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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's 2 Rail Reverse Masse" - I have to say it again, I love my Dieckman masse cue. It's the bomb! There is so much that I can do with it, I amaze even myself. That being said, I want you to watch this next clip. It's a 2 rail masse, hitting both rails with reverse. The ball doesn't bite until after it clears the obstructing balls! I love it. My table's felt is worn so it plays slower than most tables. On faster cloth, with my Dieckman "Magic Wand", the possibilities are endless!
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Masse Herd" - I was brainstorming the idea of a masse that would be helpful during a game of one pocket. If your opponent left you with a ball you need frozen to the rail and the cue ball directly out from it, your options are fairly limited. You could kick at it with reverse, hitting the long rail and hoping to walk it, but you run the risk of leaving your opponent a bank (or worse) if you missed. So, with "Yow's Masse Herd Shot" you can herd the cue ball where it needs to go, win the point, the game, and your opponent's respect for a lifetime! |
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| NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Pique Challenge" - On my artistic pool forum I issued a challenge. My challenge was to place the cue ball frozen to the one ball near the corner pocket and shoot the cue ball so that it runs down table and pocket a ball in the far corner, but there's a catch. The challenge was to do so without pocketing the one ball! I stipulated that the one ball MUST move, but cannot be pocketed. To further the challenge, for my website I put the one ball equidistant between the pocket points of the corner. Yes, you read that right, the one ball is hanging in the pocket, and the cue ball is frozen to it. Here, I shoot the cue ball with a pique stroke to make the one ball move, but not drop, and the cue ball have enough spin to make it all the way down table. I liked this shot so much that I sent it to my friend Bruce "The Big Guy" Barthelette, who will be competing in the 2006 ESPN Trick Shot Magic. He places a quarter on top of the one ball so that you know without a doubt that the one ball moves. You might look for him to shoot the shot this year on ESPN! |
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| NEW SHOT ADDED: "Bruce's Masse" - Masse shots are difficult altogether. Their difficulty is compounded by the distance the ball must travel, the speed of the hit, and nearby obstructions. This masse is made difficult because the cue ball is sitting on the rail at the middle diamond. I masse around a ball on the head spot to track perfectly straight all the way to the object ball in the far corner. On this one, I hit it so straight the cue ball follows into the corner too. Sometimes I hit it 'too good'! :) |
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Reposition Pique" - I have been enjoying my experimentation with pique shots along with masse shots. This is a shot I came up with recently where I have the cue ball frozen to the object ball in the mouth of the corner pocket. Here, I shoot the cue ball with a pique stroke so that the object ball repositions in front of the pocket so the cue ball can spin backwards and pocket it. This one is quite interesting, I think.
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Pique Challenge" - On my artistic pool forum I issued a challenge. My challenge was to place the cue ball frozen to the one ball near the corner pocket and shoot the cue ball so that it runs down table and pocket a ball in the far corner, but there's a catch. The challenge was to do so without pocketing the one ball! I stipulated that the one ball MUST move, but cannot be pocketed. To further the challenge, for my website I put the one ball equidistant between the pocket points of the corner. Yes, you read that right, the one ball is hanging in the pocket, and the cue ball is frozen to it. Here, I shoot the cue ball with a pique stroke to make the one ball move, but not drop, and the cue ball have enough spin to make it all the way down table. I liked this shot so much that I sent it to my friend Bruce "The Big Guy" Barthelette, who will be competing in the 2006 ESPN Trick Shot Magic. He places a quarter on top of the one ball so that you know without a doubt that the one ball moves. You might look for him to shoot the shot this year on ESPN!
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Up-ramp" - I got a little creative on this shot. Though the idea of running the cue ball up two cues is not original to me, I tried to give it the "yow!" touch and make it in a way that IS original. Here, I use a pique stroke to strike the first of the pair, pocketing the first on the combo. The cue ball spins up the ramp, then down the ramp to pocket the second ball in the same pocket - all without touching the blocker ball that is just over a ball's width away from the rail. Please, disregard the scotch tape that I had to use to keep the cues the proper distance apart. I do the best I can with what I've got. ;)
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Pique 2" - I went back and finally edited this clip to add to my compilation of pique clips. I couldn't decide which successfully filmed attempt to use, so I left 3 of them in the clip. I hope you like it. This is yet another that is taken from 3-cushion artistic and applied to a pocketed table. I love it!
