CB On Rail & Twisting

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DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I seem to have trouble shooting these shots where the CB is on the rail, as in this diagram. I had this shot last night and the results were typical. Seems like i will twist, masse, curve, whatever you want to call it, the CB when i shoot this shot.

Is it because i am hitting at a downward angle on the CB? And if so, how do i correctly play this shot? Or are there other reasons?

Mike


CueTable Help

 
You correctly play the shot by stroking straight and hitting the vertical axis of the CB. So, there's no secret short cut other than shoot it 100000x.
 
Like on almost ANY shot-

CUE-AS-LEVEL-AS-POSSIBLE, otherwise the cueball will squirt, curve etc.
and you ll never hit the point you re aming for.
 
Its simple.
If your CB is curving then your butt is elevated. Don't do that!! No need on this shot. the line is perfect for shape with decent speed control.
 
Besides what the other posters stated, when I have a shot like this I choke up a bit on my cue to shorten my stroke. I have found that I am more accurate by doing this on these shots.
 
Tony_in_MD said:
Besides what the other posters stated, when I have a shot like this I choke up a bit on my cue to shorten my stroke. I have found that I am more accurate by doing this on these shots.
Click to expand...

sometimes for me i grip the cue further up to give more touch and control on this depends on how im feeling atm, but i do definitely shorten up my backswing quite often.

-grey ghost-
 
According to The Science of Pocket Billiards, that is a relatively difficult shot. Shooting into the side pocket at that angle I would recommend using just enough speed to get to the pocket or up to 6 inches beyond if the pocket wasn't there. If you hit any harder for shape purposes, there is a greater likelihood of the ball getting rejected.:frown:
 
Needo said:
According to The Science of Pocket Billiards, that is a relatively difficult shot. Shooting into the side pocket at that angle I would recommend using just enough speed to get to the pocket or up to 6 inches beyond if the pocket wasn't there. If you hit any harder for shape purposes, there is a greater likelihood of the ball getting rejected.:frown:
Click to expand...

Aint that the truth. I really believe this is an easier shot down into the corner pocket. but the corner pocket was blocked so i didnt have much choice but to go for the side.

Either way, into the side or corner, this is an extremely difficult shot - at least for me it is. and i agree with the other posters, i think choking up would help on this shot.

Mike
 
The shot as diagramed is really simple. No need for any sidespin, so you can easily hit the cb without jacking up the butt of the cue. It's just a 30 degree cut into the side pocket, and if played with the correct speed (don't kill the ball) you will naturally be set up for the 3 ball.

As other's have already pointed out, whatever problems the OP is having with this shot are probably due to too much cue elevation.

Steve
 
Steve...OR, as I have seen Mike do in the past, on open hand rail bridge shots, he grips the cue too tightly, and the cue comes up in the air (or the elbow drops). If I had to guess, I'd bet this is still happening. That can be responsible for missing all kinds of shots...including this one.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

pooltchr said:
As other's have already pointed out, whatever problems the OP is having with this shot are probably due to too much cue elevation.

Steve
Click to expand...
 
To summarize what previous posters (here and other threads) have said:

Open rail bridge. Gives plenty of room to stroke and allows for a level cue.

Level cue. Eliminates unnecessary errors.

Choke up. Promotes downward tip movement at contact and through the follow through to help prevent miscues.

Relaxed grip. Eliminates unnecessary errors.
 
Mark Avlon said:
To summarize what previous posters (here and other threads) have said:

Open rail bridge. Gives plenty of room to stroke and allows for a level cue.

Level cue. Eliminates unnecessary errors.

Choke up. Promotes downward tip movement at contact and through the follow through to help prevent miscues.

Relaxed grip. Eliminates unnecessary errors.
Click to expand...

Good summary. I'd add Spidey's suggestion about staying on the center vertical axis too. :)
 
Good point. With the cue ball on the rail, staying on the vertical center is almost mandatory.

Steve
 
I should have included staying on center in the summary. It's good advice, but I wouldn't go as far as to say staying on the center is mandatory.

It's not difficult to apply left or right with the cue ball on the rail. There is a swerve or masse' effect that creates an additional complication to the shot. When when accuracy is essential, stay on center. When there is forgiveness on the shot, it just might come in handy.
 
True, Mark. But if the OP found the original shot to be difficult enough to start a thread about it, I think encouraging a vertical center hit on the cue ball to be almost mandatory.
And as I pointed out...on this shot, nothing other than a vertical center hit is necessary. Side spin would do nothing to improve shape on the next shot, which is the primary reason for using it anyway.

Steve
 
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