ASK THE MASTER:
Q: “Hi Tom, I have a question for you! I'm working on controlling the effects of squirt and throw. I was watching some pros shoot online and it appears as though most of them simply pivot the cue on their bridge hand to apply right english. It seems to me that would entail a new aim line. I have always moved the cue tip to the right and maintained the same aim line. Am I misunderstanding or have I just done it wrong for 55 years?"
A: If you use sidespin, understanding squirt and swerve is essential to playing well. The only time the cueball goes directly where your stick is pointed is when you hit the Vertical Axis on the back of the ball. If you hit even a millimeter either side of the vertical center, your cueball will squirt, and it may swerve. And of course, when a spinning cueball hits another ball, there will also be "throw" effects. There are many stick lines that will pocket a given ball, as each increment of english or speed or elevation changes the correct aim. Any time you use english, an aiming adjustment is required.
I'll assume you have the basic concept of squirt. It's caused by your shaft, and increases with tip offset (english). Left english causes the cueball to squirt to the right, so you have to aim a bit more to the left. Squirt is an angle change for the CB at the moment of impact with the tip. The farther the ball has to travel before striking its target, the more the cueball will diverge from the stick line and the more accurate your aim adjustment must be.
Swerve is caused by stick elevation, combined with tip offset (english). Left english can cause swerve to the left, opposite the squirt. You get more swerve with more elevation, more with more tip offset, more with dirty balls, and more with lower ball speed. Sometimes, squirt & swerve perfectly cancel each other out.
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