Pro side of pocket?

SloRoller

SloRoller

Stuck in SLO
Silver Member
Been reading a pool book and it mentions the pro side of a pocket but doesn't go into any details about it. I have heard this expression before but not sure exactly what this is.

Most of the time I heard it is after a bank and they hit it short and leave the object ball in the middle of the rail.

This intrigues me as I am having a issue with position lately.

thanks
SR
 
The bank is one example, another is when cutting a ball to the corner its often better to over cut than to under cut. If you over cut it then it comes off the side rail and goes close to the end rail, where as if you under cut it it comes up table a bit leaving an easier shot (for shots being cut along the end rail).
 
Here's an example from the game of nine ball, as noted by Woody. In the shot on the nine below, cutting it on the left side of the object ball toward the corner pocket, the pro side of the corner pocket is the overcut side, because if your speed is correct for the situation, an overcut will leave opponent a very difficult position. The amateur side, however, is the undercut side of the pocket, and you'll usually sell out if you miss on that side of the corner pocket.

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woody_968 said:
The bank is one example, another is when cutting a ball to the corner its often better to over cut than to under cut. If you over cut it then it comes off the side rail and goes close to the end rail, where as if you under cut it it comes up table a bit leaving an easier shot (for shots being cut along the end rail).
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Woody and sjm are right IMHO. I was going to say this: Professional side refers to the propensity of skilled billiard players to over cut rather than under cut a shot. It is preferable as in the event of a miss, the opponent (in most cases) is not left with an easy shot -- less apt to sell out so-to-speak!
 
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I have found that, while in practice, to pick a certain side of the pocket to aim for. If you can hit the spot that you aim for on most shots, then ball pocketing becomes very easy. You are focusing more on an exact spot rather than just trying to make the ball.

This works especially well if you have a ball blocking a portion of the pocket that you are aiming for. Great drill to fine tune your aim.
 
In SJM's example, this is missing on the "pro" side. No easy shot left.

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This is missing on the amateur side. A much easier shot is left.

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cmbwsu said:
Woody and sjm are right IMHO. I was going to say this: Professional side refers to the propensity of skilled billiard players to over cut rather than under cut a shot. It is preferable as in the event of a miss, the opponent (in most cases) is not left with an easy shot -- less apt to sell out so-to-speak!
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Yes, usually, but consider this shot. Playing nine ball, if you try to cut in the seven at the correct speed, if you overcut it, you often leave opponent an easy lock-up safe in which they'll bury you under the eight and nine. If, on the other hand, using the correct speed, you undercut the seven, the seven will likely end up buried under the eight and nine. Hence, I'd argue that on this occasion, the pro side is on the undercut side of the pocket. To me, the pro side is the side of the pocket offering the better outcome on a miss.

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always found this concept funny

Missing on the "pro side" there is no margin for error, missing on the amateur side you can usually kiss off of the rail and make the ball which is what you were trying to do to begin with. There is another issue too. In between the pocket where you are trying to put the ball and the rail that will bounce the object ball safely down to the end rail there is a point. Hit that point like I usually do aiming for the "pro side" and you may sell out just like aiming at the amateur side without the greater chance of pocketing the ball.

I'm either going to shoot to make the ball or play safe. Compromise shots always bite me in the butt!

Hu
 
sjm said:
Yes, usually, but consider this shot. Playing nine ball, if you try to cut in the seven at the correct speed, if you overcut it, you often leave opponent an easy lock-up safe in which they'll bury you under the eight and nine. If, on the other hand, using the correct speed, you undercut the seven, the seven will likely end up buried under the eight and nine. Hence, I'd argue that on this occasion, the pro side is on the undercut side of the pocket. To me, the pro side is the side of the pocket offering the better outcome on a miss.

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bump................
 
Neil said:
I've always found this concept rather odd. I'm aiming to make the ball. If I miss it, I can't control how I am going to miss it. If I could, I wouldn't miss it. I think that what happens, is some tend to want to miss on the pro side if they miss, so they automatically end up overcutting the shot. Then feel good that they missed on the pro side.

I think that if they had only been concentrating on MAKING the shot, and NOT on how they were going to MISS it, they would have made it in the first place.

