What is the one English shot that you want?

[Snapshot9]

We all have own styles of playing, and we learn at different
rates. After awhile though, you may notice 1 or 2 players,
that do things different for a shot than you do, usually a
very good player. I have pretty good cue ball control, but
a good friend of mine, and a very very good player cues
the cue in a way that I wish I could do and use at times.

He can cue the cue ball with low english, and get the cue ball
to follow after making the shot. I am not talking about just
sidespin, some, but not extreme at all, and with low, he can
follow for a ways, or sometimes clear to the other end of the
table, and not with extreme angles on the object ball either.

What is the type of shot that one player you noticed has, that
you wish you had and could use when you need to?

 

[azbluemach1]

saw it once...

dead straight-in shot, length of the table with the cue-ball less than 1/2 inch off of the rail - guy jacked up, made the 7 ball , drew the cueball back the length of the table to break up the 8&9 that were clustered. Being able to get that much draw on that shot, and NOT masse the cue or throw the object ball out of the pocket was amazing!

He was giving 7 out AND 3 games in a race to 5 for 400 a set if I remember correctly.

 

[CaptainJR]

We all have own styles of playing, and we learn at different
rates. After awhile though, you may notice 1 or 2 players,
that do things different for a shot than you do, usually a
very good player. I have pretty good cue ball control, but
a good friend of mine, and a very very good player cues
the cue in a way that I wish I could do and use at times.

He can cue the cue ball with low english, and get the cue ball
to follow after making the shot. I am not talking about just
sidespin, some, but not extreme at all, and with low, he can
follow for a ways, or sometimes clear to the other end of the
table, and not with extreme angles on the object ball either.

What is the type of shot that one player you noticed has, that
you wish you had and could use when you need to?

"That's the shot!" My teacher can do it, he has tried to get me to do it. I can't do it. It gives such a controled follow.

Let me add a little to this. I've watched him do this over and over. This is not a soft shot that you expect the reverse to change over to follow by the time it gets to the object ball. It is a regular stroke on the ball. His tip does come up a little more than it is on his practice stokes, but not to the middle of the cue ball.

 

[NaClBandit]

He can cue the cue ball with low english, and get the cue ball
to follow after making the shot. I am not talking about just
sidespin, some, but not extreme at all, and with low, he can
follow for a ways, or sometimes clear to the other end of the
table, and not with extreme angles on the object ball either.

Can you ask your friend how he does this and share it? I would love to know, as you obviously would.

 

[MFB]

Can you ask your friend how he does this and share it? I would love to know, as you obviously would.

Sounds to me like its almost a stop shot, and the cue ball stops sliding just before it reaches the object ball, then it rolls naturally to follow the object ball after contact.

 

[henho]

I'd like to be able to cut balls a good distance down the rail from a sharp angle with extreme inside english a little more consistently. That, and of course the always-cool extreme draw shots.

 

[Jimmy M.]

I don't believe that someone could really hit below center and have the ball follow. It just doesn't work that way. You hit the ball low and it puts back spin on it. I'm sure I'm not understanding the description of the shot here. I'll opt to stun the cue ball forward when I need to follow the ball quite often so that I'm not slow rolling balls around. I'm not sure if this is the shot you're talking about. You can also hit low and soft so that the spin on the cue ball dies before it reaches the object ball and, by that time, is rolling forward. But actually hitting the cue ball with any speed, below center, ... I just don't see how that is going to follow.

 

[Snapshot9]

No he won't

Can you ask your friend how he does this and share it? I would love to know, as you obviously would.

No, he won't share it, because we were originally advesaries before
becoming friends, and we still shoot for money sometimes.==

 

[pinkisntwell]

There's no magic involved in pool, if he hits below center then he obviously hits it slow so the cue ball has lost all backspin by the time it contacts the object ball.

 

[pete lafond]

I don't believe that someone could really hit below center and have the ball follow. It just doesn't work that way. You hit the ball low and it puts back spin on it. I'm sure I'm not understanding the description of the shot here. I'll opt to stun the cue ball forward when I need to follow the ball quite often so that I'm not slow rolling balls around. I'm not sure if this is the shot you're talking about. You can also hit low and soft so that the spin on the cue ball dies before it reaches the object ball and, by that time, is rolling forward. But actually hitting the cue ball with any speed, below center, ... I just don't see how that is going to follow.

I think he maybe lowering his back hand somewhat and hitting slightly below center if this is a speed shot. You can get some follow. Another thought is that if it is a newer cueball that is less worn and therefore is heavier than the object ball, you will get follow.

I just can not see this happening either. One last point is that if the cue ball leaves the table bed, hits the object ball and turns a bit??? This is reaching but I have seen this happen.

 

[Gerry]

I developed an open bridge 9-ball break shot that I worked on for about a year after seeing a road agent use it on me. I use it when breaking anywhere, but off the rail. I know it goes against the grain of normal teaching, but it WORKS. It's hit with an ABOVE center, slightly downward stroke, and it will park the cueball like superglue. I've taught it to many players better than me with great success. Changing to 9-ball after playing 14.1 for a long time I realized the break was about 60% of my game, in my estimation. So I worked on a BUNCH of breaking techniques and ball combinations in the rack to give myself an edge. All of these things combined got me at least a 2 ball jump from where I was. Try it out with different strokes above center, you'll know it when you get it........good luck........Gerry

 

[CaptainJR]

Come on SteadyFred tell us how to do it. Give us the secret.

