Shot Diagrams and Instruction

by Eric "The Preacher" Yow!

Three Balls and Draw for a Fourth Shoot three and draw for a fourth Draw of three for one more: This is a relatively simple shot to set up and not very hard to shoot. The gray lines are the set up lines. We will number the balls near the side 1,2,3 starting from the ball closest to the side. The one pockets in the side, the two travels down table to the bottm left corner, and the three is thrown across the table to the top left corner. To set this shot up it is best to understand concepts of what happens when balls are frozen (touching), principle of throw, and tangents. This shot is a good lesson on such. To set the shot up, first lay your stick on the table where the gray line is that crosses the table at each side pocket. Standing at the bottom side pocket, you want to lay your tip just over the center of the far side pocket, letting the butt sit to the right of center of the bottom side. Place two balls, frozen, against the stick where the one ball is centered at the mouth of the pocket. This allows the two ball, when struck, to follow the tangent line off the one ball directly toward the appropriate corner. Tap those balls in, lightly, lightly so they stay, and for repetition. Next lay your stick next to the two ball, so they touch, placing the tip end of your stick under the rail just right of the top left corner. Place the three ball as shown in the diagram, frozen to the two, and touching the stick. Tap the three in place. Having the 2/3 combo aim a little right of the pocket accounts for the throw, where the two ball, when struck, throws the three ball directly in line with the appropriate pocket. If the two misses by hitting the long rail first, when setting up move the tip of the stick a little right of where you did in the first place. If the two hits the short rail, do the opposite. If the three misses, hitting the long rail, move the tip of your stick setting it up a little coser to the pocket. If it hits the short rail, do the opposite. Place the fourth ball in the mouth of the bottom right pocket. Place the cue ball so that the cue ball, the two, and the fourth ball are all in a perfectly straight line. When shooting, shoot straight into the two (the 1/2/3 will all go everytime if set up right) with enough draw to come back for the fourth. Remember to stroke straight and true. It helps me to stroke straight when drawing in this shot by aiming my tip through the bottom center of the cue ball so that it points to the spot where the two ball touches the felt. If struck properly, you should make the four without even coming off the long rail on the draw. You can increase your room for error on the draw by moving the cue a little left and drawing so that it can either hit the four or come off the rail into the four, allowing a bigger target.

Yow's 10 in 1

Yow's 10in1: Artistic Pool, as a genre, can be further subdivided into two classes of shots. First, there are those commonly called “skill shots”, predominantly comprising the artistic pool competitions due to their level of difficulty in the execution of the shot. The other kinds of shots are generally called “set-up shots”. These shots are difficult, if so, because of the precision necessary to set the shot up correctly – as compared to their relatively simple execution. When the skill shots are performed, often they are executed so perfectly that they actually look easy. Paradoxically, when a set-up shot is performed perfectly, even if it is a fairly easy shot, it often looks much harder than it really is. I am often asked how to shoot the “10 in 1 Shot” that I shoot. The “10 in 1” is a complex set-up shot that I adapted from a few different trick shots (Just Showin’ Off, The Denver Sandwich, and Which Fell First). This is of the most difficult set-up shots, again, because of the precision required to set it up properly.
To begin, stand at Pocket E, place the 5 ball at ˝ ball’s width from the pocket, centered in front of the pocket. Place the 4 ball frozen directly in front of it on the 50 yard line. Now, place the 2 ball frozen to the 4. Here, I lay my stick next to them and have the line of the cue point to the 2/4 line in the diagram. It is important that they point directly to the corner. The 1 ball needs to be frozen to the 2 but aimed to the right pocket-point of Pocket B, to allow for throw. The 3 ball is frozen to the 2 aimed at the long rail pocket-point of Pocket D, allowing for throw. The “Denver Sandwich” portion is the 6/7/8 on the long rail. Place the 8 ball frozen to the rail at ľ diamond from the side pocket. Again lay your cue on its right and freeze the 7 ball where the cue points to the 7/8 line as diagrammed. Freeze the 6 to the 7 in the same manner, aimed at the pocket point of Pocket B, allowing for throw. The 9th and 10th balls are frozen in the jaws of Pocket F. Though a magician rarely reveals his secrets, the key to this shot is the repositioning of the 5 ball. From its position, frozen to the 4, move it towards the side pocket 1/8th inch and to your left 1/8th inch. This allows the 4 ball to come off of the 3 ball, drive into the 5 ball, then run the tangent line to Pocket D. This is the secret to making the 4 ball. If the 4 ball still goes to the long rail, place the 5 ball to the left just a hair, making fine-tune adjustments each time. If the 4 goes to the short rail, move the 5 ball’s placement to the right.
To shoot the shot, place the cue ball so that it is collinear with the 7 ball and Pocket F. This allows you to aim with 6 o’clock draw, shoot full into the 7, and draw straight back to pocket 9 and 10. It helps to aim “through” the cue ball, pointing your tip directly at the spot where the 7 ball touches the felt, so you get a full hit and draw straight back. Shoot medium hard.
When practicing this shot, pay close attention to where the balls miss the pockets, to see if you need to account for more throw in the set-up. If the 7 ball doesn’t come off of the 4 ball and pocket in the side, move the whole 1/2/3/4/5 ball set-up a little further from the side pocket. With practice, it won’t be long before you’re showing everyone how you can make 10 balls in ONE shot!!!

