Patrick Johnson
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- Joined
- Jul 31, 2008
- Messages
- 1,447
I mean the worn track parallel to the nose of the rail a little less than half a ball out from it (made by balls being forced down as they rebound), where the center of the ball changes direction. It's a conveniently visible spot (unless the cloth is new) to visualize as the apex of the ideal equal-angle rebound.
When you aim at the gutter in front of the rail, are you referring to where the rail meets the table bed?
If you want to get real precise, remember that the ball compresses the cushion and slides/rolls along it a short distance while it's rebounding, "rounding off" the point of that ideal equal angle. So the actual apex of the equal angle is closer to the cushion nose itself.
Of course, this is all about using ideal equal angles as references because they can be quickly and objectively measured - balls rarely follow the equal angle path exactly.
pj
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