Kicking 1-rail with English - Easy Pool Tutor

This article is somewhat large, and will be a lot to take in at one time. I have inserted *** PRACTICE NOW BEFORE CONTINUING *** where I think you should stop and master the topics up to that point before learning more; you may need to read that section again a few times. Each of these sections build on top of the previous one.

The following techniques are what I use to "gauge" my kicks. I do not guess how to kick a ball, and neither should you. I am no pro and I encourage you to be skeptical.

I have read technique after technique on kicking, tried nearly everything, and I am only writing about what I have found to be the most useful. Remember, ANY 1-rail kicking system can be used for this. So many times I overhear someone teaching a beginner to kick (more commonly to bank) by imagining a line from the object ball to the rail and then from the rail to the cue-ball and then more lines from the rails to the other balls (or pocket) and then imagine where they cross and then follow that to the rail and THAT is where you shoot the ball. I laugh every time I hear it, while it certainly does work, you do not have to do all of that. I am going to keep it simple, I promise.

Here is the single-rail kicking system that I use:

1. Place the tip of your cue at the rail (the one that you wish to kick off of) straight across from the object ball (or pocket).
2. Find the midpoint between the cue-ball and the object ball and move the cue over this point, while keeping the tip at the rail from step 1.




You cue is now showing the angle that you will shoot into the rail, but you are not done yet. You will be shooting the cue-ball PARALLEL to this.

3. Carefully slide the entire cue (as not to loose the angle) overtop of the cue-ball.

That's it, shoot the cue-ball down the path that you are holding your cue above.

Here are the precautions that you must take using this system. This kick is shown at a soft-medium speed with center. Shooting this harder or with English will alter the path of the ball--how much is what I will tell you later.

Also, when the kick is over a large distance it is very difficult to move the cue parallel without loosing the angle. To assist with this, once you complete step 2, look at the diamonds at both ends of the cue and step down-table one diamond at a time until you are closer to the cue-ball.

Practice this simple kick, and it will become 2nd nature. I find it in seconds, and I no longer waste my time placing my finger down or holding the cue's tip in place; I just hold out my cue, slide it over, and shoot! This way no one will figure out your little system.

*** PRACTICE NOW BEFORE CONTINUING! ***