Simple Masse

How to Masse: (As featured in "Professor Q Ball's Nat'l Pool and 3-Cushion News" - www.professorqball.com) Many have asked me to explain how to masse the cue ball, as I have learned to do. There are so many great players out there, yet few have mastered the masse. Though I feature here several examples of masses, I have NOT mastered the masse. It is extremely difficult to become consistent at them. The great artistic players in the world, Pelinga and Sayginer to name a few, are about as good as anyone could imagine at masse shots. I long for their abilities. If you do as well, then you can start learning the masse with a simple masse and work up from there. I'll help with step one.
When shooting a masse shot, there is a lot to think about. You must have a good cue, a good tip, good chalk, a strong stance, a solid bridge, a good grip, and a smooth stroke. Moreover, it helps to have clean balls and fast felt. You must also consider where you are attempting to learn the masse – most pool rooms ban masse shots specifically because those who do not know how to execute them properly tend to harm the equipment. When practicing, you can put a small square of felt between the cue ball and the table to reduce the burning/ripping of the felt. Masse Physics 101: Eliminate from your mind anything but the stick, cue ball, and the table. In a masse shot, the cue ball is struck so that it moves on all three axis. That is, it is propelled forward, spins against the felt, and often jumps off of the table slightly. Consider the basic masse (shot 1) – the cue ball needs to travel half the width of the table to get past the obstructing ball, before curving left to pocket the object ball. For the masse, the variables to consider are the elevation of the cue, the power behind the hit, and the aim point on the cue ball. (I'm assuming you have a proficient bridge, stroke, and grip.) Physics tells us that to have the cue ball in shot one make it around the obstructing ball, it must be struck hard enough to get past it before the spin takes effect. This is a factor of both elevation and power. Shot one doesn’t need as much elevation or power as shot two, a much more advanced masse. Shot two requires a lot of elevation because more spin is needed to reach the object ball once the cue ball gets past the wall of balls. Since more elevation is needed, more power is needed to propel the cue ball far enough. Focus on shot one for now. When aiming the masse, begin by aiming to propel the cue ball past the obstructing ball, as if you were shooting it to the first diamond on the opposite long rail. Now, elevate the cue to 45 degrees (this is more than necessary, but helpful to learn the principles of the shot). On the clock face, aim to hit 10:00, at 2 tips from center. Shoot this shot repeatedly, varying only the power of the hit. What I want you to notice is that the harder you hit, the further the cue ball travels before “biting”. For this shot, as described, it actually requires a fairly soft hit, all things considered. Play around with shot one, shooting less elevation now, varying both aim point and power. You’ll find that there are numerous ways to make the shot. The key to understanding the masse thus far is to have the cue ball travel to a desired point (past the obstruction) before changing directions.

