Choosing the solution for positionWhich ball and which path to play in the same layout
Spinside 0 · high
Ball fraction1/8
Speed2/5
Same layout. Hit the left half of the nearby yellow very thin (1/8), with no side spin and soft speed; the cue ball goes up to the red via the right long cushion, the left long cushion and the right long cushion. The yellow only slides to the bottom right corner. The cue ball stops next to the red. Result: the cue ball near one ball, the other ball in the corner. This is the position solution for this layout.
In most layouts the point can be made in more than one way: red first or yellow first, with different cushion orders, with different ball fractions. If the difficulty of the point is similar, position decides the choice. In this lesson two solutions are compared for each of two layouts; in one the balls spread or go to dangerous places, in the other the cue ball stays near a ball and the other ball slides to a corner.
When? When a layout has two or more reasonable solutions. First compare each solution's chance of scoring, then where ball 2 and the cue ball will stop in each one.
- 1If there is a ball nearby, first consider making it ball 2 and hitting it thin (1/8–1/4) and soft. Ball 2 moves little and the cue ball goes to the far ball and stops beside it; this is the solution in Layout 1 where the yellow is played first.
- 2Do not hit the far ball full (3/4) and hard: ball 2 sets off on a long journey and where it stops is left to luck. In the solution in Layout 1 where the red is played first, the red comes down and gets squeezed next to the other two balls.
- 3If you are torn between two solutions, choose the one that sends ball 2 to a corner. A ball in the corner can be reached off two cushions on the next shot and is a big target; a ball left in the middle of the table offers no such target.
- 4Avoid a solution that leaves all three balls very close together in the same area. When the balls are bunched, the next shot has neither a comfortable angle nor a big target, and the chance of a kiss (the balls colliding unintentionally) also rises.
- 5Leave the solution that sends ball 2 to the middle of the short cushion for last; reaching that spot after three cushions is very hard. In the solution in Layout 2 where the red is played first, the red stays in the middle of the bottom short cushion.
- 6If the point is equally difficult in two solutions, choose the one that can be played more slowly. On a slow shot you can judge better where the balls will stop, and the chance of a kiss drops.
- 7After a match, set up the positions you missed on the table again. Play both solutions in each layout and compare where the balls stop; next time you will make the choice quickly.
Voice coach
PROThe voice coach is part of the Pro and Club plans.
Watch outIf the solution chosen for position makes the point noticeably harder, give it up; a missed point is the worst position.
Watch outA solution that looks good on paper should not be chosen without accounting for the chance of a kiss on the table.
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