Return to my Billiard/Pool Pages
Go to my home page

Throw

© Copyright 2001, Jim Loy

When you use side English, all sorts of complications result. One of these complications is called "throw." I will cover other complications later. In the diagram, I strike the cue ball on the right side (the arrow that is farthest to the left in the diagram). This imparts right-hand English (counter-clockwise spin) to the cue ball. When the spinning cue ball strikes the red ball, it imparts left-hand English (clockwise spin) to the red ball. Think of the balls as being gears. The teeth of the cue ball mesh with the teeth of the red ball, and the balls spin in opposite directions. But the teeth are mostly stripped, and so the red ball does not turn as fast as the cue ball. If there were no side spin, the yellow ball would go straight (path A). Because the red ball is spinning, the yellow ball "throws" to the right (path B). The yellow ball also will have a small amount of right-hand (counter-clockwise) spin. The red and yellow ball do not need to be in contact at the beginning of the shot, for this throw to occur, but the throw is less if they are not in contact. The more side English you use, the greater the throw. And the softer you hit the cue ball, the greater the throw, partly because the red and yellow ball will remain in contact longer.

In the second diagram, I am using no side English at all. But the cue ball will strike the red ball at an angle, instead of straight on. Again picture the balls as gears with tiny teeth. Throw results from the off-center hit. The cue ball gives the red ball left-hand spin (just as above), and the yellow ball throws to the right.

Throw is a very handy tool for making some shots. And it is probably one of the reasons that you already miss other shots. A lot of people hit the wrong side of the object ball, trying to cut it into the next ball, and they end up throwing the next ball in the wrong direction.

Throw affects other shots as well. Cue ball spin affects simple cut shots of all kinds. In the first diagram, assume that the yellow ball is not there, and we are shooting directly into the red ball with right English. Throw makes the red ball go to the left slightly. But here, squirt (another complication, which I will write about later) also effects the path of the red ball. If you are using side English when shooting a bank shot, you will have to compensate for the spin you are putting on the object ball. For this reason most banks are shot with no side spin at all. I have used side English to make a bank that could not have gone directly (because of balls in the way); but such a shot involves some guess work. All banks, including combo-banks, are very sensitive to side spin.

If you are a person who gets accidental side English on your shots, then you are probably missing shots because of throw. You need to slow down, and make sure you use center ball when you mean to use center ball.

I lost a game to Jack White (a famous pro player who was giving an exhibition) because of throw. He was playing games of eightball and nineball against people in the crowd, and he was going easy on most of them, giving them three or four innings to shoot before he finished them off. I shot in a combo with throw. So when I missed later, he ran out the rack. I had blown my cover.

Addendum:

Here is another use of throw. The red ball and the yellow ball are lined up for a simple combo into a pocket, with the yellow is almost hanging in the pocket. Use draw on the cue ball to induce follow on the red ball. And both the red and yellow go into the pocket. It is a fairly easy shot, if you don't miscue. Concentrate on hitting the red ball straight through the middle of the yellow ball, as any side motion will make the red ball miss.

Return to my Billiard/Pool Pages
Go to my home page