How to Kick in Pool: Escape Any Snooker with One Rail
A kick shot is when you send the cue ball into a rail before it hits the ball you need. You kick when your opponent leaves you snookered: another ball blocks the straight path. In 9-Ball and 10-Ball, missing the lowest ball is a foul and gives your opponent ball in hand, so kicking well is one of the fastest ways to win more matches.
The mirror method
A ball bounces off a cushion at about the same angle it went in. So imagine a mirror image of the table on the other side of the rail. Find where the target ball would sit on that mirror table, the same distance behind the rail as it is in front of it. Aim the cue ball straight at that mirror ball. Where your aim line crosses the rail is your kick point.
Aim at the right line
The cue ball's center never reaches the cushion. It bounces off a line half a ball width inside the rail. When you picture the mirror, measure from that line, not from the wood. On a 9-foot table this is a small number, but on a long kick it is the difference between a hit and a miss.
Speed and spin change the angle
- Medium speed, center ball. This gives the truest mirror angle. Start here.
- Hard hits come off shorter. The cushion squashes and the ball comes off at a narrower angle.
- Running English makes the angle wider; reverse makes it narrower. Use spin only once your plain kicks are reliable.
- Slow rolls drift long and can roll off line on worn cloth.
The rules when you kick
Under most rules (WPA, BCA and APA among them), you must hit the correct ball first, and then a ball must reach a rail or go in a pocket. A great kick that touches the ball but leaves everything off the rails is still a foul. That's why many players kick with enough speed to drive the cue ball or object ball to a cushion. House and bar rules vary, so read bar rules vs tournament rules and the 9-Ball rules.
Kick to hide, not just to hit
A good kick does more than make contact. Think about where the balls end up. A soft kick that hits the ball and leaves your opponent with no shot is a safety of your own. Learn the ideas in safety play in pool.
Practice
- Play the free kick shot trainer to learn the angles by feel. It scores ten kicks a round.
- On a real table, run the kick drill: ten kicks at a ball near the corner, count your hits.
- For the same geometry with the object ball, try the bank shot trainer and read the bank pool rules.
Most players never practice kicks, so a little work goes a long way. Then test it: find a tournament tonight.