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Pique 1" - I'm working on developing a new stroke. In Europe it's called a "pique", which is similar to a masse, with some differences. A pique stroke differs from a masse in that the cue stick has to get out of the way of the cue ball for the action to take place properly. Generally, piques are masse shots that come back, whereas masse shots are curves. In America we have disregarded this distinction and say that anytime the cue is elevated it is a masse, though this is not completely accurate. Several shots that are piques, and not technically masse shots, are the rocket, the hustler masse, the yoyo, and a few more shots on this site featuring the same back and forth action. Here, you'll find a few new pique shots of mine that I adopted from Holland's 3-Cushion Artistic Billiards shot program. My friend Martin, a Holland pro, exposed me to the beauty that they create. In 3-Cushion Billiards, there are only 3 balls used and no pockets, so I had to adapt the shots to the pocketed pool table. These shots are a lot of fun. Watch my bridge hand closely and you'll see it pull out of the way of the ball so that the spin takes nearly immediately. I'm still working on the stroke; I expect it to get even better soon. In this shot, I have to pique the cue ball off of the one. The one ball banks off of the rail (and the cue stick gets out of the way). All the while, the cue ball travels up the long rail and back to pocket the nine!
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Pique 3" - I actually have several new pique shots but they've yet to all be edited, since I keep so busy. This shot, as I mentioned elsewhere, is another I've adapted from Holland's Artistic 3-Cushion shot program. The objective of this shot in 3-Cushion is to pique off of the one, hit three rails, then hit the other ball. Here, I make the 3 rail hit by shooting the pique into the one, cue ball goes to the long rail, then spins backwards to double the short rail before making the ball! I really like this shot! Look at the spin! |
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Pique 4" - Of my several new pique shots, this one might be my favorite. It's just a pretty back and forth shot. I pique the cue ball in the wrong direction! It comes off the one, then hugs the short rail, making several hits on it, before coming back to make the nine!
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Triple Shorty" - On a 3-Cushion table with much faster cloth, it is possible to have a cue ball hit a single rail well over ten times. Struck in the manner that I do here, though in the corner of a 3-cushion table, artistic billiard players have been known to hit up to and over 7 rail hits using a pique stroke, before scoring the point. On a relatively slow pool table, using the same stroke, I have been able to make a 4 rail hit on a single rail! (I'll film it eventually, I hope.) Here, I make a 3 rail hit on the short rail in a shot that I call "Triple Shorty".
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Holland37" - One masse shot that I adapted from 3-Cushion Artistic Billiards is this one that I call "Yow's Holland 37", because it's shot 37 in the Holland shot program. Here, I masse off of the cue ball towards the center of the table, it darts to the long rail, then kicks to pocket the nine! Watch the line that the cue ball follows, and how it crosses its own path. I like it! You?
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "Yow's Resistance Masse" - This is a shot I call a resistance masse. I'm frozen to the one ball on the 50 yard line. I make the one cross-side and make the cue ball curve around the wall before pocketing the object ball in the corner. It's a fun shot, for sure. Look for me to expand on this idea and go around a bigger wall, or maybe through a gap, in the next few weeks.
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "NEU MASSE" - So, during my first weekend as a pro, I met Jamison Neu (2005 Ranked #1) who has a phenomenal masse stroke. He is simply amazing. Well, he took the time to show me a few of his masse shots. When this guy strokes the cue, you think the house is coming down. I'm saying, he doesn't use a masse cue, his cue isn't inordinately heavy, just a regular guy, with a regular cue, and a fantastic masse stroke! Incredible. Anyways, he showed me the shots I feature here that I call "Neu Masse" and "Neu Masse 2". I know you'll like them. I still feel as if when I do the shots, they still aren't anywhere near as pretty as when he does them, but that might be because I don't hold any championship titles yet. :) |
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NEW SHOT ADDED: "NEU MASSE 2" - Here's the other masse I saw Jamison Neu perform at Hopkins Super Billiard Expo. I absolutely love it.
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NEW SHOT ADDED: MASSE JUMP REVERSE- A friend of mine named Paul, from the Czech Republic, showed me a shot of his that drove me to come up with the one you see here. This is a beautiful shot, and my new favorite. Look at the picture, can you guess how I make the one in the side pocket? I love this shot!
