How do I get the desired cue ball position off a rail cut shot?

See the rail cut shot handout, “VEPS GEMS – Part III: English and Position Control” (BD, March, 2010), and “HAPS – Part VI: Rail Cut Shots” (BD, March, 2015). The following video from Vol. II of How to Aim Pool Shots (HAPS) covers the important basics:

Her are other good videos demonstrating the basic CB control with rail cut shots:

Concerning CB direction with frozen rail cut shots, the following super-slow-motion video clips are listed in order based on how far down-table the CB travels. The OB is pocketed in all of the clips from two diamonds up from the corner pocket.

• HSV A.128 – Rail cut-shot hitting the ball first, with fast speed, slight draw, outside english
• HSV A.129 – Rail cut-shot hitting the ball first early with OE
• HSV A.130 – Rail cut-shot hitting the ball first, with more-than-gearing outside english
• HSV A.131 – Rail cut-shot hitting the ball first, with less-than-gearing outside english
• HSV A.132 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first, with natural (running) english
• HSV A.133 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first a little early, faster, with natural (running) english
• HSV A.134 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first, hitting the ball while compressing, with stun and no english
• HSV A.135 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first, hitting the ball during rebound, fast, with slight natural (running) english
• HSV A.136 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first, hitting the ball at maximum compression, very fast, with slight natural (running) english
• HSV A.137 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first, hitting the ball while compressing, fast, with draw and natural (running) english
• HSV A.138 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first, hitting the ball at maximum compression, with lots of natural (running) english
• HSV A.139 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first, hitting the ball while compressing, with natural (running) english
• HSV A.140 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first (barely), hitting the ball during initial compression, with lots of natural (running) english
• HSV A.141 – Rail cut-shot hitting the rail first (barely), hitting the ball during initial compression, slower, with stun and lots of natural (running) english

All of these cases are also presented with graphics and narration on the HSV DVD.

Here are some demonstrations from Vol. II of the Video Encyclopedia of Pool Shots that shows some examples:

Here’s another good example from Vol. V of the Video Encyclopedia of Nine-ball and Ten-ball (VENT):

And here’s a related example (by Carlo Biado) where some sidespin can be retained with a ball-first hit at an angle into the cushion and slick conditions (new cloth and/or clean, non-humid conditions):

Here’s a great drill to work on frozen rail-cut-shot CB control:

Here’s a good example of how to kill CB motion with thin cuts close to a rail:

For many examples and explanations of how to judge fouls with rail cut shots, see:

How do I judge CB direction when the OB is off the rail slightly?

See non-frozen CB control and using the rails.

---

Dr. Dave keeps this site commercial free, with no ads. If you appreciate the free resources, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support: