Before you can begin learning and experimenting with different forms of english, you need a reference point. At this stage of development in your pool game, it’s time to find the center of the cue ball. The easiest way is to use a simple drill.
Begin by facing the width of the table to keep the shot very short and easy to execute. This will help you gauge your initial progress. Place two balls about 3 inches (7.6 cm) apart (no more than that) and about 6 inches (15 cm) from the long rail, as shown in section A of figure 3.2. You’ll be shooting the cue ball between the two balls, and, because standard pool balls are 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) in diameter, you’ll have more than enough space for the cue ball to pass through. Place your cue ball 12 inches (30 cm) from the long rail directly opposite the middle of the two balls.
Finally, to give yourself a reference point at which to aim, place a piece of chalk on the opposite long rail closest to the two balls and midway between them.
6 in.
Chalk
3 in.
Chalk
Cue ball positions
Center ball
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5 2
4
6
A
B
Figure 3.2 Use this simple drill to locate the center of the cue ball.
Using the piece of chalk as your target, step into your stance, aim the ball at the chalk, and shoot. Be careful to contact the cue ball directly at what you believe to be its center. If everything is lined up correctly, and you execute the shot with slow speed, a proper swing, and a smooth follow-through, the cue ball should hit the long rail and bounce back without disturbing the two balls. Ideally, the cue ball will pass between the two balls and directly back into the tip of your cue stick.
If this doesn’t happen for you, make one of the following adjustments:
If on the rebound off the long rail the cue ball hits the left ball, you’re put-ting unwanted left english on the cue ball. Reposition the cue ball and shoot again, this time aiming a touch to the right of what you see as the center of the cue ball.
If your cue ball hits the right ball on the rebound, you’re putting a little unwanted right english on the cue ball, so compensate by aiming a touch to the left.
What looks like center ball to you might not result in a center-ball hit. Why? One of three explanations generally applies. You either have a slight natural crossover in your stroke; your head might have a slight tilt and not be directly in line over your cue stick; or your dominant eye (as discussed in chapter 2) might be giving you an illusion. If things don’t look right, but you’re achieving center-ball effect, trust what you’re doing.
Practice this drill until you get the same results 10 times in a row. Once you’ve mastered the first part of the drill, set up the same shot, this time down the length of the table, as shown in section B of figure 3.2. Use short distances at first until you feel comfortable. Gradually increase the distance between the two balls and the cue ball until you can achieve a true center-ball hit over the length of the table.
Finally, perform the same exercise, but add an object ball, as shown in figure 3.3. Use the chalk on the rail as your target. Keep the cue ball 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) from the object ball. You want the cue ball to stop and the object ball to rebound off the cushion and directly back to hit the cue ball. This drill should give you a bit of feel for the speed of the object ball and the cue ball. Move the cue ball and the object ball farther apart, in increments of 6 inches (15 cm) at a time, to increase the difficulty of the drill.
Here’s another helpful hint when you’re trying to find center ball: Determine your dominant eye (see chapter 2, page 36), and then close your nondominant eye to see if you’re really looking at center ball.
After you’re sure that you’ve found center ball, you need to play a few racks using that center-ball hit on every shot. While you’re doing this, focus on one thing and one thing only: how the cue ball reacts off the object ball. Which way does the cue ball travel after contacting the object ball?
The line on which the cue ball travels after contact with the object ball is called the tangent line (see blue dashed lines in figure 3.4 for examples). The tangent line is at a 90-degree angle to the target line. With a middle-ball hit, your cue ball will normally glance off a ball on the tangent line. Another way of looking at it is to add up the angles. For instance, with a 25-degree cut shot, the cue ball comes off the object ball from the approach line at about 65 degrees (25 + 65 = 90 degrees).
Knowing the tangent line is the first critical step to knowing where your cue ball is headed. Only by knowing the reaction with center ball will you know what paths can result when altering that line with follow or draw or different stroke forces.
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52
6
1
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2
A B
C
Figure 3.4 The line the cue ball follows on a medium-speed, center-ball hit is called the tangent line.
