Slight Cuts

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DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
anybody ever have any problems with shots that have a very slight cut to them? the shot here isnt quite straight in, if you look close it has a slight cut to it. i wanted to pocket the '2' Ball in the corner pocket, and draw back just slightly to around Point A, for position on the '3' Ball in the same corner.

however, i rattled the '2' Ball in the corner pocket, and it wouldnt fall. this has happened to me twice lately. i have basically undercut the '2' Ball on these shots. last night, i had this same basic shot, and this time overcut it, trying to compensate for the previous two misses.

DCP

CueTable Help

 
DrCue'sProtege said:
anybody ever have any problems with shots that have a very slight cut to them? .

DCP
Click to expand...

DCP,
Man, everyone has problems with this one, whether they know it or not. Even if your stroke is perfect (and I know your's must be) there is throw involved.

Most people adapt to this during the aiming process, aiming for slightly more cut angle. If, however, you strike the ball even SLIGHTLY off-center, you may add some unintended English and cancel the throw effect, resulting in a missed shot (though it's never happened to me; 'cause I hit that freaking ball in the EXACT center every time). If you are one of those that always adds a little outside English to these shots (to cancel the throw effect), then you may still miss the ball if you fail to strike the EXACT contact point on the cue ball that you desire. Good luck.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
anybody ever have any problems with shots that have a very slight cut to them? the shot here isnt quite straight in, if you look close it has a slight cut to it. i wanted to pocket the '2' Ball in the corner pocket, and draw back just slightly to around Point A, for position on the '3' Ball in the same corner.

however, i rattled the '2' Ball in the corner pocket, and it wouldnt fall. this has happened to me twice lately. i have basically undercut the '2' Ball on these shots. last night, i had this same basic shot, and this time overcut it, trying to compensate for the previous two misses.

DCP

CueTable Help

Click to expand...


DCP,

Have you considered this? ->

CueTable Help


Eric >the helpful one
 
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Here is a no-brainer. On shots you have problems with.......don't over analyze the technique. Just practice them 100 times til' you have the shot and the method of executing the shot down cold. You suffer too much from over-analysis. The great players didn't think about this stuff like you do. They would just practice it until it was routine. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Just practice until you get it perfect. Keep a notebook of all of the shots you have problems with, and FOCUS on those shots. It is like a great golfer said......if you already DRIVE the ball great, but putt crappy...then you need to be on the putting green, not practicing your drive.
 
People miss that shot all the time - not because it's hard to make - but because they don't commit to what they're going to do before the shot. The reason is b/c the side pocket is there and you're subconciously afraid to scratch. What ends up happening is you hit the ball without a decisive stroke (maybe punch the ball or whatever) and end up missing it. Try hitting it to draw straight back - then try it again to kind of stun draw it - I bet you you'll have a much easier time drawing it straight back.

DrCue'sProtege said:
anybody ever have any problems with shots that have a very slight cut to them? the shot here isnt quite straight in, if you look close it has a slight cut to it. i wanted to pocket the '2' Ball in the corner pocket, and draw back just slightly to around Point A, for position on the '3' Ball in the same corner.

however, i rattled the '2' Ball in the corner pocket, and it wouldnt fall. this has happened to me twice lately. i have basically undercut the '2' Ball on these shots. last night, i had this same basic shot, and this time overcut it, trying to compensate for the previous two misses.

DCP

CueTable Help

Click to expand...
 
The speed you use on these slight cuts is important, with a firm hit the inertia will push the object ball towards the long rail. Rolling it in or using outside will give you a truer line.
 
i sometimes will shoot the ball full and use a little english to throw the ball in the hole. i'd do this all the time but position play dictates when i do it and most of the time i play position to do this anyway.
 
You are over-thinking, you could be anywhere but straight in on the 3 and have a runout oppurtunity. Your not helping yourself with these posts IMO.
 
laser2507 said:
You are over-thinking, you could be anywhere but straight in on the 3 and have a runout oppurtunity. Your not helping yourself with these posts IMO.
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you're way under-thinking this post. how do you know he's not helping himself? this is never been an easy shot for many types of players especially when this table layout. you need to get shape on the 4 and to do this you must first make the 2 and not leave too much angle on the 3 or you have to move the cueball to much and risk missing the 3. let the people who can help do so. if you can't you don't need to post. and by the way yes you could be straight on the 3 and still have a great runout. in fact that's what i would play for.
 
