One of the things I hate the most when playing a match, is when I leave the cueball on the rail when I didn't have to. Either overhitting or underhitting the cueball will do this. Of course we all know that the cueball frozen on the rail (or close to frozen) limits your options to play position, and for most players, lessens their chances of making the shot. I really hate that feeling when I am staring at an easy rack, my confidence is soaring, and the cueball comes to a halt on the rail. Suddenly the rack becomes alot more tough, my confidence drops, and frustration sets in. There are two things that I have been practicing this week that have actually been helping me stay away from the rail, unless it's necessary. First, of course, I have been practicing all kinds of shots from the rail, which is probably the most important thing to do on this type of subject. Secondly, I have found that leaving yourself on the rail is usually attributed to a mental lapse, which comes from laziness for the most part. This mental lapse can be caused by playing alot of 9-ball...because 9-ball requires general area shape, people have a tendency to play only general area shape. For the majority of shots made, they don't try to visualize the exact path the cueball is going to be taking, and the exact spot it's going to hit on the rail, etc. I have found that actually taking an extra two or three seconds to visualize the cueball's path on an imaginary line, going into the rail (if that's the path you're taking), coming off, and then coming to a stop where I want it. By visualizing this, it's actually similar to programming your shooting arm to slightly adjust the speed you will strike the cueball with. When you really try to focus on this, and you practice like this, it really does help, or at least it does help for me.
Leaving Yourself on the Rail
- Thread starter LastTwo
- Start date
i think it's a couple of things.
i think most average players shoot tentatively because they lack great pocketing skills. so they hit the cb too softly and the cb ends up dying near the rail.
i think most average players don't think about coming OFF a rail as a position shot, so the cb ends up rolling TOWARDS the rail instead of rolling away from it.
i think most average players shoot tentatively because they lack great pocketing skills. so they hit the cb too softly and the cb ends up dying near the rail.
i think most average players don't think about coming OFF a rail as a position shot, so the cb ends up rolling TOWARDS the rail instead of rolling away from it.
Iwas recently in a tournament and one match away from making the A side final.I had just beat an A+ and two A players and was up 2 games to one on this weaker C+ player.Next rack I run the 1,2,3 all the way up to the 8 and then leave myself a 9 ball glued to the rail.I barley miss it and hang it right over the pocket and lose the game.Merry Christmas!!!
He breaks and makes a ball and the 0ne-nine combo is wired.Instead of being up 3-1, I now find myself down 3-2 for a swing of 3 games in less than a minute.I don't recover and lose that match (and the next) and finish out of the money.I felt totally great,on stoke and in command until that happened.I got cocky and lost focus.There was no excuse for being on the rail other than laziness. I got RAIL-roaded....ouch.RJ
....can really identify with your post
He breaks and makes a ball and the 0ne-nine combo is wired.Instead of being up 3-1, I now find myself down 3-2 for a swing of 3 games in less than a minute.I don't recover and lose that match (and the next) and finish out of the money.I felt totally great,on stoke and in command until that happened.I got cocky and lost focus.There was no excuse for being on the rail other than laziness. I got RAIL-roaded....ouch.RJ
....can really identify with your post
One thing I have learned about shooting shots off the rail is you must change your stance to adjust to the shot. Balance is key here because you don't have the bed of the table to rest your arm and thus provide that extra stability for your body. To adjust to this my weight goes slightly backwards, but evenly distributed on both feet. Recently I have been having trouble with my stance (I was in a slump and forgot how I used to stand for some reason) but when I shoot rail shots my stance has never changed.
drivermaker
Banned
LastTwo said:
Funny you should write about this. Yesterday I practiced rail shots for over an hour. The toughest one that took the longest was I placed the CB on an end rail and the OB about two ball widths from the first diamond past the side pocket shooting into the corner pocket. I didn't stop until I made 10 out of 10...whew! The drill really does groove your stroke because you can't even hit a hair offline without affecting either the CB path or throw.
I don't care who you are, everyone ends up on the rail from time to time and it does take forethought not to get there in the first place. But you better have a stroke and know what your swoop or imperfections are if it's not pure because you'll surely miss the shot.
I've been saying that about 9 ball, it can screw up your game and precision. Try that Hopkins Q-skill test that I laid out in another thread. You'll be surprised in the beginning just how lousy your CB control really is from constant 9 ball. It'll also piss you off to see exactly what your ranking is when you don't play with precision, thought, and better pre-planning. You'll feel like a hack...
If I'm shooting off the rail, I tend to grip the cue a little bit nearer the joint. Because you're near the rail, you can't use your normal stroke at full length, and I also shorten my last backswing and try to focus more on keeping my elbow still. Also, if you have to shoot slowly off the rail, IMHO you can grip the cue a fraction tighter to get it more steady.