Tips on shooting cue ball frozen on rail

Runner

Runner

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm posting this after reading Truman's post about shooting jacked up.

Another rack-stopper is when your CB is froze on a rail... comes up a lot, especially in one pocket. Gentleman, your input on your methods, bridge, etc. please.
I have a good success rate with this shot, but would like to hear ideas.


One example is Efren... he seems very comfortable with this shot, uses a closed bridge and has just his fingertips on the rail... can't find a pic, I'm sure you've seen it.

The more common way is a flat bridge, which is how I shoot it, curve of the tip aligned with the curve of the CB... like this from PoolDawg:
 

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a tip that someone shared with me, your grip hand shift forward from your normal grip spot. this keeps your forearm perpendicular to the ground
 
I don't have a pic, but I like two bridges.

One is with the hand sort of like in the pic but farther away from the ball & sort of off & wrapped in the air around the rail top so that the cue runs ever so slightly above the rail.

The other is with the middle two(2) finger tucked & leaning on the rail top. This is more stable with the weight of the body leaning on it a bit.

I also choke up on the cue & turn my body just a bit counter clockwise for a right handed player. That seems to make it easier to stroke straight more naturally with no tension to do so or cramming up of the stroke.
 
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:clapping:



Like always...I have a special cue for shooting off the rail.

The tip, ferrule, and shaft are only 9mm.

Really small so it makes it so easy.



:woot:
 
Yesterday nite, after the Womens Final at the Immokalee Casino Hotel, On the way out (We have a long ride home) We saw a trick shot man, (wish I had got his name)
Picture 3 balls, on the head rail, touching each other, 2" from the center of the rail.
2" to the other side of the rail are 3 more balls, touching each other.

Now lay the fat end of a 2 piece cue across the table about 15" from the balls.

Now take 2 pool cue shafts. Hold in 1 hand (like chopsticks)
Without using the other hand, at the same time, jump the 2 centermost balls, over the cue on the table.
Then do the next 2, and the next 2.

That's how you shoot balls on the rail!
 
mm4pool...The forearm should be perpendicular to the cuestick not the ground. Rather than choke up the cue, simply elevate the cuestick to the angle of the bevel on the front of the cushion. Then use your normal grip position, and stroke normally through the CB. The tip should end up on the cloth. :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

mm4pool said:
a tip that someone shared with me, your grip hand shift forward from your normal grip spot. this keeps your forearm perpendicular to the ground
Click to expand...
 
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I don't like jacking up on these. I miss far more this way and I feel it adds an extra bit of difficulty that isn't needed.

A problem I commonly see is players trying to do too much with the cue ball on these shots. Just make sure of the pot and leave yourself on the next ball, but don't try to do too much. If all you can do is roll it in then just roll it in.

I keep my cue as level to the baize as possible and use just my fingers to grip the rail with and my palm is off the table using an open bridge. Making sure the tip is not resting on the cushion but just hovering 1mm above it stops me from hitting into the cushion and making the tip veer off line. Not having the cue resting on the cushion makes it feel like you're just playing with top English, where as resting it on the cushion as the tip hits the cushion it adds extra friction and feels weird so I tend to jab at it a little and miss. I don't choke up, I grip where I normally would for a bridge length of the given length on a standard shot. Pull back nice and level and very slowly. I follow through to the full amount on these shots to guarantee I get through the white. Getting the eyes as low as possible gives me the best view of how much cue ball I have to play with and how much clearance the cue has off the cushion. I tighten the grip up considerably for these shots also to take any wrist movement out of the shot to avoid accidentally hitting the cushion first.

That's pretty much everything I do on these shots.
 
Scott Lee said:
mm4pool...The cuestick should be perpendicular to the cuestick not the ground. Rather than choke up the cue, simply elevate the cuestick to the angle of the bevel on the front of the cushion. Then use your normal grip position, and stroke normally through the CB. The tip should end up on the cloth. :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

What??? how is the cuestick perpendicular to itself??
 
Runner said:
I'm posting this after reading Truman's post about shooting jacked up.