How To Masse - Part 2

How to Masse - Part 2: (As featured in "Professor Q Ball's Nat'l Pool and 3-Cushion News" - www.professorqball.com) To understand what makes a masse work, consider the various forces involved: the direction of your shaft before/after elevation, degree of elevation, power of the hit, aim point, and the actual hit point. If, in shot one, you aim a level cue through the cue ball at the first diamond, as diagrammed, then elevate anywhere short of 90 degrees, you are still shooting in the direction of the first diamond. Then all of the other factors come into play. Tip 1: remember when you elevate, you are still aiming the initial path of the cue ball. In shot two, aim at pocket B, then elevate. The elevation can be used to regulate the power of the hit, the initial path of the cue ball, as well as the speed of the subsequent path of the cue ball. For shot one, I suggested 45 degrees. Shot two requires much more. Tip 2: generally, the more elevation, the more spin the cue ball retains after the initial change in direction. I elevate to about 80 degrees. This allows me to effect enough spin on the ball so that when the forward movement is overtaken by the spin, there is more than enough to take it to the target ball. The power of the hit affects most obviously the length of the initial flight line. In shot two, if you hit too hard, the cue ball will change directions too late; too soft, the cue ball changes direction too early. I wish I could type “medium-hard” and that suffice, but it won’t. Find the power that works for you and your table with practice. Tip 3: shoot medium-hard . Seriously, just practice, but practice consistently. The hardest part is the aim point. Rick Malm, in his “Artistic Pool Manual”, suggest drawing an imaginary line from the tip of the cue through the ball to the felt (X), then connect that point with the point on the felt where the cue ball sits (Y). This he calls the “mini-final flight line” (Z) because it is roughly parallel to the final flight line. However, the friction of the felt is going to cause the cue ball to slow and alter the spin slightly, so this is simply an educated guess. Tip 4: if you want a 90 degree right hand turn, your aim point should create a “mini-final flight line” perpendicular to the aim line of the shaft, notwithstanding other variables. On shot two, I shoot just about 3:30 at 1.5 tips out. It takes practice before your aim point becomes your actual hit point consistently, so slowly increase your power as you work on these until you are hitting where you are aiming. The “laws of physics” are laws. If it doesn’t work, it’s you. But don’t get discouraged. Practice consistently by changing only one variable at a time (power, aim, etc.). Next time we’ll bring it all together and I’ll teach you some fantastic masse shots!

How To Masse - Part 3

How to Masse - Part 3: (As featured in "Professor Q Ball's Nat'l Pool and 3-Cushion News" - www.professorqball.com) How to Masse: Part 3 by Eric “The Preacher” Yow! I wrote previously of the basics and the mechanics of a masse. Review what you’ve already learned before moving forward. (Those articles are kept on www.professorqball.com) Now, I want to teach you a specific, difficult masse shot – “The ‘Hustler’ Masse”. This shot is called “The ‘Hustler’ Masse” because it was shot in the movie “The Hustler”. In the movie, you’re made to think that either Fats or Fast Eddie shot it, but it was actually the great Willie Mosconi, who served as the film’s technical advisor. Naturally, this has become quite a famous masse shot. Set the shot up as diagrammed and stand at the foot of the table. You can float your bridge over the table but it helps me to place my leg on the table and brace my bridge on it for stability and precision. With a full cue I use the overhand grip, but with my Dieckman Masse Cue I use the dart grip. With either, I use a fairly light grip, as you want the cue to do the work. In setting yourself up for the shot, get your desired aim point in mind. For me it is about the second diamond or so, as diagrammed. Before you elevate, get down and point your cue through the cue ball to that point. Now, slowly elevate to what you think is about 80 degrees. This is just short of vertical, which allows the cue ball to retain a lot of spin without too much forward trajectory. At 80 degrees, still effectively aiming the cue ball towards the aim point, at any speed this should pocket the first ball and send the cue ball up the table as diagrammed. Now, with this aim point, your hit point on the cue ball will be about 1.5 tips from center at 6:30, as seen on the enlarged cue ball in the diagram. Remember to keep your bridge steady as a rock and focus on hitting where you are aiming. Strike down at that exact point with a medium-hard stroke. The cue ball should make the first ball, shoot up table a few diamonds, then rapidly spin back to pocket the second object ball. A clean cue ball on new cloth can go far before spinning back, whereas with dirty balls and old cloth make it more difficult. Play around with your elevation, varying one or two degrees at a time. Do the same with your power and aim point, making very slight changes until you find what works for you. With masse shots, probably more than any other artistic shots, it is important to limit the variables you change between attempts. Change one variable at a time until you get closer and closer, thus making the most of every shot. With this, in no time you’ll be performing one of the same masse shots that we shoot in professional artistic pool competitions – “The ‘Hustler’ Masse”!

