Topspin to STOP the cue ball? Secret of the Kick-n-Stick.

Understanding how topspin and backspin reverse off a rail is key to the Kick-n-Stick safety shot.

Here is a video demonstration showing the cue ball rotating in super-slow motion so you can see the effect.

The paradox - how forward spin creates the kick-n-stick effect.

It sounds like a paradox. But its not. This is the secret behind the famous Kick-n-Stick safety shot. A player can shoot the cue ball into the rail first, causing the cue ball to stop or “stick” upon striking an object ball. The Kick-n-Stick is a must have for your safety arsenal, especially rotation games like nineball and 10-ball.

The catch is the object ball can’t be too far from the rail. If the cue ball is rotating in the direction of travel (topspin) before it strike the cushion, it will rotate (or slide) in the same direction for a short distance before friction causes it to roll like topspin in the new direction of travel. That distance depends on how hard the cue ball is struck, but generally no more than three ball diameters will work.

Try using backspin on the cue ball. After leaving the rail the cue ball will be spinning in the new direction of travel immediately as its former backspin persists. That is the paradox - shooting below center on the cue ball won’t stop the cue ball on rail-first shots.

Text Transcript of Kick-n-Stick Video

The kick and stick. If you don't know how it works, or even if you do, it can be helpful to take a look at what the cue ball is doing in super slow motion. I'm using the 10 ball so we can see the stripe rotate. With top spin, the cue ball leaves the cushion rotating in the same direction.

If it strikes the object ball before friction rotates it the other way, it will stick. Here the cue ball has backspin. After leaving the cushion, it is still rotating clockwise, which persists as follow after striking the object ball. That's why the object ball can't be too far from the rail for the kick and stick to work.

It has to be close enough that the cue ball still has that rotation and hasn't converted to forward roll before it hits the object ball. That's how you get your kick and stick.