To kick us off on position play we will start with the most basic and essential shot, the [[Stun Shot]]. As per the previous lesson the stun shot , the cue ball does not have any [[foreword]] or [[backwards]] spin when it collides with the object ball.
Most of the shots that you will experience in the game of pocket billiards will have some angle.
When you use stun on an angled shot the ball will lean towards the 90 degree tangent line.
Refer to the video. The cue ball will follow the [[tangent line]] of the aim line.
It is very important to know this to be able to visualize how draw and follow shots effect the angle at which the cue ball separates from the object ball
The other more obvious use of the stun or "[[Stop]]" shot is to stop the ball dead.
Refer to the illustration below. By using the stun shot to pocket the one ball you will have perfect position to pocket the 8 ball and win.
Here's another example where the use of two stun shots will win you the game. First you will need to pocket the one ball using stun. This will set you up with a straight on shot on the two ball allowing you to use stun. Using stun again on the two ball will set you up with a great shot on the [[eight ball]].
The importance of understanding stun relates more to the follow shot and draw shot than anything else. The stun shot is the starting point that you will gauge from.
Being able to determine that 90 degree tangent line will be essential in your position play.
The [[draw]] shot as discussed in the previous lesson is acchieved by applying a below center hit on the [[cue ball]]. It is carachterized by the cue ball pulling towards away from the aim line of the [[object ball]].
Always start by visualizing the 90 degree[[ tangent line]] to have a line to gauge from .
The draw shot will pull the cue ball back away from the 90 degree tangent line.
The line that the cue ball will travel is determined by the amount of [[backspin]] the cue ball has after contact with the object ball. and the angle at which you hit the object ball.
This video shows how draw can be used to prevent an obvious scratch shot.
The draw is one half of the puzzle in basic shot positioning. After a tiny bit of practice you should be able to understand how the path of the ball is changed by draw.
Keep in mind that the at a greater cut angle, you will not be able to pull the cue ball away from the tangent line as much as you can when the shot is closer to straight in.
Draw from different shooting positions
The illustration above shows the 90 degree tangent line in green. This line also represents the path that a stun shot from any of the ball positions could travel
This picture is merely for illustration. The paths of these balls are defined not only by the angle at which they are shot, but also by the ammount of draw that is imposed on the cue ball.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 September 2008 22:57 )
Draw from different shooting positions