Rubbing the rail...why?

[3RAILKICK]

Watching a pool video today of a match in the Philippines..a couple of times the shooter would 'smooth the felt' on the rail.

It was done when a shot had to go down the rail.

The 'smoothing' motion was in the direction of the pocket. Is this a common knowledge table prep thing that improves the odds of making the shot?

Are they laying down loose fibers to go 'with the grain of the shot'? Or does some hand oil transfer and create a bigger pocket from some 'slide'?

Or is just a nervous habit, and maybe pick up some chalk on their bridge hand. Or lay down some powder to the rail?

Just hadn't noticed it before and was wondering if it was something or nothing.

If this is secret stuff...I'll just stay in the dark. But I might start doing it.

 

[Pidge]

I'd say its just habit. Sportsmen are weird folk. Very superstitious. I've played against guys that had the black ball and cue ball in snooker cleaned every shot, guys that refuse to chalk before shooting the money ball and guys that insist on taking a sip of water after every 3 balls potted.

 

[trinacria]

I'd say its just habit. Sportsmen are weird folk. Very superstitious. I've played against guys that had the black ball and cue ball in snooker cleaned every shot, guys that refuse to chalk before shooting the money ball and guys that insist on taking a sip of water after every 3 balls potted.

i have to agree, look at johnny archer and his picking stuff off the table before he shoots the money ball. every time without fail.

 

[pt109]

In a humid climate, often the glue behind the rubber starts to give up, creating ripples in
the cushion. The rubbing might be instinctive or deliberate, but rippling could be the.
root cause.
I was showing someone a position shot once involving a ball frozen to the rail....I missed
it four times with the cue-ball only a foot away....I'm not THAT bad.....
.....I looked along the rail and it was bowed in two places.

 

[HawaiianEye]

I lived in the Philippines for 3 years and played on tables that were less than perfect and they changed dramatically as the humidity changed and the humidity there is brutal. Sometimes the cloth loosens up on the tables and there are wrinkles that weren't there a few hours earlier.

Smoothing the rails or cloth down before a shot isn't uncommon.

Aloha.

 

[SouthernDraw]

I lived in the Philippines for 3 years and played on tables that were less than perfect and they changed dramatically as the humidity changed and the humidity there is brutal. Sometimes the cloth loosens up on the tables and there are wrinkles that weren't there a few hours earlier.

Smoothing the rails or cloth down before a shot isn't uncommon.

Aloha.

Here, it used to be that mechanics didn't always do things the same. And often rooms rooms would set up their tables unique to give their regulars an advantage over traveling players. One way was to have their rail's cloth much looser that the bed. IIRC the loose cloth will make the ball grip cloth more and throw the spinning ball more. I think many 1-hole players requested loose cloth on rails also. The advantage of a unique table is greater in 1-hole.

 

[Johnnyt]

I lived in the Philippines for 3 years and played on tables that were less than perfect and they changed dramatically as the humidity changed and the humidity there is brutal. Sometimes the cloth loosens up on the tables and there are wrinkles that weren't there a few hours earlier.

Smoothing the rails or cloth down before a shot isn't uncommon.

Aloha.

I agree and most of the time you will find the cloth bubbles up just before the corner pockets and/or in front of center pockets when cloth is loose and over 70% humidity around table. Johnnyt .

 

[KoolKat9Lives]

I can't answer the OP's question but can add this.

I was at the Open @ 4 years ago. Earl, whom I know to a degree, was playing Lee Van reasonably late in the tourney. I saw LV rub the rail on a couple ocassions. Earl went ballistic.

Next day, a handful of us were hanging in the Red Roof parking lot as Earl held court, shirtless, sitting on his BMW hood. His hotel room door was open and it was like a tornado had hit it. He had his weight bench set up in there, but I digress.

He said in part something @ the rail rubbing and went on to say other opinions @ fillopinos. That some won't shower for the week of a tourney because it's considered bad luck. So whether putting an oily hand on the rail affects play or not, or is a shark move, or what not, I do not know.

 

[pt109]

I lived in the Philippines for 3 years and played on tables that were less than perfect and they changed dramatically as the humidity changed and the humidity there is brutal. Sometimes the cloth loosens up on the tables and there are wrinkles that weren't there a few hours earlier.

Smoothing the rails or cloth down before a shot isn't uncommon.

Aloha.

Didn't think of the cloth angle.....Thanx.
But the glue holding the rubber Is sometimes a factor also.

 

[pt109]

I can't answer the OP's question but can add this.

I was at the Open @ 4 years ago. Earl, whom I know to a degree, was playing Lee Van reasonably late in the tourney. I saw LV rub the rail on a couple ocassions. Earl went ballistic.

Next day, a handful of us were hanging in the Red Roof parking lot as Earl held court, shirtless, sitting on his BMW hood. His hotel room door was open and it was like a tornado had hit it. He had his weight bench set up in there, but I digress.

He said in part something @ the rail rubbing and went on to say other opinions @ fillopinos. That some won't shower for the week of a tourney because it's considered bad luck. So whether putting an oily hand on the rail affects play or not, or is a shark move, or what not, I do not know.

I stick up for Earl 86 percent of the time....here's some of the 14.....
At a one table set-up once, I saw him with a glass of water rubbing every rail with his
wet hand about a diamond from each pocket....makes the rubber bouncy and makes
sliding them in tougher....he figured it gave his superior accuracy an edge.

Do anything like that in the PGA...disqualification, maybe banishment.

....so it's the old throwing stones in a glass house thing.....

 

[KoolKat9Lives]

I stick up for Earl 86 percent of the time....here's some of the 14.....
At a one table set-up once, I saw him with a glass of water rubbing every rail with his
wet hand about a diamond from each pocket....makes the rubber bouncy and makes
sliding them in tougher....he figured it gave his superior accuracy an edge.

Do anything like that in the PGA...disqualification, maybe banishment.

....so it's the old throwing stones in a glass house thing.....

Lee Van was exactly a diamond away on his rubs I witnessed.

That's messed up...

 

[arps]

rubbing the cloth on the table beside the rail (especially on shots running along the rail) - making sure there's no lint, dirt or chalk particle that may affect the object ball. when a table is being cleaned for maintenance, everything is just brushed going to the rails, so all foreign particles are there.

rubbing the fingers on the rail cloth - to wipe chalk off fingers. (just being lazy) :grin: