The Frozen Rail Shot: Cut a Ball Down the Rail

Trick shot #4 of 15Difficulty: ★★☆Teaches: Rail shots, the most common "hard" shot in games

A ball frozen to the rail looks impossible to cut in. The secret is to hit the rail and the ball at the same time.

White dashes: cue ball path. Yellow dashes: object ball path.

Setup

1. Freeze an object ball against the long rail, about one and a half diamonds from a corner pocket.
2. Put the cue ball near the middle of the table so you have a cut of about 30 to 45 degrees.

How to shoot it

1. Aim so the cue ball touches the cushion and the object ball at almost the same time. In practice that means hitting a hair of rail first.
2. Use medium speed and a center or slightly high hit. Running English (spin toward the rail) helps hold the ball on the rail.

Why it works

A ball frozen to the rail can't be cut "into" the rail, so the cushion has to help. Hitting both at once squeezes the object ball straight down the rail.

Common mistakes

• Hitting the ball first and full. It bounces off the rail and wobbles out.
• Too much speed. Soft and medium rail shots are much more forgiving.

In a real game

Rail shots come up in every rack of 8-Ball. Practice ten from different distances and you'll win games your opponents give up on.