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First safeties

When the shot is too hard, don't just hope. Play a safety: hit the object ball legally and leave your opponent a shot that is harder than yours.

  • Safety play
  • Level 2 · Lesson 6 of 8
  • 5 min read
  • 2 exercises
cue ball startobject ballcue ball ends far awayDistance safety: a thin hit moves the object ball to a cushion and sends the cue ball to the far end.
A distance safety: a thin hit moves the object ball a short way to a cushion, and the cue ball rolls to the far end of the table.

How it works

A safety is a shot where you don't try to make a ball. Instead, you try to leave your opponent nothing easy. Good players play a safety whenever the shot in front of them is a poor bet.

A safety still has to be a legal shot. The cue ball must hit a legal object ball first (WPA rule 3.2, Wrong Ball First). Then, if no ball goes in, the cue ball or any object ball must reach a cushion after that contact. That is WPA rule 3.3, No Rail after Contact; the rules call the cushion a "rail". If you miss either part, it's a foul. In most games, your opponent then gets ball in hand. In games where you call your shots, such as 8-ball, you can call "safety" instead (WPA rule 1.7). Your turn then ends after the shot, even if a ball goes in. In 9-ball you don't call shots.

At Level 2, two kinds of safety cover most cases:

Distance: leave the cue ball and the object ball far apart, ideally at opposite ends of the table. Long shots are hard to make.

Hide: put the cue ball, or the object ball, behind another ball, so there is no straight path between them. Your opponent then has to kick (Level 2, Lesson 8). American players call this a hook; in UK pool and snooker it is a snooker.

Speed matters more on a safety than on most shots. A safety that rolls too far often leaves an easy shot. Plan where both balls stop, not just the cue ball.

Try it: position and safeties

Drill

Hit the yellow ball thin on the side that faces the centre of the table. It goes to the cushion, and the cue ball rolls to the far end.

Your shot

Centre

Cue ball, seen from behind. Tap or drag. Red ring: the miscue limit.

Left and right are as seen from the cue ball.

Real-life stroke: each shot comes out a little off, like a real stroke. Can you repeat it?

What happened

—

Press “Play shot”.

First ball hit—
Cushion after contact—
Distance between the balls—
Good safeties0 of 0

Drag the balls. In the zone drill, tap a pocket for the yellow ball; the green zone follows the blue ball and its nearest pocket. Simplified physics with typical cloth and cushion values; the animation runs slower than real life.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Ask yourself: can I make this shot, and get to the next one, more often than not? If not, look for a safety.

  2. 2

    Find the legal object ball and a way to hit it first.

  3. 3

    Decide which kind of safety fits: distance or hide.

  4. 4

    Picture where the object ball goes, and where the cue ball goes. Check that one of them reaches a cushion after contact.

  5. 5

    Choose the hit: thin hits send the cue ball far and move the object ball a little; full hits do the opposite. The tangent line shows where the cue ball goes (Level 2, Lesson 1).

  6. 6

    Choose a soft, controlled speed and play the shot. Watch where both balls stop.

Common mistakes

  • No cushion after contact

    A soft safety that leaves both balls short of a cushion is a foul, and your opponent gets ball in hand.

  • Too much speed

    The balls roll past the spot you planned and leave a shot.

  • Watching only the cue ball

    The object ball can roll into an easy spot too. Plan both.

  • Waiting too long

    Many players try a hard shot, miss, and leave an easy one. Choosing a safety early is often the better bet.

Practice this

  • Exercise · Level 2

    Thin and long

    Place an object ball one diamond from a long cushion, level with the foot spot. Place the cue ball one diamond behind it, towards the foot cushion, on the same line along the table. Hit the object ball thin, on the side that faces the centre of the table. The object ball moves to the long cushion, and the cue ball rolls on to the head end of the table. Play 10 shots.

  • Exercise · Level 2

    Thin hide

    Place the object ball one diamond from a long cushion and three diamonds from the foot cushion. Place a second ball, the blocker, one diamond from the same long cushion and two diamonds from the foot cushion. Put the cue ball two diamonds behind the object ball, a little closer to the centre of the table. Hit the object ball thin and soft on its centre side, so it rolls to the long cushion. Let the cue ball roll on past the blocker. Your goal: the cue ball stops where the blocker sits between it and the object ball.

Check yourself: 10 thin-and-long safeties. In 7 of them, the shot is legal and the cue ball stops in the half of the table away from the object ball. Then you’re ready for the next lesson.

Note: a safety is not giving up. A safety that leaves a hard shot often wins you the next turn at the table, with an easier shot.