Running a ball down the rail

JE54

JE54

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Does it help to put english on shots where the OB is froze to the rail ?
picture the ob at diamond 3 just before the side pocket on the rail and the cb at diamond 1 1/2 - 2. Cb is 1 diamond out from the rail.
Suggestions ?
Or even a thinner cut, but still the ob has to travel some distance to make the pocket.
 
JE54 said:
Does it help to put english on shots where the OB is froze to the rail ?
picture the ob at diamond 3 just before the side pocket on the rail and the cb at diamond 1 1/2 - 2. Cb is 1 diamond out from the rail.
Suggestions ?
Or even a thinner cut, but still the ob has to travel some distance to make the pocket.
Click to expand...
If you practice the various spins, I think you will find that you can get good at all of them. The easiest to be consistent at is a simple rolling cue ball. Eventually you need to be able to play with all the spins for position.
 
Bob Jewett said:
If you practice the various spins, I think you will find that you can get good at all of them. The easiest to be consistent at is a simple rolling cue ball. Eventually you need to be able to play with all the spins for position.
Click to expand...

I concur, I am most consistent putting top spin on a rail shot, especially the thin cuts.
 
JE54 said:
Does it help to put english on shots where the OB is froze to the rail ?
picture the ob at diamond 3 just before the side pocket on the rail and the cb at diamond 1 1/2 - 2. Cb is 1 diamond out from the rail.
Suggestions ?
Or even a thinner cut, but still the ob has to travel some distance to make the pocket.
Click to expand...

I like to use low inside and play it almost like a rail-first shot. I use that technique as often as I can as long as it works with position for the next shot or if there's no pocket scratch there if it's the final ball.

My second choice is high inside.

If I have to use outside, I find that more speed helps (Thanks to Pat Fleming for that tip).

Remember: We're talking about the ob frozen to a rail, not just any rail shot.
 
Last edited:
rail shots

You may find that any spin on the shot is preferred as long as you are connecting accurately on the OB. Hitting the shot with an angle of approach, as you described, would be most difficult with a stun effect. (No spin at all at the moment of contact) Stun creates the greates range Throw upon the OB and will be amplified as the OB will now be prone to bounce off the rail if not struck perfectly.

Normally inside english would also create a higher degree of throw but many have learned to hit the rail first and allow the inside spin to compress the rail and roll into the OB to create the proper effect.
 
I've found that I have a tendencey when shooting the shots that are on the rail, especially when the cb is rather close. That I hit it too full and the OB bounces off the rail and hits the short rail somewhere between a 1/2 diamond or 1 diamond out from the pocket. It caused me to get knocked out of a tournament yesterday.
 
JE54 said:
I've found that I have a tendencey when shooting the shots that are on the rail, especially when the cb is rather close. That I hit it too full and the OB bounces off the rail and hits the short rail somewhere between a 1/2 diamond or 1 diamond out from the pocket. It caused me to get knocked out of a tournament yesterday.
Click to expand...

It can get tricky, because it's hard to tell with the naked eye if the cb hit the ball or the rail first when you missed the shot. The effect can be practically the same. I have a camera that can I can manually play back frame by frame and even with that, I often have to play it back several times to tell.

Try to get it on camera where you can play it back slowly and study the hit. You need to first find out how you're actually missing the shot.
 
Last edited:
If the Object Ball is frozen to the rail, I like to use draw for consistency...may not work for shape in some cases, though, but if I gotta cinch it, that's what works best for me. If I need follow, then running (inside) english works better for a ball frozen to the rail. If the ball's off the rail even a little bit, a little outside works more consistently.

Of course, I'm talking about the easiest way to make it...that's only half the battle, the necessary shape will dictate otherwise as often as not, so you really need to practice all of the choices.
 
inside english transfers spin to the object ball that will swerve it back to the rail if you didnt hit it perfectly clean (maybe)
also the spin imparted will favor it going into the pocket when it hits the facing this part i do beleive for sure
icbw

cutting a ball left down the rail
left (inside) english puts right hand english on the object ball
which already has some right hand english from the cut
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top