Up the Tracks Masse

The cue ball is at the first diamond, just a hair off the rail. The 1, 2, and 5 balls are frozen in a line with it. The rack is there just to keep them aligned, but it should be steadied by a weight (Figure 1).

One of the tricks of this shot is the placement of the cue sticks that form the ramp. I like the outer edges of the sticks to be even with the outer edges of the cue ball. Too wide, and the cue ball won't go up. Too narrow and you'll lose a lot of speed as the cue ball hops up.

I use a rubberband to hold the butt end of the cue sticks together at the top of the ramp. The rubberband also keeps the 3 ball up there. Start with a lower ramp and keep adding height as you get more comfortable with this. Aim straight into the line of balls and use pure 6 o'clock (from your aim line, not where you're standing).

Video: Up the Tracks Masse

Figure 1