why play side?

[lkomarci]

why is it that sometimes pros play side on the cueball eventhough they're not trying to utilize a cushion. like, you have a 3/4 blue to the middle pocket, and play stun+side on the cueball, why is that?
from what i've read in steve davis' book i think he wrote that there's basically no point in playing side on the cueball unless it's going to bounce off a cushion.

[Krypton]

a) sometimes, even if it looks as if on TV, they don't play side. It just seems to be the case, but isn't

b) some players are use to play EVERY angled pot with a trace of (running, in most cases) side. Just a behavior, they've grown up doing so

c) very slow rolling balls are affected by the nap of the cloth when rolling with side. Thus an angle can be widened or narrowed by a slight trace. But you need to be very good at guessing the cueball's path without side to be able to know whether this extra effect brings you where you want to end up.

[adam_s_101]

If you are trying to hold the white delicately, playing with side will affect the shot slightly. Most players also like to play certian shot with a small amount of side purely to help the pot

[Watford]

They also use it to just swerve very slightly as the side pushes the cue ball out a little.

[cueman]

If you are trying to hold the white delicately, playing with side will affect the shot slightly. Most players also like to play certian shot with a small amount of side purely to help the pot

This is basically the reason. If you play plain ball you are sometimes restricting what you can do with the cueball when it comes to inch perfect positional play. Sometimes you need to play with a touch of side more to hold the cue ball than for any reason to help the potting angle. Its all about touch and control.

[snookerfan91]

This is basically the reason. If you play plain ball you are sometimes restricting what you can do with the cueball when it comes to inch perfect positional play. Sometimes you need to play with a touch of side more to hold the cue ball than for any reason to help the potting angle. Its all about touch and control.

That is exactly what I would have thought to...

[lkomarci]

its really amazing how complex snooker is, i think i'm going to have to keep practising for a long time before i become so good that those details actually become of much use. i'm usually happy if i'm on the next ball

[magicman]

Side throws or holds the white's angle whether it touches a cushion or not. So cannoning balls, finding gaps, or getting pin point position sometimes requires side even if a cushion doesn't come into play. This level of control is pretty advanced though and your average player doesn't really utilise these shots at all.

[snookerfan91]

Sometimes it is the right thing to do in order to keep the white in place otherwise you will be forever chasing the white around the table.