off the rail shot tips

[BRKNRUN]

I am curious what tips people have heard / use for shooting off the rail CB frozen to the rail or very near the rail....and shooting jacked up off the rail.

These types of shots seem to be very easy to miss.

Don't be shy....if you have any type of helpful advice, please feel free to share...This includes dialing in the aiming of these types of shots since in many cases you lose probably 75% of the CB to aim with.

I follow some basic advice of shortening up the grip and also using a shorter back stroke...and when jacked up I follow the rule that the center CB horizon line angle is equal to the cue angle........I also know that using english on these shots is a big no no.

I am looking for some deeper tips in helping to pocket more of these shots...I am getting tired of an off the rail shot being a run stopper.

 

[mooseman]

As level a cue as possible. To ensure you are hitting on center of verticle axis line up the curvature of you tip with the curvature of the CB.

 

[JasonCrugar]

I am curious what tips people have heard / use for shooting off the rail CB frozen to the rail or very near the rail....and shooting jacked up off the rail.

These types of shots seem to be very easy to miss.

Don't be shy....if you have any type of helpful advice, please feel free to share...This includes dialing in the aiming of these types of shots since in many cases you lose probably 75% of the CB to aim with.

I follow some basic advice of shortening up the grip and also using a shorter back stroke...and when jacked up I follow the rule that the center CB horizon line angle is equal to the cue angle........I also know that using english on these shots is a big no no.

I am looking for some deeper tips in helping to pocket more of these shots...I am getting tired of an off the rail shot being a run stopper.

dont think so much about it... if you look at it just like any other shot it becomes just that, another shot. keep practicing em and eventually it wont matter where whitey is they all will look like hangers

 

[Jallan]

Play them with top.... sorry, couldn't resist.:embarrassed2:

 

[DRW]

cue ball on the rail

I am curious what tips people have heard / use for shooting off the rail CB frozen to the rail or very near the rail....and shooting jacked up off the rail.

These types of shots seem to be very easy to miss.

Don't be shy....if you have any type of helpful advice, please feel free to share...This includes dialing in the aiming of these types of shots since in many cases you lose probably 75% of the CB to aim with.

I follow some basic advice of shortening up the grip and also using a shorter back stroke...and when jacked up I follow the rule that the center CB horizon line angle is equal to the cue angle........I also know that using english on these shots is a big no no.

I am looking for some deeper tips in helping to pocket more of these shots...I am getting tired of an off the rail shot being a run stopper.

Ken, your description of how you shoot them sounds perfectly text book. Try shooting them right handed.:smile:

 

[JerseyBill]

Rail Shots

Since you can only hit the top of the cb the tip will want to rise. Pat Fleming of Accustats used to use a slip on weight for the shaft when hitting a frozen cb shot. They are probably available if you call him at Accustats. \
I have a trick of my own that I use. I make sure I accelerate (even exagerated) through the cue ball. In other words practice stroke slower than the real stroke. When you begin the real stroke do it crisply. This is not a bad idea on all shots but especially through the cue ball. Watch some videos of Danny DiLiberto. His stroke is a good example of what I mean. I watched him shoot for hours and picked that up amongst other things.

 

[Neil]

................

 

[mdavis228]

Something Grady told me that helps a lot (and he said it was an oft used technique among many of the old timers)...
When the cue ball is on or very near the rail, grip the cue tightly with your back hand. It sounds like voodoo, but actually works very well for a wide class of shots. He didn't claim to know why... Neither do I.

 

[stick8]

frozen on rail

I am no expert on this,but i take the word shot out out of my teaching method when frozen to rail i teach level cue and ROLL the shot as if you shot it hard you get a massa or curving of qb .

 

[rayjay]

Per Johnny Archer in the Archer/Strickland pool school last year, jack up just a bit, enough to get a solid hit on the cueball...not a lot, not so much you're masseing the ball, but get a solid hit and don't let it get in your head that it's a tough shot. It's not.

 

[12310bch]

correct, correct,correct.Neil, you are correct.

Contrary to others opinions on here, don't use a level cue. Angle the cue to the angle of the rail. You will get a more solid hit, and less chance of a miscue skimming the top of the ball. If you jack up more, you can get a stop shot, and jacked up more, you can get draw. Just don't try left or right english unless you allow for a masse.

IMNSHO you must angle the cue down slightly to follow the angle of the cushion. Otherwise you squirt over top of CB. Other opinions be damned.
Shorten grip and grip more firmly,chalk edges of your tip, keep your elbow up. God, I hate that shot . It always happens for a straight in 9-ball.

 

[BRKNRUN]

Thanks for the replys so far...

I have never tried a firmer grip on this shot...I have always tried to stay with the loose grip.

I will also try the exaggerated acceleration and see what happens.

 

[dr9ball]

Have you ever tried any of the following.

Shortening up your bridge?
Shortening up your backhand grip?
Shooting into the edge of the rail to take advantage of the compression you will get to hit the cueball a little lower?