Circular Draw

Circular Draw: This a VERY hard shot! Unless you are an above average player, I wouldn't expect you to make this, even inconsistently. This shot requires an extremely precice, hard, and low draw stroke. If these words don't discourage you, by all means, fire away - but keep the camera rolling. On this shot,set it up as described in the diagram, and bridge on the rail. I bridge closed but only with the loop of finger and thumb (not riding on my middle finger). This gets the tight bridge I need, it's on the rail so it's farther away (longer stroke), and it's lower because my middle finger isn't raising it up. Aim so that the tip of the cue hits at 6:15-6:30. You'll need to hit about 2 tips out or more. There is something called the "miscue circle" on a cue ball. That is, when you look at the ball, there's a circle on its face that signifies the fact that if you hit outside that circle, a miscue is virtually guaranteed. You need to learn to hit outside this circle without miscueing for this shot. Be confident, shoot with a good cue, with a good tip, and plenty of chalk. Now, if you can hit outside the miscue circle with 6:30ish, use a light grip hand and stroke straight through the cue ball with power just short of your break. You might miscue, or you might not draw the ball at all. This is where you need to practice hitting exactly where you aim. Shoot a few attempts with less power, just getting the cue ball to draw while sliding off of the first ball. Then work up to the power draw stroke required to complete the shot. This is very hard. Email me for more help.

Draw Around the Rack
Draw Around the Rack: This is a shot that is more appropriately called a "resistance draw" shot. You are shooting a draw stroke into a force of resistance. You must shoot so that the cue ball gets out of the way of the follow through of the cue however. Shooting such allows the cue ball to travel up and around the rack before drawing back. To execute this shot, set it up as diagrammed, making sure the 4 ball line is frozen completely. Stroke a solid, closed bridge stroke, medium hard, at 2 tips of 5:30. Don't hesitate to follow through. The deflection of shooting so low and right "squirts" the cue ball left. It should continue to move forward before the draw takes it back to the object ball. Your aim point is crucial here. If you aim directly in line with the four, the cue ball doesn't squirt. If you aim too far left of the line, it'll squirt straight into the rack. I aim at the left pocket point of the far corner. Good Luck!

Through the Gap
Through the Gap: This is another difficult shot in artistic pool but that is equally impressive. Crowds love this shot when performed perfectly. With practice, it's easier than it looks. The setup is as diagrammed. The three balls that are pocketed are setup first by placing the E ball 3 balls from the rail, likewise the B next to it, then the F ball just a hair closer to the rail. The F ball will need to be adjusted for throw, as it is "thrown" into the pocket F. Place the blocker balls as diagrammed, leaving a two ball gap, five balls from the rail, then add the D ball. Place the cue ball as diagrammed and aim with 11:00 follow at 1.5 tips out. Shoot aiming to hit the middle ball at about half-ball favoring the right side. You want to hit the middle ball, caroming into the E ball so that the tangent off of the E ball takes you through the gap. If you are hitting the blockers, shoot more or less of the middle ball, adjusting as per the side of the gap you are hitting. If you are getting through the gap, you want enough follow to take you to the D ball, no more, no less. More follow might make you hit the blockers, or might drive you to the long rail. Not enough follow will take you to the short rail. On a 9' table this shot is easier than a shorty. On a shorter table, more follow is required because there is less room between the gap and the D ball, which means the follow needs to bite sooner. On a side note, I said 11:00 follow is needed simply because the touch of left helps force the middle ball to bank properly. The three balls should be the easiest part of the shot. Be sure and stroke straight and true, following through, giving adequate follow on the cue ball, but hitting hard enough (medium hard) to get through the gap before the follow takes. When learning the shot, lose the blocker balls. When the three balls are pocketing, give yourself a big gap, then cut it down to size when you become proficient at it. Now, go practice!

