The Throw Shot: Make a Combination That Isn't Lined Up

Trick shot #3 of 15Difficulty: ★★☆Teaches: Throw, the friction that pushes balls off line

Two frozen balls point a little off the pocket. Hit the back ball on the correct side and the front ball is "thrown" into the pocket anyway.

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

Setup

1. Freeze two balls so their line points about one ball-width to the side of a corner pocket.
2. Put the cue ball off to one side so you can cut the back ball.

How to shoot it

1. Cut the back ball on the side that moves it toward the pocket's side of the line, at soft to medium speed.
2. The front ball still leaves mostly along the line of centers, but friction drags it a little in the direction the back ball is moving. That small push is enough.

Why it works

At the instant the balls touch, they rub. That friction "throws" the front ball a few degrees off the line of centers, toward the way the back ball is traveling. Slower speed and cleaner balls mean more throw.

Common mistakes

• Shooting too hard. Throw is biggest at slow speed.
• Trying to throw a ball more than a couple of degrees. If the line misses by more than about a ball width, it won't go.

In a real game

Knowing about throw saves you on cut shots too: on slow, thin cuts, the object ball goes a little thicker than you aim. Aim a touch thinner.