up against the rail
- Thread starter berlowmj
- Start date
IMHO...
elevate the cue slightly to give a larger target area on the cue ball but more importantly make sure you have a smooth through stroke. If you stab at the CB which is easy to do in this situation you may find that you slash at it and impart unwanted side spin.
elevate the cue slightly to give a larger target area on the cue ball but more importantly make sure you have a smooth through stroke. If you stab at the CB which is easy to do in this situation you may find that you slash at it and impart unwanted side spin.
I elevate slightly (only if I have to) and grip the cue up a bit further than usual - I saw Jeff Carter do this once - I tried it - and it works like a charm.
Being up against the rail forces you to roll the ball, something that many players don't like to do. An accurate, fluid stroke is more important than power. Never sacrifice accuracy for power. You see a lot of players miscue or fumble these shots because they try to do too much with them. It's a good idea to practice these shots at different angles, and different distances. You'll be surprised to see how important a smooth, accurate, and fluid stroke is on shots like the one diagrammed below.
There are 8 pages to this diagram - I hope this helps you out.
Being up against the rail forces you to roll the ball, something that many players don't like to do. An accurate, fluid stroke is more important than power. Never sacrifice accuracy for power. You see a lot of players miscue or fumble these shots because they try to do too much with them. It's a good idea to practice these shots at different angles, and different distances. You'll be surprised to see how important a smooth, accurate, and fluid stroke is on shots like the one diagrammed below.
There are 8 pages to this diagram - I hope this helps you out.
I will elevate slightly. If you notice the cut of the cushion, there is a slight downward angle. That seems to be a pretty good guide to use to determine the maximum elevation I would use. And you are absolutely correct that this is a shot that really needs to be stroked and not poked.
Steve
Steve
Change your mind on how high is miscue...
YES, I do the same elevate to follow the downward profile of the cushion. One thing I tell people to break their bad attitude about rail shots and miscues is:
Take the 9 ball and lay it on the table so that the stripe is horizontal.
Now hit it high english at the top of the stripe.
No miscue right?
Now take the same ball and place it against a rail in the same horizontal fashion.
Look the rail is lower than the stripe is!
This sort of kind of breaks that mental barrier of OMG a rail shot I'm going to miscue.
With a descent stroke there is no reason for the miscue off the rail.
Grey Ghost
YES, I do the same elevate to follow the downward profile of the cushion. One thing I tell people to break their bad attitude about rail shots and miscues is:
Take the 9 ball and lay it on the table so that the stripe is horizontal.
Now hit it high english at the top of the stripe.
No miscue right?
Now take the same ball and place it against a rail in the same horizontal fashion.
Look the rail is lower than the stripe is!
This sort of kind of breaks that mental barrier of OMG a rail shot I'm going to miscue.
With a descent stroke there is no reason for the miscue off the rail.
Grey Ghost
I try not to elevate any more than the angle of the cushion as it goes into the CB. I also like to visualize the path of the OB to the pocket.
If the shot for example is a 4 foot shot, I'll look at the line to the pocket and pick a point along that line a foot from the OB. Smooth stroke the shot to cover that point and it has to continue into the pocket.
If the shot for example is a 4 foot shot, I'll look at the line to the pocket and pick a point along that line a foot from the OB. Smooth stroke the shot to cover that point and it has to continue into the pocket.
No one hits the cueball in the middle perfectly all the time. Even the pro's hit off center every so often, watch a youtube match and see someone draw straight back, and the cue ball is still spinning slightly after it stops moving. The point i'm making is, any time you raise your cue beyond level with the table, you run the risk of hitting off center, imparting masse, i.e. curve, making you miss your shot. So, in the end, you have to balance the risk of making your shot, getting your leave needed, and whether or not you'll miss it because you elevated your cue and gave the cueball accidental english. Blackjack makes some excellent points with his diagrams, I'd like to make it simpler if I may. Keep it as simple as possible. You'll reduce risks by doing so.
Ahh... I love coming here and learning more tools! I really liked your diagrams Blackjack. : PP
Cheers
Ahh... I love coming here and learning more tools! I really liked your diagrams Blackjack. : PP
Cheers
I like slight down-pressure on the cue when the CB is all railed-up.
:thumbup2::withstupid::joyful::yes::slap:
All this AND... when shooting this shot I've learned it works best for me to have my eye on the cb on the final stroke.
