Are you trying to improve your pool game? In this article, you'll find 15 types of pool shots that will give you an edge over your opponent.
Let's check them out.
Break Shot
- Tightly rack all of the balls so they are snug together and don’t roll away from the center of the table
- Make sure that the shooting side foot can evenly pivot, allowing you to stand upright, which provides more motion through your shooting arm and allows the body to add more power
- Move the shooting arm smoothly to allow for a fast and smooth strike
- Build up speed in the hands and the fingers, as this is where the true power of a clean break comes from
- After building up speed and getting the power that you need, you can add a wrist deviation, which will add a little more power and motion to the break
- Relax the grip to allow the cue stick to loosen up, which allows more of the motion and power to pass through to the balls
- Only use a little chalk when breaking, as you want to make sure that the cue ball rebounds quickly on the break
Straight Shot
Mentally line up where the cue ball is supposed to go so the cue stick can be placed directly on that line
Place the tip of the cue stick at a straight angle to the ball in order to strike the ball directly forward
Rest the front end of the cue stick on your bridge hand, holding the back of the cue stick with the other, allowing this hand and arm to be the one to control the motion of the stick
Using the back arm, push forward quickly to the cue ball, allowing the tip of the cue stick to strike the ball quickly
Don’t use much follow-through, as this will serve to guide the cue ball instead of striking it into position and into motion
Jump Shot
Remember that actually scooping up the cue ball is illegal
Line up to strike the cue ball above center or at dead center for the best results
Line up your arm under your shoulder instead of holding your arm out from the side
Hold the cue tip so that it connects with the cue ball from above and then quickly push down on the back end of the cue stick
Stand on your toes on the same side of your body as your shooting arm, which helps keep the cue grip low
By holding the cue stick at a lower angle to the ball, players can make the ball jump lower
Holding the cue stick at a higher angle will make the ball jump higher
The stronger the shot, the farther the ball will travel
The back arm’s grip must be loose enough to quickly move the cue stick out of the way so that it doesn’t capture and trap the ball during its jump
Slip Shot
Slip shots, or slip strokes, are designed to help players minimize how much their cue stick moves back on their back stroke
Players must stop their cue stick when performing a back stroke, then slide their hand farther up on the cue stick to grab it again and release it on the forward motion
As long as the tip of the cue stick stays on the target, this will not result in any stroke deviation
By allowing the cue stick to slip forward in the hand during the movement of this stroke, players can enjoy extra stroke in their ball with very minimal effort
It’s imperative for players to have a correct stance and to make sure that their tip doesn’t move when it comes into contact with the cue ball for best results
Masse or Curve Shot
Players must tilt the axis of their ball to make it spin to the inside of their curve
By holding the cue stick at a horizontal angle, you can create a forward motion of the ball
Begin by chalking the tip of the cue stick well to ensure that it will be able to easily grab the ball
Make sure to use enough force when hitting the cue ball to allow for extra table resistance, which will cause the ball to curve
After stroking, stay down over the table and watch the curve of the ball so you can determine where you went wrong and adjust future shots
Angled Shot
Imagine there is a ball in the position where the cue ball needs to hit in order to make it into the pocket
Look through the imaginary ball to the edge of the ball you need to hit so that the edge of your desired ball is the in the middle of the imaginary ball
Draw a mental line on the pool table from the edge of the ball, through the imaginary ball, to the cue stick to see the path that you want your cue ball to take
Place the cue stick on the imaginary line and then strike the cue ball so that it hits your desired ball and puts it directly into the pocket
This will result in the ball going into the pocket and the cue ball striking the rail instead of following the ball into the pocket
Forced Follow Shot
First, set up the shot to hit the cue ball about a ball away from the target ball
Hit through the center of the cue ball for extreme gyration, which will force the cue ball to travel through the shot and hit other balls into the pockets
Hit the cue ball extremely high, a bit on the left or right side to force it to continue through the motion of the ball
Using a force follow shot is a great way to dive the cue ball around a group of balls and to add a little curve to your shots
Use a straight and smooth stroke to provide enough power to the cue ball to make it travel on its path
English Shot
After mastering straight shots, pool players can advance to English shots in order to add some spin to the ball and make their shots more advanced
