Why am i uncomfortable with slow sidespin?

8

8onthebreak

THE WORLD IS YOURS
Silver Member
I am an 8 ball player. It seems that I either use side spin, or I don't. It's like I light switch. On or off. When I use it, I hit firm and with a lot of spin. I am comfortable with the squirt/throw ratio of any shot at that speed and with that much English.

However, I've been playing 9 ball lately and seem to be running into these awkward situations where I need to hit the ball slowly and with "just a little" English...and I'm having trouble with it. I miss the shot regularly, it feels foreign. I play only once a week, and don't have a lot of time to dedicate to working out kinks. Of course, I like to play on my 1 night a week, instead of running drills.

Any advice other than just putting the time in on drills? Anyone else experience this?
 
Using sidespin means 2 things... deflection/cueball squirt and swerve where the cueball curves in the direction of the english....

At firm speeds swerve may not be something you even have to deal with you just aim thick or thin and let the cueball squirt adjust the hit on the object ball....

At slow speed however there will be greater swerve the more slowly the ball is hit possible enough to completely eliminate squirt...

Add to this that BHE compensates for squirt and not swerve and english becomes harder to use at lower speed..

Try aiming you slow english shots like you were not going to use english at all and note where you are missing if you still are... this will give you an idea as to how much swerve you are getting compared to the initial squirt at contact....

Food for thought...

Chris
 
You need to work on your touch. That just takes time and effort, like most other parts of this game that are difficult to master. Watch and play against good players, and you will learn by observing also.
 
8onthebreak said:
I am an 8 ball player. It seems that I either use side spin, or I don't. It's like I light switch. On or off. When I use it, I hit firm and with a lot of spin. I am comfortable with the squirt/throw ratio of any shot at that speed and with that much English.

However, I've been playing 9 ball lately and seem to be running into these awkward situations where I need to hit the ball slowly and with "just a little" English...and I'm having trouble with it. I miss the shot regularly, it feels foreign. I play only once a week, and don't have a lot of time to dedicate to working out kinks. Of course, I like to play on my 1 night a week, instead of running drills.

Any advice other than just putting the time in on drills? Anyone else experience this?
Click to expand...

Any "extreme" is difficult to master. Extremes of speed, whether high speed or low speed. Extremes of "spin", whether high or low spin. These things are what separate "top" players from the rest of us. Don't sweat it, there's nothing to do except practice the shots that give you a problem.

ONB
 
shoot the shots over and over and over and over again... and after that shoot it some more. That's the only way to get a feel for it and understand what's happening.
 
Most good players will avoid slow spin shots, especially over distance, because they are difficult to judge and react very differently under different table conditions.
Learning to shoot slow spins is useful, but a lot of the time, it's better to take an extra rail or two for shape to allow for a firmer shot speed.
 
I see lots of people wind up just poking the ball when they are using slow spin and stun roll shots. It`s important to follow through the CB even on soft shots.
These shots are amazingly handy when performed right, but as Victorl points out, they are risky to play on long shots or on a table you`re not familiar with.
 
The only way to get better at these types of shots is hit them over and over until you have a good feel for them. When in your matches, you just need to trust what you've learned even if they don't feel right.

Eventually, they'll become second nature but it's a long road for most. It took me many years before I was comfortable with many of the situations where a lot of inside english was necessary.

Now I just point and shoot and accept whatever outcome the table gives me. YMMV
 
8onthebreak said:
I am an 8 ball player. It seems that I either use side spin, or I don't. It's like I light switch. On or off. When I use it, I hit firm and with a lot of spin. I am comfortable with the squirt/throw ratio of any shot at that speed and with that much English.

However, I've been playing 9 ball lately and seem to be running into these awkward situations where I need to hit the ball slowly and with "just a little" English...and I'm having trouble with it. I miss the shot regularly, it feels foreign. I play only once a week, and don't have a lot of time to dedicate to working out kinks. Of course, I like to play on my 1 night a week, instead of running drills.

Any advice other than just putting the time in on drills? Anyone else experience this?
Click to expand...

Yes, my advice is don't look at it like you're attempting to spin the cue ball at all. Look at it like you're favoring one side of the cue ball in your alignment, then just stroke as you normally would.

In fact, this is true for all spin shots. You will get much more consistent results.
 
I know when I have to hit the ball slow but spin it, I hit it with a bit of a fake stroke, like a punch, which causes the cue to move a bit more. I actually miscue on slow spin shots quite a bit due to this.
Make sure you are hitting the ball smoothly just slower which seems to me is pretty hard to do.
 
