English use question

[Fleece3]

OK,

Let's say you have a corner pocket shot that is about 5 degrees off being dead straight (5 degree cut angle). You apply a little low outside to the cue ball. Now, after you pocket the ball you are NOT planning on hitting a rail.

Here is the question. Is the MAIN reason for applying the english,

(a) to throw the object ball
(b) to "steer" the cue ball after contact?

 

[Hal]

Both answers could be correct in my opinion. I have a habit of "throwing" balls. So I would say throw, BUT sometimes you want to "slide" the cue ball over just a little. In that case, I would say steer.

 

[LastTwo]

Many people get in the habit of spinning balls in because they can't hit the exact middle of the cueball. Either their strokes are too crooked or they have a false perception of where the middle of the cueball is.

 

[drivermaker]

OK,

Let's say you have a corner pocket shot that is about 5 degrees off being dead straight (5 degree cut angle). You apply a little low outside to the cue ball. Now, after you pocket the ball you are NOT planning on hitting a rail.

Here is the question. Is the MAIN reason for applying the english,

(a) to throw the object ball
(b) to "steer" the cue ball after contact?

Carnak says...."You tell me...I can't read your mind today. Could be one...could be the other...or it could be both".

 

[Gerry]

I don't think it matters what english you use, as long as you make the ball, and you get the cueball where you want it to go...personally I like to spin the ever lovin sh*t outta the cueball, but thats just me.

 

[unknownpro]

OK,

Let's say you have a corner pocket shot that is about 5 degrees off being dead straight (5 degree cut angle). You apply a little low outside to the cue ball. Now, after you pocket the ball you are NOT planning on hitting a rail.

Here is the question. Is the MAIN reason for applying the english,

(a) to throw the object ball
(b) to "steer" the cue ball after contact?

The main reason is to keep the object ball from twisting and throwing long. A dead cueball with no english will throw the object ball more, sometimes causing it to skid badly. The outside english can eliminate that problem. Low english can also help prevent that.

unknownpro

 

[Colin Colenso]

OK,

Let's say you have a corner pocket shot that is about 5 degrees off being dead straight (5 degree cut angle). You apply a little low outside to the cue ball. Now, after you pocket the ball you are NOT planning on hitting a rail.

Here is the question. Is the MAIN reason for applying the english,

(a) to throw the object ball
(b) to "steer" the cue ball after contact?

I think (b) is a delusion that many players have.

Go set up the same angle and play 10 shots with outside, center and inside and you'll find, if you are pocketing the object ball in the same place, that it makes negligable difference to the CB position.

For (a), there are 2 good reasons. Firstly, as many people align to the contact point, they tend to hit thick, so OE turns the OB toward the pocket. Secondly, OE helps to prevent the effects of skid (kicks), from when chalk particles create larger friction at the contact point.

 

[Bob Jewett]

...
Go set up the same angle and play 10 shots with outside, center and inside and you'll find, if you are pocketing the object ball in the same place, that it makes negligable difference to the CB position....

I think this is not true for shorter shots. For a short enough shot, you can make both cue ball and object ball go to the same side of their initial line of centers. Or, if the shot is a little longer, you can stop the cue ball dead and make the object ball move a few degrees off-line.

I would agree that on long shots the side spin has less influence on the cue ball's path than most believe, and that they could get pretty much the same position with plain draw.