Tips for this shot.

JazzyJeff87

AzB Plutonium Member
Silver Member
As a game ball, I’ve been playing this with outside spin all my life.

View attachment 538990

In t his case, low left, just hard enough to park whitey on the end rail.....
...in case I rattle it

Low outside for me as well, I call it “flicking it in” and that mental thought helps me out. One of my favorite shots to shoot actually, as long as I can use the low outside. No English and inside I’ve had to practice to get consistent
 

Tennesseejoe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This is what helps me on difficult shots....every time a walk by my table, I shoot the shot once. It makes me concentrate.
 

Sunchaser

Belgian Malinois
Silver Member
But how do you miss it? Are you catching the side rail early, or the end rail...or both?

I'd think you have an aiming error; what you think is going to happen is different that what actually happens.

For me, it is usually a cling issue, forcing the on to the side rail early...so I will aim that one at the end rail's pocket facing.
This is your answer. Do not aim that to hit the center of the pocket! Aim it just like he said above...the pocket facing of the short rail. If you do that it goes in. If you hit it slightly thick it still goes. If you aim for the back of the pocket the long rail is in the way.
 

BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
I seem to always hit this shot with top, about a tip high, unless I need to hold the cb or put it somewhere specific.
 

Scratch85

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
First of all, it’s not an easy shot. It’s kind of like a tee box in golf that isn’t in line with the fairway. Your brain wants to hit it in the back of the pocket but the line to the back of the pocket will miss. And the pocket is very small from that angle.

I think I’ve read all the posts, so I hope this isn’t a repeat. I hit this shot firm (not hard), regardless of the English I plan to use. Firm gets the ball skidding down the intended target line before throw or push can take over. Hopefully, roll will take over and your slightly off center hit won’t make you miss.

IMO, slow rollers are hard due to the push. If you have to slow roll, it seems to work better with high right.

JMO, YMMV.


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
 

u12armresl

One Pocket back cutter
Silver Member
Are you saying you make this 70% of the time?

I have been struggling with this shot lately. Just can't seem to make it consistently. Anybody got any tips? Hit it firm, or pocket speed? Touch of inside? Seems like I have tried it every way, and other that just shooting it another thousand times, I would appreciate any tips or words of wisdom. Do you have a particular aim point? I know it is not a half ball hit. Just seems I rattle this shot out about 30% of the time...cost me a match last night.

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book collector

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I used to have trouble with this shot , I started getting better results with a tip of high english, plus , we are taught to aim at the middle of the pocket all our lives, but this shot won't go on tight equipment when hit with much speed at all , because you have to aim at the facing of the pocket not the center, if you aim at the pocket, you hit the rail and rattle the ball
 

TATE

AzB Gold Mensch
Silver Member
Here's your video Jokrswylde. Slightly low center, visualizing the object ball connected to the pocket, aim carefully and shoot. It's a difficult shot. On my 4" corners it requires a nearly perfect shot.

https://youtu.be/ORXE-zsasJw
 
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Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
Firm gets the ball skidding down the intended target line before throw or push can take over.
A technical nitpick:

Hitting firmly does reduce throw, but not by delaying it - however much throw there will be happens at the instant of contact. A firm hit just reduces friction between the balls so that instantaneous throw is less.

pj
chgo
 

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I missed this shotregularly,not rattlingit,flat out missed it
oi often hit the rail on this side of the side pocket

one day i set it up and kept shooting it for about 5 minutes until i started making it

after shooting it in a few times in a row,it got to be a routine easy shot


Of course I have 5 inch pockets,but I was missingit by so far that 8 inch pockets would not havehelped

just keep hitting it till it becomes automatic is my advice,it worked for me
 

8cree

Reverse Engineer
Silver Member
So 70% shot making isn't considered consistent? What percentage would you consider "consistent"?
 

Pangit

Banned
I have been struggling with this shot lately. Just can't seem to make it consistently. Anybody got any tips? Hit it firm, or pocket speed? Touch of inside? Seems like I have tried it every way, and other that just shooting it another thousand times, I would appreciate any tips or words of wisdom. Do you have a particular aim point? I know it is not a half ball hit. Just seems I rattle this shot out about 30% of the time...cost me a match last night.

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jokrswylde

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do people really aim at the back of the pocket? It always seemed natural to me to aim for the center of the pocket opening (the front of the pocket).

pj
chgo

I typically draw a straight line between the points (nipples) of the pocket and aim for the midpoint of that line...

