That's What I'm Talking About

By Keith McCready

The Inside Floater

Warm sunshine and cool ocean breezes, the thunderous crash of waves breaking along the shoreline, chirping seagulls fighting for food, and the salty smell of the Pacific-this can o­nly be beautiful Southern California, the place where I grew up. Bob Wallace, my foster father, owned a poolroom known as Hard Times in Newport Beach, the surfing mecca of the world.  Champion surfers would come from far and wide to tackle "The Wedge," a mammoth wave that breaks in two directions with a swell that has been known to rise as high as 30 feet. My favorite pastime when I wasn't playing pool was fishing for shark and bonito at the pier and watching the never-ending parade of brightly colored sailboats escorted by convoys of whales and frolicking dolphins. And then, of course, there were those bronzed California beauties.

I was in the prime of my young career and used to boldly wear a T-shirt emblazoned with the words, "The World's Got the 8," an open invitation to anybody. Unbeknownst to me, the legendary "Filipino Invasion" was about to unfold, and I will never forget the first time I laid my eyes o­n the first wave to hit the shore-Jose "Amang" Parica.

He drifted in the side door of Hard Times unnoticed and abruptly parked himself o­n the rail. I checked him out in my peripheral vision as he gingerly sipped o­n a hot cup of tea, and it wasn't long before we exchanged eyeball contact.  Small in stature, he didn't look like a pool player at all, wearing those hard leather shoes and a designer polo shirt tucked neatly in his pressed black khakis. So when he politely asked me for the break playing 9-ball, I had no fear and readily gave it to him, not realizing who or what he was.

As the games progressed and I observed Jose's shot-making capabilities, I sensed a shark in the water. He moved the balls with grace and a perfect touch, and if he missed, I was staring at a safety or an impossible shot. It became clear that I was in a trap when the fickle railbirds, seeing me wounded, began to line up and bet against me. The final nail in my coffin was the inside floater, a shot Jose makes effortlessly to this very day, and I am going to share it with you.

This is a perfect offensive shot, but as shown in the diagram, the end result can be a defensive tactic as well, and it comes up in all games. You want to sink the object ball in the left corner pocket. The desired path is for the cue ball to hit the front rail after making contact with the object ball. Use low left-hand english, about 8 o'clock, so that the cue ball will float back and come to rest against the back rail, resulting in a good safety in case you miss.

Follow through and use medium speed when stroking the cue ball. Don't grip the cue stick too tightly because it needs to be free flowing and level as it glides through your bridge hand as well. The ball speed is the most important characteristic of the inside floater. In order to acquaint yourself with the proper technique, experiment by over cutting the ball first. If the object ball hits the front rail, that means you are not cutting the ball enough. If the object ball hits the side rail, adjust the amount of spin until you obtain the necessary texture needed for the shot.

Practice by placing the cue ball at a shorter distance until you are able to recognize the proper amount of ball speed and spin, which will help you to determine a suitable comfort level.

A beginning surfer, believing he's indestructible, learns quickly to respect the ocean; a champion surfer knows the importance of choosing the right wave at the precise time, rather than simply challenging any wave that comes along.

Only a moment before Parica walked into my life, I considered myself invincible, like the novice surfer.  But when I faced him o­n the field of green that day, there was something in his eyes that made me realize he could look o­n heights beyond my gaze, a characteristic of true champions. People say that he started the invasion, but I think they got it wrong.  Parica actually was the invasion.