Three Balls and Draw for a Fourth	Draw of three for one more: This is a relatively simple shot to set up and not very hard to shoot. The gray lines are the set up lines. We will number the balls near the side 1,2,3 starting from the ball closest to the side. The one pockets in the side, the two travels down table to the bottm left corner, and the three is thrown across the table to the top left corner. To set this shot up it is best to understand concepts of what happens when balls are frozen (touching), principle of throw, and tangents. This shot is a good lesson on such. To set the shot up, first lay your stick on the table where the gray line is that crosses the table at each side pocket. Standing at the bottom side pocket, you want to lay your tip just over the center of the far side pocket, letting the butt sit to the right of center of the bottom side. Place two balls, frozen, against the stick where the one ball is centered at the mouth of the pocket. This allows the two ball, when struck, to follow the tangent line off the one ball directly toward the appropriate corner. Tap those balls in, lightly, lightly so they stay, and for repetition. Next lay your stick next to the two ball, so they touch, placing the tip end of your stick under the rail just right of the top left corner. Place the three ball as shown in the diagram, frozen to the two, and touching the stick. Tap the three in place. Having the 2/3 combo aim a little right of the pocket accounts for the throw, where the two ball, when struck, throws the three ball directly in line with the appropriate pocket. If the two misses by hitting the long rail first, when setting up move the tip of the stick a little right of where you did in the first place. If the two hits the short rail, do the opposite. If the three misses, hitting the long rail, move the tip of your stick setting it up a little coser to the pocket. If it hits the short rail, do the opposite. Place the fourth ball in the mouth of the bottom right pocket. Place the cue ball so that the cue ball, the two, and the fourth ball are all in a perfectly straight line. When shooting, shoot straight into the two (the 1/2/3 will all go everytime if set up right) with enough draw to come back for the fourth. Remember to stroke straight and true. It helps me to stroke straight when drawing in this shot by aiming my tip through the bottom center of the cue ball so that it points to the spot where the two ball touches the felt. If struck properly, you should make the four without even coming off the long rail on the draw. You can increase your room for error on the draw by moving the cue a little left and drawing so that it can either hit the four or come off the rail into the four, allowing a bigger target.
Yow's 10 in 1	Yow's 10in1: Artistic Pool, as a genre, can be further subdivided into two classes of shots. First, there are those commonly called “skill shots”, predominantly comprising the artistic pool competitions due to their level of difficulty in the execution of the shot. The other kinds of shots are generally called “set-up shots”. These shots are difficult, if so, because of the precision necessary to set the shot up correctly – as compared to their relatively simple execution. When the skill shots are performed, often they are executed so perfectly that they actually look easy. Paradoxically, when a set-up shot is performed perfectly, even if it is a fairly easy shot, it often looks much harder than it really is. I am often asked how to shoot the “10 in 1 Shot” that I shoot. The “10 in 1” is a complex set-up shot that I adapted from a few different trick shots (Just Showin’ Off, The Denver Sandwich, and Which Fell First). This is of the most difficult set-up shots, again, because of the precision required to set it up properly. To begin, stand at Pocket E, place the 5 ball at ˝ ball’s width from the pocket, centered in front of the pocket. Place the 4 ball frozen directly in front of it on the 50 yard line. Now, place the 2 ball frozen to the 4. Here, I lay my stick next to them and have the line of the cue point to the 2/4 line in the diagram. It is important that they point directly to the corner. The 1 ball needs to be frozen to the 2 but aimed to the right pocket-point of Pocket B, to allow for throw. The 3 ball is frozen to the 2 aimed at the long rail pocket-point of Pocket D, allowing for throw. The “Denver Sandwich” portion is the 6/7/8 on the long rail. Place the 8 ball frozen to the rail at ľ diamond from the side pocket. Again lay your cue on its right and freeze the 7 ball where the cue points to the 7/8 line as diagrammed. Freeze the 6 to the 7 in the same manner, aimed at the pocket point of Pocket B, allowing for throw. The 9th and 10th balls are frozen in the jaws of Pocket F. Though a magician rarely reveals his secrets, the key to this shot is the repositioning of the 5 ball. From its