Pieces Of Eight - Tip Of The Week

Number: 73 Jim Tellier February 2013

TOPIC: Avoiding The Scratch

CATEGORY: Beginner/Intermediate

INTRODUCTION:

Everybody scratches unexpectedly sometimes --- its just the simple reality that were human, not calculating machines, and we cant always see whats going to happen to that cue ball after we take our best shot. But we can do a few things to recognize common traps, and hopefully get to stay at the table for at least one more shot!

TECHNIQUE:

First, and probably most important, is to get a feel for how far the cue-ball is going to travel after you hit your object ball. You do this by considering the combination of two things: 1) how full (or how thin) did you hit the Object ball? With a straight on hit (i.e. a full hit) much of the energy you put into the hit will be directly transferred to the object ball, and the cue ball wont travel very far after the hit. Thats assuming a stroke that doesnt draw or follow just a simple medium-speed simple stroke. But consider what happens if you just barely clip the edge of the object ball: theres very little contact to cause the cue ball to slow down so its going to travel, a lot farther. How far? That is based largely on 2) how hard you hit the cue ball. Obviously, the harder the hit, the farther the cue ball will go. So its the combination of speed and cut-angle that ultimately determine how far the ball will travel.

Second, is understanding the angle that the cue ball will deflect off of the object ball after the hit. This is not something that you can get out your protractor and measure! It depends on several factors. But there is one principal that applies very often, and you should get a good understanding of it. Dr. Dave at Colorado State has several articles that describe the Peace Sign technique. I wont try to repeat it here, but heres one of his links:

http://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/BD_may_2012_instructional_feauture.pdf

Third, and not to be underestimated, is the condition of the equipment: the speed of the cloth, the springiness of the rails, and the cleanliness of the balls. All of these things combine (along with the cut-angle and speed of the hit) to determine where that cue ball is going to end up. And, as if thats not enough, there are other factors too! But I want to keep this discussion straightforward.

So, now, look at the title of this note if you get a handle on the 3 fundamental aspects of cue ball behavior outlined above, we should be able to change the title to something like, Know Where The Cue Balls Going and scratching should become less and less of an issue for you over time! The most important thing to take from this is: watch where the cue ball is going after every shot. Eventually, your subconscious will know how to direct your actions to help you avoid scratches! Youre building a memory history of what works and what doesnt work, but you can really speed that process along by simply paying attention.

Shoot well, and keep your opponent in his chair!

Capn Carom

ARRRR!!!! J