Angle and Weight Control

[checkSide]

Hi everyone.

What are the best routines for mastering shot weight and angles?

Not just stuns off the black and other commonplace shots; but routines that will help when you are faced with those unusual positional shots in a real frame.

Those awkward shots that you have not played before, and you must think out in the heat of battle, rather than playing from memory.

These are the shots that trip me up, due to too much/too little stun/screw, over/under hitting etc.

Commonplace mistakes I make:

1. Misjudging the distance it is possible to stun the cue ball on a thick pot.
2. Misjudging the path my cue ball will take off 2 or 3 cushions.
3. Over-running the cueball off 'less than half ball' pots.

What routines should I practice to sharpen up these aspects of my game???

Like most amateurs I am breaking down through loss of position far more often than missing pots.

[NickT]

The best thing you can do is just practice those shots that you regularly fail at. Set the balls up in the said situation, and keep playing the shot over and over. You will easily be able to see your improvement, as you will pull off the shot succesfully more often.

[RGCirencester]

Like most amateurs I am breaking down through loss of position far more often than missing pots.

Unfortunately I miss the easy pots!!! Oh look the white went exactly where i aimed it... Yet the red missed by 2 inches... Hmmmm lol

[Terry Davidson]

Practicing this type of shot repeatedly is the only method I know to learn weight.

BUT...when you do set up the shot to practice it ALWAYS PUT THE 2 BALLS IN THE SAME SPOT (mark then lightly with a chalk mark) as otherwise you will not have a consistent learning platform

Terry

[nutscrewsandbolts]

Practicing this type of shot repeatedly is the only method I know to learn weight.

BUT...when you do set up the shot to practice it ALWAYS PUT THE 2 BALLS IN THE SAME SPOT (mark then lightly with a chalk mark) as otherwise you will not have a consistent learning platform

Terry

I was once practicing a shot from the same spot and another player in the club suggested not to play the same shot over and over again as it spoils the cloth. And sure enough, I could see the track on the nap for days after. I guess some clubs don't allow it... and I wouldn't want to do it on my table either

[Terry Davidson]

You don't have to practice exactly the same shot every day and thus wear a line in the table. My exercise regarding the 1/2-ball blues means only 5 shots from the same spot each day (there would be 4 separate spots).

The next day the player can move the spots slightly or else use a different table so the club owner doesn't get cranky.

Same with my exercise fro the yellow spot...you can alternate with green spot or even go down by the pink spot and play the blue into the baulk pockets.

But, it is important to set up the same angle and distance from the object ball when a player is trying to learn cueball contraol as even a difference of 1/2in either way with the cueball can make a much larger difference on where it travels to

Terry