Reverse System Reverse English
A family of shots that enter the first cushion with reverse English. The key is learning how the ball responds to the angle of incidence, spin and speed, rather than a fixed subtraction formula.
Written and edited by TTBoys · How we write and check sources · Report an error
Sources and diagrams reviewed: 2026-10-04. Rules of thumb are practice references for a specific diamond scale and stroke. Geometric constructions are kept separate from real trajectories, and nothing was measured on a real table. On mobile, the table stays in landscape so the directions in the text match the diagrams.
Presets are comparison examples from a physics model; they do not guarantee the formula's real-world accuracy or a point.
What do you read from the layout?
- Incoming direction: set the line into the first cushion.
- Reverse English: sidespin that works against the direction of travel on that cushion.
- Speed: leave enough power after the rebound to go around the cushions you need.
Slope and correction: There is no common formula that adds the three items. From the same first aim, change only the spin and compare the rebounds, then check the cushion order and arrival.
New to this? Start here
Reverse is a shot for learning how spin reacts, rather than a fixed number formula. Running English helps the ball's movement along the cushion; reverse English works against that movement.
- In the next diagram the line along which the white ball enters the cushion is the same. Compare only the lines after the ball leaves the cushion, for each spin.
- The solid reverse-English line is an example of the ball coming off closer to perpendicular to the cushion than the dashed mirror reference line. “Short” here describes the rebound direction; it doesn't mean the ball always stops at the same final spot.
- In the simulator, keep the departure and first aim point and change only the left-right spin. If you change spin, height and power all at once from the start, it is hard to tell what changed the path.
Check yourself: Does the same side spin stay reverse English on every cushion?
No. When the ball's direction changes, it can act as running English on the next cushion. “Running” and “reverse” are not fixed nicknames for left or right tip positions; they describe the spin relative to the direction the ball enters that cushion.
Compare with running English
- japong describes it as a shot that hits the first cushion with reverse English and then travels with running English on the following cushions. The role of the spin changes with the actual cushion order.
- Just flipping the sign of the spin changes the first rebound, but there is no general formula saying the final arrival is always on the cue-ball side. The cushion order after the rebound may change, or the ball may not reach the third cushion.
- Match spin, height and power to each layout. Don't rely on cause-and-effect claims like pushing the cue 10 cm past impact preserves spin.
Layout example: back to the same long rail with reverse English
- White line: the order in which the cue ball travels around three cushions
- Yellow line: an example of meeting the two object balls after the third cushion
A sketch of the worked example's ball layout and travel order. Where the ball actually lands depends on thickness, spin and speed.
Simulator link and real practice
The linked preset is a bank-shot drill that compares only left-right spin from the same first aim point as Five & Half. It is not a success example of a particular reverse back-around shot.
- Keep the same departure position and first aim point and change the left-right tip position first. Then change power, checking not only the final arrival but also the actual order of cushion contacts.
- On a real table, ball, cloth and cushion condition have a big effect. Don't treat Plus and Plus Two, which have their own scales, as a general formula for reverse.
Practice with the example layout
Back to the worked example and layout ↑The layout example picture is a dish-shaped reverse-English layout that comes back to the same long rail. Reverse has several paths, and not every layout goes around in this shape.
- Point to the cue ball, the ball you hit first and the last ball, and say the cushion order.
- Repeat the same layout 5 times and record where the first cushion and the calculated target actually land.
- If the first cushion is already off, check your aim and thickness; if the first cushion is right but later ones drift, check spin and speed. Change only one thing for the next 5.
Sources and verification
- japong · 리버스 — The definition, a range of shot layouts and notes on table condition.
- Dr. Dave · Bank and Kick Physics Effects — Effects of power, spin, cloth and cushions. Pool experiments, not a verification of 3-cushion number tables.
Sources may use different diamond scales and conditions. The text notes which scale it uses and the limits of what was checked; the diagrams are our own concept drawings.