I do pretty good when I only have to concern myself with getting the cue ball where I need to on a safety, but when BOTH the CB and OB speed must be correct, I am too often missing the "tic tac toe" block.
What have you done to get better at this?
Here's an example, perhaps not the best, but I think it will suffice.
Again, I am only concerned with safes requiring precision speed control on both the CB & OB. Thanks!
I do pretty good when I only have to concern myself with getting the cue ball where I need to on a safety, but when BOTH the CB and OB speed must be correct, I am too often missing the "tic tac toe" block.
What have you done to get better at this?
Here's an example, perhaps not the best, but I think it will suffice.
Again, I am only concerned with safes requiring precision speed control on both the CB & OB. Thanks!
Unfortunately, nothing but practice will get you there.
FWIW, Tony Robles mentioned that he feels that top players are controlling either the CB or the OB only, just about all the time, when playing safe. Just food for thought.
In your example, I would concentrate on freezing the CB to the blocking ball (hit the 6, CB off the side rail and nudge up to the blocking ball) and not worry too much about the 6. This way, you're only working one ball.
Unfortunately, nothing but practice will get you there.
FWIW, Tony Robles mentioned that he feels that top players are controlling either the CB or the OB only, just about all the time, when playing safe. Just food for thought.
In you example, I would concentrate on freezing the CB to the blocking ball (hit the 6, CB off the side rail and nudge up to the blocking ball) and not worry too much about the 6. This way, you're only working one ball.
Thanks Eric. I am aware of these things however (focusing only on the cue or freezing it as first options). And I know this isn't a great example I've drawn up.
Sometimes at a higher level of play you have to have precision speed on both balls, as the other options are not as viable. I need to get better at it. :frown:
The half ball hit is your best friend in controlling the speed of both. If you hit half ball with no english, both balls can be expected to go the same distance because they will both come off the hit with the same speed.
In your example, you would try to put the object ball the same distance from the rail as the blocker which would leave the cue ball the same distance from the rail on the other side of the blocker.
It is not as safe as getting the CB frozen to the blocker, but it is much easier.
I do pretty good when I only have to concern myself with getting the cue ball where I need to on a safety, but when BOTH the CB and OB speed must be correct, I am too often missing the "tic tac toe" block.
What have you done to get better at this?
Here's an example, perhaps not the best, but I think it will suffice.
Again, I am only concerned with safes requiring precision speed control on both the CB & OB. Thanks!
I think it's a good eample. Sometimes its more than just speed. In the example you show the cue be held with inside english and the amount of the object ball hit (1/2, 1/3, etc will determine the speed of the object ball. It takes some feel and visualization to pull it off along with having practiced shots in similar situations. I am no expert by any means, but learning how to apply spin to the cue can help get it where you want without hittiing it hard.
The half ball hit is your best friend in controlling the speed of both. If you hit half ball with no english, both balls can be expected to go the same distance because they will both come off the hit with the same speed.
In your example, you would try to put the object ball the same distance from the rail as the blocker which would leave the cue ball the same distance from the rail on the other side of the blocker.
It is not as safe as getting the CB frozen to the blocker, but it is much easier.
Nice example Fats and well explained. That's something my math mind can run with. Then I can go to 1/3 ball hits, knowing the cue will go twice as far as the OB (assuming a rolling cue w/ no english).
Rep coming to you for hitting home with me. :smile:
Sometimes at a higher level of play you have to have precision speed on both balls, as the other options are not as viable. I need to get better at it. :frown:
The same concept applies to angled shots like your example scenario.
Whether you are using follow, draw, inside/outside english, the distance away from center CB (where your cue tip contacts the CB) will vary the OB/CB distances traveled.
Hitting near center CB transfers more power to the OB causing it to travel farther than hitting far away from center. Hitting far away from center can transfer more spin which will change the normal paths of CB/OB.
An example of a safety that requires exceptional control of both cue ball and object ball can occur in the nine ball end-game.
Here's a position Johnny Archer faced in the 2000 BCA Open. Yes, there are some possible shots on the eight, but they are all poor percentages, so Johnny opted for the safety. At pro level, this is one of the safeties where getting the object ball right won't be good enough, for you need to make sure you leave the cue ball as far away form the eight as possible.
There are two common approaches to this shot, and perhaps, a pro would be up to executing either.
Approach 1
Send the eight one rail diagonally and the cue ball back toward the bottom of the table on the same side as the one where the eight is intended to go.
For me, personally, I've never been too big a fan of playing the shot this way, as there is a danger of either scratching or losing control of the cue ball.
