Parallel Shift Secrets

[GADawg]

Many of the one and two rail kicking systems require a "parallel shift" of the aim line to find the correct contact point on the first rail.

I understand the systems well but seem the have problems making the "parallel shift" accurately enough. I seem to frequently just miss making proper contact on the object ball with no apparent consistency toward one side or the other.

Does anybody have any secrets or hints on how to make this "parallel shift" more accurately? I have tried everything I can think of with hours of practice and seem to not be able to improve.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Many of the one and two rail kicking systems require a "parallel shift" of the aim line to find the correct contact point on the first rail.

I understand the systems well but seem the have problems making the "parallel shift" accurately enough. I seem to frequently just miss making proper contact on the object ball with no apparent consistency toward one side or the other.

Does anybody have any secrets or hints on how to make this "parallel shift" more accurately? I have tried everything I can think of with hours of practice and seem to not be able to improve.

First, parallel shift for two rails doesn't work well unless you change the side spin as the angle varies.

If you want to shoot parallel to a line, sight along the line to the most distant point you can see, usually on the wall. Note how far to the side you need to move the parallel line on the table, such as 12 inches. Pick a target the same distance to the side of the distant target. That gives you a rectangle with 12-inch sides one way, and the other two long sides are obviously parallel.

Some people just take the distant point, and that's not too bad as long as it's distant enough.

 

[renard]

Many of the one and two rail kicking systems require a "parallel shift" of the aim line to find the correct contact point on the first rail.

I understand the systems well but seem the have problems making the "parallel shift" accurately enough. I seem to frequently just miss making proper contact on the object ball with no apparent consistency toward one side or the other.

Does anybody have any secrets or hints on how to make this "parallel shift" more accurately? I have tried everything I can think of with hours of practice and seem to not be able to improve.

Grady from one of his tapes measures the distance in inches. For example: The line you measure for a contact point on the rail with your stick is 8 inches from the cueball, measure 8 inches down from that contact point for your new contact point on the same rail.

 

[TimFXF]

Can you draw that up on a table? It would be easier to see what you're saying.

 

[renard]

Some systems require different englishes, and sometimes they require parrallels in halfs. This one requires halfs.

http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/pooltable2.html

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%^C2Y0
)END

We know that with two tips of left english to the half diamond marked "A" will gets us the corner pocket from the pocket of origin.

From this position how do we adjust?

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Like this: Measure from the cue ball to the origin line. (The blue line.) Lets say thats 10 inches. We need half of that because this system works in parrallel halfs.

From the point on the rail (Where the original red line was pointing to the rail as a contact point) measure up 5 inches to the spot labeled "D". That is your new contact point.

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Just remember you are using two tips of left english and your stroke and where you hit the cueball is just as important as your measurements.

 

[recoveryjones]

Many of the one and two rail kicking systems require a "parallel shift" of the aim line to find the correct contact point on the first rail.

I understand the systems well but seem the have problems making the "parallel shift" accurately enough. I seem to frequently just miss making proper contact on the object ball with no apparent consistency toward one side or the other.

Does anybody have any secrets or hints on how to make this "parallel shift" more accurately? I have tried everything I can think of with hours of practice and seem to not be able to improve.

Are using a tip of high running english for this system? If not it won't work.Furthermore on some angles slight adjustments have to be made. When the cue ball is really close to the rail or there's only a slight angle are two I can think of.Some experimentation will do wonders.Also running english two rail kicks works (best) only when the cue ball and the object ball are on the same half of the table.With longer (down the table) two rail kicks , Dr. Cue tells you to shoot at moderate to slow pace without the running english.For the most part, I find Dr. Cues info the be bang on.

Other than that,Dr.Cue shows how to do the parrallel shift properly on his Foundation for kicking videos.Basically you have to move(walk) your body all in one piece when you do the shift and keep your cue in your arm perfectly still.I highly reccomend Dr Cues kicking series as they are amongst the best instructionals on that subject that I've seen so far.
Best of luck,
RJ

 

[Ronoh]

renard has a good point.

I remember posting on here that I'd play with the cue ball only, for a half hour. The bulk of that logic was to read a table. Only because a pool hall owner would use different "aged" felt trying to save pennies.

Most have figured out we're on to them.

______________________________

There're some simple drills you can do. And it doesn't depend on the length of the table, only the type of felt you're playing on.

