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Some shots occur repeatedly to cause problems for the novice while it seems that the experienced player handles them invariably with precision and confidence. Such expertise with commonly recurring shots can result simply from playing the same shot thousands of times in thousands of games over many years. Great players however do not wait years to master a shot but examine and practice any shot that comes up and causes a problem.

This month we shall begin working with a shot that recurs often in all pool games and may appear several times in a row in the same rack of nine ball—cutting a ball along a rail with precise cue-ball control. Set an object ball about an inch from the rail and one half ball’s width past the first diamond from the side pocket as in the diagram. Let’s begin with the cue ball at point A to master the first important technique associated with this shot.

Place an object ball at point X on the opposite rail for your next shot, the ball for which you will play position. First practice pocketing the object ball to get a feel for the shot itself. Remember to aim the object ball for the pocket facing on the short rail rather than for the pocket; when the shot is struck well the object ball does not touch the long rail as it goes into the pocket. Your objective for the cue ball is to move it straight across the table on a track perpendicular to the long rail for a shot on the ball at point X; the side-pocket scratch illuminates the importance of precise control. Your ability to move the cue ball straight across or straight up and down the table is critically important in many situations, a skill that must be mastered. Note that a cue ball moving on this track cannot scratch or veer off of a clear path to hit another ball. For now play the shot with a slight punch stroke and no english. Experiment near the center of the cue ball to find the spot you need to move one time across the table for a shot on the ball at point X.

After you are hitting your target consistently place your next ball at point Y and play the cue ball twice across the table on the perpendicular track to get a shot for your next ball. With the extra speed you can employ the same stroke and hit the cue ball slightly higher than before, again with no english. With two side pockets in play now the importance of moving the cue ball straight across the table becomes more pronounced. Also with the cue ball travelling twice as far, any deviations from the perpendicular path are doubled by the time it returns to the second rail.

When you are hitting the shot confidently from point A, repeat the exercise shooting from points B and C. Still using no english, note how the spot you need to hit on the cue ball changes for the different shots. You will find that from point B where you are cutting the ball less, slighter variations in where you hit the cue ball will produce greater changes in its path. Conversely when you are cutting the ball thinner from point C you have a wider margin for error in your hit on the cue ball. You may also find from point C that the punch stroke is not necessary but that the shot is executed more easily with a cue ball that is simply rolling out of a follow stroke. You can experiment with english from all three cue-ball points. Try a follow stroke with a little right-hand english and note whether this technique is easier or more difficult to control. For the double trip across the table I find it difficult to keep the cue ball on track with english.

Now that you are moving the cue ball across the table you should try moving it up and down. Place a striped ball one diamond from the corner on the foot rail at point 1 with a second striped ball, your next shot, one diamond away from the opposite corner on the same rail at point 2. Place the cue ball on the foot spot (F) and cut the first ball in moving the cue ball straight up and down the table to return to point 1 for a shot on the ball at point 2. This is an eighteen-foot trip for the cue ball so even a slight variation from perpendicular can send it far out of position to give you no shot at all on your next ball. Does this shot look familiar? You will find with a little practice that its execution is easier than you might have feared.

Whether your success comes immediately or follows a period of focused work it will come because it’s there already. Great players don’t see themselves as great at some time in the future. They become great in the moment of their commitment to greatness, making work and time irrelevant. Your breakthrough with this month’s shot will occur for you as a feeling of relaxed confidence.