How it works
Side spin is also called English. To put it on, hit the cue ball left or right of centre. Right of centre gives right spin; left of centre gives left spin. The cue stays level, just as for the stop shot (Level 1, Lesson 6).
On the cloth, a level stroke with side spin travels almost straight. Side spin also wears off much more slowly than topspin or backspin, so it is still there after the cue ball hits the object ball. The spin shows up when the cue ball hits a cushion. The cushion grips the spinning cue ball and pushes it sideways, so the cue ball comes off at a different angle.
Think of a cue ball that hits a cushion at an angle. With no side spin, it comes off at about the same angle it went in, like light off a mirror. Running side spin is spin that turns the same way the cue ball is moving along the cushion. It makes the cue ball come off at a wider angle, more along the cushion, and a little faster. Reverse side spin turns the other way. It makes the cue ball come off at a narrower angle, more straight out, and slower. Side spin changes the angle most at soft and medium speeds. At hard speed the cue ball skids off the cushion and the angle changes less. Straight into a cushion, right spin sends the cue ball back to the right and left spin to the left.
Side spin has a price. It pushes the cue ball slightly off your aim line, and it can push the object ball off line too. The longer the shot, the bigger the miss. Speed and cue height change it too. That is why good players use side spin only when they need it. Level 3 covers how to adjust your aim for it.
Step by step
- 1
Start with a centre hit and check that it does the job. Use side spin only if it doesn't.
- 2
Decide which cushion the cue ball will hit after the object ball, and where you want it to go from there.
- 3
Picture the path with no side spin. Then decide: do you need a wider angle off the cushion (running) or a narrower one (reverse)?
- 4
Move the tip left or right of centre, no more than about half a tip-width at first. Keep the cue level.
- 5
Stroke at a soft or medium speed, straight through the cue ball. Don't swipe the cue sideways to "add" spin.
- 6
Watch the cue ball come off the cushion and compare it with your plan.
Common mistakes
Using side spin on every shot
Side spin adds a second thing to get right. Most shots need only centre, follow or draw.
Swiping across the cue ball
The spin comes from where the tip hits, not from moving the cue sideways. A swipe makes you miss the object ball.
Too far from centre
The miscue limit is the same as for follow and draw (Level 1, Lessons 7 and 8), about one tip-width from centre.
Long shots with side spin
The further away the object ball is, the more a small push off line turns into a miss. Practise side spin on short shots first.
Practice this
Exercise · Level 2
Straight into the cushion
Place the cue ball two diamonds from a long cushion, in the middle of the table, and shoot straight at it, with no object ball. Step back after the stroke so the cue ball can pass. Hit it in the centre, then half a tip-width left, then half a tip-width right. The centre hit comes straight back. The side spin hits come back to the left or right.
Exercise · Level 2
Three angles
Place the cue ball on the head spot. Shoot it into the left long cushion at the first diamond past the side pocket, towards the foot end. With no side spin, the cue ball comes back to about the middle of the foot cushion. On this shot right spin is running and left spin is reverse. Play it with no side spin, half a tip-width of running side spin and half a tip-width of reverse side spin. Mark where it hits the foot cushion each time.
Check yourself: 10 shots of the three-angles drill. In 7 of them, you can say before you shoot whether the cue ball will come off wider or narrower, and it does. Then you’re ready for the next lesson.
Note: side spin is the last tool, not the first. If a centre hit, follow or draw can get you to the next shot, use that.