Straight in and on the rail...

[telkwa]

I know this has come up before but I can't find it, so I'll ask again.
Last night in a tournament I left myself dead straight in on the 7, with CB and OB essentially on the short rail (probably 1-2mm off the edge). Getting to the 9 is automatic with any reasonable shot on the 8. The table's pockets are fairly tight. I tried to cheat the pocket and send the cueball into the short rail and with top side come out off the long rail, but I managed to pocket both balls

Should I have tried to cheat the other way? IE - send the 7 into the rail and try to follow or draw out of the situation?

Or in this position am I resigned to manuvering the cueball foward or backward along the short rail and take the long shot to the opposite corner? Thanks.

 

[fxskater]

My prefered method would be to kick off the rail first and pocket the ball coming off the rail then either power draw (one of my favorite shots) or follow with a little inside. I would have to see a diagram of the shot though. If the balls are frozen, even with tight pockets, i like forcing it with outside english, to get a little ways off the rail. Again I'd have to see it though. Nothing is a pretty as a power draw, rail first, huge curve, with running english when it hits the rail. oooohhhhhh i love that shot. Expecially when the ball is nearly a ball width away from the rail and there is an interfering ball. That one of my favorite shots to execute correctly. It can even look sweeter with a weighted cueball, that will slip a good 4 inches past the ob.

Totally unrelated to your situation, but i love this shot:

check this diagram out, only possible with a overweight cb though.

RSB Pool Table
START(
%AJ3Y6%BM6X8%CB2\1%DB3\2%EB8B9%Ft3C0%Gs5[8%HJ0U8%I\2B4%J[4\5
%Kt5B7%L[3\8%ML5X0%NK0V5%O[4\7%P\6W9%UC3[5%VI8Y4%WP3[0%X\1X4
%YL0Y9%ZO5Z9%_X8D8%`H4U4%aJ1Y0
)END

Pound the Overweight CB with about a tip to a tip and a half of english with a power stroke, and it carries, right through the CB about 4 inches before the draw takes and swings it back to the rail. Beautiful shot when executed. I dunno if i got all the angles and specifics 100% in the diagram but its pretty close.

 

[JLW]

I know this has come up before but I can't find it, so I'll ask again.
Last night in a tournament I left myself dead straight in on the 7, with CB and OB essentially on the short rail (probably 1-2mm off the edge). Getting to the 9 is automatic with any reasonable shot on the 8. The table's pockets are fairly tight. I tried to cheat the pocket and send the cueball into the short rail and with top side come out off the long rail, but I managed to pocket both balls

Should I have tried to cheat the other way? IE - send the 7 into the rail and try to follow or draw out of the situation?

Or in this position am I resigned to manuvering the cueball foward or backward along the short rail and take the long shot to the opposite corner? Thanks.

If I understand what you're saying, one possible shot is to shoot slightly down on the CB with low, outside english. Depending on how tight the pockets are, you can make the shot and get several feet away from the rail.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

I know this has come up before but I can't find it, so I'll ask again.
Last night in a tournament I left myself dead straight in on the 7, with CB and OB essentially on the short rail (probably 1-2mm off the edge). Getting to the 9 is automatic with any reasonable shot on the 8. The table's pockets are fairly tight. I tried to cheat the pocket and send the cueball into the short rail and with top side come out off the long rail, but I managed to pocket both balls

Should I have tried to cheat the other way? IE - send the 7 into the rail and try to follow or draw out of the situation?

Or in this position am I resigned to manuvering the cueball foward or backward along the short rail and take the long shot to the opposite corner? Thanks.

If you could map this out on a wei table, you'd probably get a better response.

 

[Jimmy M.]

In the last thread on this same subject I posted the following link:

http://www.awbt.org/off_the_rail.avi

There are other ways to play it, but, while it might not look it, I have found this to be the easiest way to make it. I struggle to make the ball if I try to go rail first while I rarely miss the ball hitting it this way. Who knows? Someone else might have an easier time playing it another way.

