Stroke shots aren’t as straightforward to define as some of the other trick shot disciplines. Speed control shots are most prevalent here though as well as jump-draw shots and frozen cue ball stroke shots where you have to shoot the cue ball into a frozen ball. Here are seven easy stroke pool trick shots with video instructions on how to do them.
The first shot in the stroke discipline is a lag shot. Shoot the cue ball off the far cushion and have it come back and stop within one diamond of the near cushion while passing in between the blocking balls each time. There’s no real magic here, although if you’re looking for help, you could try moving to a lighter cue that will match your natural swing speed. The cue ball will rebound differently off of different cushions too, so be careful about that. I like to adjust my speed by changing the length of my bridge or my back swing. WATCH LAG INSTRUCTIONS
I’m not really sure how this got classified as a stroke shot. The diagram’s simple and the instructions say “hit it with any stroke you wish”. You can hit it with follow and bounce off the short rail a few times or just try to stun the cue ball over. So you have options, just pick the one which is most consistent for you. And although it looks trivial, be very precise in how you set up the yellow hanging ball in the pocket to make sure you’re contacting it the same way and at the same angle every time. WATCH ANY STROKE VIDEO TUTORIAL
If the first, single lag shot wasn’t enough for you, here’s a triple lag shot. Shoot the yellow, then the blue, then the red ball. The yellow and red balls must end up within a diamond of the far rail while the blue ball ends up within a diamond of the near rail. All balls must be shot before the first one hits a rail or stops moving, which adds a touch of skill since you’ll need to calibrate your speed pretty quickly. You can angle the yellow and red balls to give yourself a larger landing strip if you need. WATCH TRIPLE LAG STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS
Want to try more speed control, here’s a five rail lag shot! Well, it’s technically seven, but the last two rails are used just to slow the ball down as the cue ball doesn’t keep going around the table. At least you get the place the dollar bill where you want within the indicated zone. Try to find a position where you give yourself the maximum chance to roll the cue ball over it, even placing it diagonally if need be. Other than that, pick your cue ball starting position and aim point and have at it. WATCH FIVE RAIL LAG VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS
OK, one last speed control shot. This one’s a little tougher since the target is in the middle of the table. Adjust your cue ball position and aim point to get the best line to roll across the diameter of the circle, then adjust your speed from there. I prefer not to use any english as it makes my cue ball path more consistent. I’ve seen some players use a jump cue on this shot to better calibrate their speed or you can try moving the cue ball forward or backwards, if you have room. WATCH 4 RAIL CENTER CIRCLE LAG DIRECTIONS
Here’s a trick shot requiring a good jump-draw stroke. You need to elevate your cue a little to get the jump and hit low on the cue ball to get the draw. The trickier part is coming off at just the right angle so the cue ball makes the ball into the corner pocket. If you jump too far, you can bounce off the short rail. If you don’t get as much angle but have enough spin, you can draw straight back into the object ball and the cue ball, while still spinning, will shepherd it into the corner. If you get lucky, you’ll just cut the ball in, but multiple kisses are allowed.WATCH JUMP DRAW VIDEO TUTORIAL
This is a resistance draw trick shot. With the cue ball frozen to the four balls, shoot into the line of balls and get the cue ball to draw back around the table to pocket the hanger. This shot can feel unnatural since most players aren’t used to shooting into the cue ball when frozen to other balls. Getting the angle just right isn’t easy either, but you can adjust the angle and position of the row of balls to compensate. Also, watch out for the side pocket, try to come up short if you can so you won’t scratch. WATCH RESISTANCE DRAW INSTRUCTIONS
More video tutorials
1. Trick / Fancy
2. Special Arts
3. Draw
4. Follow
5. Bank / Kick
6. Stroke
7. Jump
8. Masse