How Do You Play This Shot?

D

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ok, guys, how do you play this shot? how would you hit the cue ball to pocket the '1' and get position on the '2'?

i have been having problems with this shot for a long, long time. mostly i assume you hit it about 9:00, just play it with 1 to 1 1/2 tips of left english to simply come across the table. but when i do that its hard for me to control the deflection on the cue ball, and as a result i miss this shot more than i should.

it would be hard to hit low on this shot, especially with the '5' ball sitting where it is and the side pocket looming across the table.

would appreciate any feedback on how you maestro's out there would handle this.

thx,
DCP


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play it with high right (about 1:00) and come down on the opposite side of the 1 ball. This way you dont have to worry about squeezing between the 5 and 2, getting snookered by the 5 or scratching in the side pocket.

Once on the 2 ball it shouldnt be to hard to get on the five.

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I believe the proper thing to do is play the shot with high (thereby avoiving so much deflection) and play the short side of the second ball (thereby avoiding the scratch all together). Much easier to play it this way. No pro in their right mind would pass up this easy out IMO.

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DrCue'sProtege said:
ok, guys, how do you play this shot?
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DCP,
I'm no maestro, but I can assure you that the player that master's this position is a force to be reckoned with.

It all depends on the distance between the rail and the 1-ball. You should be able to play the shot with just draw, and bring the cue ball across table BETWEEN the 2-ball and the side pocket. The closer the 1-ball is to the rail, the more attractive this shot becomes, BUT you must use a lot more draw to kill the speed of the cue ball coming across the table after contact with the object ball. You must master the many degrees of draw necessary so that the cue ball still has draw after contact with the one, but also has the appropriate speed to come across the table for position. There are an INFINITE number of possibilities as the 1-ball is moved towards or away from the rail.

You also should be able to play more draw/left so that the cue ball comes toward the 5 ball. The further the 1-ball is away from the rail, the easier this becomes; but again the more you can do with draw (and the more you can avoid the use of the heavy left you describe), the better your pocketing percentage will be (but yes, you MUST be able to apply the heavy left if you need it; but only if there is no other way).

I have drills for this particular situation, if you are ever in Indy I'm sure I can subject you to them (they are horrifyingly revealing; and I have a great story about a famous pro showing them to me).

To summarize though, I would have to say that as long as the cue ball is a ball's width or more off the cushion, I like drawing back towards the 5, using AS LITTLE left English as possible. If you can't do it mostly with draw, then you will need some practice on the draw. Save the heavy English for shots where there is NO OTHER WAY to achieve position; and you will see your pocketing percentages increase.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
o
would appreciate any feedback on how you maestro's out there would handle this.

thx,
DCP


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I'd play it like this and scratch.

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Fred <~~~ or just go above it on the short side
 
Williebetmore said:
DCP,
I'm no maestro, but I can assure you that the player that master's this position is a force to be reckoned with.

It all depends on the distance between the rail and the 1-ball. You should be able to play the shot with just draw, and bring the cue ball across table BETWEEN the 2-ball and the side pocket. The closer the 1-ball is to the rail, the more attractive this shot becomes, BUT you must use a lot more draw to kill the speed of the cue ball coming across the table after contact with the object ball. You must master the many degrees of draw necessary so that the cue ball still has draw after contact with the one, but also has the appropriate speed to come across the table for position. There are an INFINITE number of possibilities as the 1-ball is moved towards or away from the rail.

You also should be able to play more draw/left so that the cue ball comes toward the 5 ball. The further the 1-ball is away from the rail, the easier this becomes; but again the more you can do with draw (and the more you can avoid the use of the heavy left you describe), the better your pocketing percentage will be (but yes, you MUST be able to apply the heavy left if you need it; but only if there is no other way).

I have drills for this particular situation, if you are ever in Indy I'm sure I can subject you to them (they are horrifyingly revealing; and I have a great story about a famous pro showing them to me).

To summarize though, I would have to say that as long as the cue ball is a ball's width or more off the cushion, I like drawing back towards the 5, using AS LITTLE left English as possible. If you can't do it mostly with draw, then you will need some practice on the draw. Save the heavy English for shots where there is NO OTHER WAY to achieve position; and you will see your pocketing percentages increase.
Click to expand...


Tap, tap, tap.

Flex
 
bit of inside english to come on the short side - play it 2 rails

DrCue'sProtege said:
ok, guys, how do you play this shot? how would you hit the cue ball to pocket the '1' and get position on the '2'?

i have been having problems with this shot for a long, long time. mostly i assume you hit it about 9:00, just play it with 1 to 1 1/2 tips of left english to simply come across the table. but when i do that its hard for me to control the deflection on the cue ball, and as a result i miss this shot more than i should.

it would be hard to hit low on this shot, especially with the '5' ball sitting where it is and the side pocket looming across the table.

would appreciate any feedback on how you maestro's out there would handle this.

thx,
DCP


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My .02

I don't like the draw because the 1 is too close to the rail. The best and
SAFEST way (thinking of a high pressure match) would be to use
11:10 (ten after 11) english on the cue, concentrate of just making the shot, and your cue would come on the short side of the 2 to shoot down corner. The cue ball will fade some causing it to be uptable from the 2 in getting shape. Plus the english recommended will be tolerant for sliding
the 1 in if you are a little off on the shot.