I just think he worries too much. Many players miss these shots sure, but from the diagram anywhere with a shot on the 4 is fine, I dont really see an issue, the 5 is available in all pockets if you really mess up your shot.
I would leave an angle on the 4 and never leave myself straight in.
 
laser2507 said:
I just think he worries too much. Many players miss these shots sure, but from the diagram anywhere with a shot on the 4 is fine, I dont really see an issue, the 5 is available in all pockets if you really mess up your shot.
I would leave an angle on the 4 and never leave myself straight in.
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yes many players miss these shots but i don't that much. so i guess i was one who could give some advise to him as well as many others could also on this forum. also for sake of argument "straight in" never means "straight in" to a good player. there is always room to cheat the pocket. saying i wanted to be straight in was just so that the angle on the four would be taken care of after the three without an issue.
 
skins said:
i sometimes will shoot the ball full and use a little english to throw the ball in the hole. i'd do this all the time but position play dictates when i do it and most of the time i play position to do this anyway.
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I agree with this. Hit the 2 ball full with right english. The cue ball should drift over to the side rail for you to get nicely on the 3 to follow up a bit for the 4. Even if you hit the side rail the right english will still throw the cue ball away from the 3 a little once it hits the rail.

If the cue ball was closer to the 2 i would just shoot the cue ball softly but with as much back spin as possible. Then even if the OB hit the points or the face of the pockets itll still fall (pocket speed) and youll get decent position on the 3.
 
Eric. said:
DCP,

Have you considered this? ->

CueTable Help


Eric >the helpful one
Click to expand...

i think eric has summed up the solution perfectly.

just remember to use one and a half tips of right hand side back hand english, with a medium hit and layered soft tip. that's all there is to it. you should naturally go six rails round and knock all those balls off the rail. :)
 
We all do miss this shot sometimes. But it is back to basics not necessarily practicing the shot 500 times. I think he is taking his eye off of the object ball for a nanosecond as he strikes. He is glancing at the cue to see if it lines up behind the 3. It is easy to do here because the object of his position is in his line of sight and very distracting. So there!
 
I guess I siffer from commentators curse so to speak. From the wei diagram every shot can look easy, lol
Just played today and missed a far easier shot than this, so I must apologize for my comments. All I can say is keep practising, and try this shot 100 times until you are 95%
 
There are three reasons to draw this ball. (1) You can't shoot a stop shot. (2) You want a chance to scratch. (3) You want a chance to hook yourself.

Hit this ball hard with a stop shot stroke and let it float to the rail and out for the 3 ball. Aim through the center of the ghost ball without looking at the contact point. The ghost ball should be offset slightly to the right to compensate for throw. The cueball will spin to the right naturally off the rail from the spin it picks up off the object ball.

I would like to be your coach, Dr. Cue's Protege. How well do you actually play? How well do you want to play?

unknownpro
 
unknownpro said:
I would like to be your coach, Dr. Cue's Protege. How well do you actually play? How well do you want to play?

unknownpro
Click to expand...
Whoa, seems like DCP isn't that unlucky after all! LOL!

On a more serious note, I enjoy DCP's diagrams (most of them) and I admire DCP's dedication. What I don't admire is his refusal to study an itty-bitty bit of sports psychology or Zen.

On an even more serious note, I'm starting to realize that most of the shots I miss where mechanics aren't the issue have to do with curve and contact throw that I failed to take into account.

P.S.: I also have problems with this shot.
 
As some have said, this is an EASY SHOT, so long as you align properly to it. When most good players have their eye in, they'll make it 19/20 or much more.

But fact is even pros miss this shot on occassion. A pro is out of practice may miss it badly or several times in a row, despite the fact that he knows so much about making this kind of shot.

People have suggested various reasons for missing this kind of shot, most of them true for certain players and situations, but the most important factor in my opinion is the inconsistancy we suffer in aligning to shots.

The only answer I have to fixing this is practice, but even when practising we can have periods when our alignment just goes off.

I don't think this particular angled shot is any different that other shots we might struggle for alignment with, but for some players, some angles seem to bother them more than others.

This one aspect of the game, alignment, is the hardest part of all to figure out I reckon. I'll have patches where the lines come to me intuitively and I cannot miss, and 15 minutes later its off kilter again. I've found ten dozen secrets along the way which seemed to work for a time...but none seem to work all the time. Practice helps but alone doesn't provide a complete fix.

Wish I could discover a fix that would provide continual accuracy for such shots. It's the type of shot a robot could perfect, but humans do not perceive in the same way robots do.

Colin
 
unknownpro said:
I would like to be your coach, Dr. Cue's Protege. How well do you actually play? How well do you want to play?

unknownpro
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and how is it you are going to help me Mr. Unknown Pro? i am open to suggestions. heck, i even finally listened and ordered the "Pleasures Of Small Motions" book everyone has been telling me to buy. PM me..........

DCP
 
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