Progressive Practice, Draw Shots

For most people practicing pool means taking a single shot and playing it over and over. This is an effective way to become extremely bored very quick. I am more of a fan of progressive practice, learning techniques that are going to benefit every aspect of the game rather than one unlikely shot. The shots under progressive practice constantly change, keeping practice methods interesting and entertaining.

Today we will look at the draw shot. This, for those who don’t know, is when a backspin is applied to the cue ball in order to cause the cue ball to roll back to its original position after making contact with the object ball, so using draw allows you to position your ball for a better second shot.   Every pool shark has developed a strong draw shot. So if you want to be an extremely offensive player, you need to learn this technique.

Draw Shot

To get the ball to roll backward you have to strike just below center.  This will cause it to roll backward after making contact with the object ball, depending on how low and how hard you strike the ball.  Be careful not to hit the ball to low or you will cause a jump shot, which is a technique we will learn on another day.

How to Practice

Notice in diagram 1,  the object ball is positioned on the long rail just outside of the jaws of the corner pocket.  Start with the cue ball in position one.  Lean low to get a level view on the cue ball, place the point of the cue just below the center of the ball and strike.

The goal is to get enough draw so that your cue ball ends where it began.  If you made the shot from position one then move the cue ball to point two for the second time, and if you make it from point to move to point three and so forth. Keep in mind that a shot doesn’t count unless you get a full return with the cue ball. Anytime you do not get the cue ball to return to its original position you must move down to a lower level.

 Thom