Slow spin shots are definitely worth working on to put in your tool box of shots. Very handy to have, they will save your bacon over and over. Aim them just a hair thick. :thumbup:
 
Slow spin shots are some of my absolute favorite shots. I play them a lot. I'm a C player, and I feel I execute them very well for my overall skill level.

I'll tell you who plays these shots a lot: Efren. That right there should tell you something.

Set up the same shot and strike it 10 times. After 10 times your brain will know how to aim it. Also pay attention to your elevation. I like to be a hair jacked up for these shots.

Try short shots and also table length shots. To be a good player you need to be well rounded in "all" shot types, and be able to call upon them at any time.
 
Don't be fooled.... He's a champion. :eek:
Actually I've never seen him play 9 ball but he plays jam up.
8onthebeeak the tables in our are won't let u slow roll. Just go up and back down. Leave yourself and angle to do so. Forget about slow Rollin bud
 
Totally normal and correct to be uncomfortable with it.

At low speed the ball's path can curve. Maybe just a little but it's there,
and you know hitting the wrong 3mm patch on the object ball can cause a miss.
Who wants to deal with that shit?

You may be used to firm sidespin deflecting a little and cancelling out throw.
When that happens, your line of aim with sidespin looks pretty similar to your line of aim without.
And curve is not a factor.

But slow spin shots usually require aiming on a line that looks definitely too full or too thin,
to compensate for the curve. It requires lots of feel/touch and never seems very natural.

You'll see a lot of situations where a pro plays a shot firmly instead of with slow sidespin.
It's just not worth the risk of missing if there's a smart alternative available.

That being said some guys just love doing it and are good at it. Look at efren.
In this shot, I think most players would go up and down, sending the cue ball straight down
to the boot rail and then bouncing up for either the side pocket, or allowing
the cue ball to go forward a little, ending up under the 7 for the far corner.

Some may even shoot hard and hope to bounce off the foot rail to land all the way above the 7?

But Efren uses heavy slow sidespin and runs into the ball. I honestly don't think that's what he intended,
and I wonder if the efren of today might shoot it differently than he did 20ish years ago.

SGJjPTq.png
 
8onthebreak said:
... I miss the shot regularly, it feels foreign. I play only once a week, and don't have a lot of time to dedicate to working out kinks. ... Anyone else experience this?
Click to expand...
Everyone has shots they are not comfortable with.

Since you have no time to practice, don't expect this problem to get much better soon or ever, but here is a way you can practice during matches: When you have a pretty easy shot that can be played either simply or with the slow-and-slight side spin you have trouble with, play it the second way. Notice whether you put the object ball in the middle of the pocket.

The opponents who notice that you're using unneeded spin will probably think you've gone goofy. Ignore their comments.
 
Make your greatest fear your strongest asset.

At slower speeds, the cue ball will most likely swerve more and will effectively throw the object ball more (primarily because the cue ball will have greater friction interaction with the cloth). If you are playing on new cloth, you may experience less swerve than on old cloth. It's minute.

This doesn't mean that this is the only factor involved. You may be doing other things inconsistently that give you different results.

I suggest that you set up those shots that you miss with slow side spin and practice them until you can make them consistently. (But pay particular attention to if you are hitting the cue ball below the horizontal equator while applying the slow side spin) Slow Side Spin is not the same as Slow, low side spin and the slow/low-below center placement of the cue ball tip with side spin has a dramatically different effect, as well as the speed of the stroke.)

BTW, most people are uncomfortable with slow sidespin, so you are not alone.

Good luck and take at least 5 minutes before your weekly session and only shoot those shots that give you trouble.

JoeyA
 
Just practice slow shots with english, you make 100 of them and after you will def understand the shot better and will have confidence in it
 
peteypooldude said:
Don't be fooled.... He's a champion. :eek:
Actually I've never seen him play 9 ball but he plays jam up.
8onthebeeak the tables in our are won't let u slow roll. Just go up and back down. Leave yourself and angle to do so. Forget about slow Rollin bud
Click to expand...

I appreciate the vote of confidence bro, it hasn't really bothered me before, I usually don't need to take the shot that way, but I've been playing with Mike Davis regularly, and damn, he just won't allow me to make a mistake. My weaknesses are amplified cuz were playing 9' diamond...and 9 ball...I hate 9 ball, and I hate 9 footers...but I took leagues off this season so I could attack my biggest weaknesses, so we're playing the game I hate, on the table I hate. I feel it's really elevating my game, but mike is a beast, and I hate to lose :D

Thx for the input everyone, I'm gonna practice it for an hour next week, and I'll be the master of the slow sidespin cut!!!

Oh yeah !!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top