The use of running side and check side is a tool that allows professionals to further manipulate the cue ball to end up in the position they intended. It’s something that is easier to understand when you watch it on screen as you can see the effect of the side as it happens, but as you’ll find out below, left and right hand side can both lead to running/check side depending on where the cue ball deflects.
Running Side
When the cue ball makes contact off a cushion, running side has the effect of increasing the speed of the cue ball and also widening the angle it comes off. So if you’re playing a shot and the first cushion the cue ball comes into contact with is on your left, then right hand side will act as running side in this situation. Similarly, if the first cushion the cue ball comes into contact with is on the right, then left hand side is the running side.
You’ll see running side used in situations like a multi-cushion snooker escape in order to ensure the cue ball can reach its destination. Or sometimes in ‘simpler’ shots such as a fairly high black off the spot where top spin with a trace of side is required to bounce off two cushions to come around the side of the pack.
Check Side
Check side has the opposite effect of running side in that the speed of the cue ball is dampened when it comes off the cushion. This is due to the cue ball going against the natural angle of the cushion which also has the effect of narrowing the angle it comes off. Like before, if the first cushion the cue ball comes into contact with is on the left, then left hand side will act as check side.
You mainly see check side applied subtly in shots where the cue ball comes off the cushion in a straight line, or a more squared off angle. For example, on a high black where the natural angle would be to play a touch of running side, check side would allow the cue ball to bounce off the cushion at a straighter angle in order to be closer to the object ball.
Things get confusing in shots where running side turns into check side depending on which cushions the cue ball interacts with. But you mainly see this in complicated, multi-cushion escapes. But it also shows how impressive the pros actually are because it doesn’t seem like they are physically doing much yet they are able to control the cue ball however they like with a few miniscule changes in where the choose to strike.
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