 

[pete lafond]

I developed an open bridge 9-ball break shot that I worked on for about a year after seeing a road agent use it on me. I use it when breaking anywhere, but off the rail. I know it goes against the grain of normal teaching, but it WORKS. It's hit with an ABOVE center, slightly downward stroke, and it will park the cueball like superglue. I've taught it to many players better than me with great success. Changing to 9-ball after playing 14.1 for a long time I realized the break was about 60% of my game, in my estimation. So I worked on a BUNCH of breaking techniques and ball combinations in the rack to give myself an edge. All of these things combined got me at least a 2 ball jump from where I was. Try it out with different strokes above center, you'll know it when you get it........good luck........Gerry

One thing about breaking as you have found out is controlling the cue ball. As you know, you can hit a little high english into the pack and stop the cue ball. The ball goes forward and stops because the ball it hit is still there (in your case you are hitting high but with a downward stroke is the same as just middle ball). This is why it is so important that the first three balls are tight. If they are not, it is more difficult to gain repeated cueball control.

Another point is that when you hit a mass of two times the weight (line two balls up and hit the first with draw, you will get more draw. Follow will have less assuming the cue ball stays on line.) the reaction is differnet because the masses are different, cue ball and ball 1 + ball 2.

 

[DaveK]

Come on SteadyFred tell us how to do it. Give us the secret.

This sure sounds like a drag shot to me. If so, it's a real feel thing To practice it use a striped ball so you can see the backspin and pay close attention to how far away the backspin wears off. The point at which the backspin wears off depends on how much backspin and how much forward speed on the cueball. Once you get the feel for where the spin disappears you've got the shot. I suggest playing longish straight in stop shots using a drag stroke as the first step. By trying to stop the cue ball you are actually trying to get the backspin to drop to no spin at the point of impact.

Dave

 

[SmoothStroke]

Low Follow

We all have own styles of playing, and we learn at different
rates. After awhile though, you may notice 1 or 2 players,
that do things different for a shot than you do, usually a
very good player. I have pretty good cue ball control, but
a good friend of mine, and a very very good player cues
the cue in a way that I wish I could do and use at times.

He can cue the cue ball with low english, and get the cue ball
to follow after making the shot. I am not talking about just
sidespin, some, but not extreme at all, and with low, he can
follow for a ways, or sometimes clear to the other end of the
table, and not with extreme angles on the object ball either.

What is the type of shot that one player you noticed has, that
you wish you had and could use when you need to?

I play and teach low follow,,,its easier to control the distance you want the CB to travel.. also better for sighting unless you need to go up high with power

 

[pete lafond]

I play and teach low follow,,,its easier to control the distance you want the CB to travel.. also better for sighting unless you need to go up high with power

I assumed that everyone knows that controlling the back spin with low enables follow. I then assumed they were talking about firm draw strokes that yeilds follow. I think some of us were looking deeper into something else. Gues I was wrong here.

What you are talking about here is an excellent shot, more especially because you do not want to hit soft easy shots that can be subject to things like table roll and particles on the table that may divert the cue ball. This shot enables a good stroke which also helps in accuracy.

 

[Jimmy M.]

I play and teach low follow,,,its easier to control the distance you want the CB to travel.. also better for sighting unless you need to go up high with power

What do you mean "low follow"? Are you talking about where you hit it soft enough that the back spin on the cue ball dies [and the cue ball begins to roll foreward] before it hits the object ball?

 

[BRKNRUN]

Come on SteadyFred tell us how to do it. Give us the secret.

This is the secret as it was told to me when I first learned draw and follow...

"The horizontal axis of the CB is equal to the angle of your cue"

That being said....by jacking up slightly it may create an illusion of hitting low as the cue is pointed downward...but If you strike just above the horizontal axis, you get follow...strike below and you get draw...

 

[Ronoh]

I think some of us were looking deeper into something else. Guess I was wrong here.

The "deeper" thing is understanding friction (which some teachers of billiards don't teach".

The person that said a smooth cue ball is heavier than a "less worn" cue ball doesn't understand friction. Oh, hell, that was you that siad that Pete.

Hope I didn't offend, was only trying to "wake you up".

 

[pete lafond]

The "deeper" thing is understanding friction (which some teachers of billiards don't teach".

The person that said a smooth cue ball is heavier than a "less worn" cue ball doesn't understand friction. Oh, hell, that was you that siad that Pete.

Hope I didn't offend, was only trying to "wake you up".

Hey Ronoh. As a clarification, sometimes cue balls are replaced in a set with new ones. As the other 15 balls are older and more worn, they now weigh less than this now new cue ball. Now given a heavier cue ball striking a lighter object ball the effects are different than if they were the same weight. Example on some older bar tables with a heavier cue ball (same size) the cue ball will have a tendency to go through the object ball with draw used. The player must exert more draw on the cue ball to achieved desired draw.

Anyway this was my point.