Unique Shots And How To Make Them

Many people play one pocket and this shot comes up all of the time. You should be able to make this shot and similar shots EVERY TIME. This is a secret so don't let Jay Helfert see this one.

Any time the object ball is slightly off of the side rail as in the picture below and within the first diamond from the foot rail and the cue ball is parallel like in the picture or even a little closer to the foot rail, you should be able to make this shot EVERY TIME. If you don't make it EVERY TIME, you should at least hang it up in the hole.

Yes, there is a secret to doing this, EVERY TIME. As soon as I have it confirmed that GingerBread Man cannot see this thread, I will edit the shot and post how YOU CAN MAKE THE SHOT EVERY TIME.






This shot comes up for the side pocket frequently too. It is quite different when you have to bank it long rail.

I am interested in seeing your specialty shots, whether they be a safety, a Godzilla shot or simply smart play. But please detail exactly how the shot is made. I will do the same as soon as I have the GingerBread Man Jeffed from this thread.

Trust me when I tell you that you will never look at this shot and say "Gee, I hope I get it close to my hole".

After reading my "secret" you will be saying, "I'll shoot and make this shot EVERY TIME!"

OK, some guy named Rocky Pinochi or something like that pmed me and said Mike has got the GingerBread Man blocked off so here goes. One of you guys got it right but there is a lot more to executing than just shooting at the edge of the object ball. And the same poster who suggested that also suggested adding some side spin if the object ball is just passed the diamond spot is spot on himself.What you have to do each and every time is to: Besides or in addition to your regular pre-shot routine.....

1. Find the perfect center of the cue ball.

2. Place the cue tip in the center of the cue ball(on the vertical axis), 1/2 of a cue tip above center.

3. Aim the CENTER of the tip/shaft at the edge of the object ball.

4. Make sure that you have as level a cue as the rail allows. (Don't jack up an extra inch for any reason).

5. You should also have chalked up as part of your pre-shot routine.

6. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE SAME LIGHT GRIP each time you stroke the cue ball, especially on the final stroke.

7. WHEN YOU SHOOT THE CUEBALL AT THE EDGE OF THE OBJECT BALL, MAKE out AS IF YOU ARE SHOOTING WAY PAST THE OBJECT BALL. Many people aim toward the edge of the object ball but steer into the object ball resulting in hitting the object ball in the wrong spot.

8. WHEN YOU PULL BACK ON THE LAST STROKE, DO NOT PULL BACK A SHORT STROKE, PULL BACK A LONG, FULL, SLOW, SMOOTH BACK STROKE AND GENTLY CHANGE INTO A smooth, accelerating MOTION/ FINAL STROKE (but not fast, just accelerating), KEEPING YOUR HAND PRESSURE CONSISTENTLY LIGHT THOUGHOUT THE STROKE. The cue will tighten up in your hand as you follow through naturally but make a special effort to have the same light grip all of the time.

9. When you miss this shot or at least do not hang it up in the hole, start back over and make sure that you were properly aligned in the first place, then go through the whole procedure, AIMING AT THE SAME SPOT/EDGE OF THE OBJECT BALL. Another thing you can do is the place stick on the table behind the cue ball aiming at the edge of the object ball while you are standing up and simply move your body and bridge hand into place without moving your cue except for raising it up off of the table. I have used this technique with student and have seen REMARKABLE results.

10. If you miss this shot, you have not refined your stroke enough and you may have to straighten out and smooth out your stroke. A punchy stroke gets mixed results.11. Pay attention to the speed of the hit also. If you are consistently coming up too short, you may just be hitting the shot too hard. If you are consistently coming up too wide (which is the case most of the time) the reason is that you may be shooting too soft, or that you are not aiming and shooting PAST the object ball, or that your grip is too tight. In one pocket you should be hitting the object ball at pocket speed. The bottom line is that if you are missing this shot, look at the things above and make sure that they are all being followed.You can watch your cue tip and see if it continues toward the edge of the object ball. If your shaft veres off, you won't get the result you are looking for. The CENTER of the tip should be precisely aimed at the edge of the object ball. And finally, don't start putting side spin on the cue ball if it is not going in the hole. That's covering up a problem that needs resolution.Good luck and good shooting. Let me know how you do.

JoeyA (whew, I'm tired).

P.S. Although this description of the shot is lengthy it is lengthy because any or all of these things can determine whether you will make this shot consistently or not. This is a kind of micro-correcting formula is something that you can use to discover why you are not making this shot. You could probably apply most of these techniques to any shot. :-)
------------------------------------
The next shot is also an easy one if you practice it for a short while. At first it looks risky and impossible. With a little practice you will add this realistic shot to your weapons cache. If you have trouble with the shot, you can give me a shout at one of the tournaments I go to and I will be happy to work with you on the shot.
Good luck and good shooting.
JoeyA