What to do when you have a 9-ball and the 9 is on the edge of a short cushion and you want to make a vertical bank, but you are not sure what to do because it is difficult?
Conclusion
Always play and-safe. Or use a full safety.
Details
When you play a game for a day, there is always one situation where you are not sure whether to go for the vertical bank or the safety.
There are many situations where this can determine the winner or the loser, or greatly affect the situation, so it is tense.
On the other hand, it is difficult to handle.
You know it happens all the time, so why didn’t you practice?
Anyway, what should I do about it?
One theory is to play it safe, leaving the 9 and the cue ball on the long cushion and the long cushion respectively.
However, if you fail to do so, you may end up in front of the side pocket hole or be decided by the bank.
A long cushion bank has a higher chance of pocketing than a short cushion bank.
If you don’t want to do that, you will probably go for the short cushion bank.
What are you thinking about when you do this?
Do you try hard to imagine the return from the cushion so that you can pocket it? Do you try to imagine the return from the cushion so that you can pocket the ball?
If you have the right experience and skill, or if you are lucky, you will get in.
But if you miss, it is often disastrous.
Most of the time, the 9th and the cue ball are in a fairly good position, and the opponent pockets it.
One of the reasons for this is that when cushion banking, a forward twist is often applied, so that the target ball and the cue ball run symmetrically from the cushion, each circling the table and meeting each other.
So, what should you do?
One way is to put a reverse twist when aiming for the bank. Instead, aim for a thinner cue, so that the twist on No. 9 makes it stand up from the cushion.
The effect of this is that when No. 9 pockets, the cue ball enters the cushion in a counter-rotating motion, which brakes the cue ball as it hits the first and second cushions, making it difficult to rotate around the table.
As a result, when the number 9 is not pocketed, the cue ball and the number 9 are often left far apart.
Because of the distance, it is not easy for the opponent to pocket.
Another way is to play it safe, but leave the number 9 in the middle of the short cushion.
You can either bank it to the short cushion on the other side, or cut it thinly so that it does not move too much from the short cushion.
In any case, if the number 9 stays in the middle of the short cushion, there is a good chance that the ball will be difficult to hit.
Your opponent will have to decide whether to bank it, cut it thin, or play a fine safety, and you will have to make a difficult choice.
In a game, you are often so nervous that you can’t think straight and you can’t come up with a good idea at the time.
Practice on a regular basis, and be prepared to deal with this situation when it arises.