position, frozen to the 4, move it towards the side pocket 1/8th inch and to your left 1/8th inch. This allows the 4 ball to come off of the 3 ball, drive into the 5 ball, then run the tangent line to Pocket D. This is the secret to making the 4 ball. If the 4 ball still goes to the long rail, place the 5 ball to the left just a hair, making fine-tune adjustments each time. If the 4 goes to the short rail, move the 5 ball’s placement to the right. To shoot the shot, place the cue ball so that it is collinear with the 7 ball and Pocket F. This allows you to aim with 6 o’clock draw, shoot full into the 7, and draw straight back to pocket 9 and 10. It helps to aim “through” the cue ball, pointing your tip directly at the spot where the 7 ball touches the felt, so you get a full hit and draw straight back. Shoot medium hard. When practicing this shot, pay close attention to where the balls miss the pockets, to see if you need to account for more throw in the set-up. If the 7 ball doesn’t come off of the 4 ball and pocket in the side, move the whole 1/2/3/4/5 ball set-up a little further from the side pocket. With practice, it won’t be long before you’re showing everyone how you can make 10 balls in ONE shot!!!
Simple Masse	How to Masse: (As featured in "Professor Q Ball's Nat'l Pool and 3-Cushion News" - www.professorqball.com) Many have asked me to explain how to masse the cue ball, as I have learned to do. There are so many great players out there, yet few have mastered the masse. Though I feature here several examples of masses, I have NOT mastered the masse. It is extremely difficult to become consistent at them. The great artistic players in the world, Pelinga and Sayginer to name a few, are about as good as anyone could imagine at masse shots. I long for their abilities. If you do as well, then you can start learning the masse with a simple masse and work up from there. I'll help with step one. When shooting a masse shot, there is a lot to think about. You must have a good cue, a good tip, good chalk, a strong stance, a solid bridge, a good grip, and a smooth stroke. Moreover, it helps to have clean balls and fast felt. You must also consider where you are attempting to learn the masse – most pool rooms ban masse shots specifically because those who do not know how to execute them properly tend to harm the equipment. When practicing, you can put a small square of felt between the cue ball and the table to reduce the burning/ripping of the felt. Masse Physics 101: Eliminate from your mind anything but the stick, cue ball, and the table. In a masse shot, the cue ball is struck so that it moves on all three axis. That is, it is propelled forward, spins against the felt, and often jumps off of the table slightly. Consider the basic masse (shot 1) – the cue ball needs to travel half the width of the table to get past the obstructing ball, before curving left to pocket the object ball. For the masse, the variables to consider are the elevation of the cue, the power behind the hit, and the aim point on the cue ball. (I'm assuming you have a proficient bridge, stroke, and grip.) Physics tells us that to have the cue ball in shot one make it around the obstructing ball, it must be struck hard enough to get past it before the spin takes effect. This is a factor of both elevation and power. Shot one doesn’t need as much elevation or power as shot two, a much more advanced masse. Shot two requires a lot of elevation because more spin is needed to reach the object ball once the cue ball gets past the wall of balls. Since more elevation is needed, more power is needed to propel the cue ball far enough. Focus on shot one for now. When aiming the masse, begin by aiming to propel the cue ball past the obstructing ball, as if you were shooting it to the first diamond on the opposite long rail. Now, elevate the cue to 45 degrees (this is more than necessary, but helpful to learn the principles of the shot). On the clock face, aim to hit 10:00, at 2 tips from center. Shoot this shot repeatedly, varying only the power of the hit. What I want you to notice is that the harder you hit, the further the cue ball travels before “biting”. For this shot, as described, it actually requires a fairly soft hit, all things considered. Play around with shot one, shooting less elevation now, varying both aim point and power. You’ll find that there are numerous ways to make the shot. The key to understanding the masse thus far is to have the cue ball travel to a desired point (past the obstruction) before changing directions.
