There are few shots as confounding to young players as a ball along the rail that needs to be cut very thin to play a safety shot. It is a shot that developing players seem to lack confidence on.
The way to build confidence, of course, is through repetition. And, as always, it is best to start with easy shots and work your way up to the more difficult shots.
The diagram shows various distances for your cue ball. The goal on each shot is to hit the left side of the 2 ball as thinly as possible, so that the cue ball heads down to the opposite short rail, while the 2 ball barely moves.
Of course, you don’t want to completely miss the object ball, resulting in a foul. So, don’t be surprised if your first few shots catch more of the 2 ball than you would like. That is a direct result of your fear of completely missing the ball.
Your stroke technique is important in successfully thinning a ball. For starters, maintain a loose wrist in your grip hand throughout the stroke. Tightening your grip may result in less-than pinpoint contact on the cue ball. You must keep your stroke straight. Don’t tense up. A relaxed wrist will also help you avoid poking at the cue ball. Your cue needs to accelerate into the cue ball, just as it would with any shot. Maintaining a loose grip and delivering a smooth stroke will give you a good feel for the shot.
Additionally, try to stick to center-ball hits when attempting this shot. Adding the variables of spin and deflection will make the task of keeping the cue ball on line significantly more difficult. Only after you have completely mastered this shot from all of the distances should you entertain the thought of introducing English to the shot.
Similarly, it is critical that you keep a level stroke on this shot. Like gripping the cue too tight or using English, an elevated cue will likely decrease your accuracy on the cue ball. When you are trying to hit the object ball as thin as possible, anything other than a perfectly straight cue ball will result in hitting the 2 too thick or not at all.
Don’t move the cue ball to the next distance until you can successfully complete the shot at will from the closer distance.
