Hydroplaning the cue ball

xidica

xidica

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was shooting some balls around earlier this morning after getting off work and what looked to be a road player came in and pulled out an old dufferin sneaky and started shooting around and getting a feel for the table. I was a bit perplexed as he was taking his time and putting some real force into what at first appeared to be just sinking the cueball in a pocket. I asked him if he wanted to play some cheap games (10$ a rack 9-ball) and he wouldn't play for that cheap. I didn't have much money, so I shook his hand and went to sit down and enjoy a beer and chat with the local barflys.

He went back to practicing "shooting the cue ball into a pocket". But he seemed quite frustrated that he was sinking the ball, scratched his head, took a few sips of his soda, and resumed. 4 shots later it happened and he hit his shot. He literally "hydroplaned" the cueball into the corner pocket and it rode the back of it like a half-pipe, shooting directly back out and was on a near perfect course for it's opposite corner.

I was at first wondering and thinking he *MUST* have simply shot it off the rail nipples and I "didn't get a good look at it". He proceeded to miss it once, and then do it another 2 times. I was really amazed at this; now I'm sure someone has seen this done or knows the trick to making these shots. Anyone? :confused:
 
Not jacked up too much, about halfway between a normal "down on the ball" shot and a semi-masse or swerve shot. Looked like he was using a lot of side with a bit of top but I was hawking from some distance away.
 
Well, first of all, he didn't "literally hydroplane" the cue ball. Unless you were playing in a swimming pool instead of a pool hall. Hydroplaning would require a layer of water between the cue ball and the playing surface. So if you're gonna write "literally", well, you get the idea. :-)

Depending on the table, any ball can be made to spit out. There's a shot on a bar box table in which you better be able to make whitey jump out of the side and back into play. Doesn't come up often, but when it does it needs to be in your repertoire.

Without seeing the table, I wouldn't venture a guess exactly why he was doing this. But was there a valid reason? Sure, several come to mind.

Trick? Not really. Just another stroke shot. But again, it won't work on every table.
-von
 
Good call on the "literal". I understand what hydroplaning is and just didn't have a better way to put it. Any tips/tricks on getting down the side pocket shot like you describe? I've actually inadveterantly done this once when the cue ball carom'ed off another ball into the side but haven't taken much time to play with it...
 
xidica said:
I was shooting some balls around earlier this morning after getting off work and what looked to be a road player came in and pulled out an old dufferin sneaky and started shooting around and getting a feel for the table. I was a bit perplexed as he was taking his time and putting some real force into what at first appeared to be just sinking the cueball in a pocket. I asked him if he wanted to play some cheap games (10$ a rack 9-ball) and he wouldn't play for that cheap. I didn't have much money, so I shook his hand and went to sit down and enjoy a beer and chat with the local barflys.

He went back to practicing "shooting the cue ball into a pocket". But he seemed quite frustrated that he was sinking the ball, scratched his head, took a few sips of his soda, and resumed. 4 shots later it happened and he hit his shot. He literally "hydroplaned" the cueball into the corner pocket and it rode the back of it like a half-pipe, shooting directly back out and was on a near perfect course for it's opposite corner.

I was at first wondering and thinking he *MUST* have simply shot it off the rail nipples and I "didn't get a good look at it". He proceeded to miss it once, and then do it another 2 times. I was really amazed at this; now I'm sure someone has seen this done or knows the trick to making these shots. Anyone? :confused:
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Since when was 10 a game cheap action......:D You can lose quite a bit in a short period of time playing 10 a game. This must have been a high stakes gambler and if he was then I don't know what he was doing just practicing that shot....:cool: Well might be to trap someone later I guess.

Tony
 
It was 9 in the morning and the only folks in there were the local alcoholics, myself, and then that guy. I was perplexed myself as he wouldn't pay $10 a rack as that's easy and quick money (especially on a bar box). My thoughts were either he just wasn't in the mood to play or didn't have much cash on his person. Who knows...Maybe he saw my steve klein and got scared ;)
 
xidica said:
It was 9 in the morning and the only folks in there were the local alcoholics, myself, and then that guy. I was perplexed myself as he wouldn't pay $10 a rack as that's easy and quick money (especially on a bar box). My thoughts were either he just wasn't in the mood to play or didn't have much cash on his person. Who knows...Maybe he saw my steve klein and got scared ;)
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Just might have been that. Did you tell little Steven that he's got action? I'll be in Chat....:D
 
He stiffed one of our better players out of $220 bucks. He said he was going home to "dad to get the money". Of course he was just bailing. I tell you what I'm sure he'll get a hearty whooping from the guy who beat him. :)
 
i see there a few dallas guys. maybe we should get a ring game going. i play cheap maybe like $3 on the 5 and $3 on the 10. that adds up if there are 4 or 5 of us playing.
 
VonRhett said:
Well, first of all, he didn't "literally hydroplane" the cue ball. Unless you were playing in a swimming pool instead of a pool hall. Hydroplaning would require a layer of water between the cue ball and the playing surface. So if you're gonna write "literally", well, you get the idea. :-)

Depending on the table, any ball can be made to spit out. There's a shot on a bar box table in which you better be able to make whitey jump out of the side and back into play. Doesn't come up often, but when it does it needs to be in your repertoire.

