Kisses: how to see them coming
A kiss is an unplanned collision: the cue ball and an object ball meeting again, or the two object balls meeting in the cue ball's way. A perfectly struck shot can lose its point to a kiss. Avoiding them is one of the oldest rules of shot selection.
The double kiss off the first ball
The most common kiss happens right after the hit. The first object ball goes into a nearby cushion, comes straight back, and meets the cue ball again, often within a few centimetres of where they first touched. It happens when the first ball is close to a cushion and the hit is thick, so the object ball heads into the rail and bounces back along the cue ball's path.
Before any shot where the first ball is near a rail, follow the object ball after the hit: where does it go, and does it come back? If it does, choose a thinner hit, a different first ball, or a different route. Never plan a shot that depends on a double kiss.
Kisses later in the route
- The first ball crossing the route. A first ball hit firmly can travel around the table into the cue ball's path, or into the second ball and move it away.
- Balls close together. When the two object balls are near each other, almost every ball-first route sends one into the other. A bank that approaches from another side, like a ticky, can be the better choice.
No timing shots
A timing shot is one where an object ball must be in a particular place at a particular moment: the first ball moving into the cue ball's path to be hit as the second ball, for instance. They're spectacular when they work and they almost never do. Don't choose a route that relies on one.
Speed is the kiss maker
Most kisses come from object balls moving too far. Less speed and a thinner hit keep the first ball quiet, which is one more reason to play the softest stroke the route allows. See Speed and spin.