I think that the person that recommeded 1 o'clock english would end up disappointed when his cue ball runs too far leaving him more of an angle
on the 2 than he wanted.
 
TX Poolnut said:
I believe the proper thing to do is play the shot with high (thereby avoiving so much deflection) and play the short side of the second ball (thereby avoiding the scratch all together). Much easier to play it this way. No pro in their right mind would pass up this easy out IMO.
Click to expand...

I don't think playing the short side of the 2 ball is the best way to go here. It's too easy to lose position on the 2. Don't forget that after you make the 2, you'll probably need to get position on the 5 next.

Hitting the cue ball on center or with high, perhaps with a touch of left english, using medium speed should be sufficient to get the CB in good position and still avoid the scratch in the side. You want some angle on the 2, so that you can position the CB for the 5 next. :)
 
I neglected to mention using a high ball hit to come on the other side of the 2, but on the extremely tight 9 footers, even a pro doesn't have to make the resulting shot (on a bar table, it probably is the best shot). I think you should definitely have that shot in your arsenal as well, but try to master the 2 routes that allow the 2 to be made in the closest corner pocket. It's not that hard.
 
My first thought was to play it to the right side like IconOfSin and TxPoolNut. I would like to play it wider than they diagrammed. The green and blue lines show my first thought. It takes a lot of spin and a smooth long soft stroke. There is a chance for a scratch. By going more straight across the tasble, you are giving yourself a very small allowable error as to speed control.

After reading WillieBetMore's post I tend to agree, his way is much easier. There is also little chance of a scratch. You want to concentrate on getting past "C", without crossing the black line at "D".

Sometimes, closer to the next ball, is not always better.

Oops I forgot to paste it.

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Tracy
 
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The angle that you have makes it very difficult to apply left english to the cueball and control the speed to the area that you want (assuming you're playing between the 5 and the 2. For that kind of english to even remain on the ball once contact is made with the object ball and then the rail, it has to be hit with too much speed in this particular situation.

Playing to the short side with a touch of inside would be the best solution IMO.
 
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Icon of Sin said:
play it with high right (about 1:00) and come down on the opposite side of the 1 ball. This way you dont have to worry about squeezing between the 5 and 2, getting snookered by the 5 or scratching in the side pocket.

Once on the 2 ball it shouldnt be to hard to get on the five.

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Scary shot, I think that the speed you need to roll to that position, and the english you drew up, will probably result in a scratch.
 

CueTable Help




I think this should do it, the above example would work. But, speed control would be critical plus leaving a long shot on the 2 to the corner. This way you get a short shot to the near corner.

Black Cat :cool:
 
Louis Ulrich said:
The angle that you have makes it very difficult to apply left english to the cueball and control the speed to the area that you want (assuming you're playing between the 5 and the 2. For that kind of english to even remain on the ball once contact is made with the object ball and then the rail, it has to be hit with too much speed in this particular situation.

Playing to the short side with a touch of inside would be the best solution IMO.
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That is the way I would play it as well. I would rather risk missing the next shot than never getting a chance to shoot it.

D <~~ Takes advice from people who play for championships rather than people who doodle on the pool table.;)
 
As I see it, the only thing that matters here is that you pocket the 1-ball without scratching or you lose. Whether you finish on the short or the long won't matter if you don't pocket the ball. With that in mind, shoot the easiest shoot, just above center on the cueball with a little right. You need to hit only hard enough to make the one and you should come out fine with position on the 2 for the corner.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
ok, guys, how do you play this shot? how would you hit the cue ball to pocket the '1' and get position on the '2'?

i have been having problems with this shot for a long, long time. mostly i assume you hit it about 9:00, just play it with 1 to 1 1/2 tips of left english to simply come across the table. but when i do that its hard for me to control the deflection on the cue ball, and as a result i miss this shot more than i should.

it would be hard to hit low on this shot, especially with the '5' ball sitting where it is and the side pocket looming across the table.
Click to expand...
DCP: If you're having difficulty with this type of shot, I would first try simplifying the setup a bit so that you can apply the lessons learned to other similar situations. Remove the 5 from the table. Forget about the 2-ball for a moment and practice making the 1-ball so you can make it 9 out of 10 times or better using a center ball hit. (By the way, in your note above, you're applying too much english.) When you can do that, place the 2 ball back on the table. Now try making the 1-ball with a touch of high left. Now try making the 1 with high right to see what happens. Experiment with speed too. Repeat the above using draw and observe what happens. By doing this exercise, you'll learn what works best for you under different conditions.
 
PoolSharkAllen said:
DCP: If you're having difficulty with this type of shot, I would first try simplifying the setup a bit so that you can apply the lessons learned to other similar situations. Remove the 5 from the table. Forget about the 2-ball for a moment and practice making the 1-ball so you can make it 9 out of 10 times or better using a center ball hit. (By the way, in your note above, you're applying too much english.) When you can do that, place the 2 ball back on the table. Now try making the 1-ball with a touch of high left. Now try making the 1 with high right to see what happens. Experiment with speed too. Repeat the above using draw and observe what happens. By doing this exercise, you'll learn what works best for you under different conditions.
Click to expand...

Good advice!
 
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