I've played on tables without felt (ivory cue ball to slate), tables with bed sheets on, tables with the worst swamp grass you could play on.

I've played on those same table with the rails covered with nothing, with the bead sheet, and the many grades felt.

_________________________________

The point I'm trying to make is that every table is different and that you need to learn how to read a table. Everyone goes through this stage. Learn from it, please.

 

[Secaucus Fats]

First, parallel shift for two rails doesn't work well unless you change the side spin as the angle varies.

If you want to shoot parallel to a line, sight along the line to the most distant point you can see, usually on the wall. Note how far to the side you need to move the parallel line on the table, such as 12 inches. Pick a target the same distance to the side of the distant target. That gives you a rectangle with 12-inch sides one way, and the other two long sides are obviously parallel.

Some people just take the distant point, and that's not too bad as long as it's distant enough.

Bob I have always admired your knowledge of the game. I really mean it, hell I've been reading your stuff on usenet, and now here, for years. Now having said that..could you please restate the above in a form that even a brain addled, hemp impaired moron like me could understand? Perhaps even some pictures?

 

[Secaucus Fats]

Many of the one and two rail kicking systems require a "parallel shift" of the aim line to find the correct contact point on the first rail.

I understand the systems well but seem the have problems making the "parallel shift" accurately enough. I seem to frequently just miss making proper contact on the object ball with no apparent consistency toward one side or the other.

Does anybody have any secrets or hints on how to make this "parallel shift" more accurately? I have tried everything I can think of with hours of practice and seem to not be able to improve.

OK here's what I do. Stand behind and in line with the original track, now extend your cue with one arm straight down the original or "designator" track. Keep your arm, the cue and your body locked as you slide over to the parallel track. You should now be in proper stance and aim.

What you want to do is maintain the same original angle as you had with the designator track. So learn to really discipline yourself so that you don't lose the angle as you shift over.

Hope this helps.

 

[Cornerman]

Grady from one of his tapes measures the distance in inches. For example: The line you measure for a contact point on the rail with your stick is 8 inches from the cueball, measure 8 inches down from that contact point for your new contact point on the same rail.

Interesting. That would definitely head us to the more correct angle.

Fred

 

[renard]

OK here's what I do. Stand behind and in line with the original track, now extend your cue with one arm straight down the original or "designator" track. Keep your arm, the cue and your body locked as you slide over to the parallel track. You should now be in proper stance and aim.

What you want to do is maintain the same original angle as you had with the designator track. So learn to really discipline yourself so that you don't lose the angle as you shift over.

Hope this helps.

I use this as well, but I have incorperated Grady's measuring to double insure my new contact point.

Bob I have always admired your knowledge of the game. I really mean it, hell I've been reading your stuff on usenet, and now here, for years. Now having said that..could you please restate the above in a form that even a brain addled, hemp impaired moron like me could understand? Perhaps even some pictures?

I think Bob's talking about the same measuring in inches as Grady but at a distant point. For me that would take some practice since I couldn't tell the difference between 12 or 10 inches at a distance 15 to 20 feet away.

Bob's definitly more accomplished than I by his posts and his play. I'll have to try it...

 

[GADawg]

Grady from one of his tapes measures the distance in inches. For example: The line you measure for a contact point on the rail with your stick is 8 inches from the cueball, measure 8 inches down from that contact point for your new contact point on the same rail.

I've seen Grady describe this one rail system on his "Banking/Kicking and Safety play" tape. He chose a spot between the cue ball and object ball, found the rail contact point to have equal angle in/out between the cue ball and that spot and then adjusted half the distance between that line and the object ball.

In the example on the tape, he used a piece of chalk to show his chosen reference spot on the table, but correctly explained that you cannot do that in a match. I tried this system but was unable to consistently find a spot to use, find the halfway point and then make the proper adjustment to get the final rail contact point.

I really liked that tape and would recommend it highly, but was never able to get this part of it into my head to make it work.

 

[Billy_Bob]

With the two rail parallel, I have had some success by placing my cue between the CB and OB and the tip of my cue in the center of the corner pocket opening. Then shifting my cue sideways/parallel until the butt is over the CB. And then I note where on the rail my tip is pointing. Then a bit of running english with follow. This seems to work best if the kick angles are around 45 degrees - balls on same side of table.

