Usually it will be to your advantage to gain position on the next shot by using natural roll. That is, allow the cueball to take the path it naturally wishes to take and get your shape by just using the right speed, sometimes with a touch of english to adjust its path off of a rail.
But if you get out of line on a shot this may not be possible. One weapon to use in these instances is extreme english. If you are not too far out of your intended line you may be able to use enough english to get back to your game plan and back in line.
In the example below we have gotten out of line on the three ball. We had wanted to stop a little further to the left of the cueball in the diagram. This would have allowed a simple draw shot to pull back on the four ball and play it in the same side pocket. We still have to play the four in the side, but now we must use extreme right-hand english to get us back in line.
Pocket the three into the side pocket as planned but strike the cueball firmly at a point between two and three o’clock. You must strike this stoutly as the reverse english will tend to kill the cueball and you need enough force to carry you back across the table. How much force to use when you are hitting the shot is a matter of ‘feel’ that you will develop with practice. The more full the contact with the object ball the more firmly you must strike the shot.
Struck properly, the cueball will follow to the side rail and then the english will twist it off of its natural course and send it across the line of the side pockets, leaving you an easy out. This is one of those shots that has many faces. You need to think about it whenever you are just out of your desired line of position. It can mean the difference between running to a win or turning the table over to your opponent.
