how to line up a pot with side

[stez keep]

I cant work out where to aim on the object ball wile using side. I no the cue ball moves to the left or the right depending on what spin but i was wonder how to line up the shot to pot it. Can anyone help please?

[Quackers]

Lol, if you're using right hand side you aim to the right and if you're using left hand side you aim to the left. How much to aim right or left depends on the speed and whether you're using top spin/screw spin etc. It's just a matter of trial and error. Keep trying until you start to pot a few!
Oh, and each table's cloth may react differently too :-)

[flame]

Lol, if you're using right hand side you aim to the right and if you're using left hand side you aim to the left. How much to aim right or left depends on the speed and whether you're using top spin/screw spin etc. It's just a matter of trial and error. Keep trying until you start to pot a few!
Oh, and each table's cloth may react differently too :-)

for some reason that i can't understand i agree with Quackers

[flame]

for some reason that i can't understand i agree with Quackers

LOL,only joking bud.

[Quackers]

None taken

[Acrowot]

Lol flame! You always manage to bring a smile to my face. Keep it up!:snooker:

[stez keep]

thanks. it must be im not just getting it yet lol. does any one have any tips on how to do it consistently.

[Quackers]

There are no shortcuts that I'm aware of, sadly. Practise is the answer.

[DandyA]

I cant work out where to aim on the object ball wile using side. I no the cue ball moves to the left or the right depending on what spin but i was wonder how to line up the shot to pot it. Can anyone help please?

DON'T DO IT! on a snooker table, side causes you to miss - try using top or bottom instead, in say 90% of cases you can achieve good position using those instead ...

if you really feel you need to use side, here's DandyA's quick guide ...

(a) if the object ball is close to a pocket and the white isn't far away, that's the time to use side and it can be very effective - it's quite amazing how side alters the angle the white comes off the cushion ...

(b) basic aiming ... say you point the cue tip, one tip left of centre on the white - you need to aim one tip left of centre on the object ball if you think the white will travel in a straight line ...

(c) the white will go in a straight line if it's short range and you hit it medium hard ... however, the white could swerve with the side or, particularly if you hit it hard, the white might deflect (squirt) in the opposite direction to the side and then possibly come back on line as the white slows and the swerve takes effect ...

(d) the above is assuming you're playing from the baulk end to the black end of the table - playing from the black to baulk end, the white tries to swerve the opposite way to the side although any deflection will still be the same ...

(e) some players believe in throw ... this is when the cueball hits the object ball - they believe a cueball with say left hand side throws the object ball to the right (and the cueball to the left) ... this is very debatable - I personally believe it (especially on soft to medium shots) but many do not ...

Does all this sound a tad too complicated?

Good! You've hopefully got the message! Don't use side unless at very close range, use top or bottom instead

Oh and the amount of swerve, deflection and throw you might get also dramatically varies from table to table and even the temperature and humidity of the snooker hall!

[gem]

When the balls are around a foot apart try moving the whole cue across parrallel to a plain ball pot to use side. Slight adjustment to aim may be needed due to conditions mentioned above.
This is just a rough guide but you then need to practice to get the feel for it.

Remember to hit through the white as too soft will swerve the cueball more.

[Quackers]

I feel I must take issue with a couple of your points DandyA
Firstly I agree that good position with the white can be achieved without using side most of the time. I agree that side should not be used by beginners as the variables involved are enough to blow the mind
In practice when using side (even when the white and object ball are quite close together) I don't believe that aiming one tip size to the side will be nearly enough. It is quite possible that a player will need to aim to hit the object ball on completely the wrong side to make a pot - even if the balls are close together and close to the pocket.
Your statement regarding playing side from the black end to the baulk end is correct, but only on shots played slowly. At medium or fast pace the ball played with side will react largely as it does played from baulk to black.
Finally I would say that when a shot is played over any distance with side the white's path after hitting the object ball MUST be changed (though not as you suggest) by virtue of the fact that the white "attacked" the object ball from a different path in the first place. ie the white ball's path to the object ball was bent by the action of the side put on it.
By way of example it is possible, with the use of side, to pot an object ball and for the white to follow the object ball into the same pocket even when the shot was not originally straight!

All in all then, it is a good idea to not use side

[Terry Davidson]

So let's see now...when using side you have to adjust your aiming point to account for the following conditions:

1. 'Throw' of cue (which might change with a new tip)
2. cloth
3. weight of balls (light cueball?)
4. distance between balls
5. power of the stroke
6. Humidity in the club
7. Condition of cushions to judge positional play required
8. Is the table fairly clean
9. Am I hitting through any chalk marks?
10. WHY AM I USING SIDING ON THIS SHOT AT ALL????

There are probably a couple I missed, but the above is why you shouldn't use side at all except on the break shot and when the balls are close together and the object ball is close to the pocket (so there's a larger margin of error).

And remember, the pros play on consistent cloths with consistent balls and you just can't duplicate those conditions on a club table unless it's the perfect match table with a new cloth and new tournament balls

Terry

[vmax4steve]

1. When using side on an angled shot (not straight) aim to hit the white to contact the object ball thicker than is neccessary for a plain ball shot, no matter what side you are putting on the white (left or right). Aiming to the near jaw of the pocket is a good starting point.

2. Adjust this line of aim to be even thicker when playing with power, trial and error is needed.

3. Adjust this line of aim when playing at distance, still play the shot thicker when playing with power at distance, but less thick when not using power, and sometimes even play the shot as if it were a plain ball shot when playing slow shots with side at distance. Again trial and error is needed.

4. When playing reverse side (side and screw) on dead straight shots aim for the left hand jaw with right hand reverse and right hand jaw with left hand reverse. When using extreme power this line of aim can even be outside the jaw of the pocket.

5. When using side against the nap of the cloth, the rule of thumb is to play the shot a little bit thinner than you would using side with the nap. This is because the white swerves against the nap rather than with it and so it straightens faster, doesn't come back as much and then goes the other way once it slows down. Play a slow shot with side against the nap and watch it swerve away from the side that you have applied. Pretty useful shot for escaping snookers sometimes.
Myself, I never play a slow shot with side against the nap when going for a pot unless the object ball is over or very near the pocket.

6. Before getting down on the shot, decide that you are going to play with side and then aim the shot as stated above and address the white with the cue absolutely straight behind either the left or right side of the white. Never address the middle of the white and then apply side, this is cueing across the ball and makes the white go totally off the line you are aiming for.

7. This is basically how to do it, but as said before by others there are many variables to overcome like speed of the cloth, how much or how little nap there is on the cloth, and also what type of balls are being used and what condition they are in as well as temperature and humidity of the snooker room.

It's difficult but very rewarding and very neccessary if you want to make big breaks because you can't always get perfect position every time. So you either bottle out and play safe or use side to keep the break going, it's up to you.

[Acrowot]

I agree with most of what Quackers says about using side. Side is not really fo begginers to try using. You need to be very efficient with you potting, before you try and use side.
:snooker:

[stez keep]

Thanks for all the fead back. I have found it very helpful.
I dont play snooker at a good level yet but i play a lot of pool for a league.
As you can amagine on a pool table it is very useful to be able to pot with side to be able to clear up. iiIm at a very good level at pool but still working onmy snooker.
Thanks again for your replies