited:
I think that's true for two different hits:
- 45 degrees with a stunned CB
- 30 degrees (half ball) with a rolling CB
I think the fuller half ball hit transfers more than half the CB's momentum to the OB, but the follow on the CB makes up for it.
Half ball is everywhere.
pj
chgo