Thinning a ball on a long shot

Harvywallbanger

Harvywallbanger

Josh Eisert
Silver Member
I'm talking about super thinning it to play safe. I aim about 1 full tip to the right or left of the object ball which would result in a little less than half ball hit IF I kept that alignment.(sp?) As I take my final stroke I vear left or right just a smidgen while focusing on the outer edge of the object ball.
Sometimes if I am fortunate enough to see a smudge or blemish on the edge of the rail that is half a cueball from the edge of the object ball I will aim dead center for the mark with no vearing.


Does anyone have a specific system for super thinning a ball near the rail to play safe back up table.

EDIT: Its probably not correct to vear so this is not advise Im giving.
 
Harvywallbanger said:
I'm talking about super thinning it to play safe. I aim about 1 full tip to the right or left of the object ball which would result in a little less than half ball hit IF I kept that alignment.(sp?) As I take my final stroke I vear left or right just a smidgen while focusing on the outer edge of the object ball.
Sometimes if I am fortunate enough to see a smudge or blemish on the edge of the rail that is half a cueball from the edge of the object ball I will aim dead center for the mark with no vearing.


Does anyone have a specific system for super thinning a ball near the rail to play safe back up table.

EDIT: Its probably not correct to vear so this is not advise Im giving.
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No not really. I aim the edge of the cue ball at the edge of the object ball.
 
Sounds like you aim right, you just aren't 100% when you pull the trigger which causes you to move and try to compensate. If you plan out the shot: speed, cue ball end position, object ball end position, English and angle...........you should do a little better.

Also it helps if you think of the whole table and the fact that even if you don't hit it perfectly that you probably will leave it in a safety anyways.

As far as thinning the ball, try to aim at the edge of the ball with the edge of the ball. When hitting it thin the edge of the ball is what actually hits the object ball so it is more accurate to aim with the edge.

If you have problems seeing the edge of the ball on your last stroke, don't pull the trigger till your eyes have fully focused on the object ball and you see your contact point clearly. Aiming across the table isn't easy, your eyes can't adjust as quickly as most people shoot, give yourself a fighting chance and don't hit the shot till you can actually see the edge of the ball that you are aiming at.

Hope this helps. I know it helped me.
 
Fart sniffer said:
Sounds like you aim right, you just aren't 100% when you pull the trigger which causes you to move and try to compensate. If you plan out the shot: speed, cue ball end position, object ball end position, English and angle...........you should do a little better.

Also it helps if you think of the whole table and the fact that even if you don't hit it perfectly that you probably will leave it in a safety anyways.

As far as thinning the ball, try to aim at the edge of the ball with the edge of the ball. When hitting it thin the edge of the ball is what actually hits the object ball so it is more accurate to aim with the edge.

If you have problems seeing the edge of the ball on your last stroke, don't pull the trigger till your eyes have fully focused on the object ball and you see your contact point clearly. Aiming across the table isn't easy, your eyes can't adjust as quickly as most people shoot, give yourself a fighting chance and don't hit the shot till you can actually see the edge of the ball that you are aiming at.

Hope this helps. I know it helped me.
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Well thats just the thing. I can barely see the edge at a long distance. My eyes are horrible. 30/100 in the right eye and 20/30 in the left. I think thats why I aim one cue tip away(because its an easy aim point) and then try to feel how much I need to vear by trusting my eye hand cordination. I really just started focusing on this shot so I will try any ideas and see how they work and such.
 
Do some of you aim it like a thin cut shot and shoot it with right or left to get it to come out the hair you need to get it real thin?


Anyways I was lying down to go to bed and it hit me. I am just going to set this shot up with the cueball only about 6 inches away from the object ball and practice it that way untill I can thin it a couple inches while still shooting with enough speed to get back up table. Then I'll eventually start to place the cue ball farther away untill I can do it from a good distance. No sence in starting from 6 feet away right off the bat. I've neglected this shot for to long. Its a good one to have in your bag if you can do it with accuracy and be consistant with it.
 
If your eyesight is bad, try to get a feel of what the shot looks like before you hit the ball. If you try to figure out the path of the cue ball after hitting the object ball it might help you. Seeing the bigger picture like that might take the emphasis off of the eyesight and make it easier by looking at the bigger picture.

At least that's what Zen Golf says, try to take in the whole scene that way it puts things in a much better perspective instead of just seeing a single contact point which is hard to hit.
 
You know..perhaps this is where i make my mistake..but i can see enough of the ball to thin..and really feel like i can thin it..then i dont look to play safe i look to cut the sh*t out of the ball and play it...i have played some cut shots that have ended sets early..i can remember playing a guy for some cheap sets..20 a set reace to 4 and it was three to 2 my way and it was on the 6 ball..i cut the ball about half the distance of the bottom rail from down table..and got pretty decent shape on the 7 ,,hehe..the guy just rakes the rest of the balls down table...breaking his cue down and saying...sh************t enough of that..thats way to strong for me..haha..gota love those moments.
 
