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How to Shoot Over Blocker Balls

Rather read than watch? Read How to Shoot Over Blocker Balls below:

When You Are Blocked

Hello again, today we're going to look at another problem situation that comes up on the pool table where your cue ball is backed up against an obstructing ball. We're going to look at how to address that situation to continue your run out, let's have a look. So, here I am needing to shoot the 15 ball, but the one ball is blocking my cue ball so I don't have full access to it. I'm gonna have to elevate in this scenario to get a good hit on the cue ball. One of the key things to think about is that you want to stay on the vertical axis. Any side spin from an elevated angle will cause the cue ball to curve making this shot very easy to miss even though it's relatively close to the pocket. The other thing to think about is the proper bridge is what we call a tripod bridge. Plant your index finger and pinky finger on the table, middle finger and ring finger lay back and plant on the table, as well thumb tucked against the base of the index finger to form the guide for my shaft. I want as much stability as I can possibly get as that vertical axis hit is absolutely crucial. The stroke itself is relatively short but straightness is the key.

How To Practice

Now, a great way to practice these techniques is to take a striped ball, use it as your cue ball and use your cue ball as the blocker. Practice shooting these striped balls to the pocket. This will help get you used to the proper technique and that vertical axis. The way this striped ball rolls will tell you the quality of your hit. If it rolls tight and looks like a tire rolling down the table you know you're hitting the vertical axis. If there's some wobble or some wiggle then you know you need to work on getting straighter. One other consideration… an adjustment to make is that, because the bridge is much shorter on this type of shot, your grip hand should slide up or choke up on the cue. Most of the time my hand would be somewhere back here for a full stroke shot but here my bridge is only three or so inches away from the ball. So, I need to choke up to maintain the proper proportion and be able to stroke straight.