Pool tables are extremely popular in bars, restaurants and game rooms, but serious players know that there is much more to the game than what meets the eye. A sidespin, for instance is a shot that more experienced pool players use in their games to change how the cue ball behaves on impact. But performing a sidespin, or an “English”, adds plenty of elements into the physics of the balls on the pool table. Given below are the two most observable effects that a sidespin has on the cue ball.

The Squirt

When you hit the cue ball off center, you do not only cause it to spin, but it also veers away from its natural path. Pool players call this effect the “squirt”, and it depends largely on the amount of english and the angle of your shot. The general observation is that with a left sidespin, the cue ball squirts to the right, and vice versa. The Squirt is more dominant in high speed shots.

The Swerve

Another effect that you need to account for when using a sidespin is mostly limited to slower shots. A slow sidespin to the left causes the cue ball to squirt to the right initially, but as the cue ball travels further, the path changes towards the felt. Pool players call this effect the “Swerve” and it is heavily affected by the elevation of the cue stick with respect to the pool table. A higher elevation causes a stronger swerve and the cue ball travels more towards the direction of the sidespin.

The squirt and the swerve are mutually complementary effects that keep varying according to shot speed, degree of sidespin and cue elevation. Amateur pool players need to first master aiming at the very center of the cue ball so that they can use side spins deliberately later on in their career. With proper practice, you will be able to predict how much sidespin and cue elevation is necessary to create a certain amount of side spin and how much speed is needed to give preference to the squirt or the swerve effect.