How do you predict CB direction when the CB doesn’t have stun, complete forward roll, or close to maximum draw?
For a stun shot, the 90° rule applies. For a rolling-CB shot, the 30° rule applies. For a “good action” draw shot, the 3-times-the-angle system applies. For shots in between all of these different cases (i.e., “tweener” shots), where the CB has less topspin than full roll or less backspin than “good action draw,” the CB will go somewhere in between the indicated directions. The only way to get a feel for how much “in between” the cue ball will go is to practice … a lot! However, knowing the reference directions and how they correspond to different tip positions can help you judge the tip positions required for different CB directions, as demonstrated in the following videos, the first from Vol. I of the Video Encyclopedia of Pool Shots (VEPS):
For more info, see Vol. I and Vol. II of the Video Encyclopedia of Pool Shots (VEPS) and:
- NV C.5 – Wagon wheel cue ball control drill, from VEPP II
- NV B.43 – Cue ball position control stun, roll, and draw reference lines
- NV B.46 – Cue ball path scratch avoid, cluster break-out, and billiard (carom) example
- “Fundamentals – Part V: CB position control” (BD, January, 2009).
- “Fundamentals – Part VI: CB control examples” (BD, February, 2009).
To see how speed and table conditions affects CB trajectories, see speed effects.
For more information, see where the CB goes for different types of shots.
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