subject: Different Types Of Shots Made With Pool Cues [print this page] A player in pool or any other cue sport makes use of the cue stick to make various types of shots. The knowledge of each of these shots is essential to take their advantage during the game.
In the language of cue spots, a shot is referred to as an action to shoot the balls with the cue stick. There are many types of shots possible in pool and other cue sports. Interestingly, there are different types of cues used to make some of these shots. The following discussion is about the main shots in pool and other cue sports.
Break Shot
The first shot of a pool game is called the break shot. The aim of this shot is to separate the object balls that are initially racked together.
Bank Shot
Commonly referred to as bank, a bank shot is played to drive the object balls to one or more rails, before they are pocketed. A variation of the shot is called bank-the-8 shot used in eight-ball pool version in which the 8 ball must be pocketed on the bank shot.
Cut Shot
It is a shot which is not a center-to-center hit but is played with a degree of angle. Back cut and feather shot are two sub-types of the cut shot.
Draw Shot
A draw shot is the one in which the player strikes a cue ball below its equator with enough draw or back spin to make the ball reverse direction when it comes in contact with the object ball.
Follow Shot
The shot in which enough top spin is used to strike the cue ball above its equator so that the cue ball travels forward after touching the object ball.
Jump Shot
It is an interesting shot in which the cue ball is made to jump so that it passes an obstacle.
Kick Shot
It describes the shot in which the cue ball is driven to one of the rails before it reaches an object ball.
Masse Shot
It is a shot in which the direction of the cue ball is completely reversed by imparting extreme spin to the ball. A variation in the shot is called semi-masse shot in which a moderate curve is introduced to the cue ball's direction.
There are many other shots that one can learn with time. Practice the above-mentioned shots in the beginning to have a grip on the game.
