Precision Aiming in Safety Play

JB Cases

JB Cases

www.jbcases.com
Silver Member
I discovered a neat way to aim when playing safe. When banking balls to spots on the rail I often tend to under or over-hit the ball and leave a shot instead of laying down a good safe.

The other day I figured out that I can use the Double the Distance method to figure the contact point on the object ball for any place on the table that I want the object ball to go to.

Here is is. This a 34 minute video and it might be a little confusing to some of you but this is a powerful weapon for me now. With a little practice I think you will see how many ways and in how many games this can be useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbjl_8wtcS8
 
JB Cases said:
I discovered a neat way to aim when playing safe. When banking balls to spots on the rail I often tend to under or over-hit the ball and leave a shot instead of laying down a good safe.

The other day I figured out that I can use the Double the Distance method to figure the contact point on the object ball for any place on the table that I want the object ball to go to.

Here is is. This a 34 minute video and it might be a little confusing to some of you but this is a powerful weapon for me now. With a little practice I think you will see how many ways and in how many games this can be useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbjl_8wtcS8
Click to expand...
As you said, that's a good aiming technique for any kind of rail shot: safeties, banks, even kicks and rail-first pocketing shots. It's often called the "mirror" method (you can see why) and is essentially the same as the "spot on the wall" method for multiple-rail shots.

pj
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
As you said, that's a good aiming technique for any kind of rail shot: safeties, banks, even kicks and rail-first pocketing shots. It's often called the "mirror" method (you can see why) and is essentially the same as the "spot on the wall" method for multiple-rail shots.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

Jimmy Reid taught it to me in the 90s and I have used it effectively for one rail kicks ever since. And I have used it sporadically for bank shots. But I never thought to use it for safety play until now. Just one of those obvious things that are sometimes missed.
 
JB Cases said:
Jimmy Reid taught it to me in the 90s and I have used it effectively for one rail kicks ever since. And I have used it sporadically for bank shots. But I never thought to use it for safety play until now. Just one of those obvious things that are sometimes missed.
Click to expand...
Here's a good use for it that's very similar to your safety demo:

In one pocket you're often faced with a shallow cross corner bank that's blocked by a second OB on the short rail. You want to bank the first OB into the second one for the possible point, but you're so used to banking at the pocket itself that you don't have a feel for hitting targets on the rail before the pocket. This method gives you a pretty good way to aim them.

It's also a pretty good way to cross-check your aim for the pocket. I make a habit of measuring where the mirror-image corner pockets would be (usually some distance short of the corner pocket on an adjoining table) whenever I play one pocket at a new location.

pj
chgo
 
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Beautiful application/advanced technique of one of the basics...!!!

I'll be practicing it later today!
 
Nice post JB, it´s kind of funny sometimes when you miss to use the things that you know already on something like that.
I havn´t thought of it and have like you just went with feel - which of course when you have played a lot will do it but in a match and feeling a bit stressed it´s easy to miss it. It´s good to have some logical things to "back" the action you chose sometimes.

Thx

Chrippa
 
JB Cases said:
I discovered a neat way to aim when playing safe. When banking balls to spots on the rail I often tend to under or over-hit the ball and leave a shot instead of laying down a good safe.

The other day I figured out that I can use the Double the Distance method to figure the contact point on the object ball for any place on the table that I want the object ball to go to.

Here is is. This a 34 minute video and it might be a little confusing to some of you but this is a powerful weapon for me now. With a little practice I think you will see how many ways and in how many games this can be useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbjl_8wtcS8
Click to expand...

It's good that you're practicing safeties. I know very few players who practice them much. I keep a manual on various shots and techniques to refresh myself and practice. In fact it's up to about 40 pages now. I personally believe in practicing safety skills on a situational basis. It can be difficult to recognize the best safety for the situation, especially when there are a lot of balls on the table.

For many years, this was my glaring weakness as a competitive player - I pretty much went total offense and that's very risky as the competition gets better and better. As my safety play improved, my game became increasingly more competitive. A few years ago, Frank the Barber spent a day with me with me on basic safety play. From those notes I expanded my knowledge. If I see a pro make a good safety play that I didn't see, I jot it down and add it to my manual. In fact, I believe that a great many players could significantly improve their competitive game by focusing practice on defense rather than offense. That includes kicking as well.

