"Frozen to the Rail Cut Shots" HELP!!

C

Calgaryplayer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know when shooting the "frozen to the rail shots", NEVER hit the object ball first! But it is easier to say than done!

I often cannot find the correct aiming point (either I hit the OB or the rail where is too far from the OB first), so I miss these kinds of shots quite often during matches.

Could anybody here tell me:
1) How to Aim
2) provide good drills / exercises to practice these "frozen to the rail cut shots"??

Thanks a lot!!
 
Last edited:
dr9ball

dr9ball

"Lock Doctor"
Silver Member
If you use a fractional aiming system you can just add 1 number to your aim.

For example if you are using a 1/2 ball aim you can use a 1/4 ball aim when the object ball is frozen to the rail. You have to adjust your aim because of the curvature of the cue ball will make contact with the cushion if you don't.

When I was a teenager everyone told me to play these shots with indside. Since we didn't have LD shafts i think that if you didn't adjust for the deflection you would actually hit the ball thinner due to squirt.

If you use ghost ball, try hitting the shot a little thinner than you normally would.

I hope this helps.
 
S

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Calgaryplayer...All rail shots, in reality, are hit 'rail first', slightly, whether you play them with sidespin or not. Adjusting aim is a perceptual thing, and each player has to learn how to do their own adjustment, whether you use LD shafts or not. Try practicing rail shots, where the CB & OB are only a diamond apart, and the cut angle is 30 degrees or less.

A higher skilled drill is to freeze all the balls on the diamonds (every other diamond on the long rails; every diamond on the short rail); start with the CB on the foot or head spot, and try to run them off. The rules are: no misses, no banks or combos, and you can't TOUCH another ball with the CB (besides the ball you're shooting). The expert part of the drill is determining (out loud) what your three-ball pattern is, before standing down on each shot, and working your way through all 15 balls. Hope this helps!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Calgaryplayer said:
I know when shooting the "frozen to the rail shots", NEVER hit the object ball first! But it is easier to say than done!

I often cannot find the correct aiming point (either I hit the OB or the rail where is too far from the OB first), so I miss these kinds of shots quite often during matches.

Could anybody here tell me:
1) How to Aim
2) provide good drills / exercises to practice these "frozen to the rail cut shots"??

Thanks a lot!!
Click to expand...
 
pooltchr

pooltchr

Prof. Billiard Instructor
Silver Member
A simple progressive rail shot drill may help, as well as Scott's suggestion. Start with your object ball about 1 diamond from the corner, frozen to the rail. Set the cue ball to give you about a 30 degree cut shot, and maybe 10 inches from the object ball. This is a reletively easy shot, even when it's frozen to the rail. As you get more comfortable and can make the shot regularly, move the object ball further from the pocket. (it's still the same shot, no matter how far it is from the pocket)
Once you are comfortable being 3 or 4 diamonds from the pocket, begin increasing your distance the cue ball is from the object ball.
The overall goal is to start with short simple rail shots, and gradually increase the difficulty by increasing your distances. (That's the progressive part) Push your comfort level, but not too much. There's no point working on 6 foot shots, if you aren't connecting at 3 feet. The more you do this, the more comfortable you will become with them.
Good luck.

Steve
 
C

Calgaryplayer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks a lot for you guys' suggestions.
I am gonna to try them out!!

Any other suggestions / opinion are welcomed!!

:)
 
Last edited:
bud green

bud green

Dolley and Django
Silver Member
Jack Koehler has a whole section on shooting these kind of shots in his Science of Pocket Billiards book that might help you.
 
Ratta

Ratta

Hearing the balls.....
Silver Member
Hussa :O

"The experienced Masters" already shown up the important things^^

From my experience you shouldn t worry about these shots- sure we could tell you that almost every shot i just the same....."just executing your repeatable, straight stroke to the point you re aiming for..." (sounds so easy, grin^^) but the shot you re asking about is for sure one of the toughest-and be sure that most of the players would fear such shots especially *under pressure*. But if you re working a bit on them, you ll loose your fear..i m sure :)

so here are some drills just shown in pictures- sry for the sequence. The last diagram (the one with the full rack on the rail) is usualy the first *warm up drill* that me and my friends shot like crazy when we begun to play and train seriously. We usualy started with shooting the drill 3-4 times and went then to the other drills. It gives you just a bit more confidence to shoot with an *uncomfortable* bridge. After doing this drill you ll see that will be much more confident with any other shot where the cueball is frozen to rail.

Oops- *edit*lol- the drill with the *full*rack has to be played this way:
start with the front ball-and pocket the cueball into the cornerpocket(the position of the cb you wanna pocket is hard enough in the diagram!), after you pocket it into both corner-pockets-you ll go on with the 2 balls which are now in front of the rack and so on.

Diagram 1 and Diagram 2:
you have to shoot each shot 2 times successfully before going to the next position.

