how would ya hit it?

[The_JV]

not disagreeing..I'm not smart enough to but am curious..bob j. said something in another thread about kicking
something like running english is what the cb wants to do anyway, so account for the spin and let it rock (and roll)
I'm not hip to all the physics effects, but in my mind there is a way(s) to hit a given shot that just looks/feels "right"
sure one must account for putting the ball in the hole, and cb position after- but that makes the shot easier in a way
cuts down on the number of ways the shot can reasonably/actually be hit, then the "right" way reveals itself, sort of
hitting the cb somehow that encourages the ob to move a certain way tests accuracy, but can help make the shot

and I wonder about "microskids/kicks"..what do the balls looks like when contacting each other in slow motion?
in a game of literal millimeters, hitting with "gearing" is instinctive to me, but no doubt there's got to be a tradeoff
and also ways to mitigate risk? in this case, only going as far outside on the cb as needed..which is maybe flat.
again what keeps me coming back to this mad game..finding the art in the science and the science in the art
"is it worth it?" is a fair question to ask, and of course everybody's different, got different skills and inclinations
there sure are many answers. appreciate the opportunity to game game with all you fine folks..cheers

I was told a long time ago that if I wanted to cut down on my errors I needed to stop playing so many trick shots. A "trick shot" is any shot wherein you play english on the CB to prevent it from following the path it normally would. This advice has served me very well, and if all other things being equal, I stick to it.

I understand why some (most?) would play this shot in question firmly and with a small amount of outside/draw. I think I said earlier, if I was using new equipment I'd consider doing the same. However, if I don't have the feel of the table sorted out yet. I'm rolling this for sure.

 

[ShootingArts]

We talk all kinds of science on these forums. However, when it comes down to the nut cutting on the table with heavy money or a nice piece of chrome on the line I drop back to "PIITH". When I am shooting at a money ball that might throw, I do everything in my power to make sure it does throw and allow compensation for that.

I am probably allowing 20-25% for aiming error on the short side and 75-80% for combined aiming error and mechanical factors on the other side.

I happened to be close by when a young reporter was interviewing a winning race car driver. The reporter gave a brilliant breakdown of how the driver handled the last lap with the track getting a little oily, the tires worn out, and another car hot on his back bumper that he had to keep from getting underneath him. When he got through the old driver told the youngster, "that is exactly right kid!" Then I heard the driver's mutter after the reporter was out of earshot, "I just drove the f--king car." He couldn't have driven a go cart around a shopping center parking lot thinking about all the things the cub reporter was talking about.

When running balls things are much the same. A reporter or railbird might remember how perfectly you played the shot, you just remember focusing on getting the ball in the hole and getting on the next shot. That works for me anyhow. Then when some kid tells me how brilliantly I allowed for this and that I nod my head and tell them with a little experience they will do the same. Truth is that all of the details are lost in the fog of war in my mind.

Hu

 

[BlueRaider]

If hitting that shot with low left is the right way to hit it, then why is hitting it with low center the wrong way? Is it solely because of the risk of a skid and the outside helps prevent that?

Other than that, aiming is aiming. There's nothing inherently more difficult about aiming the shot with no spin than there is to aim it with spin (again, taking the risk of a skid out of the equation). Either way, you're adjusting for something, whether it's spin-induced throw or cut-induced throw.

So I played around with hitting most shots, including straight-ins, with a small (and I mean very small) amount of spin today. I've played around with it off and on for years but became a devoted "center ball unless otherwise necessary" player years ago. But, I have to admit there's merit to hitting most/all shots with a very small amount of spin after today.

I think the value comes not necessarily from the gearing english to reduce skids (although that's certainly a factor on cuts), but from the confidence it gives you in knowing where you are hitting the cue ball.

Center ball is obvious sometimes, and sometime it isn't as obvious. I've found that I have a "pitch count" of balls I can hit until it starts looking a little more nebulous on the cue ball. After an hour or two, especially when practicing and hitting a lot of balls, it's hard to tell if I'm perfectly aligned with center ball.

Subconsciously, I think that getting down on a shot and not seeing that you are obviously, unmistakably going to hit center ball can mess with you a bit. And on the flip side, getting down on a shot and knowing you're gonna hit it with a very small amount of spin, which takes away the pressure of finding/hitting center ball, can make your stroke a little more true. You're less likely to fear steer or tighten your grip or whatever bad habit you have that creeps into your game when you don't feel great about a shot.

I'm going to play around with it more. I know that certain pros have said that putting a small amount of spin on EVERY shot is the "right" way to play pool.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

I know that certain pros have said that putting a small amount of spin on EVERY shot is the "right" way to play pool.

They're wrong (not unusual among pro players).

A little stroke error is just as bad when aiming with a little spin as when aiming with none. On top of that, aiming with spin is harder because it introduces squirt/swerve/throw variables.

pj
chgo

 

[BuffaloSlim]

I'd hit it with the back end of my broom handle .. with a little chalk of course

 

[nataddrho]

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