How do I play this safety shot

[Leapfrog11]

I am perplexed whenever this shot comes up.
Imagine all the colours are on their spots except the blue and the remaining red is on the cushion roughly halfway between the centre pocket and the bottom pocket.
The cue ball is 2 feet from the blue spot and if i am to hit the centre of the red my line of aim is going through the blue spot. (Dont know how to put a diagram up!).
Any helpful hints will be much appreciated.

[jrc750]

If i am picturing the balls correctly, i would hit the red full in the face with a touch of left hand side quite firmly, sending the red around the table, and keeping the white stuck to the side cushion

[Leapfrog11]

Cheers m8 but if you hit the red full in the face u will come close to doubling it in the opposite pocket..... Surely another way to play it?

[Terry Davidson]

Over-cut the red from where it would double so now you may possibly have a cocked-hat double and also use top running side to keep the cueball near the cushion (I guess top cushion in this case) and hopefully the red will either pot in the middle or if you over-cut it enough will end up near the baulk cushion. Undercutting this shot is a bit dangerous though as you may put the red over a baulk pocket after 4 cushions but at least you should have the cueball near to the top cushion and perhaps behind black and pink.

Terry

[Leapfrog11]

Terry

Thanks very much for your input I will try this out today.

[jack_dougles]

I am perplexed whenever this shot comes up.
Imagine all the colours are on their spots except the blue and the remaining red is on the cushion roughly halfway between the centre pocket and the bottom pocket.
The cue ball is 2 feet from the blue spot and if i am to hit the centre of the red my line of aim is going through the blue spot. (Dont know how to put a diagram up!).
Any helpful hints will be much appreciated.

cushion n ball scream red down cushion into corner pocket touch of running side will throw white across for black into same pocket, deep screw black with reverse side onto yellow then clean up, attack is best form of defence.
you can play the safety shot but think it will go wrong 6 out of ten and then you kick yourself for losing frame on a safety shot and wished you gone for it

[chrissmall147]

hi leapfrog,

if im imagining the balls correctly then you can also clip the red quarter ball trying to put it on opposite side cushion and alot of check side on the cue ball back to baulk. Not an easy shot but a bit of practice and you can do it.

cheers
chris small

[Leapfrog11]

Hi Chris

Thanks for your input.
I will have a go at your idea later on.
Terry I tried your routine many times and I cant seem to get it right, I cannon the pink more often than not and my safety success is about 10%

Regards
Leapfrog

[Terry Davidson]

leapfrog:

I must have imagined the balls set up differently. Describe exactly where the object ball and cueball are (use which cushion, i.e. - yellow side or green side cushions, which end of the table (top or baulk) and where the cueball is (which side of table green or yellow) and where it is in relation to the blue spot.

I thought the object ball was on the yellow side cushion, top end of table about midway between middle and top pocket. I figured the cueball was 2ft away from the blue spot on the baulk green side of the table but in a straight line over the blue spot to the object ball.

From that position I can't imagine how you would cannon the pink unless it was off 3 cushions. I play this shot by doubling the object ball between the black and top cushion using top left side with a lot of power. The object ball hits top cushion around in line with the black spot, then side cushion and goes between pink and blue spots to the yellow baulk side cushion and then up behind the baulk colours somewhere. The cueball hits the object ball and comes off the top yellow side cushion and hopefully doubles down to the top cushion maybe behind black and pink.

The other way to play this is to cut the object ball very fine so the cueball hits top yellow cushion and then top cushion and goes up the table between blue and yellow spot and the object ball doubles to the middle of the table. This is not as safe as the first and weight is important as the cueball will travel a lot more that the object ball because of the fine cut.

Another way is to double the object ball to the top cushion. This would be a shot where your opponent won't have a pot but he might have an easy safety to put you in all kinds of trouble. This would be called a 'negative safety' whereas the first option would be called an 'aggresive safety'.

Terry