Sometimes you just need a touch of masse. In our example, only the edge of the two ball prevents us from making the one ball. There is no need to raise the butt of the cue to make this ball! All that needs to be done is to use a normal stroke and hit the cueball with low right english.
Since the cueball will begin its path by deflecting a small amount away from the two ball you actually will aim to ‘nick’ the two. The english will first throw the cueball away from the two so no contact will be made. Then the english will grab the cloth and the cueball will gently curve along the path shown to pocket the one ball.
Practice this shot a few times and you will learn that it is easy to curve the cueball the width of a ball on a table-length shot. You will also learn that the shot must be stroked gently to perform. Hitting this shot hard deprives the cueball of the time and the grip that it needs to curve.
You will also find that different cloths allow the ball to curve different amounts. A nappier cloth makes the shot easier while a slick one requires a bit more finesse. A gentle ‘punch’ stroke will give you a bit more curve.
This shot has a lot of applications. There are many times when you need the cueball to curve only a small amount and this shot can come into play. The reason the shot is so valuable is that it produces a very predictable amount of curve. This is one shot where you must not be afraid of miscue. Since you are using extreme low right (or left if the shot is reversed) your cuetip must be properly shaped and well chalked. But you are stroking gently, so this helps eliminate the odds of a miscue.