How To Masse - Part 2	How to Masse - Part 2: (As featured in "Professor Q Ball's Nat'l Pool and 3-Cushion News" - www.professorqball.com) To understand what makes a masse work, consider the various forces involved: the direction of your shaft before/after elevation, degree of elevation, power of the hit, aim point, and the actual hit point. If, in shot one, you aim a level cue through the cue ball at the first diamond, as diagrammed, then elevate anywhere short of 90 degrees, you are still shooting in the direction of the first diamond. Then all of the other factors come into play. Tip 1: remember when you elevate, you are still aiming the initial path of the cue ball. In shot two, aim at pocket B, then elevate. The elevation can be used to regulate the power of the hit, the initial path of the cue ball, as well as the speed of the subsequent path of the cue ball. For shot one, I suggested 45 degrees. Shot two requires much more. Tip 2: generally, the more elevation, the more spin the cue ball retains after the initial change in direction. I elevate to about 80 degrees. This allows me to effect enough spin on the ball so that when the forward movement is overtaken by the spin, there is more than enough to take it to the target ball. The power of the hit affects most obviously the length of the initial flight line. In shot two, if you hit too hard, the cue ball will change directions too late; too soft, the cue ball changes direction too early. I wish I could type “medium-hard” and that suffice, but it won’t. Find the power that works for you and your table with practice. Tip 3: shoot medium-hard . Seriously, just practice, but practice consistently. The hardest part is the aim point. Rick Malm, in his “Artistic Pool Manual”, suggest drawing an imaginary line from the tip of the cue through the ball to the felt (X), then connect that point with the point on the felt where the cue ball sits (Y). This he calls the “mini-final flight line” (Z) because it is roughly parallel to the final flight line. However, the friction of the felt is going to cause the cue ball to slow and alter the spin slightly, so this is simply an educated guess. Tip 4: if you want a 90 degree right hand turn, your aim point should create a “mini-final flight line” perpendicular to the aim line of the shaft, notwithstanding other variables. On shot two, I shoot just about 3:30 at 1.5 tips out. It takes practice before your aim point becomes your actual hit point consistently, so slowly increase your power as you work on these until you are hitting where you are aiming. The “laws of physics” are laws. If it doesn’t work, it’s you. But don’t get discouraged. Practice consistently by changing only one variable at a time (power, aim, etc.). Next time we’ll bring it all together and I’ll teach you some fantastic masse shots!
How To Masse - Part 3	How to Masse - Part 3: (As featured in "Professor Q Ball's Nat'l Pool and 3-Cushion News" - www.professorqball.com) How to Masse: Part 3 by Eric “The Preacher” Yow! I wrote previously of the basics and the mechanics of a masse. Review what you’ve already learned before moving forward. (Those articles are kept on www.professorqball.com) Now, I want to teach you a specific, difficult masse shot – “The ‘Hustler’ Masse”. This shot is called “The ‘Hustler’ Masse” because it was shot in the movie “The Hustler”. In the movie, you’re made to think that either Fats or Fast Eddie shot it, but it was actually the great Willie Mosconi, who served as the film’s technical advisor. Naturally, this has become quite a famous masse shot. Set the shot up as diagrammed and stand at the foot of the table. You can float your bridge over the table but it helps me to place my leg on the table and brace my bridge on it for stability and precision. With a full cue I use the overhand grip, but with my Dieckman Masse Cue I use the dart grip. With either, I use a fairly light grip, as you want the cue to do the work. In setting yourself up for the shot, get your desired aim point in mind. For me it is about the second diamond or so, as diagrammed. Before you elevate, get down and point your cue through the cue ball to that point. Now, slowly elevate to what you think is about 80 degrees. This is just short of vertical, which allows the cue ball to retain a lot of spin without too much forward trajectory. At 80 degrees, still effectively aiming the cue ball towards the aim point, at any speed this should pocket the first ball and send the cue ball up the table as diagrammed. Now, with this aim point, your hit point on the cue ball will be about 1.5 tips from center at 6:30, as seen on the enlarged cue ball in the diagram. Remember to keep your bridge steady as a rock and focus on hitting where you are aiming. Strike down at that exact point with a medium-hard stroke. The cue ball should make the first ball, shoot up table a few diamonds, then rapidly spin back to pocket the second object ball. A clean cue ball on new cloth can go far before spinning back, whereas with dirty balls and old cloth make it more difficult. Play around with your elevation, varying one or two degrees at a time. Do the same with your power and aim point, making very slight changes until you find what works for you. With masse shots, probably more than any other artistic shots, it is important to limit the variables you change between attempts. Change one variable at a time until you get closer and closer, thus making the most of every shot. With this, in no time you’ll be performing one of the same masse shots that we shoot in professional artistic pool competitions – “The ‘Hustler’ Masse”!
