Black cut backs with bottom

[Burnpark]

One shot I tend to struggle with (amongst others) is cutting the black back using bottom, either to smash into the pack or slow the pace of the white. I know practice helps but I pot these shots centre ball and with top all day long but hitting the cue ball below centre for this particular shot catches me out. Seen quite a few pro's miss these too. Any advice?

[markz]

For me when playing this shot I think the white ball throws off a little so if your above black and play with any sort of bottom on cue ball you need to aim to the far jaw/knuckle. A good routine to try to get you used to playing it is two reds below black and pot and replace reds/blacks as you go and see what break you can get. This video from Nic Barrow shows it well.

http://youtu.be/vcORvo8Wc3Q

[pottr]

Pull the cue back slow and straight and trust you're in the correct line... Keep still and deliver the cue.

Practice

[OmaMiesta]

I find its a much more difficult shot when playing at a slower pace to hold with screw. I almost never miss them at pace but when played slowly with screw I tend to catch them thick most of the time, seems to be a lot of "throw" at slower speeds.

[markz]

I find its a much more difficult shot when playing at a slower pace to hold with screw. I almost never miss them at pace but when played slowly with screw I tend to catch them thick most of the time, seems to be a lot of "throw" at slower speeds.

A friend I play with struggles with exactly the same problem, also he plays blue balls to the middles with screw too thick. I try to get him just to realise he's hitting the pot thick so to aim a little more to the other side of the pocket, this naturally means you hit the ball a little thinner. He gets it for few shots then resorts to his old ways. Like pottr says, practice and it becomes a skill you are used to doing.

[Burnpark]

Thanks for the response. Tried again tonight and still poor but I will persist. I think there is an element of not seeing the angle that is off putting, yet if I hit it centre ball I barely miss.

[OmaMiesta]

A friend I play with struggles with exactly the same problem, also he plays blue balls to the middles with screw too thick. I try to get him just to realise he's hitting the pot thick so to aim a little more to the other side of the pocket, this naturally means you hit the ball a little thinner. He gets it for few shots then resorts to his old ways. Like pottr says, practice and it becomes a skill you are used to doing.

Yep haha I have the exact same problem with the blue as well, about 90 percent of the time I hit it thick when I miss with screw. The worst part is you're always conscious of it when getting down on the shot but old habits always seem to stick haha.

[markz]

Yep haha I have the exact same problem with the blue as well, about 90 percent of the time I hit it thick when I miss with screw. The worst part is you're always conscious of it when getting down on the shot but old habits always seem to stick haha.

I noticed that on the blue you missed on the line up and thought about this thread lol.

[OmaMiesta]

I noticed that on the blue you missed on the line up and thought about this thread lol.

hahah! the proof is in the pudding.... lmao not sure if that phrase is in context but I've always wanted to say it

[jonny66]

This sounds like a psychological problem.

[OmaMiesta]

This sounds like a psychological problem.

Most likely

[tedisbill]

Thanks for the response. Tried again tonight and still poor but I will persist. I think there is an element of not seeing the angle that is off putting, yet if I hit it centre ball I barely miss.

Less room for error in judging the angle the harder you hit the shot, so catch the jaw slightly at pace and it won't drop.

Also the harder you hit the shot, the more you will highlight errors in your technique. In other words, the faster you have to deliver the cue, the more chance there is for the cue to go off line and not deliver straight.

[jonny66]

Less room for error in judging the angle the harder you hit the shot, so catch the jaw slightly at pace and it won't drop.

Also the harder you hit the shot, the more you will highlight errors in your technique. In other words, the faster you have to deliver the cue, the more chance there is for the cue to go off line and not deliver straight.

I don't agree with the second part of this. It's the extremes that show things up, a bit like a bell curve, if you have to hit the ball very hard or very soft, you need to get your technique right. Everyone has a default setting, the further you deviate from it the more difficult things are.

It does throw up an interesting point though, have you tried hitting it a bit softer, but a little lower on the cue ball?

[OmaMiesta]

I don't agree with the second part of this. It's the extremes that show things up, a bit like a bell curve, if you have to hit the ball very hard or very soft, you need to get your technique right. Everyone has a default setting, the further you deviate from it the more difficult things are.

It does throw up an interesting point though, have you tried hitting it a bit softer, but a little lower on the cue ball?

Thats actually how I prefer to do a stun, aim close to a screw shot and hit it much softer.

[tedisbill]

I don't agree with the second part of this. It's the extremes that show things up, a bit like a bell curve, if you have to hit the ball very hard or very soft, you need to get your technique right. Everyone has a default setting, the further you deviate from it the more difficult things are.

It does throw up an interesting point though, have you tried hitting it a bit softer, but a little lower on the cue ball?

I'm confused... you said you don't agree with me and then said exactly what I said and agreed with me?