Approach 2
Send the eight two rails diagonally across and the cue ball back toward the bottom of the table on the same side as the one where the eight is intended to go.
I'm a big fan of playing the shot this way, and so was Johnny Archer, who executed it as diagrammed. Cue ball control on this safety is relatively simple.
Analysis
The two safeties indicated in this position are both sound, but Approach 1 requires more skill in placement of the cue ball than Approach 2. Assuming your object ball control is good enough to produce all safeties available, when you size up a safety requiring good placement of both the cue ball and object ball, learn to choose the option that makes cue ball placement easiest.
One reason pros are sometimes often able to avoid safeties that require tricky control of both the cue ball and object ball is that they are able to identify ways of avoiding having to do so.
An example of a safety that requires exceptional control of both cue ball and object ball can occur in the nine ball end-game.
Here's a position Johnny Archer faced in the 2000 BCA Open. Yes, there are some possible shots on the eight, but they are all poor percentages, so Johnny opted for the safety. At pro level, this is one of the safeties where getting the object ball right won't be good enough, for you need to make sure you leave the cue ball as far away form the eight as possible.
There are two common approaches to this shot, and perhaps, a pro would be up to executing either.
Approach 1
Send the eight one rail diagonally and the cue ball back toward the bottom of the table on the same side as the one where the eight is intended to go.
For me, personally, I've never been too big a fan of playing the shot this way, as there is a danger of either scratching or losing control of the cue ball.
Approach 2
Send the eight two rails diagonally across and the cue ball back toward the bottom of the table on the same side as the one where the eight is intended to go.
I'm a big fan of playing the shot this way, and so was Johnny Archer, who executed it as diagrammed. Cue ball control on this safety is relatively simple.
Analysis
The two safeties indicated in this position are both sound, but Approach 1 requires more skill in placement of the cue ball than Approach 2. Assuming your object ball control is good enough to produce all safeties available, when you size up a safety requiring good placement of both the cue ball and object ball, learn to choose the option that makes cue ball placement easiest.
One reason pros are sometimes often able to avoid safeties that require tricky control of both the cue ball and object ball is that they are able to identify ways of avoiding having to do so.
The second diagram is a great shot and it really comes up quite often.... easy to execute as well.....once you learn it its amazing the amount of times you use it. great diagrams all around in this thread...
The half ball hit is your best friend in controlling the speed of both. If you hit half ball with no english, both balls can be expected to go the same distance because they will both come off the hit with the same speed.
In your example, you would try to put the object ball the same distance from the rail as the blocker which would leave the cue ball the same distance from the rail on the other side of the blocker.
It is not as safe as getting the CB frozen to the blocker, but it is much easier.
1. At the moment of impact, the cue ball is a little closer to you (and further from the rail) when you make a halfball hit. So if you do a perfect halfball hit and both balls move the same distance, then the object ball should touch the rail first and will probably end up bouncing off further than the cue ball.
2. While the object ball moves away from the halfball cut at 45 degrees or so, the cue ball will have picked up some forward roll from the cloth, and it will roll 'straighter' towards the rail than the object ball, which can lead to the cue ball coming out further than you meant.
Often I will have a chance to do a safety in 8 ball where I must hit the cue ball into one of my balls, and then both balls must come off the rail about the same distance to hide my opponent from all the other balls on the table. The trick that helps me the most is to hit with draw drag (low'n'soft) and to imagine 'cutting' my object ball down the rail, but hitting it fat enough that the cue ball stays reasonably close to the rail. I start off aiming a bit thin and then keep adjusting for a fatter and fatter cut until I can imagine holding the cue ball within 1-2 ball widths of the rail. If the OB looks like it'll also stay that close, I know my line of aim is probably going to work.
This won't apply to all situations but I find about 1/3rd full works best when trying this specific safe.
The advice about focusing on 1 ball is good too. In your diagram, it looks like freezing the cue ball to the 8 would require hitting the 6 really full, and then the 6 would bank off the rail and run into the 8. You have to cut the ball as shown and unfortunately send the CB away from the 8 to prevent this. Therefore I'd try to hit as fat as possible to bank the 6 very very close behind the 8. I don't want it to hit the 8, but I want it to barely pass the 8. It's almost the same idea in reverse: instead of trying to freeze the CB to the 8, I try to freeze the 6 to the 8. Try it, you'll find that even if you let someone see a little of the OB, leaving it very close to another ball may make it uncuttable or force them to risk fouling or screw up their chance to play shape.