The lines you show certainly help a player judge angle. The speed part really takes a lot of practice and varies a lot from table to table.
 
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TATE said:
It's good that you're practicing safeties. I know very few players who practice them much. I keep a manual on various shots and techniques to refresh myself and practice. In fact it's up to about 40 pages now. I personally believe in practicing safety skills on a situational basis. It can be difficult to recognize the best safety for the situation, especially when there are a lot of balls on the table.

For many years, this was my glaring weakness as a competitive player - I pretty much went total offense and that's very risky as the competition gets better and better. As my safety play improved, my game became increasingly more competitive. A few years ago, Frank the Barber spent a day with me with me on basic safety play. From those notes I expanded my knowledge. If I see a pro make a good safety play that I didn't see, I jot it down and add it to my manual. In fact, I believe that a great many players could significantly improve their competitive game by focusing practice on defense rather than offense. That includes kicking as well.

The lines you show certainly help a player judge angle. The speed part really takes a lot of practice and varies a lot from table to table.
Click to expand...

I always practice them. I liken it to trick shots in that you can do some really impressive stuff if you have the knowledge. I like it when I can float the cue ball into a tight area and have it nestle up against a ball. Or bank a ball perfectly into a cluster. Essentially I like finding creative and effective solutions that aren't obvious. To me the obvious safeties also have obvious answers for the incoming player.

There is so much depth to the game beyond simply pocketing balls.

Well I played around a little more with this and it's really powerful. Still requires a good touch and some practice to understand the speed and how to adjust to avoid kisses on the crossing shots. But as a tool to figure out approximately the right aiming line it's the nuts.

Another thing that's not obvious is extending the lines. This is what I call it when you go beyond the obvious two rails or three rails and see what happens when the ball were to roll a little farther. I guess this is a bit hard to explain but when you watch the pros you will often see them play a safety that has the either the cue ball or the object ball taking an extra rail in order to slow it down or reverse the spin to put on the brakes. These are really advanced shots to me that the amateur either doesn't see or doesn't know how to execute. So I have been working on these shots for both safety and position play. Carom players of course know them but pool players mostly don't.

A lot of knowledge can be gained with just the cue ball and one other ball and observing and absorbing what happens when you experiment.
 
TheThaiger said:
Dude, do something about that arm. Priority numero uno.
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with my arm. The ball goes where I want it to. When I come through the cue tip hits the cue ball in the right spot and everything happens as it should.

Tell Bustamante to fix his arm. :-)
 
JB Cases said:
There is nothing wrong with my arm. The ball goes where I want it to. When I come through the cue tip hits the cue ball in the right spot and everything happens as it should.

Tell Bustamante to fix his arm. :-)
Click to expand...

When he plays like you, I will...

Just fix the arm.
 
TheThaiger said:
When he plays like you, I will...

Just fix the arm.
Click to expand...

How do I play? I mean I am open to coaching but you don't really know how I play based on what you see me doing in these videos. You can infer that I play badly if you like but that doesn't mean that I do.

There are a few people here who know I play well enough to hold my own against just about everyone here except the known pros and shortstops. And even against the shortstops I'd do alright if I played more.

I don't care right now about having a textbook perfect stroking mechanics. I am more interested in deeper concepts in the game. If I need to get my arm in shape then I will. Otherwise it is working just fine for me and what I am doing. Pay attention to the content and not the delivery :-)
 
TATE said:
It's good that you're practicing safeties. I know very few players who practice them much. I keep a manual on various shots and techniques to refresh myself and practice. In fact it's up to about 40 pages now. I personally believe in practicing safety skills on a situational basis. It can be difficult to recognize the best safety for the situation, especially when there are a lot of balls on the table.

For many years, this was my glaring weakness as a competitive player - I pretty much went total offense and that's very risky as the competition gets better and better. As my safety play improved, my game became increasingly more competitive. A few years ago, Frank the Barber spent a day with me with me on basic safety play. From those notes I expanded my knowledge. If I see a pro make a good safety play that I didn't see, I jot it down and add it to my manual. In fact, I believe that a great many players could significantly improve their competitive game by focusing practice on defense rather than offense. That includes kicking as well.

