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Cueing Academy

Pool glossary · Aiming & Physics

Tangent line

What is the tangent line in pool?

The tangent line is the line perpendicular (90°) to the object ball's path, passing through the contact point. A stun cue ball leaves along it on every cut shot; follow bends the path forward from it and draw bends it backward.

In more detail

Seeing the tangent line before you shoot tells you where the cue ball will go and whether it will hit another ball or scratch. It is the starting point for planning every position shot.

People also ask

Does the tangent line change with speed?

With pure stun, no — speed only changes how far along the line the cue ball travels. With spin, speed changes how quickly the path bends away from it.

Train it at the table

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