In August, we ran through a rack of 9-ball perfectly. Then, last month, we struggled through the first four balls of the same rack, making mistake after mistake. It’s important to know your goal — the perfect runout — but also to know how to recover if you go astray.

     This month, we’re going to play a few more balls of that error-riddled rack. I’ll show you some of the things that can go wrong and how to recover from them. As we go along, I’ll give you “focus points” — things to keep in mind on each shot and in each game.

     When planning the runout for the layout in Diagram 1, you can see before you get to the 5 ball that position on the 6 requires the cue ball to go back up table. From position C-1, contact the cue ball with high right English (see top inset in Diagram 1) and float up to position C-2. The beauty of falling at C-2 is that you can get to C-4 for position on the 7 ball by having the cue ball travel about one foot.

     Hit this shot off a little, however, and you could end up at C- 3 instead of C-2. If so, you can recover by contacting the cue ball with low left English (see middle inset) on the 6 ball shot. The cue ball will slide to the left long rail, and wind up at position C-4 (purple path). At C-4 you have great position on the 7 ball. This isn’t the easiest way to get there, but things don’t always go the way you want, and you have to be able to change and recover.

     Shoot a little too hard on the 5 ball, and you’ll end up at C-5, shown in Diagram 2. From C- 5, you have a lot of choices you can make. One option is to cut the 6 ball into side pocket C and travel four rails to fall at C- 7. To do this, you need to contact the cue ball with high left English (see top inset, Diagram 2). Position C-7 lets you put the 7 ball into pocket A.

     Another option is to cut the 6 ball into corner pocket A. The cue ball will first contact rail C, go across the rail D and back across to position C-8. On this shot, contact the cue ball with high center follow (see bottom inset, Diagram 2). Two focus points: Don’t scratch in pocket F or end up frozen to rail E.

     The third option is to bank the 6 ball cross corner into pocket B, as shown in Diagram 3. The idea is to have the cue ball go around the 7 ball so that it ends up at C-9. There’s not much room to sneak by the 7, though, and this option could end badly. You’ll have to judge how much space you’ve got to work with, and what feels comfortable. If you do attempt it, contact the cue ball with low right English (see inset, Diagram 3).

     All three options have something in common. Pocketing the 6 ball is tough. Choose your option based on which you think will pocket that ball. Good position on the next ball won’t help if you miss.

     In this article, we have looked at a layout and studied what might happen when you don’t get perfect position on some of the shots. Most runouts require you to develop a plan when you come to the table. At the very least, before you shoot the first shot you must always look at least three balls ahead for position. Better to plan ahead for the whole rack. Best of all is to plan the whole rack but also have the skills to recover from a misstep.

     In reading this article and last month’s, you should have learned some key focus points:

• Don’t miss. Aim hard.

• Develop a plan before shooting.

• Avoid running into balls when playing position.

• If you have to leave the table, leave with a safety, not a miss, so that you still control the game.

• The ability to change and recover increases your chances of winning.

Keeping these key thoughts in mind will help you to win your next match.