How to Prevent Scratching so Much in Pool

8/6/2020 3:00:41 PM

How to Prevent Scratching so Much in Pool

I scratch too much! In fact, I can't believe how much I scratch.

How can I avoid scratching so much?

First off, don't tell me I'm shooting too hard. As you get better and want to get more than one thing accomplished on any given shot. You want the cue ball to travel around for position and you want it breaking-up clusters.

I've studied many suggestions that say that cue ball and object ball deflection results in variations on the 90-degree angle, and Dr. Dave's videos on billiards.colostate.edu promote predicting the result with a two-fingered peace sign on most shots (30-degrees).

What I want to know is ....

Are there any geometric principles that reflect that bouncing perfect balls on a perfectly 2:1 ratio rectangular playing surface (with openings in the corners and midway, of course) will naturally lead to the cue ball going into one of those openings?

The most common example is whether a cut shot, that looks to be "dangerous", has more than one ricochet that will head to a corner pocket. This seems to be a reason to use the "peace sign" estimation method, where most ricochets go off within a 30-degree span.

If it were just odds, you could roughly take the distance of the perimeter of the surface (e.g. an 8' x 4' pool table = 24'), subtract the combined widths of the pockets (2') and predict that any random ball has a 1/12 chance of going into a pocket every time it banks, or something like that.

I'm tellin' ya, if I find out that the physics are stacked against me, I'm gettin' outta town! Right now I feel like I scratch once in every 6 shots!

RayMills

How to Prevent Scratching so Much in Pool

Replies & Comments

billiardsforum on 9/16/2020 7:01:12 AM
I have the same issue. It's an ongoing struggle. After watching some videos, I've learned that there are common scenarios with a higher likelihood of producing a scratch shot if not played carefully.

These are probably too novice/simple for your level, but I'll post here for others who find this question and need this info (though the first one might be of interest).

How to Avoid Scratching in Billiards

An instructional video by Andy "Magic Man" Segal on scratch shots and how to avoid them. He talks about "the scratch line" using a comparison to the foul line in basketball.

Avoiding Scratches in 8 Ball Pool

How to avoid common "scratch shots" in pool, by FX Billiards

Common Scratch Shots In Pool How To Avoid Them

An instructional video by "Learn Billiards", discussing the most common scratch shots in pool and how to avoid them the easy way.

How to Avoid Scratches in Pool

Video by Jaden Dupree (of Dupree Trick Shots) about how to avoid scratching in pool.

RayMills on 9/16/2020 3:49:28 PM
Thanks for your research!

As you alluded, I'll keep on in my quest to find advice, especially on scratches that involve at least one after-cut bank. I should probably appreciate the entertainment of the game when I scratch off of multiple rails and balls, in various orders...

Sifu on 10/19/2024 10:48:25 PM
One thing I will recommend is move the ball less.

If you are controlling the cue ball after hitting a single ball, the physics is fairly simple. The tangent or 30 degree angle, plus whatever English you've applied.

If you add using rails, now you need to calculate another angle.

The more you attempt to pass other balls or use more rails, the more a miscalculation will cause chaos.

You may not want to hear this, and it's obviously only situationally useful, but plan better patterns so you move the cue ball less.

Also, bear in mind, the 30 degree angle trick (peace sign) applies to topspin and rolling shots only. Stun and draw use the tangent. You probably know this, so I don't mean to be pedantic, but wanted to state it, just in case.