Combination shots

3andstop said:
Combinations are hard for all of us, but I can offer some advise on a little nuance that can easily be overlooked.

Lots of players like to use a touch of outside.english to throw shots into pockets. When shooting a combination shot, if you use that touch of english to throw the first ball into the contact point of the second ball, even with deadly accuracy, you will most likely miss the shot.

The reason is that you impart side spin to the first ball in addition to hitting it perfectly. That side spin transfers to the OB which in turn throws it covertly off line.

So my cardinal rule for combination shots is no side spin on the CB. Any exception to this must be well considered ahead of time.

More combination shots are missed by a mile because of this leaving the shooter scratching their heads. So be aware.
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What he said. I would also like to add that I have more success shooting them with draw. When I have an absolute must make combo I hit it with draw everytime. I also prefer to play position using speed as opposed up taking a perfect angle this seems to bring my percentages up some too.
 
PoolBum said:
Touch of inside.
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Don't know if you're serious or not, but actually, that's helped me a lot. The "dead Cue Ball" makes combos a little more reliable. My trick is to forget about the pocket when cueing the ball. Once you line everything up and see your contact point on the first ball, put the pocket completely out of your mind, or you'll make micro adjustments on the CB toward the pocket (it's from years of repetition that forces you to want to do that). Pocket speed is preferable, and hopefully you've calculated where you want both the CB and the first OB to end up, in line to continue the run.
 
Socopool79 said:
What's your technique?
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Center to center, 66% of the time, if its thin then edge to edge , using plane white ball. I try to keeps it simple, is say more but typing on a iPad is brutal.

I'm open for help advices etc

I shoot real straight center ball,that's not the problem, I can't seem to find the right line for the first ball I contact w the rock- I can see that's we're the problem is, so I think I'm note aiming or seeing something the rite way. My one pocket game goes up a full ball maybe two, if I can sort this out. I bank good for my speed by california standards not Chicago , they laugh at me there. Point is I'm looking at something's wrong to shoot combos poorly as I do

I shoot combos like a c to c- player, its that much lower than anything else in my game, break in rotation games is 2nd worse.

The in advance:smile:
 
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For me the invisible ball technique works the best. It's about the only time that I ever use that style of aiming but it's helped my combination & carom shots a lot.

BTW... (got to brag on this one). Made a shot Saturday night that was a perfect 2 ball combination played into a carom shot to win a game of 10 ball on my 1st shot after the break. I called the shot before hand and stunned the hell out of my opponent. "Now that's an ESPN shot of the tournament type shot", he told me. I guess it stoked him up because on his next break he ran the rack on me. Game on!!!:thumbup:
 
They do strange things to me. Even if a ball is right over the pocket, I still miss them, when I wouldn't miss the pocket once in one hundred attempts if it wasn't there.

Combos twist my melons.
 
I am not very good yet, not an A player yet, still been playing less than 2 years but this is what I do. I line up on the ball that will pocket the object ball with my cue, then I pivot the back of my cue over to the top center of cue ball. I leave the tip of my cue where the center of the cue ball needs to be, then I sight down my cue to the ball that the cue ball will hit. It seems to be the best way for combos that I have found if you understand my gibberish here, I may not be a shortstop but I do spend a lot of free time practicing on my table.:cool:
 
The way I've found to give me the best results is to not think about it. Every time I take my time, find the precise contact point(s) and then try and shoot the shot I over cut it and miss by a long way.

Now, I don't even think about it. I stand behind the first OB and pretend its the CB and find what line that needs to take. That process alone takes around 2 seconds then I just step to the CB and shoot the shot. I always use about a tip, maybe a tip and a half of inside on all combo shots. I don't know why, nor do I want to know but using inside on combo shots really helps me.

I still think the easiest way to make a combination shot is to avoid it in the first place.
 
I make a few difficult off angle combos and miss 4 times as many, what should be fairly easy ones.

I find that you really don't have to cut the ball into the second one that much. I find that I over cut the first ball way too much, so much at times that I even miss hitting the second ball.

So, I guess its a matter of studying the lay out of the 2 balls or setting up combo drills for yourself and practicing.