Chalk
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5
Cue ball positions
Figure 3.3 Adding an object ball to the mix.
Another important thing to note is where the cue ball travels after contacting the object ball and then the rail. Ideally, the cue ball should roll from the cushion out onto the table at about the same angle it traveled into the cushion, as shown in figure 3.5. This is that old physics principle of angle in equals angle out, and of course, this too can be altered with speed, left or right english, or a combination of these.
Confused yet? Don’t be. It gets more interesting from here!
Figure 3.5 Angle in equals angle out, but remember that this line can be altered drastically with speed, english, or a combination of the two.
Angle in
Angle in Angle
out
Angle out
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3
10
Figure 3.6 Cue tip position for a follow stroke on the cue ball.
Center FollowExtreme follow
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Follow
Because it’s easier to learn initially, we’ll begin our study in cue ball path altera-tions with the follow stroke. As the name implies, your cue ball, when hit above center, will follow the object ball after contact. You’re putting topspin on the cue ball, which causes it to continue rolling forward.
To execute a follow stroke, you will, in most cases, need to shoot a one-half to full cue tip above center, as shown in
figure 3.6. For maximum results you should never need to be much more than a full cue tip above center. Shooting too high on the cue ball causes miscues and is really not necessary. The most important factors to remember while executing your follow stroke are to keep your cue stick level (simply elevate your bridge hand slightly to raise the cue tip) and to follow through completely.
If you’re shooting a ball straight into a pocket, a follow stroke will send the cue ball directly into the pocket after it—which is rarely a desired result. But few of your shots will be straight in, so you need to understand the benefits of knowing how follow affects all other shots you’ll attempt on the table. Follow can be effec-tively used to minimize the angle at which your cue ball travels after contacting the object ball, because follow in fact alters the tangent line—that is, the 90-degree line at which your cue ball will normally glance off a ball with a middle-ball hit, as shown earlier (figure 3.4, page 52).
The softer and smoother the hit, the more you can minimize your angle coming off the object ball. This skill becomes an important tool in your arsenal, especially when you want to avoid a scratch or avoid hitting other balls on your way around the table, as in our example in figure 3.7.
An excellent way to develop your follow stroke is to set up a simple follow shot (figure 3.8) and play position for the spots labeled A through D by arriving
3
Soft follow Middle
Follow
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Figure 3.7 Use follow to minimize your angle after contact with an object ball.
Figure 3.8 Set up this simple follow drill to improve your follow stroke.
E4276/Kanov/fig.3.08/296084/alw/r3 A
B
C
D
4
at the corresponding labeled areas. As you’ll note, to arrive at area D you’ll need to hit your shot harder than you did for area A, which changes where the cue ball contacts the cushion. The greater the force of your hit, the more the cue ball will skid or slide sideways off the object ball before starting its forward roll.
While learning position play and cue ball control, it’s simpler to picture your pool table divided into small quadrants and to visualize having your cue ball arrive in that desired quadrant when shooting. This is called “area” position. (As your stroke and speed-control skills develop, you’ll play more and more for “pinpoint” position.) Once you can successfully position your cue ball in each of these areas, you’ll have a good idea of the difference in
the hit needed to get to position A or B as opposed to position C or D.
Now try the shot shown in figure 3.9. This shot is a thinner cut on the object ball. Note that to get to the position indicated by the illustration, you need only hit the ball as hard as you did in speed A of figure 3.8, but your cue ball will travel much farther. Remember that cue ball speed is dictated not only by follow-through of the cue stick but also by the angle at which the cue ball comes off the object ball. In shot A of figure 3.8 you had to hit the ball very full, transferring most of the energy to the object ball. But in this shot, a thin hit allows most of the energy to stay with the cue ball, causing the ball to travel much farther with less effort.
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11
Middle draw
Figure 3.9 Expand your follow position skills with this drill, noting that the cue ball will travel farther with less force on the thinly cut shot.
Figure 3.10 Cue-tip position