Drawing The Cueball

9 ball

9 ball

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am having a problem that's bringing my game down, I just for life of me no matter how hard I try I canno't draw the cueball.

When I attempt to draw it, all that happens is instead of a draw shot it turns into a stun or stop shot as you call it.

Can anyone tell me what I can do in order to fix this gaping problem in my game because not being able to do this my game is slowly turning to $***.
 
I am by no means an expert, but I can speak to what I was taught by Bob Jewett. To put it simply, hit lower on the cue ball and make sure your cue is level. I see a lot of people trying to get draw and their cue is at a 30 degree angle, which usually ends up in a stop/stun shot. I'm sure there are many more wiser than me that will expand further, but that would be my humble advise.
 
First off you need to develop and practice a good follow through stroke and maintain a level stroke. With a good stroke you could aim a tip below center and produce a great draw shot.
 
Elbow drop prior to the cue tip contacting the cue ball

9 ball said:
I am having a problem that's bringing my game down, I just for life of me no matter how hard I try I canno't draw the cueball.

When I attempt to draw it, all that happens is instead of a draw shot it turns into a stun or stop shot as you call it.

Can anyone tell me what I can do in order to fix this gaping problem in my game because not being able to do this my game is slowly turning to $***.
Click to expand...

9 ball:

More than likely you're dropping your elbow [excessively] on the final cue delivery. I have a friend who does EXACTLY this, and it's because of his excessive elbow drop. The problem is that when he first started learning to play pool, he taught himself (or convinced himself?) that the cue "should travel like a piston or solenoid, without any up and down movement whatsoever," and he ingrained a significant elbow drop in his stroke in his attempt to keep the cue traveling on the same horizontal plane. The problem is that his elbow drop is now haywire, and the butt of the cue actually descends slightly during cue delivery, which obviously makes the cue tip rise at the same time. The important thing to note is that he does this before the cue tip has contacted the cue ball.

When he tries to draw his rock, he gets a stun or stop shot. When he tries to do a stop/stun shot, he gets a slight follow. And he dares not attempt a follow shot -- he says "he always miscues off the top of the cue ball." Hmm... :D

After pulling my hair out arguing with him that he's dropping his elbow (he argues with me that he "actually strives to make the cue travel like a piston"), I finally convinced him to get a lesson with Scott Lee. Scott's "let's go to the video tape!" approach should show my friend's elbow drop in all its glory.

You might want to pause with your cue tip at the cue ball (this is called the "set" position), and concentrate on pinning your elbow when you pull the cue back and when you stroke through the cue ball (with "through" being the key operative word). Do not move the position of your elbow up or down *at all*. It might even be helpful to "look back there" at first, and watch your cue delivery.

Hope this is helpful!
-Sean

P.S.: Now before I get trounced with replies, I'm not saying elbow drop is "bad." You'll see many pros drop their elbows on the cue delivery. But they do so *after* the cue tip has already contacted the cue ball and sent the cue ball on its way. There's the difference.
 
How do you hold the cue? If you grab it and hold it tight, it could produce this result... Got to let the cue do all the work. If you hit between the center of the ball and the cloth, and hold the cue level and lightly with your thumb and index finger and hit "through the ball" you almost cannot stop your cue from drawing the ball back.
 
barber23 said:
First off you need to develop and practice a good follow through stroke and maintain a level stroke. With a good stroke you could aim a tip below center and produce a great draw shot.
Click to expand...

Very well said....I rarely go more than a tip off center and my draw works great. Its more about acceleration through the CB and going home with the grip and a level stroke than it is anything else.

The OP is most likely bunting and decelerating his stroke prior to CB contact.....send the hand to your finish spot, don't bunt. Bunting kills any and all action you try and create.....its especially brutal on draw shots b/c of the inherent deceleration. If you hit the finish spot then acceleration is optimum and everything will work better and easier. That is why players have to hit balls harder than normal b/c they are bunting/decelerating prior to making contact......

-Grey Ghost-
 
Your not striking the CB where you think you are. One last look at the CB before delivery to make sure you are indeed striking low.
 
Its obvious you need help with your stroke. You should seek help from someone who knows stroke mechanics, like an instructor. The best thing until then is review this information from another poster. http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/draw.html#advice

I'll add, when you practice draw shots start off close to the object ball. Say a foot or so then increase the distance a foot at a time. That's how you learn, smaller steps. This will improve your confidence (which you really need) even if it is a short distance. Increase the distance until you struggle then go back a foot or to where you are comfortable. As I said before build confidence, failing over and over again is a wasted effort and will not help you at this point.

Rod
 
I had trouble with that when I started playing again a year ago. What worked for me was to get and empty coke bottle and stroke through it with my cue until I could do it 100 times without hitting the edges of the opening. I know there are gadgets out there for sale, but it really helped me to think about how I was stroking. You can jack it up or smash one side down to practice follow and draw shots. I'm now pro (or instructor for that matter), it's just what worked for me. Good luck.
 
