Kicking Shots
Banking the cue ball itself off one or more cushions to reach an object ball you cannot hit directly.
When you need a kick shot
A kick shot is required when your straight path to the object ball is blocked by another ball, forcing you to send the cue ball off one or more cushions first in order to make contact. Kicking is primarily a safety-escape and rule-compliance tool — most rulesets require you to hit your own object ball first, and a kick is often the only legal way to do that from a blocked position.
The same mirror rule, applied to the cue ball
The mirror-angle approach used for banking object balls applies to kicking the cue ball as well: picture the object ball's reflection across the cushion and aim the cue ball at that reflected point, adjusting for the same speed and spin effects that alter any rebound. Systems exist that use diamond markings on the rail to calculate kicking angles more precisely, but the mirror image remains the intuitive starting point.
One-rail versus multi-rail kicks
A one-rail kick is the simplest and most reliable; each additional cushion in a two- or three-rail kick compounds the uncertainty from speed and cloth conditions, making the shot progressively harder to control. When a safe, simple option exists, most players prefer a shorter kick with fewer rails, reserving longer multi-rail kicks for situations where no simpler legal shot is available.