Keep using the straight shot technique but begin to hit the ball either below or above the center to add spin
Remember that hitting below the center adds backspin, while hitting above the center adds topspin
Use the front hand to help steady the cue stick and prepare it to strike the cue ball, and use the back hand and arm to pull back and add power when striking
Practice this shot, learning how to add backspin or topspin to the cue ball to make it easy to pocket a second ball after a traditional straight shot
Draw Shot
Strike the cue ball firmly and confidently just below the center
Line up the cue stick and make sure that it is as level as possible with the cue ball
Keeping your grip loose allows for more follow-through
Never try to pull the cue stick back too quickly, as it is only through follow-through that the ball will start to roll back
Visualize moving a very heavy ball when you hit, which will allow you to hit the ball more softly, and move slowly away from the ball
Follow Shot
Hit the ball above center to make the cue ball spin forward much faster than it rolls
Make sure to line up the cue ball with the ball that you want to hit so that you can easily hit them with a straight shot
Practice how high above center to hit the cue ball in order to add enough follow-through to the ball for the best results
The harder the cue ball is hit, the longer it will stay on the tangent line before it begins to move forward
Hitting the cue ball more softly will cause it to move off the tangent line more quickly, which results in the cue ball having more of a forward motion
Stun Shot
Hitting the ball above center will cause it to roll forward, but hitting the cue ball below center will provide it with backspin
Players can make the ball slide by hitting it directly in the center
Players need to practice hitting the ball lower and higher as well as with different intensities to learn how this will affect the slowing and sliding of the ball
With multiple variations of how to hit the ball for certain end results, players must practice for the best results
Players use the same smooth motion of the back striking arm when hitting a stun shot as they do when hitting a regular straight or break shot, but simply don’t put as much power behind the motion as they would when breaking
Bank Shot
Involves using a rail to help you pocket a ball
The object ball can either be struck into the cushion or the cushion can be hit first, which then will propel the object ball toward the pocket
Players must understand how to hit the cue ball with side spin, so that the object ball will have this spin after contact, and know how that amount of spin will impact the motion of the ball after hitting the rails
Players can either eyeball the shot or rely on the diamonds to make adjustments when determining how to hit the object ball
Begin by choosing which side to hit and how hard to hit the cue ball, taking into consideration rail friction and topspin
Players must make sure to allow for ample follow-through without actually pushing the cue ball to ensure that it stays on path and doesn’t deviate to the side after impact
Stop Shot
Transfer energy from the cue ball to the object ball but make sure that the cue ball stops in its tracks by controlling the angle of the cue stick
By setting a straight angle, players can prevent the cue ball from moving
Aim in the center of the ball, or just below center of the cue ball, causing it to slide
Because the cue ball slides and doesn’t roll, it will stop once it has transferred its energy to the object ball
Players need to get low to be able to see that they are centered on the ball
Cue balls that are farther away from the object ball must hit with more power as well as a bit lower, to prevent the ball from starting to roll and gain high spin
Spin Shot
Players need to hit the cue ball towards the bottom, which will cause it to spin off of the object ball
Hitting below the center of the cue ball will cause it to spin backwards after hitting the object ball, as opposed to stopping in its tracks or continuing to roll forward
Players must learn how to compensate for the spin that will be added to the ball by practicing their shots and seeing how different cue stick placements affect the spin
Pulling the cue stick back far enough will allow players to put enough power and strength into their hit so that this energy transfers to the object ball
The Butterfly
Players set up six object balls in the middle of the table, placing them in the shape of a butterfly
Using a single shot, players must break the butterfly and land each ball in one of the six pockets on the table
Put the cue ball on the centerline of the table at the third diamond
Make sure that all six balls are lined up with their pockets so that they don’t require any spin to make the shot
Use the cue stick to hit the cut ball straight down the middle of the table, splitting the six balls evenly
With a little practice and adjustment, players will be able to consistently nail this shot, as long as the cue ball is hit correctly and the other balls are all lined up with the short rail point of their pockets