The ghost ball is a common tool used for aiming shots. Envision an imaginary ball lined up with the object ball. Aim the cue center of the cue ball to the center of the ghost ball in order to pocket the object ball. The tangent line is a line that runs through the contact point as shown in the diagram below.
The tangent line forms a 90 degree angle with the line to the back of the pocket. The tangent line is the path the cue ball will take if you shoot with no top spin and no back spin. You should aim at the center of the cue ball with medium speed.
Now that we know how to determine the natural path of the cue ball, let’s talk about how to alter that angle to change the path of the cue ball. Many times, you’ll inadvertently play a shot with top spin rather than center ball. This means that your cue ball will naturally follow forward a bit into the yellow area demonstrated below. You can steer the cue ball further into the yellow region by shooting with more top spin and stroke through the cue ball.
There will also be situations where you’ll want to do something different with the cue ball. Perhaps there’s another ball in the yellow area that you want to avoid hitting. Or, maybe your next shot is on the other side of the table and you want to bring the cue ball back in that direction. To play that shot, you should hit with at least one tip below center on the cue ball—lower if you want to draw the cue ball more. By doing this you can bring the cue ball into the blue area.
These concepts are true for most shots and can be applied in the opposite way. For instance, you might have a shot where you want to be sure you don’t scratch. Simply identify where the tangent line would be, and then determine if you need to play with either top spin or back spin in order to avoid a scratch. As with all newly learned concepts, it’s important to practice playing different shots with top spin and back spin. Every player has a different feel for different shots—practice will help you become more comfortable with how much top spin or back spin you need to use to move the cue ball to different spots.
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Cristina De La Garza Cristina De La Garza is a WPBA Touring Professional from Austin, Texas. Cristina joined the APA in 2004 and competed in several top regional and national APA tournaments. She made her WPBA debut in 2008 and through her finishes in the 2009 season, earned her Tour card for 2010. She will share how her experiences in the APA shaped her development and taught her important concepts that she still applies to her game today. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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