If only there were such a thing as a transparent cue ball.

Most of the people I see who have the hardest time with draw, are actually shooting center ball. They may line up like theyre going a tip below, but when they actually strike the cue.. they raise their tip and hit center ball.

If you quit trying to strike the cue ball, at that point of contact, and start shooting through it.. to the object ball. You can fix this. Pretend the cue ball isnt there, drop the tip and stroke to the object ball. This is a pretty simple way to fix a lot of problems with a new players stroke.
 
You are probably over hitting which is making you hit higher on the cue ball than you intend to. To practice your draw shot, start out slow. Try to make sure you are hitting exactly where you want on the cue ball, having somebody watch helps. After you get used to that, start gradually adding speed to it. Eventually you will become more accurate and figure out that it doesn't actually take that much speed to get the cue ball to come back, even from far away.
 
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Draw shot

There are two ways to draw the cue. The first I call the old zippity-do. Snap back like a striking rattlesnake and of course cue it low. For a lot of players this is the first they learn and easy. The problem is sometimes you draw way too far. The hardest draw shot is short distance, a few inches. Lots of people can draw 5 ft. but not 5 in. The second draw is a follow thru draw, no snapping back and a little harder to learn but can control cue in. instead of ft. Shoot thru the cue and follow thru with your stroke, eventually it will happen. The two shots all poolplayer MUST have in their arsenal are the draw and the stop shot. Without these progress is very slow if not non existant. And never forget you miss 100% of shots you never take!!
 
To make sure you are indeed hitting the CB below center set up some straight in shots with the OB maybe only a foot away. Set your bridge low, aim low, and for purposes of this shot look at the cue ball when you stroke, not the object ball. Don't worry about making the shot.

If you follow through with an accelerating stroke and a level cue, the cue ball should find reverse gear. But at least by looking where you are trying to hit the CB instead of looking at the OB you will see if you are hitting the CB as low as you think you are.

One more thing, once you learn to draw the ball, don't fall head over heels in love with it. :D
 
Mr. Wiggles said:
There are two ways to draw the cue. The first I call the old zippity-do. Snap back like a striking rattlesnake and of course cue it low. For a lot of players this is the first they learn and easy.
Click to expand...

I'm interested in the physics of that one. I guess the fast "snap-back" of the cue creates a vacuum into which the ball (and a big volume of nearby air) is drawn?
 
Gotta follow through. It's as simple as that. Stroke through the cueball and you will see results.
 
Having your cue level works but so does having it elevated, see which one works best for you. Once you strike the cueball, let your cue follow all the way through so that the tip slides on the cloth. You can also set a stripped ball with the number facing you, and aim the tip where the white meets the color at the bottom, having a place to aim will bring back the confidence in drawing the cue ball you lost.
 
If you are new enough to the game that your stroke is not solidified, then you should probably start with some center ball drills and some basic pre-shot routing training. There is more to pre-shot than this, but pre-stroke should be:

First, while getting down, find a consistent way to get your cue down in line with the shot so you can stroke freely. Confirm this after you get down with 2 - 3 fast loose warm ups. Ask yourself, is this smooth and without binding? Keep going if yes. If no, stand up and get down again.

Then, pause at the cueball. This is where you set your cueball aiming point. Move your bridge hand to adjust your aim point on the cue. Also, confirm your aiming point on the OB. There is some shifting here. If too much, stand up and start again.

Then focus strokes. This is 1 - 3 strokes where I swing in an accelerating manner at the cue ball confirming speed, cue ball contact point, aiming point on OB and visualize making the shot/perfect leave. Know you will make it or stand up and start over.

Then pause on the cue ball aim point, pull back slowly like winding a spring, pause or transition from slow back swing to stop to slow, but accelerating forward swing.

See yourself strike through the cueball, and feel your stroke finish with your hand indexing to a point on the chest or in my case, I feel my lower arm meet my bicep.

Do this center ball like 30 - 50 times to groove it. Watch the cuetip strike the cueball. With a grooved stroke, all else will follow. Then, try this 1 tip below center. What are the results? Vary the speed. You should get good controllable draw. Now move that cue tip fractions of an inch lower until you see amazing draw without jumping off the table.

Finally, some people look OB last and others look CB last. I look CB last as I have had trouble with my cue tip missing my CB aim point.
 
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My guess is that you are clutching the butt of your cue a lot. Here is a little exercise for you.

Put the OB in front of the side pocket with the CB 6 inches from it. Aim your cue three tips below the center of the CB and hit the OB hard enough to draw it back to where the CB was. Concentrate on keeping your hands loose and your stroke as straight as you can. Once you do this you will realize just how little effort (tip speed) goes into drawing the CB. You should be able to draw the CB into the side pocket at less than lagging speed.
 
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