Deflection and throw are terms you’re bound to come upon as you progress in your game, whether from other instructional materials or from other players. Let’s define these terms, and then explain how they can affect your game.
Deflection, sometimes called squirt, is the altering of the path of the cue ball by using english. Simply put, a cue ball struck on the right side will shift slightly left, and a cue ball struck on the left will veer slightly right. A soft stroke at a short dis-tance produces the least amount of deflection. A harder stroke at a longer disdis-tance produces the most amount of deflection. Also, the more english put on the cue ball (in other words, the farther away the cue tip is from the center of the cue ball), the greater the deflection of the cue ball’s path.
Whereas deflection refers to the altering of the cue ball’s path, throw refers to the altering of the path of the object ball. Right english throws, or veers, the object ball to the left; left english throws the object ball to the right (see figure 3.22). Because the cue ball hits less of the object ball on sharper cuts, the sharper the angle of the cut, the less throw will result. And, in the opposite of deflection, a softer shot actu-ally produces more throw. Again, the more english used, the greater the result.
These are scientific facts of the game. Dozens of experts have rigorously tested these theories and have come up with expansive charts depicting how much you might need to adjust your aim for deflection and throw. As die-hard pool nuts, naturally we appreciate these laborious efforts to help better our game. In a sport such as ours, every nugget of knowledge is fascinating, and the more you learn, the more you want to learn. Unfortunately, however, studies like these, in the hands of
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Left english Right english
Figure 3.22 Using left or right english on the cue ball to produce deflection enables the shooter to throw the object ball to the left or to the right.
players already struggling to grasp nuances of the sport, can convince them that they must constantly question their aim when they plan to impart anything but center ball on the cue ball.
Why is it that the more you know, the more potentially frustrating it can be to get the proper shot off? Well, just try to apply your knowledge in a game situation.
Say you’re shooting at the 8-ball to get to the 9-ball. To aim correctly, you’re going to need to predict the amount of throw you’ll get, because you have a pretty good angle, which will minimize most of the throw, but you’re going to hit the ball softer, which will give you more throw, but with the right english you want to put on the shot, your cue ball is going to head slightly to the left of where you want to hit it, though because you’re not hitting it hard it shouldn’t matter as much, but—stop!
We’ve all seen this happen in the poolroom. Players study a shot so hard you can almost see the calculations moving across their brains behind their eyes. When they finally get the shot off, they have talked themselves out of making it.
If everyone thought about all the considerations on every shot, it would take a long, long time to finish a game, and the tremendous popularity of the cue sports would plummet. Ask pros how they compensate for squirt. Chances are good that their answers will range from “What?” to “I just do” to “Squirt and throw cancel each other out anyway.”
Now, the third statement isn’t true, but you get the idea; they’re too busy making balls to think about all the ways they might miss. Every sport has interesting and unique physical properties. Just think of the football traveling through the air, spin-ning as it heads toward the receiver. Does the football player calculate the spin on its approach, combined with the day’s wind velocity, to determine exactly where his hands should be to grasp the ball? Of course not. Students of football might study such things; players just play.
The lessons you should take away regarding deflection and throw are simple.
First, the less english you use, the better off you’ll be. This is another reason why only half to a full cue tip of english is recommended. Second, shooting too soft or too hard can be dangerous unless you have good reasons for doing so. The simpler you keep your game, the simpler the game will be.
Finally, although deflection and throw can’t be disputed—they do occur—you don’t need to take them into consideration on every shot. Try a few experiments of your own to observe the results with extreme english and extreme speeds so that you understand the possible effects on your shot. If studying more on this subject interests you, by all means find a book (Jack Koehler’s Science of Pocket Billiards is a good one) that delves more deeply into this territory. Then move on—play pool.
With observation and practice you’ll learn to compensate for minor adjustments without having to consciously calculate them, and your body, if you’ve trained it for the sport of pool, will know what to do.
Once you have established the basics—learned center ball, tangent lines, and how balls react coming off the object ball and the cushions with the use of follow, draw, and english—the game of pool becomes one of feel and confidence. And, while each individual’s ability varies, every student can create his or her own feel for the game and for each of its beautiful and mystifying shots, be it a length-of-a-table draw shot or a three-rail high-ball shot. Experiment with shots you’re unfamiliar with, and allow yourself to try variations of shots as they occur. Some of you are just beginning a lifelong pursuit of the ultimate in cue ball control. Learn, and enjoy. Meanwhile, let’s move on to another of pool’s most interesting features—game breaks.
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