Ball 2 hitting ball 3Keeping ball 3 in place

ScalesReference linePath

Reference position

Spinside −2 · high

1/2

Ball fraction1/2

Speed3/5

The cue ball hits the right side of ball 2 at half-ball (left reverse spin 2, speed 3) and goes to ball 3 via the left long, top short and right long cushions. Ball 2 goes to the left long cushion, comes back, crosses the table and hits ball 3 directly. Ball 2 gets there long before the cue ball; ball 3 moves, and the cue ball arrives at an empty spot.

Another kind of kiss hits not the cue ball but ball 3: ball 2 runs into ball 3 on its own path and moves it before the cue ball arrives. Even if the cue ball follows the right path, ball 3 is no longer there. This risk appears when the path of ball 2 passes close to ball 3 and ball 2 gets there before the cue ball. The solution is to send ball 2 in a different direction, or to slow it down enough that it stops before reaching ball 3. In this lesson the red area shows where ball 2 hits ball 3, and the green area shows ball 3 staying in place in the safe version.

When? When ball 3 is close to the direction ball 2 will take; when ball 2 will come off a cushion into the area where ball 3 is; when ball 2 is going to be hit full and hard.

Tips

1If ball 2 is going to pass close to ball 3, it must not get there before the cue ball; otherwise it moves ball 3. The easiest solution is a thin hit (1/4 ball): ball 2 slows down, goes in another direction and usually stops before reaching ball 3.
2Draw the path of ball 2 together with its rebounds off the cushions. Most hits on ball 3 happen after ball 2 comes back off its first cushion; do not relax just because the first straight path of ball 2 misses ball 3.
3Do not hit harder than necessary: on a hard stroke ball 2 travels farther and reaches a ball 3 it normally would not reach. Play the cue ball at the lowest speed that is enough to reach ball 3 (speed 3 in the examples).
4If ball 3 is in front of a cushion and ball 2 is heading to that cushion, the risk is high. Choose the ball fraction or the side that sends ball 2 to another cushion, for example the short cushion or the other half of the table.
5Avoiding this risk is also position play: if you keep ball 2 away from ball 3, the balls do not scatter after the point and the next shot becomes easier.
6Practice: put ball 3 on the natural path of ball 2. Play the same shot first with half ball, then with 1/4 ball; each time mark where ball 2 stops and compare how close it gets to ball 3.

Voice coach

PRO

The voice coach is part of the Pro and Club plans.

See plans

Watch outThe paths in the diagrams are ideal: the cushion rebounds of ball 2 are drawn without spin (angle of incidence = angle of reflection), those of the cue ball as an angle opened or closed by spin. On a real table the cloth, the cushions, the speed and the curve of the shot shift the path slightly; think of the red area as one ball diameter wider.

Watch outIn the risky examples the new path of ball 3 and the continuation of the cue ball missing ball 3 are drawn; the positions after the collision are ideal and may differ on a real table.