what can you do with the white

[Smeeagain]

I often hear the commentators saying a player hasn't left enough of an angle and has to force it etc etc. which I understand completely, but my question is if you have an absolutely dead straight pot, how much can you really influence the line of travel of the white after it has struck/potted the object ball. appreciate the distance covered by the white before striking but I'm curious to understand just how much a good player can do with a dead straight white?

[dcrackers147]

it depends on the table mate. On the TV tables the cloth is so fine and the table so fast that you can force slight angles by punching the ball causing it to hop off the table surface slightly which changes the line before the spin kicks in. That would be top spin the only other option is to screw back changing the angle off the cushion with side. On club tables you can pinch the pocket slightly which generates the angle with a bit of running side works a treat.

[DeanH]

I think distance of the OB from the pocket dictates how much you can change the angle.
Also, often when they "force the angle" I notice often it is a power shot to usually get a jump of the white upon impact and that jump can cause the change in the direction of the CB

[dcrackers147]

Is there an echo in here

[DeanH]

sorry about that, typing at the same time

[Parksy147]

you can pot the object ball into one side of the pocket to give it a bit of angle but it doesnt give you much

[Byrom]

I can do this

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/30363951

[Pedantic Stroke]

I can do this

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/30363951

Yeah as others have said on club tables the pockets are reasonably large so you can force an angle. It gets harder to do the further the object ball is from the pocket, but say pink off its spot into a corner you can get the white into quite I big area on a straight in using side and potting as far to one side as you dare. If you have to use top or screw then it makes the area even bigger. If you have to hit plain ball and really hammer it in the you might struggle to get maybe a foot of cue ball travel.

On the tv tables the speedy cloth makes up for the tight pockets almost and the results would be almost the same in terms of what you can do with the white. You cant force as much angle because the pockets are narrower but the cloth is very quick so the white travels further than normal.