Your method of moving the tip is o.k. but in my opinion is not accurate enough because you have to deal with the squirt and swerve of the ball and the further away the shot is the more margin for error there is. The I do it is with a dead ball and I very simply aim through the center of the cue ball and aim the tip of the cue to 1/2 of an imaginary ball next to the object ball. Very accurate.
 
onehole said:
Your method of moving the tip is o.k. but in my opinion is not accurate enough because you have to deal with the squirt and swerve of the ball and the further away the shot is the more margin for error there is. The I do it is with a dead ball and I very simply aim through the center of the cue ball and aim the tip of the cue to 1/2 of an imaginary ball next to the object ball. Very accurate.
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The ghost ball seems the simplest and most logical choice for this shot at a distance but you would have to trust your aim more than you trust your feel. I guess this is when trusting your aim while pulling the trigger comes into play. I have a problem with this and maybe thats what I need to practice. I always seem to want to under aim a ball on alot of shots and 'feel' my way to the shot on my final stroke. It works well when I catch a gear. It seems I can just aim half or 3/4 ball hit on every shot and still make them. But it also might be something that could hold me back in the long run.
Thanks for the replies guys. I have another question for the guys that aim with the edge of the cue ball on the thinning shot. Assuming your eyes are over the center of the cue when shooting regular shots do you move your head to the side of the cue ball when aiming with the edge?
 
I was taught the ghostball method too. You picture where next to the object ball you want to hit and then snap a mental picture of that for when you get down on your shot, trust your instinct and shoot. Now distance (to the object ball)and left right english needed per say after objectball/cue contact adds the variables. It's best to practice this ghostball method at close distances with center/high/low english to build trust and understanding. Once you get that, you start to add your left/right english but have to compensate for your english by adjusting your aim. If you put left hand english on the cue, you need to aim more into your object ball or else you might miss it completely because you are moving the cueball to the right ever so slightly with the left hand english. Vice verses with right hand english. Speed of how hard you hit the cue plays into this as well. Slower you move the cueball, more that lefthand english is going to take before hitting your object ball so you may not miss the object completely, you may actually hit the object ball full face.

Hope I didn't confuse anyone :P Easier to show then type.
ez
 
RayDM said:
an easy way to train for a thin hit is to position another object ball in front of the first with just the slightest overlap. So all you can see of the far object ball is the thinnest edge that you want to hit.

then with the cueball, aim like you normally do and practice until you are only hitting the back ball.
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Very nice. Thank you.
 
Da Poet said:
The whole concept of long superthin cuts is an evil trap set up by the pool gods to lure you into fouling. :D
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Yes, it's a tough shot to pull off with any real consistency, and if you don't you leave the OB hanging in the hole.

You can only use lag speed and just nick the object ball. I can do them consistently when the cue ball is 3' or 4' away from the OB, but once you get to 6' or longer you're tempting the pool gods. On these shots I just shoot easy and imagine just nicking the ball over.

I will only shoot long ones if I am cutting the object ball thin away from a close pocket and straight into the rail. The rail then helps stop the object ball. However, in that case I can usually cut the ball into the other pocket, so I will take the shot instead of the safe. You can hit a cut shot fuller than the super thin safety, so it's easier.

To pull off a super thin safety, roll the cue ball soft and just try to nick the edge. Use only centerball, and I mean dead center. You are not aiming at the object ball at all, you are using "mental force" to feel the space in which the extreme edges of these balls dwell. If you practice it enough, you know what shooting the thin hit feels like. On a long cueball, a piece of chalk, a roll, or a tip 1/8th inch off center will move the cueball the two hairs it takes to miss entirely.

By the way, if you get really good at these, you will shoot cut shots that other players may not know can be pocketed.

Chris
 
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I played around with it tonight(<no funny stuff;) ) and I have to tell you I will have to hit this shot about a million times to perfect it. I want this shot in my bag badly but man is it painful to practice.
 
Harvywallbanger said:
I played around with it tonight(<no funny stuff;) ) and I have to tell you I will have to hit this shot about a million times to perfect it. I want this shot in my bag badly but man is it painful to practice.
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If you really want to practice something, try it from 3 feet, try to move the OB no more than 4" - 6" and put the cue ball all the way down near the other rail. Once you have that down then take it back a foot at a time.

Remember, don't aim at the object ball. Aim at the empty space next to it and try to "feel' the edges brushing each other.

Chris
 
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TATE said:
If you really want to practice something, try it from 3 feet, try to move the OB no more than 4" - 6" and put the cue ball all the way down near the other rail. Once you have that down then take it back a foot at a time.

Remember, don't aim at the object ball. Aim at the empty space next to it and try to "feel' the edges brushing each other.

Chris
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I really enjoyed your replies here. Thanks for all the input.
 
I like to aim at the edge like the others have said with the edge of the cue ball but the point I would make is that on long thin shot I have better luck with a long backswing in the stroke. I also do best when there is a definite moment in time when the backstroke ends/completes prior to starting the stroke "through" the cue ball to fill the ghost ball. When you do this stay down and see the cue ball thin the object ball into the corner.

Also I think for practicing having the object ball 1-2 diamonds from the pocket is better so the object has some distance to roll showing the line of the hit.
 
Harvywallbanger said:
Is this the only shot you aim with the edge of the cue ball?
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Pretty much. When I am not aiming on auto-pilot (ie. when I have a tough shot that I need to make sure of), I will aim a piece of the cue ball at the contact point. In other words I aim the part of the cueball that will contact the object, at the contact point.

In the case of the shot you referred that piece of the cue ball is the edge, and the contact point of the object is it's respective edge.
 
Listen, any shot you are having trouble with, just practice that shot untill you have it cold. If it's all of 'em then forget it. Just go have a beer and watch the football game on TV.
:)
 
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