Clearing a nearer ball to pot a farther ball

Saturated Fats

Saturated Fats

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've had this trouble for a long time now...

For some reason, I'm frequently unable to tell if there's enough room to shoot the CB past a nearer ball without touching it while trying to pot a ball that is farther away. I frequently hit the ball that is in the way with the CB. Can anyone suggest a method to improve my chances of determining when there's enough room and when there isn't?

Added the red text for clarity.
 
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Or jut look down the collision sides of the balls and make note of how much room you have. Make note also of how much pocket you have should you clear the obstructing ball. The most important part is developing the precision to successfully shoot these types of shots.
 
For a quick go/no go determination: from the OB side, place the tip of your cue on the cloth next to the center of the CB. Pivot the cue to line up with the intended path of the CB and visualize the width of the CB traveling along the line of your cue. A more precise way is to get your head down closer to the table surface, looking from the CB side, past the obstructing ball to see how much of the OB is exposed. Move your head side to side similar to how you would do with a cue. These methods can help tell if the shot can be made without hitting the obstructing ball.

If it can be made and you decide to attempt the shot, line up so that you are sure to miss the interfering ball and take another look to determine if you can still pocket the ball. Missing the interfering ball but hitting your OB is better than fouling.

A good exercise for this is to use the little white donuts (loose leaf page hole protectors) you can get from from office supply stores for marking the position of the CB, interfering ball and OB so that you can set up a repeatable test shot and work out your technique.
 
Saturated Fats said:
I've had this trouble for a long time now...

For some reason, I'm frequently unable to tell if there's enough room to shoot past a nearer ball without touching it while trying to pot a ball that is farther away. I frequently hit the ball that is in the way. Can anyone suggest a method to improve my chances of determining when there's enough room and when there isn't?
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Reset your eyes when you are down on the shot from what you see standing over the shot, stay relaxed.
This is automatic and should happen on every shot, stay relaxed.
Feather stroke the cue ball and lay off the big long bridge, shorten up a bit, deliver smooth, dont jerk or quick stroke.
Stay relaxed.
I recommend aim accuracy drills, I have many, shoot me a mesaage and I will send you a few, they're quick and easy.
Of course there could be a number of reasons why this is happening.
 
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I close my non-dominate eye and then look down the line to see if the cue ball will go by and make contact for the area to make the object ball.
Have used that same method to make extremely close cut shots as well, helps in catching the very outside of the cut angle .
I noticed Mike Segal using the above in a match where he squatted down to get to eye level behind the cue ball and shut one eye before he
took his shot and made it.
 
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There are a variety of methods, they are all dependent (in some way) on having an accurate model of ½ ball width in your head.

Most aiming is done by establishing where the center of the CB goes.
Missing interference is dependent on where the edge of the CB goes.
The edge of the CB is always ½ ball width away from the center.
 
I think the edge-to-edge sighting mentioned above is the best way to check for clearance, but like other pool skills it probably needs to be practiced. Start with a situation that clearly goes and gradually move the blocker closer to the line.

If it does look like it might not go, playing with a little swerve will give you some margin. Sometimes you don't even have to elevate -- just use sidespin and draw and shoot softly.
 
bbb said:
get behind the pocket
move your head to see the line from the ball you want to pot and see if the edge of the ball is obstructed by the edge of the ball thats closer to the pocket
Click to expand...
Please see the original question which I have modified with red text for clarity.
 
Saturated Fats said:
Please see the original question which I have modified with red text for clarity.
Click to expand...
re read my post but instead of standing behind the pocket stand behind the object ball
then you will see if there is clearance for the cue ball to hit the contact point
 
It's the pool God's. There are two, good and evil. The evil one shoots some gravitational pull voo-doo into the almost blocking ball. You go and shoot a perfect CB line to the OB and the evil gravity sucks the CB into a collision. Trust me on this, I know, it happens all the time. The Nuns at St. Nicholas School warned me this would happen.
 
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Chip Roberson said:
I close my non-dominate eye and then look down the line to see if the cue ball will go by and make contact for the area to make the object ball.
Have used that same method to make extremely close cut shots as well, helps in catching the very outside of the cut angle .
Click to expand...
I do this as well. I can see better from behind the cue ball than looking back from the object ball.
 
I get as close to at eye level to the table as I can. Put your dominate eye over the edge of the CB that could potentially hit the obstruction ball. Make sure the edge will clear, figure out the minimum clearance it needs then shoot to miss the obstruction. You obviously have to also hit the OB how you want, which might be a straight shot, rail first or throwing it off line with spin.

The edge of the CB is basically like a rear gun sight.
 
Here's a thought that popped into my head. I've occasionally worked it out the other way round: look down the line between the edges of the CB and blocker ball to see what's the maximum contact point I can get (either the thickest or thinnest possible cut, depending on which side is being blocked), and then try to sense where that cut would send the target OB (e.g., whether I can over-cut the shot). If you can hit more of the ball than you need, you can then aim your shot as normal, ignoring the blocker.

Somehow, in some situations that worked better for me.
 
squat down to eye level behind the cue ball with your non-dominate eye shut. Now at the center of the outside edge of the cue ball will it go by the ball in the way and can you still see the area you need to hit the object ball into the pocket? If you can see all that you can make the ball
 
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