Kick Shots in Pool: How to Aim One-Rail and Two-Rail Kicks
The short version: when you can't hit the object ball directly, send the cue ball off a rail first.
- One rail: mirror the object ball across the rail and aim at the image. The mirror is the ball-center line, one ball radius (1⅛ in) inside the cushion, not the cushion itself.
- Two rails around a corner: two mirrors make a half turn. Rotate the object ball 180° around the corner point, where the two ball-center lines cross, and aim there.
- Diamond systems are quicker for long multi-rail kicks, but only at the speed and spin they assume and once you have calibrated them on your table.
A kick shot is a shot where the cue ball hits a rail before it reaches the object ball. (When the object ball hits the rail on its way to the pocket, that is a bank shot, covered in bank shots and the diamond system.) Kicks come up whenever you are snookered, or hooked, and in 8-ball and 9-ball a missed kick usually hands your opponent ball in hand. The geometry is simple once you put the mirror in the right place.
One-rail kicks: the mirror method
At medium-soft speed with no english, the cue ball comes off a rail at about the same angle it went in. So the rail works like a mirror: reflect the object ball to the other side of the mirror and aim the cue ball straight at the reflection. After one rail it arrives at the real object ball.
The detail that matters: the mirror is the ball-center line
Most players put the mirror on the cushion and keep kicking short. The reason is that the cue ball has a radius: its center can only get within one ball radius of the cushion nose before it bounces back. So the real mirror is a line parallel to the rail, 1⅛ in (2.86 cm) inside the cushion, the yellow dashed line in figure 1.
In practice: measure the object ball's distance to that line, not to the cushion, when you picture the image. An inch and an eighth sounds small, but the image moves twice as far, about 2¼ in, which over a long kick is the difference between a full hit and a miss.
Two-rail kicks: the corner point
When the one-rail path is blocked too, send the cue ball around a corner, off two neighboring rails. With the mirror method you would reflect twice: first in the first rail's ball-center line, then in the second's.
There is a shortcut. Reflecting in two lines at right angles is the same as rotating 180° around the point where they cross. So you don't need two steps: find the corner point (one ball radius from both cushions), picture the object ball turned half a turn around it, and aim at that spot.
Two-rail kicks are more sensitive to error: every extra rail adds the effect of speed, spin and the condition of the cushion. So when you have a choice, pick the route that gives you more of the object ball to hit. A path that can hit the ball full is far more reliable than one that can only clip its edge.
Diamond systems
The diamonds (sights) on the rails divide the table into a grid: 18 sights, 12½ in (31.75 cm) apart on a 9 ft table under the WPA equipment specifications. Diamond systems number the sights and use simple arithmetic to work out where to aim for multi-rail kicks, especially three-rail kicks. They are genuinely useful, with three conditions:
- They assume a particular shot. Most multi-rail systems want a set speed and often running english. Change the stroke and the numbers stop working.
- The diamonds are not on the cushion. Their centers sit about 3 11/16 in (93.7 mm) back from the cushion nose, on the rail cap. Aiming at a diamond and aiming at the contact point on the cushion are different directions, so follow each system's own convention.
- Every table is different. Cushion rubber, cloth speed and humidity all change the rebound angle. Good players often hit a few test kicks on an unfamiliar table.
So the best way to use a system is to work out your own numbers on the table you play on, with a fixed stroke, and then apply them. Memorized numbers that you have never checked are often worse than a careful mirror estimate.
Speed and spin corrections
| Shot | Effect on the rebound |
|---|---|
| Medium-soft, no english | Closest to the mirror geometry. Use this speed when you practice the method. |
| Hard | The cue ball sinks deeper into the cushion and usually comes off shorter (closer to perpendicular to the rail). |
| Running english | Comes off longer, carrying on more in its original direction, and travels further. |
| Reverse english | Comes off shorter. |
| Follow or draw | The cue ball curves after leaving the rail, which matters over long distances. |
When you kick in a game, use no english and medium speed unless you need more. That keeps the geometry most predictable.
The rules on kicks
Under the World Pool-Billiard Association rules (effective 21 October 2026):
- Wrong ball first (3.2): in games where the first ball struck must be a particular ball, such as your group in 8-ball or the lowest-numbered ball in 9-ball, hitting any other ball first is a foul. Missing everything is a foul too (3.3).
- No rail after contact (3.3): if no ball is pocketed, then after the cue ball contacts an object ball, at least one ball, the cue ball or any object ball, must reach a rail. The rail the cue ball hit on the way to the object ball does not count.
- The penalty for a standard foul in 8-ball and 9-ball is ball in hand anywhere on the table for your opponent.
- Three consecutive fouls (3.13): in 9-ball, three fouls in a row in one rack lose the rack (5.8), and the referee must warn you when you are on two. 8-ball does not use this rule.
So a kick that touches the object ball but leaves everything short of a rail is still a foul. Make sure that after contact the object ball or the cue ball can reach a cushion. Leagues and bars may play different house rules, so check them before a match.
A kick is also a safety. Hitting the ball is only half the job; leaving the object ball by a pocket with the cue ball nearby just gives your opponent an easy shot. Plan where both balls go. In 9-ball, remember the alternative right after the break: the push out.
Draw the mirror on the table
The AimGeometry mirror-method drill folds the rail over and draws the reflected line live, and the diamond system drill shows the sight numbers and the arithmetic on the table. It runs in the browser, free. Learn the lines here, then calibrate your speed on a real table.
Try the mirror method →Or try the diamond system drill.
FAQ
What is the difference between a kick shot and a bank shot?
In a kick the cue ball hits a rail before the object ball. In a bank the object ball hits a rail on the way to the pocket. Both use the same mirror geometry.
How do you aim a one-rail kick?
Mirror the object ball across the rail and aim at the image, with the mirror on the ball-center line 1⅛ in inside the cushion. Using the cushion as the mirror puts the image about 2¼ in too far away, and the kick comes up short.
How do you aim a two-rail kick?
Rotate the object ball 180° around the corner point, one ball radius from both cushions, and aim at the result.
Is it a foul if a kick hits the ball but nothing hits a rail?
Yes, under WPA rule 3.3, unless a ball is pocketed. The rail the cue ball hit before the object ball does not count.
Do diamond systems work for kicks?
Within their assumptions: a set speed, usually set english, and calibration on your table. The diamonds sit about 3 11/16 in back from the cushion nose, so follow each system's own aiming convention.
Related reading: What Is English in Pool? · Bank Shots and the Diamond System · 8-Ball Rules · 9-Ball Rules · The 9-Ball Push Out · The Geometry of Pool
Diagrams computed on a 100 × 50 in playing surface with 2¼ in balls, rebounds as ideal mirror reflections (angle in = angle out). Diamond spacing and position from the WPA Recommended Equipment Specifications; rules from the WPA Rules of Play effective 21 October 2026. Real rebounds depend on speed, spin and the cushions. This article contains no sponsored or affiliate links.