Aiming for power draw

7stud

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The condition of your tip, and the cloth makes a huge difference in draw. I recently had my tip re-shaped to make it more concaved......from a "nickle" to a "dime", i guess, and draw takes half the effort as it did prior. If the cloth is old, nasty, chalk covered bar table cloth, big draw shots are very difficult and unlikely. I can go to hit a big draw shot and watch the cueball stop dead on dirty tables. On clean equipment, it draws like the table is ice.
Many people say concave tips are the best! Chalking is a pain, though.

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smiling_Hans

Well-known member
if you hit in the same spot you get the same draw basically. the speed of the stick has almost all the effect.

try snapping your wrist to speed it up.

like a golfer does with his wrists.
That’s what I do. Use cue speed.

It will draw below center aim and shot through and down.

How fast or how much spin is dependent on the speed. A slow shoot through will draw. A fast snap or poke will yield the same result.
 

TXDiver

Member
Q: Just to understand what you're getting and what you want, what number reflects your draw amount on this shot [shooting the 8 one diamond away]? And where do you want to end up? For example, if you can consistently shoot the 8 (from one diamond away) and draw to the short rail and back to the side pocket, that would be pretty decent draw.

-tdView attachment 757803
I just set this up and tried it. On my 8ft table, with my one tip (I use 12.5mm) below center, I can consistently get back to the short rail, bounce off and stop at the second diamond. I can’t get back to the side pocket.
 

TXDiver

Member
I just set this up and tried it. On my 8ft table, with my one tip (I use 12.5mm) below center, I can consistently get back to the short rail, bounce off and stop at the second diamond. I can’t get back to the side pocket.

Q: Just to understand what you're getting and what you want, what number reflects your draw amount on this shot [shooting the 8 one diamond away]? And where do you want to end up? For example, if you can consistently shoot the 8 (from one diamond away) and draw to the short rail and back to the side pocket, that would be pretty decent draw.

-tdView attachment 757803
With regard to what I want, I have seen people hit an object ball 6-7 diamonds away and not only get back to the short rail but bounce off of it. That’s where I’d like to get, not that it would help my game any. Right now, 4 diamonds away is about the max I can hit a ball and get back to the short rail.
 

skiergd011013

Well-known member
With regard to what I want, I have seen people hit an object ball 6-7 diamonds away and not only get back to the short rail but bounce off of it. That’s where I’d like to get, not that it would help my game any. Right now, 4 diamonds away is about the max I can hit a ball and get back to the short rail.
I didnt read through the whole thread to see if this was asked. What is the condition of the balls, and the cloth you are playing with?
 

td873

C is for Cookie
Silver Member
With regard to what I want, I have seen people hit an object ball 6-7 diamonds away and not only get back to the short rail but bounce off of it. That’s where I’d like to get, not that it would help my game any. Right now, 4 diamonds away is about the max I can hit a ball and get back to the short rail.
It sounds like the OB is at/near the pocket. So, drawing from 7 diamonds away, and then back, is around 15 diamonds of draw (back position below). It sounds like you are shooting from around the side pocket [4 diamonds from 1 ball]? That's only a 3 diamond difference, so you are drawing 12 diamonds, which is pretty good.

Draw_test_2.png
 

TXDiver

Member
I didnt read through the whole thread to see if this was asked. What is the condition of the balls, and the cloth you are playing with?
Balls are good, Aramith. Cloth is Billiard Factory’s premium cloth, 5 years old, has got quite a few burn marks from practice before I switch to Aramith balls. I will probably change the cloth to Simonis 860HR soon.
 

David in FL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Since the subject line was "aiming" for a power draw, I'll offer this…

For extreme draw shots, I aim at the very bottom of the ball. Pretty much where it touches the table. The reason being is that I know that with that particular strong stroke, my tendency is to drop my elbow and I end up actually striking the cue ball higher than where I initially aimed.

I suspect that a lot of other players do the same. The result is that they end up striking the cue ball higher than they actually think they are.

Again, just a personal perspective and ymmv...
 

Mark V

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Getting the shaft turned down to about 12mm and putting a good tip, like a Kamui, helps immensely. To me, it’s much easier to contact low without miscueing this way. Anything less than 12mm feels a little too thin to me. I use preflag masters but I’m sure that’s more psychological than anything else.

