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 For
most of us the pool education progresses in roughly the same manner
from our initial struggle with shot making to our first awareness
of position play. Then through practice and play we learn to refine
both foundational skills with a process we employ to sharpen those
refinements for as long as we continue to play. And along the way,
if we pay attention, we also assemble what might be called a bag
of tricks, which contains shots that we usually don’t figure
out on our own but tend to learn from watching others play them.
Many of those shots lie well within intermediate players’
skills but outside of their vision until they first see them executed.
That is one reason those who associate with and compete against
the best players speed their improvement so much more dramatically
than those players who are content to linger at the game’s
bottom tiers.
In the diagram we face two different 9-Ball setups with no good
shot on the object ball. And because these situations arise so infrequently
most beginning and intermediate players are not likely to see the
game winning opportunities that they offer.
In shot A we’re shooting at the 8 ball with no good shot
or easy safety. And with the 9 hanging in the lower right corner
we must look for an offensive opportunity to win the game. The first
thought that would occur along those lines to most players would
be an attempt to bank the 8 cross corner to knock in the 9 that’s
begging to be pocketed. However, in light of the positions of the
cue ball and 8 ball, that shot is not an option because of the inevitable
double kiss inherent in this setup. With the cue ball and 8 positioned
even with each other as shown they would have to lie another foot
or so away from the bottom rail for that bank to be a viable option.
But, while the double kiss prevents the bank, it also offers an
easy game winner if we alter our hit on the 8 ball. Instead of cutting
the 8 ball as we would for the bank shot we’re going hit it
almost full and pocket the 9 with the cue ball. To make the shot,
aim at the 8 very slightly left of a straight on hit with a little
draw on the cue ball and moderate speed. The almost full hit on
the frozen 8 will send the cue ball back along the line we see in
the diagram to pocket the 9 ball for the game winner.
Shot B is a little more difficult but a lot more fun. Here we’re
shooting at the 7 ball with no good shot and the 8 ball blocking
a standard rail dribble to the 9. Again the double kiss prevents
banking the 7 back to the lower left corner, but also again we can
employ the double kiss to win the game. To pocket the 9 ball as
shown aim to hit the 7 ball slightly right of straight on with follow
on the cue ball. If the cue ball runs into the 8 you’re cutting
the 7 too thin. If it rebounds straight back with no turn toward
the 9 you’re hitting it too full. A perfect hit on the 7 will
bounce the cue ball backwards enough to get around the 8 before
the top spin grabs and sends the cue ball along the path we see
for another game winner. When first attempting this shot most players
hit it way too hard and miss wide since too much speed prevents
the cue ball from changing direction in time. The shot requires
an accurate hit on the 7 ball with follow and moderate speed.
Neither shot is difficult to learn and execute but, because neither
can be considered ordinary, they will some require practice to marry
the variables of aim and speed for consistent and confident execution.
Dr. Dave and I had a lot of fun filming these shots for the Video
Encyclopedia of Pool Shots where these two and another dozen or
so more creative double-kiss examples turn up on Disc IV.
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