Here's a relatively simple three-ball out in 9-ball: click HERE to see diagram. You have ball in hand, you need four points to win, your opponent needs one, and you're out of timeouts. How would you plan your out?
The important thing here is to realize on which side of the 8 the CB needs to be in order to make position to the 9 easily attainable.
The first step is to determine desired position on the 9, and then work your way backwards in your head. For me, I'd like to be almost anywhere in the bottom right quadrant of the diagram. You can see the "position zones" in the 2nd page of the diagram (click the page up/page down buttons which look like straight pool counters by the bottom right pocket to switch pages). The green zone shows where I think I have a good chance of making the 9. Starting with the desired position on the 9, determine the easiest way to get the cue ball from the 8 to the 9. For me, I'd like to be on the left side of the 8 in the blue zone to allow me to just slide down the table for the 9 in the upper right corner. Ideally, I'd like to be at point A marked in the diagram.
The next step is to figure out a path for the CB to take off the 7 to get my pre-determined good shape on the 8. Most players will play the 7 in the lower left pocket and send the cue ball off the left rail back to the middle of the table. This is a perfectly good choice, but keep in mind that your ball speed intuition must be good enough to make sure you don't get on the "wrong side" of the 8, like point B in the diagram. Getting on the wrong side will force you to make a tougher position play to get on the 9. In this situation, it's really not that difficult to get to the 9 even if you're on the wrong side of the 8, but if you play to the wrong side enough, you'll get bit eventually. Keep it simple by staying on the "right side" of the 8 - get into the blue zone.
The diagram I've included shows a different way to play position off the 7 for the 8 - the two-railer. I probably would not play it this way, but I just wanted to show that often, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
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
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5 comments:
That is taking cat skinning to a new level! Thanks for sharing that.
Personally, I would have played the 7 with straight bottom to draw the cue ball back anywhere between the 7 and position "A." That is not to say that I would be sucessful in the draw shot, but it is what first comes to mind. It is still going for the same result off of the 8 for the 9.
I guess being a newer player, I tend not to think of the rail as much of a positioning tool as I should.
The draw shot and the follow shot off the left rail both have the same potential for getting on the wrong side of the 8, so just make sure that your ball speed intuition is good enough for your chosen method. Some players are more comfortable drawing, some are more comfortable following. If you're one of those players, you know you have a weakness, so work on becoming comfortable with both methods. In this simple example, you have a choice. During game time, though, there may only be one right way to play it, so you should know how to do it either way.
For more advanced players, it really isn't a big deal to be on the wrong side of the 8 in this particular situation - a one-, two-, three-, or four-rail position play will get the job done if playing from the wrong side. Most non-advanced players won't see those shots though, so it's imperative for them to utilize the KISS principle.
Personally, I wouldn't have played the 7 any of the ways posted so far. There's a basic principle of position play I wouldn't want to break, but that's for another Tip of the Week....
-djb
Some people have asked how I personally would play the 7 to get to the 8. HERE is how I'd do it. This shot just needs follow on the cue ball, and there's no danger of getting on the wrong side of the 8 with this shot.
-djb
I can see your way is the best way as the cb comes off the rail almost parallel to the line of the 8 ball thus preventing bad shape. So will your future tip on position play have anything to do with crossing the line? If not, could you talk some on that theory?
Next week, young Padawan....
-djb
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