Potting Cue Ball

[woofusau]

Can anyone tell me how to stop the cue ball going in the pocket on a long straight pot. A short straight pot is no problem as I can stun the cue ball to stop at point of impact, but on a very long pot the "back spin" technique does not seem to work.

All advice welcome.

Regards
Woofusau

[Sam_92]

I have had the same problem but all i have been doing is practice. I find you have to cue the ball very well to make it come back or for stun. Just practice shorter range stun/screw shots and then once you are confident keep moving the white and object ball farther apart.

Hope this helps.
Good luck!

[RaNeN]

Wow! If you can pot a long straight pot and follow the cue ball into the same pocket, you have got great cueing!!!

If you are trying to screw back on a long pot, Its gonna be difficlut. You can stun the ball, or just practice and you may be able to screw back after a lot of practice.

Good Luck.

[imy147]

You should hit the white ball jus below centre and dont use topspin as this will send the cueball rolling on after u strike it!

[davis_greatest]

It's quite straightforward. Look 2 min 45 seconds into this video and simply strike the cue ball like this. That's how I would typically do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_shLKWinxc8

[Wity]

If you play the shot with backspin but softly by the time the cue ball reaches it's target the backspin has died off so surely the answer is to simply play the same shot but harder?

[Blondie]

Hi Woofusau,

........and well done for persevering with long potting, it's an art in itself, and for all players I think it's something we all continually practice at. Great too that you've tried the screw shot over distance as this is an extremely difficult shot to master. I always think great timing and excellent cueing are required to have any success at this particular shot.

I must admit I always tend to use pure stun for a long straight red, striking the cue-ball just below centre, and also use plenty of power. This allows the cue-ball to skid across the surface of the cloth, and on impact, all the momentum put into the shot is transferred to the red, allowing the cue-ball to stop dead, and not to go into the pocket.

And if I was playing a long straight red, but also wanted a bit more position on the black, I'd probably play stun with a little screw, hitting the cue-ball a fraction lower, just below centre, which will allow the cue-ball to be brought back slightly, but also giving enough angle/position for the black, and not to go into the pocket.

A couple of the things I found when I first started to learn and play the screw shot, which may help with your long straight red shots, is that I used to hit the cue-ball high off centre because I was lifting the cue off my bridge, without realising I was doing it. Sometimes I also used to hold the cue too tightly as well, and it always felt as if I had no control over my cueing action, but now I tend to grip the cue more softly, and this really helps me to push the cue through in a more controlled way, if that makes sense. I also find it helps me to strike the cue-ball more accurately, and not in a hit and miss way as before.

And as I say, just a couple of things that may help you, but as the guys here have already said, even when we have the correct technique, it's all about practice and more practice.

And best of luck with it all... .

Lol....xx