David's Tip of the Week - 6.14.07

One of the things mentioned in last week's Tip was "crossing the line." "Crossing the line" means moving the CB sideways (perpendicular) through the position zone or line of the shot. The line of the shot is a straight line drawn through the CB and pocket. See here for an example of the line of the shot. In this shot, the desired pocket is the top middle. As a general rule (and by general I mean there are exceptions), you'd like to have the CB traveling down or parallel to the line of the shot. If you're traveling down the line, chances of crossing the line and ending up on the wrong side of the shot (see last week's Tip) are minimized.

Let's say we're playing 8-ball, and we've got ball-in-hand. Using the last week's Tip, we're going to work backwards. Here's the layout. First, calculate the desired position on the 8, then figure out how to get from your key ball (that's another Tip for another week) to the 8. We've chosen the 5 to be the key ball. Now we just need to make the 7, maintain the right side of the shot for the 5, then drift down table into the desired position zone to make the 8. Sounds simple.

A common mistake I see with these kinds of layouts is placing the cue ball for a straight shot on the 7, then drawing the CB straight back and getting on the wrong side of the 5. Anywhere on the right side of the thick orange line is the wrong side of the shot. Here's an example of the wrong way to play it - the player started with BIH, then drew the CB back to position A. It's wrong because it's crossing the line. If ball speed isn't perfect, the CB can end up on the wrong side, and in this case, that's exactly what happened. Now position to the 8 is much more difficult than it would have been had the shooter just stayed on the correct side of the 5. A stop shot would've left a little bit tougher shot, but easier position, than the draw shot.

If the desire is to get an easier shot, but still be on the right side of the 5 (anywhere on the left of the thick orange line), there are a few different ways to do this. Here's one, and here's another. The first is a draw shot, but it's not a straight in shot. The angle allows the CB to travel parallel to the line of the shot, but it can't cross the line. There's no danger of getting on the wrong side of the shot. Right-handed players will prefer this shot to the second, as the second shot requires a good stretch for right-handed players, but it's well within reach for lefties. The second shot is a follow shot, and again, the CB is traveling with the line of the shot, not crossing it.

There are times when crossing the line can't be avoided - in those situations, it's important to pick out the correct side of the shot and avoid getting on the wrong side at all costs. For all other situations, try to figure out a way to have the CB travel down the line of the shot.

And, just for the record, I would've just played a stop shot in these examples, or opted for the draw shot with a little angle. Depends on my mood, I guess. The purpose of these examples is to show how there are often simple solutions to simple problems. Pool is hard enough - don't complicate matters by getting on the wrong side of the shot.

Feel free to post your ideas, comments, and questions about the "Tip of the Week." If you're interested in lessons, please visit http://www.raleighbilliardacademy.com or talk to Steve Lee, Shirley Lee, or me.

-David J. Baranski
doomcue@nc.rr.com