Particular type of shot

[Bobbyruss2010]

My shot in which I miss too often:

White ball couple mm's off the side cushion, cueing towards the balk colours / potting the green from the side cushion with over half the table as distance. I always catch it thick.

Any tips?

[Burnpark]

Around the black spot requires good "touch play" with little soft screws and stuns. For this I would recommend simply the line up with 1 red behind the black to start with increasing it to 2,3 and 4 over the weeks. Also try just potting the black off its spot and using the cushion to help you which is what its there for. Remember, whether you think you can or whether you think you cant your probably right so clear your mind of any negative thoughts when your in/around the pink/black area and give every pot 100% concentration.

Great advice, build up your confidence and then these shots become natural

[Master Blaster]

Had a couple of hours practice today. Horrible. I'm a long way back from where I used to be. I've developed a range of inconsistencies (not hitting through the ball being among them), but I'm cueing straight (first hit up and down the spots straight back onto the cue tip, the rest too).

I can't see. I suspect part of the problem is astigmatism, and part is just that my contact lens prescription isn't right. I struggle to go between cue and object ball (one too close, one too far away). I lose the aim position on the object ball, and I miss because of that (I think).

It was really horrible today though....struggled to take the colours off the spots even.

You're either not sighting the correct angle on your walk-in or you've move alignment when down and your dominant eye is no longer seeing the angle it saw when you were standing up. This has happened to me in the past. The adjustment to correct is tiny but as long as your mistake is consistent, the solution is easy. You either move the cue to the left or right to take into account hitting the object ball thick or thin, or you move your head to realign your dominant eye. Simples.

Pro players have to do this in the middle of a frame. It's understanding what is going wrong that's the key, being self aware but not anxious. Once you know what you are doing wrong, you can figure out what to correct. Whatever you do, don't blink, fatal.

[tetricky]

No. Its an aim problem. I hit the white how I intend to, for some reason I always think the correct angle is thicker than where it actually is when assessing the shot. I just have a mental block on that sort of shot, that doesn't appear elsewhere in my game. Another problem is I incorrect prescription contact lenses....but that's not the mechanism at fault here.

Had a couple of hours practice today. Horrible. I'm a long way back from where I used to be. I've developed a range of inconsistencies (not hitting through the ball being among them), but I'm cueing straight (first hit up and down the spots straight back onto the cue tip, the rest too).

I can't see. I suspect part of the problem is astigmatism, and part is just that my contact lens prescription isn't right. I struggle to go between cue and object ball (one too close, one too far away). I lose the aim position on the object ball, and I miss because of that (I think).

It was really horrible today though....struggled to take the colours off the spots even.

[sydneygeorge]

Anyone have any problems with their game/technique im extremely bored!

Hi Roy, when trying to cut blacks from the top pocket position I have about a 30% success rate. I have tried aiming using the ghost ball, pinning the black onto an imaginary rail and striking the CB with side to hit the BOB, all work but unreliable.
I am cuing straight.
What should I do next ?

[tetricky]

No. Its an aim problem. I hit the white how I intend to, for some reason I always think the correct angle is thicker than where it actually is when assessing the shot. I just have a mental block on that sort of shot, that doesn't appear elsewhere in my game. Another problem is I incorrect prescription contact lenses....but that's not the mechanism at fault here.

[Master Blaster]

For me its the quarter ball cut back into an almost blind corner pocket. Should make it more times than not, but the percentages are reversed too often, with me hitting it too thick. Even worse, once it appears in a session it seems to stay there. I'm careful, get down, am sure I've got the right aim...but no, thick again. Gah!

Sounds like your cue isn't going where you eyes intend it should, if you're sure your eyes are telling the truth? If they are telling the truth, you're delivering the cue off the shot line, with the cue butt to the left of the shot line. When you get down and cue the shot, pause and look at where the tip will strike, is it centre ball. If it's not centred, are you cueing across the ball?

[tetricky]

For me its the quarter ball cut back into an almost blind corner pocket. Should make it more times than not, but the percentages are reversed too often, with me hitting it too thick. Even worse, once it appears in a session it seems to stay there. I'm careful, get down, am sure I've got the right aim...but no, thick again. Gah!

[mythman69]

Have you seen the Nic Barrow video Alabadi where he uses three bits of paper to work out a shot, one piece he puts where the cue ball will land if max follow through is used, another if max screw was used(as you have said to show the limits of the shot) and the last where he wants the cue ball to land, this gives you a good picture as to where on the cue ball you need to be striking, I found it quite interesting, it's easy enough to do with just your minds eye but a very nice concept.

Link to this please. I can't seem to find it on youtube.

Thanks!

[jonny66]

I always struggle potting balls from around the pink spot into the centre bags, they always hit either the far knuckle and bounce off or catch the near one. I read somewhere that I need to aim differently for a slow roller because of the nap.

[thelongbomber]

Hit the practice table earlier, played it about a tip's height above center as suggested and it worked.

Thank you everybody!



Will do this the next time I practice. This shot is crucial so it is pointless trying to continue learning break building without it in my memory bank as you say. Thanks

Every shot on the table is pretty important, but potting the black from all reasonable angles and with all speeds is pretty much the bread and butter of this game. If you don't immediately know the CB path, the above exercise off the black will help a lot.

[Scott M]

By the way your playing with a blue ball that's far to big lol.

I like the challenge haha.

[Scott M]

Hit the practice table earlier, played it about a tip's height above center as suggested and it worked.

Thank you everybody!

The best exercise I ever found on just this type of shot was to try all contact points on the cue ball in a practice scenario. Pot 10 hitting centre ball with low speed, another 10 with medium speed, and another 10 with more speed. Then change the contact point on the CB from centre to one tip above centre and repeat. Then again for one tip below centre, and then left, and right on the CB also. As you do each shot, monitor what happens to the cue ball (assuming you make the OB each time). From this you will learn whats possible with the shot you have and then can create your own memory bank of areas of the table you can reasonably play for.

Will do this the next time I practice. This shot is crucial so it is pointless trying to continue learning break building without it in my memory bank as you say. Thanks

[thelongbomber]

this is basically what I said without going into so much detail. one thing I like to do when I practice a shot is to start and play 1 shot extreme top spin and then another deep screw, this gives me the limits I can work with any shot.
it helps me to know this so I don't try making a shot that is not possible

Exactly. That's one of the grand mistakes very commonly made (even by pros) - trying to make the cue ball go where it doesn't want to go.

[alabadi]

Have you seen the Nic Barrow video Alabadi where he uses three bits of paper to work out a shot, one piece he puts where the cue ball will land if max follow through is used, another if max screw was used(as you have said to show the limits of the shot) and the last where he wants the cue ball to land, this gives you a good picture as to where on the cue ball you need to be striking, I found it quite interesting, it's easy enough to do with just your minds eye but a very nice concept.

yes I think Nic Barrow has some interesting videos, there are 2 in particular I like

one he is potting a ball into the centre pocket from the blue spot he sets it up for a 3/4 hit, then he pots the OB into 3 different parts of the pocket, left, right and center. although the pot was made each time the difference it made to the cueball was massive. almost 2 feet which shows its not just potting the ball its where it goes in can make a difference.

the second video he uses a book to cue over and plays I think a half ball pot into the yellow pocket, he emphasises that the OB must go in centre pocket for this to be a true reflection on the deflection of the cueball. he then plays several shots keeping the cue touching/brushing the top of the book. he turns a few pages each shot and the difference it makes to the cueball is astonishing, I mean there can't be more than a few mm in height of each shot but yet the outcome is so different.

just shows how accurate you need to be. a lot of food for thought.