Andy Segal: Hi, I am Andy Segal and we are in the middle of the bank and kick shot video series. This one is called the Japanese gate and it actually came up in the game of the 8-ball that I was playing, a few weeks ago. I have the 8-ball here, I ran all my balls out, the 8-ball is left here. The cue ball was here and my opponent has two stripe balls left on the table, right about there. That s very easy shot on the 8-ball that most people would make but my opponent, he was getting a little sick and tired of me winning all the time. So he took his cue stick and he laid it down right here, so I couldn t make the 8, not very nice. Well, I was thinking maybe I could jump the cue ball over the stick and make the 8 but if did that I would make the 8 but then the cue ball would fly off the table and that would be a loss to game. So instead, I had to shoot it something like this, my opponent didn t like that very much either, but the good thing he wasn t bigger than me.

Anyway, let me explain to you, how I made that shot. First of all, the 8-ball is sitting here, as you see stripe balls are lined up against the rail, touching straight across the table with the edges approximately near the point, but you could adjust it left or right as you see it, and the cue stick is lying on the table and that s about a half an inch from the edge of the 13 and then down here, you want the cue stick to be pushed up against the inside part of the pocket. Now, you don t want it too close to the 8 or it may knock the 8 in, you don t want it too far away or roll away. You want it just so like the outside edge is aligned with the point and pushing up against the rail. The cue ball is going to be placed along this line, the pocket to the cue ball, right at the first diamond. Now, again like the last shot, you are going to have to adjust, it s going to be different from table to table and it s going to be different on the same table from day to day. So you are going to have to learn how to adjust on this shot. I aim right at the diamond, the first diamond. But let s take for example, that I shot this shot and the cue ball hit those balls because they hit the rail too far down. What that means that I need to adjust my aim and when I adjust my aim, I am going to adjust to the left because if I hit over here and then it comes this way and it comes this way, that s too far down, I want it to come at here. So I will adjust to the left, so it will be a steeper, a more, a shorter angle and then it will come here and then it will come here. Similarly, if I hit the ball like this and I miss the stick completely or I hit the top of the stick that means that I am aiming with too much angle here and I need to adjust this way to lengthen out the cue ball. Eventually you are going to find your spot and you are going to hit it in like that, and that s the Japanese gate shot. Don t forget we have one more bank and kick shot coming up and it s another compression bank shot, it s not that easy but with practice you can do it.