Harold Worst 7 Rail Draw Shot - Fact or Fiction? Can anyone replicate this shot today?

Bob Jewett said:
The anecdote about Puckett's 5-rail draw shot, which has already been posted, is on page 113 of "Gospool". There is no diagram and no indication of how the balls were placed. For example, we don't know if the cue ball was drawn straight back or if there was a near rail involved. No distances are given in the quote.

Unless we find someone who was there and still remembers it -- from the 1960s 👴-- I think the details will remain a mystery.

I did see an amazing draw shot, and since the setup was dead simple, it's easy to describe:

It's a spot shot. The standard test for spot shot draw it to draw the cue ball off the side rail and then across the table to the side pocket on the same side the object ball is pocketed. You use outside english to help the shot. The shot I saw, and which the shooter said he was going to try before he shot it, is almost the same. He drew the cue ball off that same side rail but then to the corner pocket at the head of the table. This was at the Blue Cue in Berkeley, probably in 1966, and it was the shorter desk guy who shot it. New Gold Crown with blue cloth.
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I think the drawing you did was very accurate. I think the one detail we can all agree on unanimously - the man harold worst had a legendary and powerful stroke :)
 
garczar said:
This ain't bad:
I've stood table-side when he performs this and the 'violence' of the strike is something else. Uber-powerful cue delivery combined with perfect tip-to-cb contact.
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At a national 8-ball tournament (on 8-foot tables) he got the cue ball to draw two and a half lengths for the same shot. That is, instead of coming down slowly to end by the foot rail, the cue ball bounced off the foot rail to end between the side pockets. Even Mike thought he had done real good.
 
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Mensabum said:
If you use the side pocket, there's a shot there as well. Draw back into the corner then back up table. 7 would be a stretch for me. 5 maybe. 6??
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I have no idea what your shot is. A diagram would be best, but could you at least describe which order you hit the cushions in? End rail first? How far from the pocket? How straight is the shot?

The reason I ask "how straight is the shot" is that if you have a significant angle, you can get a lot of speed that the draw itself doesn't give you. There is a shot you can play on a fast table that is a little draw and a lot of angle that gets nine cushions.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I have no idea what your shot is. A diagram would be best, but could you at least describe which order you hit the cushions in? End rail first? How far from the pocket? How straight is the shot?

The reason I ask "how straight is the shot" is that if you have a significant angle, you can get a lot of speed that the draw itself doesn't give you. There is a shot you can play on a fast table that is a little draw and a lot of angle that gets nine cushions.
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Sorry Bob. All that stuff is over my head. I just hit it. I suppose one would have to use their imagination.
 
garczar said:
Best 'drawer' of the cb i've ever watched was Mike Massey in his prime show days and i don't think even he could draw the cb six rails. What's more Worst played mostly in the slow cloth era so i'm not going for this pool lore.
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Did anyone think about a light weight cue ball or heavy weight pool ball being used or both? Trick shots often have tricks to doing them.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I have no idea what your shot is. A diagram would be best, but could you at least describe which order you hit the cushions in? End rail first? How far from the pocket? How straight is the shot?

The reason I ask "how straight is the shot" is that if you have a significant angle, you can get a lot of speed that the draw itself doesn't give you. There is a shot you can play on a fast table that is a little draw and a lot of angle that gets nine cushions.
Click to expand...
5 rail off the tit make the ball down rail
 
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Bob Jewett said:
The anecdote about Puckett's 5-rail draw shot, which has already been posted, is on page 113 of "Gospool". There is no diagram and no indication of how the balls were placed. For example, we don't know if the cue ball was drawn straight back or if there was a near rail involved. No distances are given in the quote.

Unless we find someone who was there and still remembers it -- from the 1960s 👴-- I think the details will remain a mystery.

I did see an amazing draw shot, and since the setup was dead simple, it's easy to describe:

It's a spot shot. The standard test for spot shot draw it to draw the cue ball off the side rail and then across the table to the side pocket on the same side the object ball is pocketed. You use outside english to help the shot. The shot I saw, and which the shooter said he was going to try before he shot it, is almost the same. He drew the cue ball off that same side rail but then to the corner pocket at the head of the table. This was at the Blue Cue in Berkeley, probably in 1966, and it was the shorter desk guy who shot it. New Gold Crown with blue cloth.
Click to expand...
UJ was another dandy, a very funny fellow to be around. He was big and strong, even at age 60. In his younger days he would go in a poolroom and challenge anyone to play pool or fight. I asked him once if he ever got whipped, and he said "once or twice." I know all the pool players knew how tough he was. Even Fats was careful when talking about him. Fats would say something and look at UJ and say, "Ain't that right UJ?" I was lucky to be around all these interesting characters as a young man! Let's just say the pool world was entirely different before there were all these tournaments. EVERY player was a roadman and they each had their own different hustle. I learned and learned some more just by being around them and listening and paying attention.
 
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Bob Jewett said:
I have no idea what your shot is. A diagram would be best, but could you at least describe which order you hit the cushions in? End rail first? How far from the pocket? How straight is the shot?

The reason I ask "how straight is the shot" is that if you have a significant angle, you can get a lot of speed that the draw itself doesn't give you. There is a shot you can play on a fast table that is a little draw and a lot of angle that gets nine cushions.
Click to expand...
I knew if I commented on the side pocket, anyone with a players skill set would know the shot. There are variations, of course, but process of elimination of the few there are, will show the final shot to those w a players knowledge.
 
Six rails draw for position on the 4. This is arguable.

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garczar said:
Best 'drawer' of the cb i've ever watched was Mike Massey in his prime show days and i don't think even he could draw the cb six rails. What's more Worst played mostly in the slow cloth era so i'm not going for this pool lore.
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Florian can give Mike a run for his $. Mike’s words not mine! One of the coolest things I ever did in pool was introduce Mike to Florian many years ago. Both are great guys! They sure can spin the rock💪🙏🏼💪

Fatboy<——just a fly on the wall, in the right spot now and then😃
 
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