 

[renard]

I've seen Grady describe this one rail system on his "Banking/Kicking and Safety play" tape. He chose a spot between the cue ball and object ball, found the rail contact point to have equal angle in/out between the cue ball and that spot and then adjusted half the distance between that line and the object ball.

In the example on the tape, he used a piece of chalk to show his chosen reference spot on the table, but correctly explained that you cannot do that in a match. I tried this system but was unable to consistently find a spot to use, find the halfway point and then make the proper adjustment to get the final rail contact point.

I really liked that tape and would recommend it highly, but was never able to get this part of it into my head to make it work.

I can relate. Do you play on barboxes or 9 foots mostly? The reason I ask is that some systems just do not transfer well to other tables.

Example:
http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/pooltable2.html

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The red line is the origin for this shot between the two diamonds. Two tips of reverse english gets you the corner to make the 9ball. Every barbox I tried it on doesnt work. Works fine on the 9 foot tables. (I can get it to work with a slight jack up masse action though.)

I keep working it until the result comes to my satisfaction.

By the way getting off on a tangent here I once used this same kicking system to win a 8ball game with a set up similar to this:

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[GADawg]

I shoot mostly on 9 foot tables. It's not the systems I have problems with. It is just the physical movement to or visualization of the "parallel shift" contact point.

Great shot on the 8, by the way. I am not sure I would have ever seen it.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... could you please restate the above in a form that even a brain addled, hemp impaired moron like me could understand? Perhaps even some pictures?

Ok. Suppose you want to to shoot the cue ball parallel to a line joining two diagonally opposite corner pockets, but the cue ball is a foot to the right of that line. You sight down the line joining the pockets, and you see the left edge of a bar stool in the distance. Suppose the bar stool is 12 inches wide. The right edge of the bar stool is your target. A line joining the cue ball and the right edge of the bar stool is parallel to the line joining the two corner pockets. Try drawing the picture.

The slightly hard part is to estimate 12 inches in the distance. The more distant the target, the less important is the accuracy of judging the offset.

 

[Bob Jewett]

In a recent Billiards Digest article, I showed how to set up an exact target for a given ball on the table for the two-rail system "parallel shift" system. That lets you try the system for a lot of different angles to the same ball without having to do any calculation or parallel shifting. It also shows you how bad the system is for most angles. See page 2 of http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2004-07.pdf

 

[GADawg]

Ok. Suppose you want to to shoot the cue ball parallel to a line joining two diagonally opposite corner pockets, but the cue ball is a foot to the right of that line. You sight down the line joining the pockets, and you see the left edge of a bar stool in the distance. Suppose the bar stool is 12 inches wide. The right edge of the bar stool is your target. A line joining the cue ball and the right edge of the bar stool is parallel to the line joining the two corner pockets. Try drawing the picture.

The slightly hard part is to estimate 12 inches in the distance. The more distant the target, the less important is the accuracy of judging the offset.

Bob-

Makes sense to me. I will try it tomorrow in practice.

Your comment about the distance is interesting also and seems reasonable. It brings up an old engineering school question of whether two parallel lines extended to infinity meet at the end.

Thanks to all for the responses to this thread.

 

[MacGyver]

It brings up an old engineering school question of whether two parallel lines extended to infinity meet at the end.

Huh? Would an engineering school actually ask this question?

First off, if its infinity then how could they meet at the "end", there IS no end....

And if they are parallel then obviousy they never meet...

Is there a trick somewhere in the question I'm not seeing? I just cant see this question being asked to any higher level students without them laughing at it....

 

[Secaucus Fats]

Ok. Suppose you want to to shoot the cue ball parallel to a line joining two diagonally opposite corner pockets, but the cue ball is a foot to the right of that line. You sight down the line joining the pockets, and you see the left edge of a bar stool in the distance. Suppose the bar stool is 12 inches wide. The right edge of the bar stool is your target. A line joining the cue ball and the right edge of the bar stool is parallel to the line joining the two corner pockets. Try drawing the picture.

The slightly hard part is to estimate 12 inches in the distance. The more distant the target, the less important is the accuracy of judging the offset.

Bob,

Thank you for clarifying that for me, and thank you for the PDF article with further info and diagrams.

As always, you are a gentleman and a scholar.