Another rack-stopper is when your CB is froze on a rail... comes up a lot, especially in one pocket. Gentleman, your input on your methods, bridge, etc. please.
I have a good success rate with this shot, but would like to hear ideas.


One example is Efren... he seems very comfortable with this shot, uses a closed bridge and has just his fingertips on the rail... can't find a pic, I'm sure you've seen it.

The more common way is a flat bridge, which is how I shoot it, curve of the tip aligned with the curve of the CB... like this from PoolDawg:
Click to expand...



I like this nugget from Jimmy Reid for rail shots....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYSEGQkdBNE


I use it all the time now, I think it works great.
 
Aim for the center axis of the object ball using no English. Now here's the clincher - aim to hit the cloth on the rail a fraction of an inch behind the cue ball! Maybe an eighth to a quarter inch up on the rail. If you do this and follow through you will never miscue! :thumbup:
 
Pidge said:
I don't like jacking up on these. I miss far more this way and I feel it adds an extra bit of difficulty that isn't needed.

A problem I commonly see is players trying to do too much with the cue ball on these shots. Just make sure of the pot and leave yourself on the next ball, but don't try to do too much. If all you can do is roll it in then just roll it in.

I keep my cue as level to the baize as possible and use just my fingers to grip the rail with and my palm is off the table using an open bridge. Making sure the tip is not resting on the cushion but just hovering 1mm above it stops me from hitting into the cushion and making the tip veer off line. Not having the cue resting on the cushion makes it feel like you're just playing with top English, where as resting it on the cushion as the tip hits the cushion it adds extra friction and feels weird so I tend to jab at it a little and miss. I don't choke up, I grip where I normally would for a bridge length of the given length on a standard shot. Pull back nice and level and very slowly. I follow through to the full amount on these shots to guarantee I get through the white. Getting the eyes as low as possible gives me the best view of how much cue ball I have to play with and how much clearance the cue has off the cushion. I tighten the grip up considerably for these shots also to take any wrist movement out of the shot to avoid accidentally hitting the cushion first.

That's pretty much everything I do on these shots.
Click to expand...

...:thumbup2:...
 
jay helfert said:
Aim for the center axis of the object ball using no English. Now here's the clincher - aim to hit the cloth on the rail a fraction of an inch behind the cue ball! Maybe an eighth to a quarter inch up on the rail. If you do this and follow through you will never miscue! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

...:thumbup2:...

I gave Pidge a thumbs up, but I also do as you say here. It depends to me on the shot, which I do.

I think you meant to say cue ball & not object ball.
 
What????????? You guys dont play that you can move the cb off the rail the distance of the cue butt???? :eek::thumbup:
 
Straightpool_99 said:
The grip pressure is important for sure. Slightly more pressure does the trick for me.
Click to expand...

Now we're getting off of... 'the science'.

But I agree.

I've found that a firm connection increases accuracy while a loose connection promotes movement of the cue ball.

Edit: At least for me. Thought I'd better put that in.
 
jay helfert said:
Aim for the center axis of the object ball using no English. Now here's the clincher - aim to hit the cloth on the rail a fraction of an inch behind the cue ball! Maybe an eighth to a quarter inch up on the rail. If you do this and follow through you will never miscue! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

You beat me to it. This is a big tip for those that don't already know it. Johnnyt
 
jay helfert said:
Aim for the center axis of the object ball using no English. Now here's the clincher - aim to hit the cloth on the rail a fraction of an inch behind the cue ball! Maybe an eighth to a quarter inch up on the rail. If you do this and follow through you will never miscue! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I never heard that before, but I took it downstairs to the table and it turns out to be a really good tip. Thanks for posting it.
 
Glad you added that "edit" Rick, as once again, you don't know what you're talking about. Any kind of downward pressure on the front end of the cuestick is the worst possible advice any one can give. That completely negates the opportunity to "let the cue do the work".

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

ENGLISH! said:
Now we're getting off of... 'the science'.

But I agree.

I've found that a firm connection increases accuracy while a loose connection promotes movement of the cue ball.

Edit: At least for me. Thought I'd better put that in.
Click to expand...
 
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