Nothing seems to paralyze and terrorize a player more than seeing their cue ball frozen to the rail.
Players are crippled by having to shoot off the rail because it is an unfamiliar situation and they tend to be indecisive on their approach.
Years ago, shooting with the cue ball frozen to the rail made me nervous, too. But a coach I was working with showed me an exercise that built a great foundation for my approach to these shots. With a little bit of practice, I got to the point where I could go months without missing a shot with the cue ball up against the rail.
Start by freezing the cue ball to the long rail a diamond from the corner pocket, as shown in Diagram One. Place an object ball about a foot from the cue ball and in a direct line to the opposite corner pocket. Shoot this shot over and over until you feel that you can’t miss.
Once you are making the shot with consistency, move the object ball a small distance to the left and to the right, creating a slight angle so that you get used to shooting off the rail and cutting the object ball.
When cueing off the rail, it is important to remember a few things. First, the rail prevents you from keeping your cue completely level. This forces you to shoot slightly down at the cue ball. Having to raise the back end of the cue always makes shooting the cue ball perfectly straight significantly more difficult. Additionally, you can only see the top portion of the cue ball. That’s what makes players so uncomfortable. The result is that players have a tendency to bring the cue back at one angle and then stroke forward at another angle. Consistency is difficult.
Also, never attempt to use English when shooting the cue ball off the rail. The shot is already difficult enough, don’t try to strike the cue ball any way other than on its vertical axis.
Once you get the hang of the shot into the corner pocket, try shooting the shot into the side pocket (Diagram Two).
Practice these shots and you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll become comfortable shooting off the rail.
