One-Rail Kicks

December 2015

Years ago, when 9-ball was first becoming popular as a tournament game, kicking at balls was a
guessing game. Over time, players developed systems for not only making contact with the object
ball, but for striking a particular part of the object ball. Of course, everyone has a different system.

Because speed and spin are so critical to a successful one-rail kick, precision is key, particularly if the
object ball is out in the middle of the table. If the object ball is close to a rail, it is a much bigger
target.

When faced with a one-rail kick, I use my cue stick to draw a line perpendicular to the table from the
side of the object ball I intend to hit (Step 1). In this case, it is the left side of the 1 ball. I hold the
cue tip under the rail at that point and swing the stick to the midpoint between the cue ball and object
ball (Step 2). Once I find that midpoint, I lift up my cue stick and move it on a parallel line until it is
over the center of the cue ball (Step 3). Wherever the stick is pointing on the rail is my aiming point. I
always try to hit the cue ball with zero spin, but a half tip above center. You want to give the cue ball
a chance to get some forward roll, which is what gives it the same angle in, same angle out. Hitting
the cue ball with dead center is almost like reverse. The cue ball will slide a bit, which will shorten the
angle.

Even if there is another object ball preventing the cue ball from the direct path in and out of my spot,
I try to hold the same midpoint. Instead, I move one full ball to the left, then hit the cue ball with a
half tip of right. If there are two balls blocking me, I move over two balls and hit the cue ball with two
half-tips of spin. In essence, a half-tip of spin is equal to the width of a ball.

If the cue ball is close to the rail, it gets a little trickier. On the zero spin shot, you have to adjust a
half ball to a full ball, because the cue ball doesn't have enough room for that natural forward roll to
take effect before it hits the rail.
Two-Rail Kicks
February 2016

Recently, I wrote about the importance of kick shots in today's 9-ball and 10-ball matches. Once a
virtual guessing game, kicking at balls has become a precise and effective weapon for many top
players. In a previous article, I discussed one-rail kick shots. Speed, spin and precision are critical for
all kick shots, particularly when your opponent has left the next object ball by itself in the middle of
the table. That position makes the object ball significantly "smaller" than if it were near a rail.

The system I use for kick shots (as do many other players) is a parallel line system. This system also
works for two-rail shots, which come up more often than you might think. As with the one rail shot,
the first thing I do is find the midpoint between the cue ball and the object ball I must hit. Whereas on
a one-rail shot, in which I draw a line through the midpoint to the rail I'm going to hit, on two-rail
shots I draw a line to the pocket that is closest to the first rail I intend to hit (see diagram). Then, I
use my cue to find a line parallel to the line from the midpoint to the pocket. That parallel line will
show me the point on the first rail to which I need to send the cue ball.

For a two-rail bank like this, you will use a half-tip of right English and a half-tip of follow. The follow
will keep a forward roll on the cue ball off the first rail, and the right English will help you hold the
intended parallel path.

This is a shot that takes some practice. Once you have practiced enough to make contact with the
object ball almost 100 percent of the time, you can experiment with the English to contact the edges
of the object ball. With added precision, you could cut the object ball to the corner pocket or play a
return safety.