I see a two way shot as leaving yourself a shot on the next ball while leaving the opponent no shot if you mess. You intend to make the ball you are trying to pocket. Not the same thing as "missing on the pro side".
If you are undercutting the OB, you are not concentrating!!
- Thread starter Bobkitty
- Start date
I've heard veteran pros mention the missing on the pro side rationale. Never bought it. Granted these guys develop habits that keep you alive 10, 20 hours in but they're also talking about 2 foot cuts to pool pockets that mortals should not miss either. Even from across the table if you can't hit it good for 2 feet, play an actual safe.
Why fully commit to a safe when you have a tough, but very makeable shot? A two way shot gives yourself a good opportunity to stay at the table without the risk of selling out.
As others have said, "missing on the pro side" doesn't mean aim to miss - it means aim to cheat the pocket to that side, so if you miss you miss on that ("pro") side.
pj
chgo
Pro side, give them dirty balls and worn cloth. A tight diamond table will laugh in your face.
I always thought that term was silly.
" If you miss, miss on this side"
what a terrible picture for your brain
I always thought that term was silly.
" If you miss, miss on this side"
what a terrible picture for your brain
The shot occupies a zone that you gotta hit it bad enough to miss safe but if you get too close to the pocket you can easily rattle the jaws in your opponents favor. That's not very good insurance. Either play it to miss or play it to go.
When I hear somebody in the booth talk about missing on the pro side it is like fingernails on a chalk board to me! First you have that point in between pocketing the ball and hitting the rail and going into the safe area. There is this conversation going on in your brain rather you hear it or not. "I am OK in this area, gold in this one, but whatever I do I can't hit this point in between the two areas wrong!" All of a sudden that point is about two inches wide and covered with hair!
When I am going over the basic checks of a table before playing one thing is checking just how forgiving the rails are to let me hit a little early and slide into a pocket. This makes a pocket play bigger plus it moves the center a little bit. When I walk around the table and look at the reverse angle this is what I am looking at. Where can the object ball hit and still fall in the pocket? If I don't like that picture I'll look at the safety mostly focusing on double hits or other cue ball issues. I am more worried about cue ball position with this safety, I am hitting the object ball with a short simple shot to try to get on the rail near the center diamond or get behind a ball. The cue ball may have to do considerable traveling to take care of the other half of the safety so it's path is where the focus is.
I am either aiming at the pocket and forgetting about the point or I am aiming at the rail and forgetting about the point. Luck being involved to miss the point is no part of my plan!
Hu
