Extreme Kicks
Trick Shots by Sarge By Ken “Sarge” Aylesworth
By: Bob Jewett
San Francisco Billiard Academy www.sfbilliards.com One of the guiding principles of playing pool is to keep it as simple as possible. Sometimes you can’t do that and you have to push some facet of your game to its limits. To prepare for such situations, you need to spend part of your practice time on shots that are at the limit of you abilities. That might be tough cuts or power shots, but this month we’re going to work on extreme Bob Jewett kick shots. In the diagram are three kick shots in which the goal is to pocket the one ball. Each shot also has a blocker ball that you have to avoid. (If necessary, imagine that there are other balls on the table and this is the best way to hit the ball you need to hit first.) For the shot with the 6 ball, the idea is that you are shooting straight across the table and need to get to the corner. This is a fairly common kicking situation and it’s important to learn about how much angle you can get with side spin. Tables vary widely, both in the quality of the cushions and in the stickiness of the cloth and balls. A shot that works perfectly on 9-foot table with new Simonis cloth may be a disaster on a 7-foot table with old rubber and cloth that was last changed in the last millennium. On most tables the shot can be made as shown, with the cue ball about 3 diamonds from the corner. This is a simple shot to try during practice and it will give a quick read on the conditions. There are several things you can do to get more angle off the cushion. Use a little draw along with the side spin, and don’t shoot too hard. The idea is that the draw will slow the ball down on the way to the cushion but all of the side spin will remain and will give you more angle. If you shoot too hard, the draw doesn’t have time to wear off. (continued on page 34) Happy Hour til 10 Well Drinks $2.50
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STROKE DISCIPLINE (reprinted from July Issue 2003)
This month’s Artistic Shot is from the Stroke Discipline. This shot is named Stroke Around The Rack. This shot has a Degree of Difficulty (D.O.D.) of 7. Object ball letters coincide with corresponding pocket letters. To set this shot up you must first put the rack in its normal or standard position for racking making sure the rack is straight. Next place the edge of the cue ball closest to the foot Ken “Sarge” Aylesworth cushion even with the back of the rack and two ball’s width from the point of the rack. The next step is to place two object balls, (between cue ball and A ball), plus A ball and cue ball are all frozen in a straight line to pocket A. The F ball is centered between the pocket points. The objective of the shot is to shoot the cue ball into three balls, trying to go through the resistance of them,
sending A ball to pocket A. The cue ball goes out past the rack and makes a curving draw to pocket ball F as pocket letter designated. A and F ball must be made. Here are some special notes. A scratch is allowed. The cue ball may hit an extra cushion by F ball. The two object balls between the cue ball and A ball do not have to be made. The cue ball may not touch the rack before F ball is made, but can after F ball is made. Here are some helpful hints on executing this shot. This stroke shot requires a very good follow through, not with power but with a fluid stroke. I use low right English and cue the cue ball at about 4:30. Aim the center of your shaft from where you’re applying English to about ½ diamond segment to the left of pocket A. Try to keep the cue as level to the plane of the table as possible. If the cue ball is squirting to the left too quickly and hitting the rack then you are aiming too far to the left of pocket A. If the cue ball is going straight with the line of three balls you will need to aim further to the left. This stroke shot is a unique blend of speed and spin. Good luck to everyone.
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