Potting along the cushion

[Reecey]

I am looking for advice on finding the correct contact point for potting a ball that is on the cushion and the cue ball is at an angle from it. I have tried the ghost ball next to the object ball without success. Someone also mentioned to aim 1mm from the object ball.

What ever I do the ball tends to come out from the cushion. Is there any secret to playing this shot.

[Deepscrew]

Its not easy even if you think you know where to hit it! I either pot them or get knowhere near.

Its just practice really. Try perhaps to think more of if the cushion wasnt there and just look at the angle to the pocket. Might help.

[snookerdad]

Place the cue-ball where it needs to be when it strikes the object ball.

Notice anything?

The cue-ball is touching the object ball and the cushion at the same time.

It doesn't matter what the angle is to start with, that is where the cue-ball must finish.

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)

[jim evans]

i find that a bit of lefthand side to the left pocket and righthand side to the right pocket helps ball to hug cushion

[nrage]

Place the cue-ball where it needs to be when it strikes the object ball.

Notice anything?

The cue-ball is touching the object ball and the cushion at the same time.

It doesn't matter what the angle is to start with, that is where the cue-ball must finish.

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)

What he ^ said...

i find that a bit of lefthand side to the left pocket and righthand side to the right pocket helps ball to hug cushion

and what he ^ said.

You should start with what Tim has said, and practice, practice, practice. Then try what Jim has said and see if it helps you, or makes things harder. It's generally thought that adding side gives you a slightly larger margin for error on the shot as it keeps the white on the cushion for longer, I'm not totally convinced myself, but then I don't use a lot of side if I can help it. I figure it must do something.. I'm just not sure what exactly.

[bricktip]

What snookerdad said. Aim to hit cushion and object ball simultaneously. Needs good cueing.

[Terry Davidson]

OK, I know there are tons of opinions on this one. Here's what I think is happening and how at least I play shots along the cushion (and I make a lot of them).

If the object ball is frozen on the cushion the I would suggest a little top running side and of course not a lot of power. I think the running side has the cueball hitting the cushion just a fraction before the object ball (so actually you are potting the ball off the cushion) and the running side seems to help the object ball hug the cushion for some reason (I hate to say it but maybe in this instance there is some spin transferred - oh! I hate that thought but something definitely happens with that object ball and it does hug the cushion.

I've also found out you need to use a bit of top spin on these shots but never bottom running side unless you really have to as the top seems to make for better accuracy.

If you need to play a frozen ball with no side for positional purposes then aim very slightly behind the actual point of contact required so in effect you are still potting the ball off the cushion.

For balls close to but not frozen on the cushion I try and use no side at all if I can

Terry

[02aleric]

What Terry said, definitely makes more sense to use running side than check side! Been over the whole transferred side topic a million times, at the end of the day it's about making the cue ball hit the object ball in the right position. It's probably easiest to do this with no side at all, but a little bit of running side may have the effect of increasing the margin for error. The running side has the effect of almost straightening the potting angle, as well as making the angle of reflection off the cushion more acute if the cushion is hit just before the object ball. Another point, if side does get transferred, which is a definite grey area, consider this. For example, if a ball on the left cushion was potted into the left pocket with running right hand side, the object ball would supposedly be 'charged' with left hand side, rather than making the ball hug the cushion, the left hand side could possibly make the object ball swerve back towards the pocket slightly if it came off the cushion. To test this place the cue ball on the left cushion and try potting it into the left pocket with both left and right hand side, i definitely find it's slightly easier with a little left hand side! I apologise for the length of the post and hope it isn't too difficult to see what i mean, i may be completely wrong about this!

[vmax4steve]

For a plain ball pot Tim Dunkley is correct, but running side with the white played to hit the cushion just before the ball / cushion contact point will make the cue ball slide along the cushion for a short distance, maybe just for about 5mm, thus widening the target and making the pot easier. Spin is not transferred to the object ball, the object ball hugs the cushion because it has been struck in the correct place. You can still miss shots on the cushion when playing with running side if you don't judge the shot correctly, everytime if contact is made on the object ball before the cushion / ball contact point, and also if contact is made too far in front of the cushion / ball contact point and the cue ball makes contact with the object ball after it has left the cushion.
I would advocate never playing with check side when the object ball is on a cushion. The pot can be made but to judge it accurately is very, very difficult as the cue ball will not slide along the cushion with check side as it does with running side, or even plain ball because on plain ball shots the cue ball will slide a little, especially on pots that are less than half ball cuts, the sharper the angle the less natural slide.

Remember that when playing with side the cue ball will deflect away from the point of aim and then come back onto the line of aim at varying degrees depending on how hard the cue ball is struck, how much nap is on the cloth, whether played with or against the nap etc. All these variances have to be taken into consideration so practise playing with side and get used to what you and your cue can do to the cue ball.

[dcrackers147]

OK, I know there are tons of opinions on this one. Here's what I think is happening and how at least I play shots along the cushion (and I make a lot of them).

If the object ball is frozen on the cushion the I would suggest a little top running side and of course not a lot of power. I think the running side has the cueball hitting the cushion just a fraction before the object ball (so actually you are potting the ball off the cushion) and the running side seems to help the object ball hug the cushion for some reason (I hate to say it but maybe in this instance there is some spin transferred - oh! I hate that thought but something definitely happens with that object ball and it does hug the cushion.

I've also found out you need to use a bit of top spin on these shots but never bottom running side unless you really have to as the top seems to make for better accuracy.

If you need to play a frozen ball with no side for positional purposes then aim very slightly behind the actual point of contact required so in effect you are still potting the ball off the cushion.

For balls close to but not frozen on the cushion I try and use no side at all if I can

Terry

spot on i would also say leave yourself more angle rather than less and play them almost dead weight. From my experience most club and pro tables roll in towards the cushion/pocket rather than away from it if you hit them dead weight. I actually play for balls along the cushion sometimes even with lose reds available as they are one of my favourite shots around the black spot.

[Reecey]

Wow thanks people, I think I have been playing this shot below centre mainly and no side. I really look forward to getting back on the table to try your surgestions.
Regards Neil

[Reecey]

Wow thanks people, I think I have been playing this shot below centre mainly and no side. I really look forward to getting back on the table to try your surgestions.
Regards Neil

[tornado taylor]

All the above and like everything practise practise practise so when your faced with one down the rail it will automatically be in your memory on how to play it and your be confident an example of this is I dont mind playing them off the black rail but put it on the baulk rail and they seem harder and that must be down to not playing them as much off that cushion. Like already mentioned try rolling them in to start with so you give it the best possible chance of dropping.

[merlin1234]

Well the nap of the cloth also runs the other way at the baulk end. Might make it fractionally less likely to hold a line along the rail.

[roykay]

Terry Davidson, your post implies that you don't recognise the use of transmitted side.
95 per cent of good billiard players understand and make good use of it. Especially in cannon play.

Roy Bacon