Last month I described the
situation where your opponent has executed a safety, placing the cue ball behind
a cluster and you have to kick out and make a good hit. How will you respond? Do
you walk up to the table and think, “Now what do I do,” or do you think,
“No problem. I know how to kick this”? I expect you feel a new confidence about using the Tips of
English Kicking System.
This month we will look at the
same system, only we'll be shooting the length of the table to kick out and hit
the object ball.
THE
DRILL
Place
the cue ball in front of Diamond Point 0, from 4 inches to 7
diamonds up off the rail.
Place
matching numbered object balls on the rails at Diamond Points 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, & 6, as shown in the diagram.
Shoot,
with a ½-Tip of English, into Diamond Point 0 to hit the 1
ball.
Shoot,
with 1-Tip of English, into Diamond Point 0 to hit the 2 ball.
Shoot,
with 1½-Tips of English, into Diamond Point 0 to hit and
maybe even pocket the 3 ball.
Shoot,
with 2-Tips of English, into Diamond Point 0 to hit the 4 ball.
Shoot,
with 2½-Tips of English, into Diamond Point 0 to hit the 5
ball.
Shoot,
with 3-Tips of English, into Diamond Point 0 to hit the 6 ball.
This long Tips of English
Kicking system can be further studied by experimenting with other diamond
contact point locations. Keep in mind that you’ll need to determine what one
tip of English on your cue stick tip equals. Obviously a 10.50mm tip verses a
13.25mm tip will see one, two and even three tips differently.
By hitting the targeted diamond points accurately, you’ll be able to
determine what the striking point on the cue ball is that equals one, two, and
three tips of English for you. Work hard on this and you’ll soon become a
tough player to play a safe on, and you’ll surely be saying good-bye to those
three foul losses.
You
can find these drills in their entirety in Pro Skill Drills’ Volumes 1 through
8 of the Books and DVDs, endorsed
by Nick Varner.