It’s completely possible to still draw like a gorilla with a 13mm shaft and a triangle tip, but this makes it a bit easier.
 

td873

C is for Cookie
Silver Member
I just tried the shot you suggested (shooting from 7 diamonds away) and it's actually hard to bridge from there. That said, on my 9' diamond I can get around 18-20 diamonds of draw, with a slightly elevated cue due to the rail. My cloth is maybe 4 years old, but the balls are pretty clean. I shoot with a Cuetec Cynergy 11.8 with whatever tip comes from the factory.

If I was going to guess, I would suggest that your intended tip position is different than your actual contact position. You can verify this by taking your phone and getting some video from the side when you shoot a draw shot. This will confirm/deny your contact point vs intended point, and perhaps illustrate how you can aim lower without getting to your miscue point.

Some_Draw_Shots.png



 
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Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
.... So why are all the guys with YouTube channels telling everyone to hit as low as possible? ...
Not all of them say that.

It turns out that if the cue ball is close to the object ball, hitting as low as you can hit without a miscue will give you the most draw for a given stick speed.

If the balls are farther apart, you are better off hitting somewhat higher on the cue ball. You won't get as many RPMs on the cue ball, but it will get there faster (for a given stick speed), and consequently the cue ball will not lose as much draw on the way to the object ball.

One reason a lot of instructors say "as low as possible" is that many players -- even some who have been playing for years -- never hit anywhere close to the miscue limit on any shot. They have never learned to really spin the ball.

You might want to get your fundamentals checked by a good coach/instructor. Find one who can do video recording and analysis of your shots.
 

bbb

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I just tried the shot you suggested (shooting from 7 diamonds away) and it's actually hard to bridge from there. That said, on my 9' diamond I can get around 18-20 diamonds of draw, with a slightly elevated cue due to the rail. My cloth is maybe 4 years old, but the balls are pretty clean. I shoot with a Cuetec Cynergy 11.8 with whatever tip comes from the factory.

If I was going to guess, I would suggest that your intended tip position is different than your actual contact position. You can verify this by taking your phone and getting some video from the side when you shoot a draw shot. This will confirm/deny your contact point vs intended point, and perhaps illustrate how you can aim lower without getting to your miscue point.

View attachment 757822


impressive
wish i could do that....😢
seems you had low left on many of your draw shots by the way the cue ball came off the head rail
was that on purpose?
 

TXDiver

Member
Not all of them say that.

It turns out that if the cue ball is close to the object ball, hitting as low as you can hit without a miscue will give you the most draw for a given stick speed.

If the balls are farther apart, you are better off hitting somewhat higher on the cue ball. You won't get as many RPMs on the cue ball, but it will get there faster (for a given stick speed), and consequently the cue ball will not lose as much draw on the way to the object ball.

One reason a lot of instructors say "as low as possible" is that many players -- even some who have been playing for years -- never hit anywhere close to the miscue limit on any shot. They have never learned to really spin the ball.

You might want to get your fundamentals checked by a good coach/instructor. Find one who can do video recording and analysis of your shots.
Any recommendations for the Houston area?
 

dr_dave

Instructional Author
Gold Member
Silver Member
It turns out that if the cue ball is close to the object ball, hitting as low as you can hit without a miscue will give you the most draw for a given stick speed.

If the balls are farther apart, you are better off hitting somewhat higher on the cue ball. You won't get as many RPMs on the cue ball, but it will get there faster (for a given stick speed), and consequently the cue ball will not lose as much draw on the way to the object ball.

For those who want to learn more about this, check out the info and videos here:


One reason a lot of instructors say "as low as possible" is that many players -- even some who have been playing for years -- never hit anywhere close to the miscue limit on any shot. They have never learned to really spin the ball.

Agreed. But another problem is that many people tense up during a draw shot, causing the tip to hit lower than it is at address. For those who want to improve draw shot effectiveness, consistency, and control, check out the videos and info here:

 

td873

C is for Cookie
Silver Member
impressive
wish i could do that....😢
seems you had low left on many of your draw shots by the way the cue ball came off the head rail
was that on purpose?
No, not on purpose. There are 2 main reasons I mis-hit these shots:
1) It is hard to cue the ball at that spot. The bridge distance is too short to use a normal table bridge, but too long for a good rail bridge (for me). This causes a small mis-hit on occasion.
2) Shooting with that much power exacerbates any mechanics issues (and I have plenty!).

-td
 
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