Sure, it's better to miss on the pro side. But, if you can control how you are accidentaly missing, why on earth are you missing anything??
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Good post, Neil. The term "pro side" is really a misnomer, but it's a term you often hear used in pool's vernacular to describe the side of the pocket offering the better result on a miss. The fact that the "pro side" exists, as you rightly suggest, doesn't necessarily mean you should adjust your aim to account for it.
 
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sjm said:
Yes, usually, but consider this shot. Playing nine ball, if you try to cut in the seven at the correct speed, if you overcut it, you often leave opponent an easy lock-up safe in which they'll bury you under the eight and nine. If, on the other hand, using the correct speed, you undercut the seven, the seven will likely end up buried under the eight and nine. Hence, I'd argue that on this occasion, the pro side is on the undercut side of the pocket. To me, the pro side is the side of the pocket offering the better outcome on a miss.

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Agreed. The situation/layout dictates! That's what makes our game so interesting. Frankly, I just go for the out!
 
What neil is saying is true, that if you're aiming to make the ball, you best had aim to split the pocket. If you're accurate enough to control how you miss, you wouldn't miss in the first place.

However there are rare occasions where I'll be aiming a ball and I'm not sure what the cut angle is, and in my head it's kind of boiling down to a 50/50 choice.

My thought process, if I said it out loud, might go something like "hit with inside, but hit firm so that the throw effect doesn't matter much? But what if there's still an effect? Maybe I should hit softer and aim to overcut a bit, and just plan to compensate for the throw?". Let's say either one will give an ok leave.

Or it may be as simple as "ok, I can't quite see the cut angle and I'm angling the cue for 1 degree thinner... another degree thinner... another degree thinner... ok stop, I think I have the correct aiming point. Or should I go one more degree?"

In those situations where it mentally 'feels' like one choice or the other, I try to aim to the 'pro' side of the pocket that will give me the best chance of making the shot (for example if a pocket is partially blocked and I must aim for the thin side of the pocket, I'd go that one more degree in the example above).

Hard to put it into words without sounding like I have some scatterbrained scrubby wait of aiming and shooting, but I know we all have these little internal arguments.
 
sjm said:
To me, the pro side is the side of the pocket offering the better outcome on a miss.
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This is exactly what the "pro" side means. It is strictly a way of acknowledging the player has realized the correct way to go about shooting a particular shot. It may call for an undercut, or over cut, depending on the lay of the table. It may call to miss the bank short, or long, again depending on the situation. Top players have given me this lesson and the "pro" side is strictly a term used in situations that call for a best way to go about a shot. Hope this helps.
 
Wow,ok, thanks guys. I think I get it now.

I agree with Neil, I just aim for the center of the pocket and hope to make the ball.

I am reading a pool book (Zen Pool) and it states this about the pro side:

"The professional side of the pocket is the actual opening, as opposed to the visual entity of the pocket. This will help you avoid hitting the rail on the way in."

This statement confused me and you explanations are more clear.

Zen is deep....lol


SR
 
The better miss theory is an essential element in determining the "pro side" of the pocket.

For shots along the rails, all other things being equal (i.e. layout, resulting shot afforded your opponent on a miss, shape for the next ball, etc.) , generally the pro-side is the over-cut side of the pocket rather than the undercut side.

This is because the slightly over-cut ball has a better chance of going in. If the undercut shot hits the rail first, or the near point, it is more likely to rattle and hang whereas the over cut shot may hit the far facing or far point and has a better chance to still go down.

Pros play the percentages and this side of the pocket increases your chances while at the same time usually results in a more difficult shot for the opponent if you miss.

There is a similar idea in golf where, on a breaking putt the "pro side" of the hole is the high side. This is because a putt hit on the higher side of the break has a chance to go in while a putt that breaks below the hole has no chance.
 
"The professional side of the pocket is the actual opening, as opposed to the visual entity of the pocket. This will help you avoid hitting the rail on the way in."

I think this means that a lessor player tends to stand behind the shot, look at the pocket and aim for the pocket while the more advanced player walks to a position behind the ob and in line with the pocket and looks to see what portion of the pocket is actually usable for the shot.

A shot cross table from one diamond out needs to be aimed at the cushion of the long rail. A shot down the rail needs to be aimed at the cushion of the short rail as opposed to being aimed at the back of the pocket.

When I neglect to think thusly my mind sort of automatically aims for the back of the pocket and I shoot into the rail. I must remember to always have a precise target to aim at.. not just at the pocket.
 
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