Why Do I Miss This Shot?

D

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ok, had this shot after i broke a rack the other day. the '5' Ball is slightly in the way, and therefore you have to play around it. there was enough room to make the shot either in the middle or left side of the pocket (Path A). you just couldnt make it in the right side of the pocket due to the '5' Ball.

i hit the shot somewhat slower hoping that, with pocket speed, if i missed slightly it might fall in. but i completely overcut the '1' Ball, hit it into the rail at Point B (green line), and missed the shot. obviously, i guess my subconscious told me to be sure and miss the '5', even if you have to overcut it slightly. and i overcut it too much.

any tips on how to handle shots like this?

DCP

CueTable Help

 
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Depth perception is a funny thing. When you're down looking at your shot, you really cannot perceive the pocket accurately. There's only way you know exactly where it is; lock the pocket in your mind before you get down on the shot. Keep your attention on the pocket when you line up the shot. Look at the one ball, sure, but do so with the knowledge of that exact spot in the pocket you want to hit in the front of your mind. When you are finally down, you can focus on the OB and intuitively know how to hit it to strike that spot dead. The 5 ball shouldn't even enter the equation.
 
How about the 1 ball going rail first into the 5 and caroming off it into the pocket? This would be what I would try if it were practice. I'd have to think about it if it were in a tournament.
 
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thoffen said:
... Look at the one ball, sure, but do so with the knowledge of that exact spot in the pocket you want to hit in the front of your mind. When you are finally down, you can focus on the OB and intuitively know how to hit it to strike that spot dead. The 5 ball shouldn't even enter the equation.
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Exactly. This is why during normal play and practice, you need to put the object ball not just somewhere in the pocket but in a particular part of the pocket. That will nearly always be the center of the pocket

A pocket is roughly 2 1/2 inches wide. Strive to put the object ball in the middle half-inch of the pocket. (Here I don't mean the total width of the pocket. I'm referring to the part where the center of the object ball must pass.)

For tight shots I prefer old cloth for sighting because the rail groove is visible. That lets me know exactly how far over I can bring the center of the object ball.
 
Shooting softly and missing would've at least blocked the pocket, which can always be useful at some point in the game, depending on what game you are playing. It's hard to tell you exactly what to do without knowing what game you are playing and where all the other balls were on the table as obviously these weren't the last two balls left in the game(???).
If it would've been me, I'd have cut the 5-ball in the corner with left "english" and run the 1-ball down to the other corner or side on the same long rail.

Maniac
 
Man, that looks tight! Are you sure your table is level?
Maybe to avoid overcutting the ball, try to shoot it without spinning it (center ball english, or lil top or bottom). You could have a little flaw where you are putting accidental spin on it.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
ok, had this shot after i broke a rack the other day. the '5' Ball is slightly in the way, and therefore you have to play around it. there was enough room to make the shot either in the middle or left side of the pocket (Path A). you just couldnt make it in the right side of the pocket due to the '5' Ball.

i hit the shot somewhat slower hoping that, with pocket speed, if i missed slightly it might fall in. but i completely overcut the '1' Ball, hit it into the rail at Point B (green line), and missed the shot. obviously, i guess my subconscious told me to be sure and miss the '5', even if you have to overcut it slightly. and i overcut it too much.

any tips on how to handle shots like this?

DCP

CueTable Help

Click to expand...




Some shots we all know need to be over cut because of friction, if you use outside english you can strike the ball at the exact aim spot, alot of times you compensate for friction by aiming to overcut it slightly, but will also use outside english. this is fairly common, so Id suggest just try to over cut the ball or just use a lil outside spin to negate the friction. dont use both. If you used center ball, you just simply over cut the shot. on funny angles I always walk behind the shot and take a good look at the ball and the relation to the pocket, when I find the line of aim I hold it, as I walk back to the cue ball and prepare for the shot. I find you can find a visual marker whether it be a peice of chalk, a diamond, a spot on the cloth...etc.. at times I will place the chalk on key locations such as a marker for a bank etc.. 99% of the time your oponet isnt the wiser.


SPINDOKTOR
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
I think they may be slightly wider than that.
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Actually, if you consider where the object ball needs to go -- the center of the object ball -- the pocket is much closer to 2.5 inches wide than 4.5 inches. That is the distance I was referring to. If you work from the ideal shot where the object ball goes into the center of the pocket, the ball has only about 1.25 inches of margin on each side. That is the 2.5 inches I was referring to.
 
Just another reason you guys should switch to CueTable. The measurements in all details are much closer to a 9" table with 4.7" pockets and 141 degrees facing.

I appreciate you guys still like the old WeiTable after all these years. However I myself am a little embarrassed to have you stay on it because of the quirky graphics and funny sizes. Let's just move it into a storage room and make somespace for the table, shall we?

After importing the data into CueTable (copy WeiTable data and import in to CueTable), I find Bob's call on "2.5 inches" is correct. You can change the line width to the width of ball on the new table by shortcut "b" key.

http://CueTable.com/P/?@4AQKR4EVcn1PSvc4UQKR4UcIpzb4qSxkA&ZZ@
 
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cuetable said:
Just another reason you guys should switch to CueTable. The measurements in all details are much closer to a 9" table with 4.7" pockets and 141 degrees facing.

I appreciate you guys still like it after all these years. However I myself am a little embarrassed to have you stay on it because the quirky graphic and funny sizes. Let's just move it into a storage room and make somespace for the table, shall we?

After importing the data into CueTable (copy WeiTable data and import in to CueTable), I find Bob's call on "2.5 inches" is correct. You can change the line width to the width of ball on the new table by shortcut "b" key.

http://CueTable.com/P/?@4AQKR4EVcn1PSvc4UQKR4UcIpzb4qSxkA&ZZ@
Click to expand...


Id just like to thank you for all the support, I still havent figured out everything on the new table but I like it, and appritiate the ability to be able to describe a situation in graphic terms.

SPINDOKTOR
 
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Your plan was ok! it's just that you were just worried on hitting the 5. I would recommend hitting the 1 ball at moderate speed, as this would decrease your chances on overcutting the shot. shoot it straight and avoid putting an english on the CB.
 
When I run into this type of shot I try to put my mind into snooker playing mode. Line up your shot, if there is room for it to go and you know theres only one way it can be hit to make it go, then just rely on your mind's eye and just go for it.
 
I try to pick an exact spot in the pocket that I want to hit and focus ALL my attention on that objective. I usually then miss the blocking ball... usually :D (but it's hard to get it out of my mind when down on the shot because it's right there in the freakin way!)
 
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