Without seeing the table, I wouldn't venture a guess exactly why he was doing this. But was there a valid reason? Sure, several come to mind.

Trick? Not really. Just another stroke shot. But again, it won't work on every table.
-von
Click to expand...

Aw, come on Von, don't be so mysterious. Give us the goods! :p :D

Elaborate on those bolded items, please. :) :D
 
START(
%AZ1D7%BL7P8%CJ5O4%DL7N1%EM7P1%FK6P1%GK6N8%HM7N8%IL7O4%JK6M5
%KJ5P7%LJ5N2%MK6Q4%NJ5R0%OJ5M0%P^8G4
)END


This might be similar to what you speak of. In this shot, you hit the cue-ball with a lot of follow and firmly. This causes the cue-ball (and object-ball) to jump a little. In fact, your instincts have probably already told you to be careful when using a lot of follow and speed when near the edge of the table.

This shot has two positive results: If hit correctly, the cue-ball will either hit the back of the side-pocket on the fly and bounce back on the table (common) OR it will enter the pocket briefly and spin back out (it's mind-boggling but I've done it and seen it done).
 
Sorry! Wasn't trying to hold out on ya. Jude posted one shot, here's another, though it's essentially the same shot: START(
%I]3E1%P\0G1%eB4a4
)END

I spent all of 3 seconds setting that up, so please don't get nitpicky over exact angles! But on a bar box, you can run the object ball down into the corner, and pop the cue back out of the side.

And as Jude posted, it is a 12:00 extreme follow stroke. Any amount of english and it won't work. You're hitting the cue very hard, so you have to stroke all the way through the ball and over the top of the pocket in order to avoid the cue ball popping out and hitting your tip.

It's the kind of shot that you usually learn after someone does it to you for sizable stakes. They roll up too far, and you think "yeah baby, it's coming back to me". Then your opponent runs the ball down the rail, whitey goes in AND OUT of the side pocket, and you're counting out the cash, probably mumbling something about "whataluckybastard". :p

One shot can be the difference between winning or losing a set, not just a game. So again, if you're gonna play on bar boxes, it's a good idea to have this one in your bag o' tricks.
-von


Cuebacca said:
Aw, come on Von, don't be so mysterious. Give us the goods! :p :D

Elaborate on those bolded items, please. :) :D
Click to expand...
 
I've seen the shot you describe used as a proposition bet. Like people have already mentioned, the shot is an extreme follow shot, and on most tables requires a pretty good stroke. It can be a much easier shot on a table where the back of a pocket is angled wrong.
 
VonRhett said:
Sorry! Wasn't trying to hold out on ya.
Click to expand...
Hehe, thanks for the follow-up post. Good shot to practice.

I did something somewhat similar playing one-pocket once. I thought my opponent's last ball was too far in the pocket to get it out. I wanted to make his ball and follow it in for a scratch, but I didn't think I could do that with the angle I had. So instead, I tried to make his ball and jump the cueball off the table.

Well, I screwed up and his ball hit the back of the pocket and came back onto the table. The cueball, instead of jumping off the table, hit the top of the cushion and also came to rest on the table for a decent safe. Two wrongs made a right, and I probably ended up looking like a genius to the untrained eye, instead of the incompetent 1-pocket player I really am. LOL. I pulled a Homer. :D
 
I saw Allison Fisher in a Artistic Pool tournament perform a shot of this nature. I will try to explain it:

She sets a ball just left of the side poket about 1/4" off the rail. With the cue ball in the center of the table she cuts the ball down the rail into the corner pocket, and the cue ball enters the side pocket, then bounces directly out and pockets a ball in the opposite side pocket.

I thought it was a pretty amazing shot, to say the least. :)
 
VonRhett said:
Sorry! Wasn't trying to hold out on ya. Jude posted one shot, here's another, though it's essentially the same shot: START(
%I]3E1%P\0G1%eB4a4
)END

I spent all of 3 seconds setting that up, so please don't get nitpicky over exact angles! But on a bar box, you can run the object ball down into the corner, and pop the cue back out of the side.

And as Jude posted, it is a 12:00 extreme follow stroke. Any amount of english and it won't work. You're hitting the cue very hard, so you have to stroke all the way through the ball and over the top of the pocket in order to avoid the cue ball popping out and hitting your tip.

It's the kind of shot that you usually learn after someone does it to you for sizable stakes. They roll up too far, and you think "yeah baby, it's coming back to me". Then your opponent runs the ball down the rail, whitey goes in AND OUT of the side pocket, and you're counting out the cash, probably mumbling something about "whataluckybastard". :p

One shot can be the difference between winning or losing a set, not just a game. So again, if you're gonna play on bar boxes, it's a good idea to have this one in your bag o' tricks.
-von
Click to expand...


I actually saw Tony Robles nail the shot five times in a row (out of five, I might add). He then got bored of it and said, "Hey, wanna see something REALLY cool?" I love the guy but his game makes me sick.
 
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