[Diagram at Bottom]

Often when discussing pool, I talk about applying a certain technique to make the cue ball go where you want it to go. What gets overlooked in those discussions is the matter of knowing the best place to leave the cue ball to make the next shot and continue the run. It’s very difficult to move the cue ball into the best position when the shooter does not know where that best position is. This month we shall explore this area of pool to uncover the vision you need to look out into the rack and take control of it.

The greatest factor in determining where the cue ball goes after pocketing the object ball is the angle of the shot. Even simpler, the direction that the cue ball moves from the object ball is dictated by the side of the shot on which the cue ball rests. Let’s begin with an exercise for leaving the cue ball on the right (correct) side of the next ball to create a run.

In the diagram we have the 7, 8, and 9 laid out on the table for an easy run out. The 7 is straight in with easy, stop-shot position for a straight-in shot on the 8. Here is where many players get into trouble. A closer look shows that the stop shot, while it yields an easy, straight-in shot on the 8, leaves a draw shot with a bad angle and a looming side-pocket scratch to get position for the 9 at position A. If you walk over to the 7 and look at the 8 from there you will see that the best choice is to play a slow roller to move the cue ball a few inches forward to the left side of the 8’s straight-in line. From position X you will cut the 8 to your left and send the cue ball naturally to the right and toward the 9. Play it as a follow shot, perhaps with a little right-hand english, to roll the cue ball one rail through the center of the table and off of the opposite long rail for a good shot on the 9 at position A.

Now look at the same layout with the 9 in position B. Straight-in shape for the 8 this time leaves the same draw shot with the same side-pocket scratch. The best way to play the 7 now is to draw back about six inches to position Y on the right side of the 8. From here a punch stroke with a touch of left-hand english puts the cue ball onto its natural path of two rails through the center of the table to the long rail opposite the 9. Practice the shot to get the speed and to nail down your feel for going through the center of the table to eliminate the corner-pocket scratch.

Looking out to the end of the rack in the exercise is very simple and straightforward. Simply play position for a shot on the 8 that yields the most natural roll to an easy shot on the 9. If you can see the connection from the 7 to the 9 in this exercise and can execute the three-ball run out, please stop for a moment to consider how your ability to connect three balls can extend to running a full rack. How does a great player look from the 1 to the 9 and the end of the game?

If you haven’t figured out the answer you will find it very encouraging. After examining the rack and deciding to go for the run out, the great player connects a series of three-ball runs executed in the same fashion as the exercise. He looks at the 1 in terms of the 3 to determine the best position for the 2 and continues to think about the rack in this way until it is finished. He considers the 4 when shooting the 2, the 5 from the 3, and so on until he’s shooting the 7 and the last three-ball run of the rack.

Nine ball stands apart from other popular pool games in that it lacks shot selection with no decisions about when to shoot each ball; the balls’ numbers dictate the shot sequence. Eight ball and straight pool differ in that the best players are the ones who make the best decisions for selecting the order of shots to run out the rack. In eight ball the accomplished player does not shoot until he has made a plan that works for the eight shots required to complete the rack. A great straight pool player can choose the break shot and visualize a sequence as long as 13 balls to get to that break shot. While those games demand greater decision-making and visualization skills, the execution of the longer sequences is managed in the same way you completed the exercise. Your position for the next shot must connect you to the shot that follows it. A lot of great pool is played as a continuing series of three-ball runs.

To work more with this concept throw the 7,8, and 9 out onto the table, take ball in hand on the right (correct) side of the 7 and run out from there. Your access to the run out is in your examination of the 8 before playing the 7 and deciding on which side of the 8 to leave the cue ball for the natural path to the 9. When you are completing these run outs repeatedly you can add the 6 ball, then the 5, 4, and so on until you are running racks while continuing to play in the context of the three-ball run. In doing so you will begin to visualize long sequences broken up into three-ball runs while you play one shot at a time. When you find yourself performing in this way you are moving toward greatness with vision.