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In Loving Memory of Jim Meador

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Frozen Ball Throw Shot

 | by Jim Meador

Your cueball is frozen to the object ball in line with a point between the corner pocket and the first diamond on the short rail (black path). Too few players realize how easy it is to make this shot in the corner (yellow path).

First, this is not a cut shot. I have seen many shooters approach the shot from the wrong side of the cueball, which will make matters worse.

Approach the shot with the cue stick as shown above. Use right spin and stroke smoothly and slowly. The cueball will throw the object ball in the direction of the pocket. If you throw too much, try less side spin, a smaller angle with the cue stick, or both. If you throw too little using the stick angle shown, slow the stroke down and think in terms of "pushing" the cueball (but don't actually push it- that is illegal.)

Once you learn how to throw frozen balls, you will be able to throw-bank. A good practice for throw-banks is to freeze the cueball and object ball together at the head string on straight line between the center diamonds (long string). To throw-bank the object ball into the lower left corner pocket, use a little less stick angle than shown with right spin. Try it.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF FROZEN BALL THROW

Above, the object ball is frozen to the cue ball at the intersection of the first two diamonds from the corner pocket. By using extreme right english (with a small amount of top to keep the cue ball from scratching) the object ball can easily be dropped in the pocket indicated by the yellow path. (Make sure the object ball is frozen and aligned straight ahead.)

The key to this shot is speed. Stroke through the cue ball with just enough speed to send the object ball one length of the table. DO NOT "POKE" AT THE BALL!

Frozen Ball Bank

It might stand to reason that, if the hit shown above sends the object ball one diamond to the left into the pocket, that moving over to the center diamond and using the same hit would result in a bank into the lower left pocket. It might, except that the heavy right spin placed on the cue ball imparts a small amount of left spin to the object ball. The transferred spin will open the rebound angle off the rail, causing the object ball to follow a path toward the side pocket. Make an adjustment to the hit by reducing the amount of right spin. In fact, start by cutting it in half.