what are your least favorite positional shots that ALWAYS come up in game?

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Derek7646

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I want to compile a list of some common missed shots (mine and yours) and focus a few practice sessions on mastering these shots. These should be real game shots, not trick shots. Below are two of my least favorite shots.

The first image is a long shot that requires you to get position back in the center of the table with top right. Something about this angle and it being a long shot that requires a stroke more than power.

The second is the classic 2-3 rail up and down position shot.
-Something about this shot makes me miss it way more than i should. The looming side pocket scratch, missing the shot all together or just hitting the ball you're trying to get position on or coming up short. I feel that i make the ball 90% of the time until there's a ball that i have to go two rails up and down for position on, then that % drops down to 10.

What are some shots that you come up to the table and just go "ugh".
 

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Bowmer

Bowmer

"Shooter"
Silver Member
Mine is same as your first PDF (the short shot) maybe a little sharper cut. On fast cloth its sometimes a little tough to keep it out of side pocket
 
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Derek7646

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yeah, i can never accurately portray the shot i am referring to with that app. The cut is thinner than that to the point you have to reaaaaally slow roll it with a touch of right english and pray that you got the right angle, made the ball and didn't scratch
 
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ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Derek7646 said:
I want to compile a list of some common missed shots (mine and yours) and focus a few practice sessions on mastering these shots. These should be real game shots, not trick shots. Below are two of my least favorite shots.

The first image is a long shot that requires you to get position back in the center of the table with top right. Something about this angle and it being a long shot that requires a stroke more than power.

The second is the classic 2-3 rail up and down position shot.
-Something about this shot makes me miss it way more than i should. The looming side pocket scratch, missing the shot all together or just hitting the ball you're trying to get position on or coming up short. I feel that i make the ball 90% of the time until there's a ball that i have to go two rails up and down for position on, then that % drops down to 10.

What are some shots that you come up to the table and just go "ugh".
Click to expand...
How about when the OB is frozen on the side rail, you have maybe a 20% angle and the CB is 4+ feet away from the OB, and you have to draw the CB back up the table for shape on the next ball. My preference is high inside and spinning it around 3 rails, but sometimes other balls are in the way and/or you're afraid of scratching in the corner.

Personally, I generally avoid playing this shot with low outside, as it often will the pull the OB off the rail just enough to rattle and miss it. For me, just straight 6 o-clock draw is what I would attempt, but the opposite side pocket is always in danger of coming in to play if you don't hit it real good. For those reasons, I try to avoid leaving myself this shot, or I may even consider either cinching the ball and then playing a safe on the next ball, or playing a safe on that shot, if I see one available.
 
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Derek7646

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'd have to see where exactly on the table you are talking, but yeah, if the object ball is at least 2 diamonds away from the side pocket, i would go high right to come three rails. If it was near the side pocket, i would likely draw it/use less as needed.

That shot is definitely no fun.
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Anything close to the pocket can be tough since you can make it so easily but can send the cueball to the total opposite side of the table if you hit the ball even a bit off from where you are trying to hit it. A really embarrassing miss for me is a ball just inches from the hole that is 3/4 or more table lengths away that I manage to miss. Usually due to being lazy and not looking at the exact position of the ball but also from thinking about position more than making the shot.
 
pt109

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
When whitey is close to the rail and I have to put inside english on it..
...that's hard on my head.
 
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Derek7646

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yeah, the long straight in is tough, especially trying to slow roll it. I find myself leaning towards a stop shot or follow rather than slow roll a full table straight in shot, as i don't trust the tables enough to gamble on that. I do find like you guys that a lot of "easy" shots that are difficult position for the next ball can be tough as we don't focus on making the easy duck. We tend to focus on the spin necessary to get the cue ball where we want it, which is why i think i miss that shot i mentioned in my initial post. Not really difficult, but can be hard when you gotta stroke it right.
 
Black-Balled

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
2 rails...into and out of a corner.

Come long/ come short...getting a handle on that is of significant importance.
 
jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
Any medium to long shot where you need to follow using inside english off the rail to get shape for the next shot. It's never as easy as it looks to control that shot. I see top players get out of line on these same shots quite often.
 
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Derek7646

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Oh good, so its not just me. Not only do i have trouble holding the cue, but the speed you have to hit those shots with inside seems to throw me for a loop. You almost have to slow roll with a slight follow stroke with a touch of right (depending on where exactly you are trying to get the cue ball).

What do you mean, black balled? A shot similar to the one i mentioned or a different 2 railer?
 
Runner

Runner

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This

I've had this one come up often enough to hate it.. I know how to
shoot the shot, but you never know.. long straight ins corner to corner
also suck.
 

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Derek7646

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yeah, that shot sucks just because you have to force everything about it. Usually requires a bit of pocket cheating and a power stroke, which can lead to rattling the 8. Then, you have the chance of scratching in the bottom/top corner pocket, depending on whether you use top left or bottom right.
 
justadub

justadub

Rattling corners nightly
Silver Member
I can't explain it, but for some reason cut shots across the end rails give me fits, yet the same (or even more extreme) cut shots down the side rails don't bother me in the same way. It's bizarre.
 
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MitchAlsup

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Runner said:
I've had this one come up often enough to hate it.. I know how to
shoot the shot, but you never know.. long straight ins corner to corner
also suck.
Click to expand...

The shot is called "After Massé".
You jam the 8 ball in the corner with the CB rotating towards the left.
After the CB touches the 8-ball is travels down table for the 9.
 
grindz

grindz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Speed sensitive shots with the CB crossing the positional shot line....
Kind of always make me think al little....

Td
 
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Derek7646

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
MitchAlsup said:
The shot is called "After Massé".
You jam the 8 ball in the corner with the CB rotating towards the left.
After the CB touches the 8-ball is travels down table for the 9.
Click to expand...

Yeah we call that a masse jump in my neck of the woods. The spin doesn't take effect until after the cue ball strikes the object ball. I use this for close on the rail draw shots as well, but its never my first choice.

As for crossing the positional line, yeah those can be tricky. I usually try to go with the 2-3 rail option to come up on the target line better so that i worry less about position and focus more on making the shot.
 
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