Throw

Another effect of english is what is known as "throw". When a cue ball with sidespin hits the object ball, the spin is transferred to the object ball but in the opposite direction. For example, a cue ball is hit with right english so it spins to the right or counter-clockwise... upon hitting the object ball, an opposite spin (clockwise) is transferred to the object ball. The spin generated by the object ball causes it to be "thrown" to the direction opposite the spin on the cue ball. Whew! I think this calls for an illustration. See Figure 1 below.

So to make things simple, a cue ball with right english "throws" the object ball to the left while a cue ball with left english "throws" the object ball to the right. Let us examine the illustration above. In this illustration, the cue ball is hit with right english causing it to have a counter-clockwise spin. Upon contact with the object ball, a transfer of spin is generated causing an opposite (clockwise) spin on the object ball. This clockwise spin causes the object ball to be thrown to the left (indicated by the red line). Note that a fuller hit on the object ball is done allowing the "throw" effect to pocket the object ball. The white line indicates the normal path of the object ball if no english was done on the cue ball.

The amount throw generated is generally dependent the following:

1. The amount of spin on the cue ball. The more spin on the cue ball, the more "throw" is generated on the object ball.
2. The speed of the stroke. A softer stroke generally results in more "throw" effect than a harder stroke.

Please continue to the next article,
Understanding English - Curve/Swerve