 

[Bambu]

Contrary to others opinions on here, don't use a level cue. Angle the cue to the angle of the rail. You will get a more solid hit, and less chance of a miscue skimming the top of the ball. If you jack up more, you can get a stop shot, and jacked up more, you can get draw. Just don't try left or right english unless you allow for a masse.

I was thinking the same, Neil....slight elevation. I was wondering about the on the rail draw shot though, I'm not so good at that. Do you jack up and aim through the cushion, to hit lower on the cue ball? (I have seen it done this way). Or do ya just jack up and strike the top part of the ball?

 

[Andrew Manning]

Contrary to others opinions on here, don't use a level cue. Angle the cue to the angle of the rail. You will get a more solid hit, and less chance of a miscue skimming the top of the ball. If you jack up more, you can get a stop shot, and jacked up more, you can get draw. Just don't try left or right english unless you allow for a masse.

I agree about angling the cue to match the downward angle of the top of the cushion.

Also, to elaborate on the tight grip idea: I like to use my grip hand to press the shaft downward onto my bridge for these shots. This means tightening the grip, and using your rear fingers and wrist to press the front of the cue downward. It's not a good way to create a powerful stroke, but on these shots power is not your concern.

And lastly, make sure you step back so you can get a good lock on the line from the center of the CB to the point of aim as you're approaching the shot and placing your bridge hand. On these shots, more than any other, hitting the center axis of the CB very precisely is of paramount importance (since you will get significant swerve if you don't). You can't hit the center of the ball unless you place your bridge hand extremely precisely such that the bridge, the center of the CB, and the point of aim are collinear. Having a visual lock on that line as you step in and place your bridge hand may be the most important part of hitting these shots accurately.

-Andrew

 

[PaulieB]

I'm glad the post before me said what I was thinking ... I was starting to think I was doing something crazy when shooting these shots.

I always tighten my grip and apply a stronger downward pressure on my bridge hand when shooting these shots. Seems to help a lot, at least for me.

 

[TheBook]

Watch Max's Videos. He shows a few ways to help with this. The whole set is well worth having.

 

[DennyS]

I would like to add, Start with the ferrule on the rail cloth and finish with the shaft on the rail cloth. Minimum elevation required. Hope it helps!

 

[sfleinen]

Rear-fingered grip, and practicing these shots until you're comfortable with them

I agree about angling the cue to match the downward angle of the top of the cushion.

Also, to elaborate on the tight grip idea: I like to use my grip hand to press the shaft downward onto my bridge for these shots. This means tightening the grip, and using your rear fingers and wrist to press the front of the cue downward. It's not a good way to create a powerful stroke, but on these shots power is not your concern.

And lastly, make sure you step back so you can get a good lock on the line from the center of the CB to the point of aim as you're approaching the shot and placing your bridge hand. On these shots, more than any other, hitting the center axis of the CB very precisely is of paramount importance (since you will get significant swerve if you don't). You can't hit the center of the ball unless you place your bridge hand extremely precisely such that the bridge, the center of the CB, and the point of aim are collinear. Having a visual lock on that line as you step in and place your bridge hand may be the most important part of hitting these shots accurately.

-Andrew

Andrew:

Great info, especially the part about the grip. I personally use a rear-fingered (also called "rear-of-the-hand") grip when I play these shots, especially if I have to figure out a way to jack up and punch the cue ball into the table a bit, for a stop shot. (Which, if it's not the money ball, Murphy's Law states that shooting this shot by hitting the top of the cue ball means you'll overrun position for the next shot, right? )

Keeping the cue tip down on the ball is paramount to avoiding a miscue. Like Neil posted, a level cue "is not 'it'." You have to follow the slight downward contour of the cushion. Using a rear-fingered grip helps to keep the cue tip pressed downward onto the cushion (or your hand bridge, depending on the shot) so as to avoid the miscue. Obviously, an evenly-chalked tip is mandatory for this shot.

One thing, though, and it should be obvious. Pool players seem to universally despise this type of shot, yet they don't do anything about it. How about practicing this shot? Snooker players do, because "cueball-frozen-to-the-cushion" safeties are very common in snooker.

Instead of going "ugh, not this gosh-damned shot again," why not make it one of your favorite shots to practice? How about incorporating into your practice routine a full diagonal table length shot, object ball in the center spot of the table (dead smack center between the two side pockets), cue ball frozen to the cushion by one of the corner pockets (say, a half-diamond away from the corner pocket on the short rail), and shooting the object ball straight into the far corner pocket? Personally, I practice these for 5 or 10 minutes at various points on the table. I don't even bat an eye when these shots come up -- especially in my favored game of 1-pocket, where I'm frozen on the cushion and I have to bank a shot back at me, towards my pocket.

The only way to get better at these shots, is to practice them. The tips presented here in this thread by various posters all offer great advice.

Hope this is helpful,
-Sean

 

[Neil]

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