high inside three railer
Absolutely! And do you know why the high inside three railer is so important? Not only is it a standard and common shot, it has a special role to play and here it is:
Anytime a ball is near the side rail and the next ball in rotation is on the opposite end rail you will have a difficult transition. Most difficult shots in pool you can work around with good position, but shots down rails with your next ball up table is the one shot you can never work around. You have to face it. You will always have just a few options:
1. Low outside zig zag. This is usually best when the object ball is off the rail a ways so the stun angle gets you past the side pocket line and you can just use a twist of outside to get back up (notice this is one of the other 5 sidespin shots I mentioned... )
2. Get straight in and draw straight back. This can make sense if your next ball isn't all the way on the end rail and you only need to come back a little, say just past the side pocket line. Also if your lead ball is nearby the side to help you ensure you can get close with the proper angle.
3. High inside three railer. BOOM. Here is our hero. No table length draws. Just a nice rolling ball with a spinning cue ball to get the job done. This is a MUST anytime the object ball is near frozen and within 2 diamonds of the corner. But I have learned to love this shot (So does SVB). I use this liberally even when the object ball is a few ball widths off the rail or just above the third diamond. Depending on my approach angle I can often sink and spin and get to the end rail. I like this better than the 'back and forth' ziz zag shot people often use. I prefer to roll my ball over drawing it as roll is more consistent.
The key to this shot is to hit maximum side spin (you don't always need max spin for this shot but the Kinister shot you do) and to catch the right part of the pocket with the object ball with the right speed. In this case I believe you have to curve slightly coming in so you can approach it from a bit more of a full angle, use a speed that is slightly less than you'd think which allows the cue ball to follow through the tangent line just a hair (the object ball is close to the rail but maybe you can hit a centimetre lower), then let your massive spin speed the cue ball up and throw you into the second rail. It's definitely a feely shot.
(Note- on other variations of this shot where you are cutting the ball down the rail more thin than 45 degrees you are better off hitting the thin side of the pocket. When you are more than 45 degrees full is better so your rolling ball allows you to sink through the tangent line. Less than 45 degrees you glance off the ball so much that the roll doesn't do enough, so it's better to cut the ball super thin to alter the tangent line lower on the side rail.)
TIP: If you can't seem to get enough side spin ask yourself this? How often are you miscuing? Half of my students are 'non-spinners'. They use vertical axis or stick to the 'one tip of sidespin' rule. I don't know who invented that rule but it's not one I play by. You have to use maximum side for this shot. The ball should be spinning like a top. If you're not getting the results you want you should use more spin until you've miscued a few times. Most people don't know where the limit really is. (Also, don't use high inside. Just inside. Maybe a hair above center, but not much. Let the table get the cue ball rolling. By sticking closer to the equator line you can get further out on the ball. So using left spin you'd want 9:30 spin, not 10:30 spin. As long as the cue ball is fully rolling upon impact you're in business.) Now, if you're coming in 3-6" from the center of the table that might be the max on your table. Table conditions vary. I can't say without trying it myself. But it should be close!
Get this one down! It is a critical shot. This shot alone helped one of my bootcampers really boost his table runs. Just a must to have all three of the tools I mentioned above really mastered.
Your shot #1, (Bert #5), is the one I struggle with the most. I can’t quite make it to the center of the table. I’ve seen the pro’s hit this shot in a match and effortlessly go completely around the table. I’ll keep working on it. Thanks Tin Man.
Absolutely! And do you know why the high inside three railer is so important? Not only is it a standard and common shot, it has a special role to play and here it is:
Anytime a ball is near the side rail and the next ball in rotation is on the opposite end rail you will have a difficult transition. Most difficult shots in pool you can work around with good position, but shots down rails with your next ball up table is the one shot you can never work around. You have to face it. You will always have just a few options:
1. Low outside zig zag. This is usually best when the object ball is off the rail a ways so the stun angle gets you past the side pocket line and you can just use a twist of outside to get back up (notice this is one of the other 5 sidespin shots I mentioned... )
2. Get straight in and draw straight back. This can make sense if your next ball isn't all the way on the end rail and you only need to come back a little, say just past the side pocket line. Also if your lead ball is nearby the side to help you ensure you can get close with the proper angle.
3. High inside three railer. BOOM. Here is our hero. No table length draws. Just a nice rolling ball with a spinning cue ball to get the job done. This is a MUST anytime the object ball is near frozen and within 2 diamonds of the corner. But I have learned to love this shot (So does SVB). I use this liberally even when the object ball is a few ball widths off the rail or just above the third diamond. Depending on my approach angle I can often sink and spin and get to the end rail. I like this better than the 'back and forth' ziz zag shot people often use. I prefer to roll my ball over drawing it as roll is more consistent.
The key to this shot is to hit maximum side spin (you don't always need max spin for this shot but the Kinister shot you do) and to catch the right part of the pocket with the object ball with the right speed. In this case I believe you have to curve slightly coming in so you can approach it from a bit more of a full angle, use a speed that is slightly less than you'd think which allows the cue ball to follow through the tangent line just a hair (the object ball is close to the rail but maybe you can hit a centimetre lower), then let your massive spin speed the cue ball up and throw you into the second rail. It's definitely a feely shot.
(Note- on other variations of this shot where you are cutting the ball down the rail more thin than 45 degrees you are better off hitting the thin side of the pocket. When you are more than 45 degrees full is better so your rolling ball allows you to sink through the tangent line. Less than 45 degrees you glance off the ball so much that the roll doesn't do enough, so it's better to cut the ball super thin to alter the tangent line lower on the side rail.)
TIP: If you can't seem to get enough side spin ask yourself this? How often are you miscuing? Half of my students are 'non-spinners'. They use vertical axis or stick to the 'one tip of sidespin' rule. I don't know who invented that rule but it's not one I play by. You have to use maximum side for this shot. The ball should be spinning like a top. If you're not getting the results you want you should use more spin until you've miscued a few times. Most people don't know where the limit really is. (Also, don't use high inside. Just inside. Maybe a hair above center, but not much. Let the table get the cue ball rolling. By sticking closer to the equator line you can get further out on the ball. So using left spin you'd want 9:30 spin, not 10:30 spin. As long as the cue ball is fully rolling upon impact you're in business.) Now, if you're coming in 3-6" from the center of the table that might be the max on your table. Table conditions vary. I can't say without trying it myself. But it should be close!
Get this one down! It is a critical shot. This shot alone helped one of my bootcampers really boost his table runs. Just a must to have all three of the tools I mentioned above really mastered.
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