 

[telkwa]

In the last thread on this same subject I posted the following link:

http://www.awbt.org/off_the_rail.avi
QUOTE]

nice shot. that is pretty much what I had in your video, but less clearance from the rail. there was about 1mm from the edge of the cushion to each of the balls (diagrammed):

START(
%AB2\0%BB4[6%CB1[7%DB8[4%EB5[8%FB4[8%Gr9S1%HE8J4%Io8D2%JB7\2
%KB6\0%LB6\3%MB5\1%NB7[7%OB8[8%Pr9I1
)END

 

[Qnut]

I have tinkered with a shot that I picked up somewhere, and it seems to work although it does take a little practice to get comfortable...

It works even if both balls are frozen on the rail, and you can get off the rail and down table in a variety of positions depending on what type of English you use.

Instead of aiming straight across the table at the object ball, you actually aim slightly into the rail. You can use left or right, and any degree of draw or follow desired, depending on where you want the cue ball to wind up.

You have to shoot firmly, and from what I have gathered from using the shot you are actually compressing the end rail as you drive the cue ball into it, and thus "creating" an angle to get position with.

Personally, I have the best luck using draw with the shot. Obviously the cue ball and the object ball have to be relatively close, within a diamond or so (unless the pockets are generous).

I'm sure others here have tried this shot....opinions?

Technically speaking, are there any legality issues? On a certain level I guess it would be considered a push shot since you're driving the cue into the rail, albeit on a very slight angle.

 

[mjantti]

Technically speaking, are there any legality issues? On a certain level I guess it would be considered a push shot since you're driving the cue into the rail, albeit on a very slight angle.

The tip doesn't stay on the cueball any longer to get it to sink into the rail rubber, that's why it's just a regular shot. Cueball sinks up to 1cm (almost half and inch) into the rubber if shot really hard perpendicularly, no pushing is needed, thus no foul can occur.

On this diagram, if the cueball and the 7-ball are just a fraction off the rail, I wouldn't try to punch the cueball into the rail, I'd just slow roll the 7 in and accept a long difficult 8. With tight pockets, I can't see much to gain by forcing the 7 in, unless you're absolutely confident on your stroke accuracy and how well the pocket accepts a ball in.

START(
%AB2\0%BB4[6%CB1[7%DB8[4%EB5[8%FB4[8%Gr9S1%HE8J4%Io8D2%JB7\2
%KB6\0%LB6\3%MB5\1%NB7[7%OB8[8%Pr9I1
)END

 

[Koop]

In the last thread on this same subject I posted the following link:

http://www.awbt.org/off_the_rail.avi

There are other ways to play it, but, while it might not look it, I have found this to be the easiest way to make it. I struggle to make the ball if I try to go rail first while I rarely miss the ball hitting it this way. Who knows? Someone else might have an easier time playing it another way.

You posted that for me in a thread quite some time ago. Thanks for posting again as it is a great shot.

 

[Loun]

In the last thread on this same subject I posted the following link:

http://www.awbt.org/off_the_rail.avi
QUOTE]

nice shot. that is pretty much what I had in your video, but less clearance from the rail. there was about 1mm from the edge of the cushion to each of the balls (diagrammed):

START(
%AB2\0%BB4[6%CB1[7%DB8[4%EB5[8%FB4[8%Gr9S1%HE8J4%Io8D2%JB7\2
%KB6\0%LB6\3%MB5\1%NB7[7%OB8[8%Pr9I1
)END

The old guy that tries to drive me nuts giving me shots to practice has given me this one a few times. If you put the cue 1 diamond from one corner and the OB 1 diamond from the other corner. Try making the shot with top outside english so the cue ball pockets the object ball then goes to the long rail and spins back down/across the table.

I think you can also do this by hitting bottom outside english and coming back off the long rail that way and spinning up table but I believe its harder. Practice that shot it will drive you nuts for a while esp. if you are more worried about the leave than pocketting the ball because you gotta do both.

-Lou