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The Spectrum of Force
The Spectrum of Force

Written By: Philip Capelle
Your success at controlling the cue ball, playing position
and running racks of 8-ball or 9-ball is directly related to I’ve developed the scale below to help
your speed control. All of the great position players, form you conceptualize the range of possible
Willie Mosconi to Efren Reyes, could almost (literally) stroke speeds:
stop the cue ball on a dime. Chances are that your game
could benefit from an increased awareness of your speed- 1) Extremely Soft 6) Medium Hard

of-stroke - that is, how hard you strike the cue ball with 2) Very Soft 7) Hard
every shot. 3) Soft 8) Very Hard

Occasionally you will need to use a Very Soft (2) or 4) Medium Soft 9) Extremely Hard
Extremely Soft (1) stroke. Bear in mind, however, that 5) Medium 10) Break Shots
shooting softly can effect the accuracy of your stroke,
and subject the object ball to a table roll. At the other end
of the spectrum, using hard strokes (7-9) to play position can also cause balls to be missed, and they

can make it tough to control the cue ball. Speed 10 is reserved for the break shot, so it is never used for
position play.

Professional players typically
confine their stroke speed to
the 3-7 range, but they are fully
capable of stroking across the
full spectrum of speeds (1-9)

when needed. Consider the
variety of stroke speeds, and
then ask yourself if you have a
tendency to shoot too easily or
too hard. Can you lag a ball softly
into the pocket, or send the cue
ball 3 or 4 rails when requested?

Experience has taught me that 70% to 80% of all amateurs shoot too hard and that most of their shots
are shot in the 6-8 range. If that is your problem, then try the exersize in the diagram. It will help you
develop a softer stroke and an increased awareness of the variety of stroke speeds required to play
precision position.

Set up the balls as shown, using reinforcements available at office supply stores to mark the position of
both balls. Using no english, try to leave the cue ball at Point A, then Point B, etc. You’ll need to stroke
the cue ball a little bit harder with each successive shot to achieve the desired position. Mark the cue

ball’s position on each shot and carefully observe your results.

For more information go online to Philip Cappeles website at https://www.billiardspress.com/

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