How Does Cue Ball Deflection In Pool | Pool School Work?

The cue ball changes direction when you hit it because of how it touches the table and your stick.

Imagine you're pushing a toy car on a smooth floor. If you push it straight, it goes straight. But if you push it from an angle, like slanting your hand to the side while pushing, the car moves in a new direction. That’s cue ball deflection in pool!

When you hit the cue ball with your stick at an angle, part of your push goes into moving the ball forward, and another part pushes it sideways. This is like giving the ball a side hug, not just a straight push.

Because of this, instead of going straight to where you aimed, the cue ball takes a little sideways trip before heading toward the target ball. The more slanted your stick is when you hit, the bigger that sideways trip becomes!

If you want to make the cue ball go straight, keep your stick as straight as possible while hitting it, like giving it a head-on bump. If you want it to take a little side trip, tilt your stick just a bit, like giving it a shoulder nudge.

With practice, you’ll learn how much to tilt your stick for the perfect side hug!