OUT OF THE PARK By Tim Chin

With baseball season in full swing, I’m calling my shot Out Of The Park. This was actually the second trick shot I ever taught myself, so I’m pretty confident you can do this too. The cue ball starts trapped in the jaws of the corner pocket with a quarter circle of balls surrounding it like a ball park. With a swing of the cue, the cue ball pops off the opposite point of the pocket, over the outfield fence, and then 3 rails to pocket the hanging ball in the opposite corner pocket.

As you can imagine, everything needs to be precise. First, find a repeatable spot to place the cue ball. Freeze it to the facing of the corner pocket and then slide it around to find a visual reference. You can look straight over it and align the edge of the ball with the cut of the slate of the pocket or imagine a line between the points of the pocket going through the center of the cue ball. Use any reference you can repeat, otherwise you might as well be shooting blind. After a handful of attempts, the cue ball should settle into a spot because youll be denting the cloth a little.

I pick an aim point on the nose of the short rail, usually 1 to 2 shaft widths over from the point of the pocket. You could also use fractional diamonds. Again, use anything that you can repeat and make small adjustments from.

Hit with 1/2 to 1 tip running (left) english to help the cue ball get around. Youll also need to elevate slightly, 5 to 10 degrees is usually enough to pop the cue ball over. Also, you can’t follow through too much otherwise you will interfere with the cue ball after it jumps. You need to use a short punch, but still get some speed on it. Make incremental adjustments with your aim to get the cue ball to track on target. Good luck and play ball!