A difficult shot to be sure. When you think about it, you almost get the opportunity to do a combo shot in just about every game you find yourself in.
 
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Shaft said:
Any error is magnified with combo shots.
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Banks said:
If you're like just about every person I've watched.. stop overcutting the first ball.
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wontonny said:
People tend to overcut the ball. So, undercut it.
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Blue Hog ridr said:
I find that you really don't have to cut the ball into the second one that much.
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I'm beginning to see a pattern. Most of the other answers either involve not shooting them well, having some strange routine or sacrificing a goat.
 
Shane mentions a classic trick in his DVD, pick a spot in the rail past the combo and ignore the second ball. Just shoot the first ball to the spot on the rail. You may already hit banks this way so it shouldn't feel too unnatural.


Posted from Azbilliards.com App for Android
 
Banks said:
I'm beginning to see a pattern. Most of the other answers either involve not shooting them well, having some strange routine or sacrificing a goat.
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Aim (where and how to aim-remember OB weight is same) & focus plays 99.0% of making the combo shots. For combos you have to focus double 1st OB to target, and from 2nd OB to CB. This can be proven by practicing combos immediately after a good night sleep where your focus is flawless. The other 1 % is stroke. For all that have a problem with combo start with straight combos medium speed, though at times when we set a straight combo we think they are 100% straight but in reality they are not! ensure they are 100% straight by looking down at them, once mastered, change speed, and then change cut angles, then change OBs separation. Focus is the key, not only for combos but all cuts larger than 1/2 ball.

Added: Putting lots of draw on CB ensure 1st OB roles before it hits 2nd OB so to avoid skidding and throw, unless OBs are far away from each other.
 
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CreeDo said:
Shane mentions a classic trick in his DVD, pick a spot in the rail past the combo and ignore the second ball. Just shoot the first ball to the spot on the rail. You may already hit banks this way so it shouldn't feel too unnatural.


Posted from Azbilliards.com App for Android
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That's the method I use if the object balls are within a foot of the rails, otherwise.......I just sacrifice a goat!!! :thumbup:

Maniac (and STILL miss :o)
 
Hahaha, sacrificing a goat might be a little messy.

I think clicking your heels three times, hopping up and down on one leg and spinning around quickly and hitting the cue ball might work a little better.

Pretty much the way I was playing the entire night last night. Nothing else seemed like it was working.
 
bbb said:
when its not a straight combo
i use the second ball and pretend where do i need to shoot it to make the first ball
once i have my line of the second ball to the first ball to make it
i extend that line to the rail and find a diamond point to aim at
i then pretend im shooting the second ball to my "spot" on the rail
and shoot it
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CreeDo said:
Shane mentions a classic trick in his DVD, pick a spot in the rail past the combo and ignore the second ball. Just shoot the first ball to the spot on the rail. You may already hit banks this way so it shouldn't feel too unnatural.


Posted from Azbilliards.com App for Android
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why reference shane when you could have referenced me....:confused:
:rotflmao1:
(just kidding)
 
Socopool79 said:
Anybody have any specialized techniques for shootings combos?
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The best advice concerning combos is to try to avoid them like the plague, unless they are nearly straight and close to the pocket. They are much more difficult than they look.

If you have no choice, first aim the 1st OB to hit the 2nd OB where necessary to pocket the ball (using whatever aiming system you normally use), and then aim the CB to send the 1st OB where your just aimed (using whatever aiming system you normally use). For tough combos, I recommend applying the system in the following video twice:
NV D.9 - How to Aim Pool Shots - from Vol-II of the Billiard University instructional DVD series

Good luck,
Dave
 
I'm curious from the people that referenced using CTE or 90/90 - how? Maybe I missed something in my aiming system formative years... :)

If I'm lining up at centers, edges, shadows, etc., I'm doing so to create an offset on the shot where after pivoting I'm shooting the object ball in the pocket. I fail to understand how that can be utilized to shoot the ball on purpose in another direction in order to make another ball.

Could someone please elaborate? Maybe I'm just being dense... Weak part of my game, and weaker since I've been using CTE/Pro1/SEE since I'm so used to pivoting from those set spots, shooting a ball on purpose away from the pocket just feels foreign...

Scott
 
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