The lines you show certainly help a player judge angle. The speed part really takes a lot of practice and varies a lot from table to table.
Click to expand...

Sir

Maybe you can share to us some of those safety plays, i believed to become a better pool player you got to have good safety play too. Shooting balls on open table are quite easy, but when problem balls arrived like frozen 2 balls or others, a good player with carom will come into effect, that is why a carom player always advised me to learn carom and my white ball will surely improve a lot

Thanks

Joyren
 
TATE said:
It's good that you're practicing safeties. I know very few players who practice them much. I keep a manual on various shots and techniques to refresh myself and practice. In fact it's up to about 40 pages now. I personally believe in practicing safety skills on a situational basis. It can be difficult to recognize the best safety for the situation, especially when there are a lot of balls on the table.

For many years, this was my glaring weakness as a competitive player - I pretty much went total offense and that's very risky as the competition gets better and better. As my safety play improved, my game became increasingly more competitive. A few years ago, Frank the Barber spent a day with me with me on basic safety play. From those notes I expanded my knowledge. If I see a pro make a good safety play that I didn't see, I jot it down and add it to my manual. In fact, I believe that a great many players could significantly improve their competitive game by focusing practice on defense rather than offense. That includes kicking as well.

The lines you show certainly help a player judge angle. The speed part really takes a lot of practice and varies a lot from table to table.
Click to expand...

Sir

Maybe you can share to us some of those safety plays, i believed to become a better pool player you got to have good safety play too. Shooting balls on open table are quite easy, but when problem balls arrived like frozen 2 balls or others, a good player with carom will come into effect, that is why a carom player always advised me to learn carom and my white ball will surely improve a lot

Thanks
 
JB Cases said:
... The other day I figured out that I can use the Double the Distance method to figure the contact point on the object ball for any place on the table that I want the object ball to go to. ...
Click to expand...
In practice, I think it helps to have a target at the mirror location so you can simply shoot the object ball to that target. If the goal doesn't change -- such as the center of the foot rail -- the mirror target can stay in the same place for a bunch of shots with the object ball starting in many places.

The way you constructed the mirror target was not quite correct. The reflection point is the rail groove. Maybe a minor point, but I think it is better to get all the details right.
 
Bob Jewett said:
In practice, I think it helps to have a target at the mirror location so you can simply shoot the object ball to that target. If the goal doesn't change -- such as the center of the foot rail -- the mirror target can stay in the same place for a bunch of shots with the object ball starting in many places.

The way you constructed the mirror target was not quite correct. The reflection point is the rail groove. Maybe a minor point, but I think it is better to get all the details right.
Click to expand...

As a disciple of the Jimmy Reid videos, I caught onto that error too. Still, I think Jimmy uses the rail point. Is the rail groove better, Bob?

For me, the most eye-opening use of this system occurs at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Gbjl_8wtcS8#t=938s But, I'd prefer if I could predict the cue ball path instead for that shot.
 
Bob, are you talking about the area underneath the rail? Where all the lint and debris collects? That's what I've called the rail groove, but I just want to confirm.

That was gonna be my question today, since I wasn't sure if the mirror point was the nose of the cushion or not.

I slide my cue under the cushion, into that rail groove, when I'm figuring 1-rail kicks for an OB that's really off-angle from the CB. I saw Alex Pagulayan use it. It seemed to be pretty accurate.
 
fathomblue said:
Bob, are you talking about the area underneath the rail? Where all the lint and debris collects? That's what I've called the rail groove, but I just want to confirm.

That was gonna be my question today, since I wasn't sure if the mirror point was the nose of the cushion or not.

I slide my cue under the cushion, into that rail groove, when I'm figuring 1-rail kicks for an OB that's really off-angle from the CB. I saw Alex Pagulayan use it. It seemed to be pretty accurate.
Click to expand...

I believe Bob is refering to the rail "Track", which is the Groove a half ball distance from the rail on "experienced" cloth.
 
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