Circular Draw	Circular Draw: This a VERY hard shot! Unless you are an above average player, I wouldn't expect you to make this, even inconsistently. This shot requires an extremely precice, hard, and low draw stroke. If these words don't discourage you, by all means, fire away - but keep the camera rolling. On this shot,set it up as described in the diagram, and bridge on the rail. I bridge closed but only with the loop of finger and thumb (not riding on my middle finger). This gets the tight bridge I need, it's on the rail so it's farther away (longer stroke), and it's lower because my middle finger isn't raising it up. Aim so that the tip of the cue hits at 6:15-6:30. You'll need to hit about 2 tips out or more. There is something called the "miscue circle" on a cue ball. That is, when you look at the ball, there's a circle on its face that signifies the fact that if you hit outside that circle, a miscue is virtually guaranteed. You need to learn to hit outside this circle without miscueing for this shot. Be confident, shoot with a good cue, with a good tip, and plenty of chalk. Now, if you can hit outside the miscue circle with 6:30ish, use a light grip hand and stroke straight through the cue ball with power just short of your break. You might miscue, or you might not draw the ball at all. This is where you need to practice hitting exactly where you aim. Shoot a few attempts with less power, just getting the cue ball to draw while sliding off of the first ball. Then work up to the power draw stroke required to complete the shot. This is very hard. Email me for more help.
Draw Around the Rack	Draw Around the Rack: This is a shot that is more appropriately called a "resistance draw" shot. You are shooting a draw stroke into a force of resistance. You must shoot so that the cue ball gets out of the way of the follow through of the cue however. Shooting such allows the cue ball to travel up and around the rack before drawing back. To execute this shot, set it up as diagrammed, making sure the 4 ball line is frozen completely. Stroke a solid, closed bridge stroke, medium hard, at 2 tips of 5:30. Don't hesitate to follow through. The deflection of shooting so low and right "squirts" the cue ball left. It should continue to move forward before the draw takes it back to the object ball. Your aim point is crucial here. If you aim directly in line with the four, the cue ball doesn't squirt. If you aim too far left of the line, it'll squirt straight into the rack. I aim at the left pocket point of the far corner. Good Luck!
Through the Gap	Through the Gap: This is another difficult shot in artistic pool but that is equally impressive. Crowds love this shot when performed perfectly. With practice, it's easier than it looks. The setup is as diagrammed. The three balls that are pocketed are setup first by placing the E ball 3 balls from the rail, likewise the B next to it, then the F ball just a hair closer to the rail. The F ball will need to be adjusted for throw, as it is "thrown" into the pocket F. Place the blocker balls as diagrammed, leaving a two ball gap, five balls from the rail, then add the D ball. Place the cue ball as diagrammed and aim with 11:00 follow at 1.5 tips out. Shoot aiming to hit the middle ball at about half-ball favoring the right side. You want to hit the middle ball, caroming into the E ball so that the tangent off of the E ball takes you through the gap. If you are hitting the blockers, shoot more or less of the middle ball, adjusting as per the side of the gap you are hitting. If you are getting through the gap, you want enough follow to take you to the D ball, no more, no less. More follow might make you hit the blockers, or might drive you to the long rail. Not enough follow will take you to the short rail. On a 9' table this shot is easier than a shorty. On a shorter table, more follow is required because there is less room between the gap and the D ball, which means the follow needs to bite sooner. On a side note, I said 11:00 follow is needed simply because the touch of left helps force the middle ball to bank properly. The three balls should be the easiest part of the shot. Be sure and stroke straight and true, following through, giving adequate follow on the cue ball, but hitting hard enough (medium hard) to get through the gap before the follow takes. When learning the shot, lose the blocker balls. When the three balls are pocketing, give yourself a big gap, then cut it down to size when you become proficient at it. Now, go practice!