Okay, I mentioned in another thread how there are only a handful of shots that can improve your game and figured I'd get into it a little more in a series of threads. The biggest mistakes I see C/B level players make are outlined in these shots. Typically, these are shots that are well within the realm of what the player is already capable of, they're just not aware of the minute details.
The first one I'll discuss today are short angled shots. These are shots that you make nearly 100% of the time. If you spend a portion of your practice time working out EXACTLY how the cueball reacts, you can keep your cueball in line and extend a significant portion of your run-out attempts.
Please note - The balls should NOT be set-up exactly the same every time. You want to develop a feel for speed and spin which means you should mix it up a little.
This first shot should already be in your arsenal but you want to have precision feel for it. You should never ever scratch and know exactly where your cueball will reach the rail. As you vary the location of the 9-ball, you should learn ways to avoid scratching in the side-pocket - when to play for the short-side, when to spin above the side, when to play with soft speed so you don't reach the side.
This shot is far less trickier than it looks. You will quickly realize the key to this shot is to not use very much english. A 1 o'clock hit should give you enough spin to create the necessary z-shape. The important thing here is having a feel for going across the width of the table twice.
This is one of my favorites and yet, I see it mishandled CONSTANTLY. Learn to do this shot only using side spin and gauge how much is necessary to safely avoid the side-pocket. You'll quickly realize how much room for error you have with speed as you enter the position zone from its widest point.
There are plenty of other short shots that you'll build into your game and you'll quickly realize their value (like the one below). However, many of these other shots won't be as sensitive as the three I outline.
The first one I'll discuss today are short angled shots. These are shots that you make nearly 100% of the time. If you spend a portion of your practice time working out EXACTLY how the cueball reacts, you can keep your cueball in line and extend a significant portion of your run-out attempts.
Please note - The balls should NOT be set-up exactly the same every time. You want to develop a feel for speed and spin which means you should mix it up a little.
This first shot should already be in your arsenal but you want to have precision feel for it. You should never ever scratch and know exactly where your cueball will reach the rail. As you vary the location of the 9-ball, you should learn ways to avoid scratching in the side-pocket - when to play for the short-side, when to spin above the side, when to play with soft speed so you don't reach the side.
This shot is far less trickier than it looks. You will quickly realize the key to this shot is to not use very much english. A 1 o'clock hit should give you enough spin to create the necessary z-shape. The important thing here is having a feel for going across the width of the table twice.
This is one of my favorites and yet, I see it mishandled CONSTANTLY. Learn to do this shot only using side spin and gauge how much is necessary to safely avoid the side-pocket. You'll quickly realize how much room for error you have with speed as you enter the position zone from its widest point.
There are plenty of other short shots that you'll build into your game and you'll quickly realize their value (like the one below). However, many of these other shots won't be as sensitive as the three I outline.
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