CueTable Help

 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Although I'm not an instructor, I'm thinking that the drill as shown may be a bit too tough to practace with. The cue-ball is on the rail. I would do this drill with the ball near the foot string or maybe a diamond off. Since the poster has issues making the ball right now, starting off with a tough shot may not be a good idea. Maybe once you can pocket the balls easily with the cue-ball off the rail, then go to shooting it as shown here.

Ratta said:
Hussa :O

"The experienced Masters" already shown up the important things^^

From my experience you shouldn t worry about these shots- sure we could tell you that almost every shot i just the same....."just executing your repeatable, straight stroke to the point you re aiming for..." (sounds so easy, grin^^) but the shot you re asking about is for sure one of the toughest-and be sure that most of the players would fear such shots especially *under pressure*. But if you re working a bit on them, you ll loose your fear..i m sure :)

so here are some drills just shown in pictures- sry for the sequence. The last diagram (the one with the full rack on the rail) is usualy the first *warm up drill* that me and my friends shot like crazy when we begun to play and train seriously. We usualy started with shooting the drill 3-4 times and went then to the other drills. It gives you just a bit more confidence to shoot with an *uncomfortable* bridge. After doing this drill you ll see that will be much more confident with any other shot where the cueball is frozen to rail.

Oops- *edit*lol- the drill with the *full*rack has to be played this way:
start with the front ball-and pocket the cueball into the cornerpocket(the position of the cb you wanna pocket is hard enough in the diagram!), after you pocket it into both corner-pockets-you ll go on with the 2 balls which are now in front of the rack and so on.

Diagram 1 and Diagram 2:
you have to shoot each shot 2 times successfully before going to the next position.

CueTable Help

Click to expand...
 
Ratta

Ratta

Hearing the balls.....
Silver Member
hang-the-9 said:
Although I'm not an instructor, I'm thinking that the drill as shown may be a bit too tough to practace with. The cue-ball is on the rail. I would do this drill with the ball near the foot string or maybe a diamond off. Since the poster has issues making the ball right now, starting off with a tough shot may not be a good idea. Maybe once you can pocket the balls easily with the cue-ball off the rail, then go to shooting it as shown here.
Click to expand...

Oops,

you re absolutley right- i was too fast -_-
For sure you can place the cueball then just off the rail to place your hand comfortable- i just read too fast/wrong. Sorry if i confused you Calgary :)

thx for wink bro^^

lg
Ingo
 
C

Calgaryplayer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ratta said:
Oops,

you re absolutley right- i was too fast -_-
For sure you can place the cueball then just off the rail to place your hand comfortable- i just read too fast/wrong. Sorry if i confused you Calgary :)

thx for wink bro^^

lg
Ingo
Click to expand...

no.........thanks for your drill!! I can make up the new version of your drill that is easier to me to practice. :)
 
T

TheBook

Ret Professional Goof Off
Silver Member
I think some of the problems with shooting at a ball frozen to a rail is that the rail does not touch the OB on the horizontal center line and this causes confusion in the mind. Try to block out the rail and aim to make the ball in the pocket as if there is no rail.

The other is when cutting a ball the OB will naturally move forward a little before it goes in the intended direction. This will naturally make the OB bounce a little off the rail. Therefore you have to either undercut it or apply the proper english to compensate.
 
V

vicdotcom

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Calgaryplayer said:
I often cannot find the correct aiming point (either I hit the OB or the rail where is too far from the OB first), so I miss these kinds of shots quite often during matches.

Could anybody here tell me:
1) How to Aim
2) provide good drills / exercises to practice these "frozen to the rail cut shots"??

Thanks a lot!!
Click to expand...

One way to practice the correct aiming point is to freeze two balls together on the rail. Place the CB where you want and get down into your stance. Aim down towards one of the frozen ball. Then have someone move it off the table. You should still see that spot where the frozen ball was in your minds eye. Now place your CB right at that spot with a little inside spin to help it out.
 
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Mr. Wiggles

Mr. Wiggles

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Rail shots frozen

I always use some running english(object ball cutting left, left english) for frozen balls on rail. And Bud Green is so right. Jack Kohlers Science of Pocket Billiards is the greatest book ever written. I even have a hardback version. If you only buy one book ever in life, buy this one. It even has some 3 cushion billiards in it, which I need to go over since I have tried to dabble into that great game. My high run is only 3 but I have done it numerous times, just can't get to 4. Awesome game, no fouls, no penalties, no selling out, you really are playing the table.
 
greyghost

greyghost

Coast to Coast
Silver Member
besides all the good info already put up.....

dont forget to NOT LET THE SHOT MAKE YOU ITS BIT*H........


Its no differient than any other cut shot.....you just have to hit it correctly for it to go.

Pratice it till its your bit*h........

don't ever let situations and shots scare you......this will greatly benefit you once you have a solid preshot routine as you will also find confidence in your technique.

-Grey Ghost-
 
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