Anyone else here like to use drag shots?

If you often have unwanted side spin, drag is a problem. You will get more swerve with drag and side.

Niels talked about increasing/multiplying side spin with drag. That's very useful but I don't usually think of such shots as drag shots.

An additional reason drag shots are nice is that you can hit the cue ball harder, which might be closer to your comfort range of speeds, than for a plain slow-roller.
 
never recall needing to
especially on the first shot where just follow will do
soft(not slow roll) full hit will kill it
trying to drag on that i feel id lose accuracy
 
Occasionally, but i try to avoid it for the reasons Bob says above. I would generally prefer rolling the cueball unless the table doesn't allow. Then it's using the cushions or another ball to slow the cueball.
 
My league plays on a few, shall I call them, "less than level" tables. If you try to play a slow roller, or have a longer distance shot that you want to just tap into the pocket, you run the risk of missing due to the roll-off. I have learned to play drag shots in those circumstances so that I can hit a little harder, through the roll-off, and still have the cue do what I want. They're actually not that easy if you have more than a half table distance. Trying to get the right amount of backspin, and have it start rolling forward at the right time isn't easy.
 
When I’m very familiar with the equipment I tend to use drag shots more often. Also I have to be instroke as well.

If I’m playing on unfamiliar equipment and completely out of stroke-like now. I’d avoid a drag shot unless it was the only solution and I’d still look around for another idea.

When everything is right, then yes it’s a great tool. But as mentioned above it comes with some risk of unintended consequences.

Or something like that,

Fatboy<——-needs a ☕
 
I like drag shots a lot. The challenge is knowing what equipment allows them to work best. If I'm playing on old and dirty cloth I try to not use them much. In the right conditions they can be powerful shots.
 
Personally, not into drag shots -- but if it floats your boat...

Lou Figueroa
 

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I appreciate the added humor here, really. However, for a player & forum member like me, this is the kind of thread that I look for to ‘pickup’ my game.

I’ve been messing with this type shot in my practice for a couple of days now and if not for this info the sidespin element would have taken me years to figure out, if ever.

My instructor has had me work on stop shots of different lengths and angles and this feels to me like a variation of that.
 
OK, more seriously: yes drag shots are an invaluable tool to have in the box.

Personally, I find the need to use them relatively rare but they can certainly be useful. It’s like knowing how to shoot little micro-jump shots or demi-masses to clear the edge of a ball.

So not about drag shots but something I came up with on the fly this past weekend that you might find useful. Now admittedly probably everyone else in the room knows this one but I had to discover it on my own mid game.

I’m playing Ronnie Wiseman on the streaming table and the only shot I can see is kicking into several balls on the end rail by his pocket. I’m in a jam because we’re playing on older GC, I need a steep angle of attack, and I can’t see any diamonds on the rail. So I’m desperately looking for something to aim at, like a chalk mark or stain on the side rail, and then it comes to me: you’re going to have to roll over somewhere on the spot! So I aim at the part of the spot I think is right and… it works.

Lou Figueroa
 
Just another stroke every player should have.
Practiced in length increments of three or four and in a month or four you should own the stroke.
Shots are shots, not a big deal. Shots are collateral damage when practicing the swing.
You must commit to stroke control practice or forever be average/mediocre.
I’ve never seen a player that wasn’t a shot maker or can pocket balls but I’ve seen thousands that have no stroke and lack cue ball control.
 
I like drag shots and also an inside english drag shot will keep the CB close to the rail. For example if I’m shooting the OB down the long rail into the corner pocket and don’t want the CB to come off the long rail towards the middle of the end rail inside low drag shot will keep the CB closer to the long rail towards the corner pocket where the OB dropped. Sometimes you can’t get that angle any other way
 
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