Here's your video Jokrswylde. Slightly low center, visualizing the object ball connected to the pocket, aim carefully and shoot. It's a difficult shot. On my 4" corners it requires a nearly perfect shot.

Thanks for taking the time to do this. The original shot had a slight bit more angle, but that's pretty dang close.

https://youtu.be/ORXE-zsasJw

we are taught to aim at the middle of the pocket all our lives, but this shot won't go on tight equipment when hit with much speed at all , because you have to aim at the facing of the pocket not the center, if you aim at the pocket, you hit the rail and rattle the ball

This mistake in aiming along with not having a solid "sight picture" is what makes this tough for me.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions. Discussions like this really show the power and benefit of a site like AZB.

Anyway, I practiced this shot for about 2 hours last night, and have realized a couple of things:

- I don't feel AS bad about dogging it Monday night...this is a really tricky shot for me that might only come up every so often, so it seems to fly under the radar of my regular practice routine.

-- I am a very visual person, and I don't (yet) have a good "sight picture" for this shot. I don't know if "sight picture" is the right terminology, but with most shots I can see the angles and know where to aim CCB...I think the rail prevents me from seeing this.

- setting up donuts on the table and reproducing the exact shot I was able to get to where I was making it 7-8 out of 10 times with different amounts of english. (Firm hit is the ticket for me)... The problem is move either ball the slightest bit and I revert back to having no "feel" for the shot.

- Very hard to make myself aim for the short rail facing, but it really did cut out almost all of the rattling out. A slower roll seemed to be helped by a half tip of inside

Thanks again, everyone...this is a nasty shot, but I am determined to turn it in to as close to "automatic" as possible. Would love to hear more little tricks that help with this shot.:smile:
 

Icon of Sin

I can't fold, I need gold. I re-up and reload...
Silver Member
I have been struggling with this shot lately. Just can't seem to make it consistently. Anybody got any tips? Hit it firm, or pocket speed? Touch of inside? Seems like I have tried it every way, and other that just shooting it another thousand times, I would appreciate any tips or words of wisdom. Do you have a particular aim point? I know it is not a half ball hit. Just seems I rattle this shot out about 30% of the time...cost me a match last night.

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How hard you hit it and where on the cueball should be dictated by the position you need to get on the next ball or not scratch.

There is no real secret to making it other then just shooting it over and over again until it's not a weakness, but a strength. Same goes for every shot in pool really.
 

Pete

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If your stroke is accurate, then humor me and just try to visualize the object ball path, and in your mind, connect the cue ball to it, then shoot. You might come back with some new ideas. In other words, when aiming, focus your mind on how the object ball will react to your aim, not just the cue ball contact point. If you can't make this shot with center ball at medium speed, nothing else is going to help. I might post a video later. I just got some new Aramith Tournament balls and can't wait to show them off.

I would listen to TATE. The man can straight up shoot. Or keep missing balls. Just my thoughts...
 

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
The only way I would shoot this, is with a 12 o'clock High rolling cue ball. You aim down the rail past the side pocket as your target. Once you pass the side, you've made your shot. This shot is most likely to be undercut.
 
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Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
While I totally agree with all those who advised to start with a straighter shot and progressively move the cue ball farther out from the rail, IMHO I believe that "there is more than one way to skin a cat".

Me...I practice this shot a lot too. It's the first shot I start practicing when I get to league night early. It, or a slight variation of it, comes up in a match more often than we like. Only difference is when I practice it, I first start shooting with the cue ball about three to four inches FURTHER away from the rail than in the OP's diagram.

After shooting a series of shots with the cue ball farther out, moving the cue ball back in towards the rail almost makes the OP's shot look like a "hanger".

FWIW, I shoot this shot fairly well and it does not bother me at all to have to attempt it.

YMMV

Maniac
 

eastcoast_chris

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do people really aim at the back of the pocket? It always seemed natural to me to aim for the center of the pocket opening (the front of the pocket).

pj
chgo

I would say, Yes, they do aim at the back of the pocket.

Where I see this most often is weaker player shooting at the side pocket from 45+ degrees, they catch the near point so often because they are aiming at the pocket and not the pocket opening (if that makes sense)

Similar for people who often play on loose equipment that try playing on 4.5" corner pockets. They aim at the rail/pocket intersection, instead of the opening. They get away with it every time on 5" pockets, but not of tighter ones.
 
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