Problem with Rail Shot

647km2

647km2

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a question to asked,I always have problem in shooting balls on rail like this

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Wei Table

Instead of going straight in the hole,it messed up the whole thing,so can anyone help me with this rail shot,im really weak at it.Thank You.

Regards..
 
What works for me is to use "running" english. In this case, it would be "right". I personally like to use a touch of bottom also. It seems to make the ball hug the rail better.
 
647km2 said:
I have a question to asked,I always have problem in shooting balls on rail like this

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Wei Table

Instead of going straight in the hole,it messed up the whole thing,so can anyone help me with this rail shot,im really weak at it.Thank You.

Regards..
Click to expand...

It is just practice. Try to hit ball and rail at same time. If still having difficulties, try hitting the object ball as thin as you can. You can improve making this shot, especially in other shots that have to past the side rail by using low english. In the case of your shot you might scratch in the side with low.
 
647km2 said:
I have a question to asked,I always have problem in shooting balls on rail like this

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Wei Table

Instead of going straight in the hole,it messed up the whole thing,so can anyone help me with this rail shot,im really weak at it.Thank You.

Regards..
Click to expand...

First of all, I want to say that nobody likes this shot. It is very difficult on a tight table and a lot of good shooters miss it.

Chances are you're hitting the edge of the ball first. As wrong as it seems, aim a little more behind the ball, and just use straight center ball (not follow). The ball can be made if the cue ball contacts the cushion and the ball at the same time, or if it contacts the cushion fractionally first, but not if you contact the ball before the cushion.

You can develop a feel for frozen or close rail shots that will benefit your game immensely.

Chris
 
TATE said:
First of all, I want to say that nobody likes this shot. It is very difficult on a tight table and a lot of good shooters miss it.

Chances are you're hitting the edge of the ball first. As wrong as it seems, aim a little more behind the ball, and just use straight center ball (not follow). The ball can be made if the cue ball contacts the cushion and the ball at the same time, or if it contacts the cushion fractionally first, but not if you contact the ball before the cushion.

You can develop a feel for frozen or close rail shots that will benefit your game immensely.

Chris
Click to expand...
Only thing I would add to this is to also try changing the speed of the hit, especially when favouring the rail just a tad. I like a little low inside if it doesn't matter where the cb goes.
 
Thanks for the info guys,its very useful.

Just got to try it this weekends.If it works,i will inform u guys.

Thank you
 
I was slamming these in the other day. I started out practicing on the end rail, then got cocky and tried it on the long rail, and they were going in like popcorn (well, three in a row, anyway).

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Obviously, this is a tough shot, but the way I like to shoot it is by aiming just a hair up the rail and using a little running english, which is right english in this case.
 
647km2 said:
I have a question to asked,I always have problem in shooting balls on rail like this


Regards..
Click to expand...


I think you should practice hitting the object ball super thin. Trying to hit the rail and ball at the same time might be a little to vague. Using english (right) just adds another variable especially when later you need to think about position.

Very good advice given here, but accuracy at contact point seems to be more of the problem. When dealing with accuracy it just might be best to keep other variables away. Add them later. Yes right english will help the shot and so will hitting it low, but I would practice until I made it with no english first and expand later.
 
sjm said:
Obviously, this is a tough shot, but the way I like to shoot it is by aiming just a hair up the rail and using a little running english, which is right english in this case.
Click to expand...

You are 100% correct and my last remark was to deal with the accuracy issue. I sometimes see players that have only limited tools available when making certain shots, that all.
 
Most everyone stated that you sould hit the rail first. To go one step further---the harder you hit the shot, the more you can hit the rail in front of the object ball. This is because the rail compresses and the cue ball will go into the rail and as it comes out of the rail it will hit the obect ball. Inside English seems to help a little but it can be made with any English--you just have to practice with each combination of English.
 
rail shot

I find this shot becomes eaiser by thinking to cut it into the big side of the pocket instead of cutting down the rail. this thought changes your contact point to a thinner hit.
 
There's always been a lot of debate about these shots. Some say hit the ball and the rail at the same time. Others will tell you to hit the rail just barely before the ball. I used to have some difficulty with this shot until I found a method that works very well for me. I just shoot the shot like it's a cut shot and the rail isn't even there. Works great for me. Now I can shoot this shot with a pretty high success rate, even on Snooker tables.
 
JLW said:
There's always been a lot of debate about these shots. Some say hit the ball and the rail at the same time. Others will tell you to hit the rail just barely before the ball. I used to have some difficulty with this shot until I found a method that works very well for me. I just shoot the shot like it's a cut shot and the rail isn't even there. Works great for me. Now I can shoot this shot with a pretty high success rate, even on Snooker tables.
Click to expand...
Probably the best advice so far. That's also what Mizerak suggests.

In fact, you have to hit the cushion before the ball unless you are using outside english. This is throroughly covered in Koehler's book. It is also covered in the first and third articles in http://www.sfbilliards.com/cols1992-2000_txt.pdf -- caution: the download will take a while.

People who tell you to hit the ball and the cushion at the same time are confused and probalby have never really tried to hit the ball and cushion at the same time. It's really easy to show that this is the wrong thing to do.

The reason, of course, is throw.
 
sjm said:
Obviously, this is a tough shot, but the way I like to shoot it is by aiming just a hair up the rail and using a little running english, which is right english in this case.
Click to expand...
Without side spin, you need to aim about a quarter-inch up the rail, depending on the speed of the shot. It's at least as far with inside.
 
Bob Jewett said:
Without side spin, you need to aim about a quarter-inch up the rail, depending on the speed of the shot. It's at least as far with inside.
Click to expand...

That qualifies as a hair up the rail in my book.
 
I've heard this piece of advice: if the cut is thin, use inside english, makes the object ball hug the rail. If the cut is thick, use a little bit of outside english, because it seems to work better than inside english. With a half-ball cut you might just use plain center ball or a hair of inside.
 
>a quarter-inch

sjm said:
That qualifies as a hair up the rail in my book.
Click to expand...

Some of us have thicker hair than others. Do the balls really look like a hair apart if you place the cue ball on the cushion a quarter-inch from the object ball?
 
Bob Jewett said:
>a quarter-inch



Some of us have thicker hair than others. Do the balls really look like a hair apart if you place the cue ball on the cushion a quarter-inch from the object ball?
Click to expand...

I think it's a visual thing. The shot diagrammed has the cue ball several feet from the object ball. Perception wise, I consider this just a tiny aim adjustment, but I'll admit the term "a hair" might have been overdoing it. Good catch, Bob.
 
Drill...

Well, I can't provide any advice that somebody else already hasn't, but this is one of the drills I like to do to practice rail shots. Take ball in hand on the first shot and shoot the balls in order into pocket A. You have to start over if you miss or hit any of the other balls with the cue. As with any other drill, it drives me insane after about 20 minutes and I have to move on to something else. Then again, some people say I'm not the most dedicated player in the world. Anyway, if it helps, use it, if not, junk it.

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