Today I’m going to show you an easy way to shoot short kick-shots. Kick-Shots are usually somewhat close to the pocket and often difficult to see from the other end of the table. As with everything, there is an easy trick to repeatably getting these types of shots. I call it “The Two Finger Rule”.

The Two Finger Rule is essentially a way of creating a visual reference for your eye to follow so that you can shoot the cue ball in exactly the right place to make your ball. In the example below, I’ll show you how it’s impossible to see the 14 ball because the 7 ball is in the way.

Using the Two Finger Rule, you’ll want to take your thumb and index finger and place your index finger and place it exactly where you’re going to make contact on the ball. Take your thumb and move it until it just touches the rail. Now your thumb and index finger should be forming a nice little gap of about 1 – 2 inches.

Making sure not to move your fingers, take your hand and move it laterally to the rail until your index finger that was originally touching the ball is now touching the rail. Your thumb should now be touching somewhere in the middle of the rail.Press your thumb down where it is and straighten your index finger out. You should kind of look like you’re pointing an imaginary gun, only upside down. By doing this, you’ll create a reference point that you can aim at from the other end of the table.

Lift up your hand, but keep your eyes fixated on the point that your thumb was on. Do not remove your eyes from that shot! Once you get back to your cue ball, line up your shot on that spot on the rail you set and shoot straight through the rail at that point. You’ll make it nearly every time.