Potting with side

[RGCirencester]

i wonder how these acuerate cue behave when playing with side.

Having tried one they arn't bad cues. They do indeed throw much less with side. But i hated the finish and the case and extensions arn't that great. but i did quite like the cue when i tried it.
Just a little overpriced for what your actually getting imo

[Terry Davidson]

This is my opinion only but I see too many students who use side when it's not necessary and miss a lot of balls because of it. Some of them are quite good players too.

I even had a decent player who insisted on using side when he was on the black and only needed to stun up for a red and of course, missed a fair few blacks because of it, especially when he used a bit of power.

Side ONLY takes effect if the cueball hits a cushion with the exception that it does change the angle of approach to the object ball (we all know to use side when we can't quite 'see' enough of the object ball and use a bit of side to 'throw' the object ball in).

As has been said here, really good players will only use side if there is no other option. I also notice good players passing on using check siding to stay on the black for instance and using stun/screw to go up for the blue or pink since check siding seems to be the hardest to judge for some reason whereas running side is used more frequently and is therefore easier to use.

Outside of the break shot or similarly swinging the cueball on a safety shot, side is used as little as possible and only as a last resort. It may be used if there is a large margin of error on the pot (ball right over the pocket) to check for a black but good players will tend to avoid those shots and use drag instead as you are not compromising your potting accuracy with drag (in most cases)

I have an Acuerate cue here and I didn't find it any better than my other cues but I do agree they are overcharging for what you're getting. I paid somewhere around 560 quid for mine delivered and I used it for about a year but I've found a much better cue now and I'd like to sell the Acuerate but of course I know I'll never sell it for what I paid for it or even half of that I think.


Terry

[bonoman1970]

Side ONLY takes effect if the cueball hits a cushion with the exception that it does change the angle of approach to the object ball (we all know to use side when we can't quite 'see' enough of the object ball and use a bit of side to 'throw' the object ball in).

Terry[/QUOTE]

This is wrong ,
you can use side spin to slightly the change the angle of the cue ball for postional purposes without the cue ball touching a cushion......
i.e imagine a three quarter ball blue in the centre pocket ,I will sometimes run this through with a lot of check and top (smoothly and not too pacey) to make the cue ball run through at a narrower angle if need be or running side for a slightly wider one (without touching a cushion)
Also a red down the side rail into one of the black pockets,screw back with right hand side (on the left hand side of the table) will make the cue ball spin against the nap and draw it out towards the middle of the table .
Top players used side in the ways I have mentioned pretty regularily.
:snooker:

[Terry Davidson]

bono:

If you put the blue on spot and the cueball directly behind it about a foot and mark that cueball spot with a dot of chalk.

Now, pot the blue with extreme side, both left and right and note the path of the cueball. Do not hit it hard enough for the cueball to reach a cushion.

You will find the cueball will go to the same line every time, no matter what siding you use and the differences in cueball travel will be too small to measure.

Also, I believe I can achieve the same thing as you do without using siding at all, which only makes the pot more difficult as you are always estimating (read guessing) the amount of throw you're going to get, especially with any power.

Why do you think the professionals will often miss the blue when they get on the wrong side of it and have to use stun with side to get that cueball back down the table without hitting a baulk colour. It's a shot they will practice but they still miss these shots more frequently and I believe it's because of the side they have to use in this instance as there's no other choice for position.

Also remember, when I advocate something here I'm talking to the AVERAGE player on TSF and as near as I can tell the average player here has a high break somewhere in the 30's or 40's. If you use siding for positional play then obviously you are confident with it and are very likely a very good player who is attempting to get the cueball within an inch of his intended position spot, however for a player with a high break of 35, using siding on a shot will only cause him more problems than rewards, especially if he can achieve the same position using stun or screw.

I use side myself but not for precise positional play unless there's a cushion involved since I believe I have the ability to get the cueball where I need to using stun or screw and any side only makes the pot more difficult, even for me

Terry

[bonoman1970]

Terry ,as you know there are many,many uses of side ,I for one do use it frequently for positioning the white when it doesnt need to hit a cushion.
It is a myth that sidespin throws the object ball off ,because it doesnt, it only affects the path of the cueball...i.e making a thicker or thinner contact on the object ball.
I can run through on an off straight blue from a couple of feet or so with a lot of check side and make the cue ball follow the blue on in a fairly straight line, thats because the side I have put on has made the cueball throw off and contact the blue full on.
And vice versa with a thin cut ,play with a little screw and running side and the cue ball will throw off at a wider angle.
I do appreciate that this use of side is for advanced players, I for one have played many a session when I wished I had just simplified everything and played plainball as much as I can, especially on dodgy tables!!
It is advisable for most players to use side as you mentioned in your previous post, but also to acknowledge that there are many uses for it.
The game can get to complicated,sometimes you just need to play simple.

[bonoman1970]

bono:

If you put the blue on spot and the cueball directly behind it about a foot and mark that cueball spot with a dot of chalk.

Now, pot the blue with extreme side, both left and right and note the path of the cueball. Do not hit it hard enough for the cueball to reach a cushion.

You will find the cueball will go to the same line every time, no matter what siding you use and the differences in cueball travel will be too small to measure.



Terry

Terry ,with respect that is wrong ,side does effect the angle of cue ball following through, I have it for years upon years.
If you play a thickish blue into the centre pocket with a lot of check side the cue ball will contact the blue fuller on and follow through straighter , and the opposite with running side.
It just does.
:snooker: