How it works
In a bank shot, the object ball hits a cushion before it goes in. You use it when the straight path to a pocket is blocked, or when no straight shot is left.
The simplest way to aim a bank is the mirror method. Picture the cushion as a mirror. Behind it, imagine a copy of the pocket, as far behind the cushion as the real pocket is in front of it. Send the object ball straight at that mirror pocket. It hits the cushion and comes off at the same angle it went in, towards the real pocket.
Strictly, the mirror sits one ball radius out from the cushion, where the object ball's centre is when it touches. On most shots the difference is small. Real banks don't follow the mirror line exactly. Speed is the biggest change: a firm hit comes off the cushion at a shorter angle, more straight out, and a soft hit comes off longer, more along the cushion. Banks you have to cut also come off differently; Level 3 covers them. Start with banks you can hit nearly full, at medium speed, and learn how your table plays.
A bank is also harder to make than a straight shot. The path is longer, and a small aiming error grows after the cushion. So bank when you need to, and think about a safety if the bank is long and hard. Most banks you will meet go across the table, off a long cushion into the opposite side or corner pocket. Practise those first.
Try it: banks and kicks
Shot
Bank: the object ball goes into the yellow cushion, then into the yellow pocket. Tap a cushion or a pocket to change them.
Your shot
Centre
Cue ball, seen from behind. Tap or drag. Red ring: the miscue limit.
What happened
—
Press “Play shot”.
Drag the balls, tap a cushion to bank or kick off it, and tap a pocket for a bank. Simplified physics with typical cloth and cushion values; real tables bank a little differently.
Step by step
- 1
Choose the pocket and the cushion the object ball will hit.
- 2
Picture the mirror pocket behind that cushion.
- 3
Find the point on the cushion where the line from the object ball to the mirror pocket crosses it. That is your target point.
- 4
Find the ghost ball for sending the object ball to that point (Level 1, Lesson 5).
- 5
Play a centre hit at medium speed. If the cue ball would follow into trouble, use a little draw or stun.
- 6
Watch where the object ball hits the cushion and where it goes. If it misses on the long side, aim a little shorter or hit a little firmer next time.
Common mistakes
Aiming at the real pocket
The object ball must go at the mirror pocket, not at the real one.
Changing speed every time
The angle changes with speed. Pick one speed while you learn your table.
Long, hard banks as a first choice
If the bank is long and the miss leaves an easy shot, play a safety instead (Level 2, Lesson 6).
Double kiss
On a nearly straight bank, the object ball comes back off the cushion and hits the cue ball again. Check the cue ball's path, and use stun or draw, or a slightly thinner hit, to get the cue ball out of the way.
Practice this
Exercise · Level 2
Bank to the corner
Place the object ball halfway between the centre spot and the foot spot. Bank it off the long cushion at the second diamond from the foot end, into the corner pocket at the foot end, on the other long cushion. Place the cue ball half a diamond behind the object ball, on the line to that diamond, so it is a nearly full hit. Play 10 shots at medium speed.
Exercise · Level 2
Speed test
Play the same bank three times: soft, medium and firm. Mark where the object ball reaches the far cushion each time. See how the firm one comes off shorter.
Check yourself: 10 banks to the corner at medium speed. In 5 of them, the object ball goes in. Then you’re ready for the next lesson.
Note: every table banks a little differently. Before a match, try one or two banks to see if this table plays long or short.