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NEW SHOT ADDED : MASSE SLIDE - My friend Paul, from the Czech Republic, has actually inspired me to shoot a number of more interesting and creative shots, as I'm sure I have inspired him as well. One such shot is the Masse Slide and the Masse Slide 2. Here, in the Masse Slide, I pocket the one in the corner with a soft masse (pique) and the cue ball glances the rack just enough to cause the 2 ball to slide down into the side pocket. This is a fun shot! Thanks Paul! |
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NEW SHOT ADDED : MASSE SLIDE 2 - Here, in Masse Slide 2, I pocket the one in the corner with a soft masse (pique) and the cue ball glances the rack just enough to cause the 2 ball to slide down and run down table into the corner pocket. This is a fun shot! Thanks Paul! |
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NEW SHOT ADDED : WICKED MASSE JUMP - One of my favorite masse shots on here is one I call "wicked masse", just because it's wicked hard. Since I've been shooting so many masse jump shots lately, I figured it would be nice to see the wicked masse with a jump shot. If this doesn't impress you, I don't know what will! |
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NEW SHOT ADDED : MINGAUD MASSE JUMP - The Mingaud Masse is one of the hardest and best looking masses that I shoot. The masse jump shot is fairly new to me, but I have been quite successful at learning variations of it. Recently I spoke with Jamison Neu, who currently holds the record in the Masse discipline in Artistic Pool, and he inspired me to go crazy with the masse jump! So, here is the first of three NEW masse jump shots. The next two I post will be equally, if not MORE impressive! Here, I masse the cue ball with a jump shot, out of the rack, then around the wall of blocker balls, all the way down table to make my ball. Oh, and I couldn't post this shot and not tell you...the clip you are about to see was my very FIRST attempt!!! It was very exciting! Right click and save as, I know you'll love it.
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NEW SHOT ADDED: Here's a shot I call "Yow's Masse Jump". A little further down on this page is the Masse Jump shot that I have learned to shoot. I was playing around with this shot and trying to put my special touch to it when I came up with this variation of it. This shot, I think, is really cool. I wanted a way to have the cue ball jump out of the rack and go up table, yet be spinning so fast that it rockets back to pocket the nine. Well, I did just that. With the stick laying on the table as a guide, I jump out of the rack with a masse stroke, the ball runs up table to pocket the one, then rockets back down the stick along the rail to pocket the nine in the other corner. I think this is a pretty impressive shot, if I do say so myself. :)
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NEW MASSE/JUMP SHOT: I learned a new shot that I just HAD to film and put on here. It's a shot similar to one I saw on television a few years ago where the cueball jumps from behind an obstruction, here it is the rack, then draws back to pocket a ball in the corner. This is an awesome shot! I tried this 100 times back in college but never made it. One night I was telling my friends about this shot that I could NEVER make, but wanted to SO badly. Lo, and behold, a little bit later I was making it time and time again. It shows that the more you progress in the game, the more and more you become capable of doing. In college, I certainly didn't have the stroke for this kind of shot, but recently it seems as if I have developed the necessary stroke to complete it successfully. This is a Masse-Jump Shot where I jump from inside the rack with a masse stroke to have the cueball race back down the stick/guide to pocket the ball. Do NOT try this shot. You WILL damage the cloth and possibly worse, your wrist, shoulder, back, etc. ENJOY! (Don't get scared...)
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| Well, I decided to shoot the shot again, but this time going for distance. In the short while that I took to try and get one on camera, this is what resulted. I masse-jump out of the rack, have the cue ball run all the way up table to the end of the stick that serves as a guide, then spin all the way back table to pocket the one ball. Now that is going for distance!
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| This one is called the Rocket. Most players will use more "cushion" balls so as to force the cue to stay straight along the rail, but as you've probably seen on television, this more difficult version is better. In it, I masse off the near ball and the cue ball seems to hug the rail and shoot up table (like a rocket, of course) to pocket the other.
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| This is a big masse. Mike Massey calls it "Exit Stage Right". I'm pretty sure it was originally named the Mingaud Masse, after its creator. I don't care what it's called, I just know that I make it look gooooooooood!!!
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| Machine Gun Masse - you're going to love this one! I have the cue ball frozen and tucked away, but shot with a masse stroke, it will travel back and forth up the alley with a machine gun effect.
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| This one is one that the pros have called the YoYo Masse. I don't think it's because of the 'yoyo' shooting it, though. More because the cueball is supposed to go past the object ball then come back like a yoyo. In my shot, it knocks the object ball off the rail on the other side of the pocket, then when it comes back, the object ball is in place in front of the side pocket. This shot is 90% luck, I'm willing to admit.
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| I love this shot! Don't get me wrong, I like all the other shots too, but this one is too cool. Because I've never seen or heard of anyone else doing this one, I'll take credit for it. I call it 10-ball combo, Yow style. In it, I masse out the width of the table alongside 10 balls, then it spins back to make a 10 ball combo in the side.
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| This shot is a Bank Masse. It is pretty self-explanatory. |
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| This one is what I call the Center Masse. You'll see why in a moment. |
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| Here is a Long Distance Masse. |
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| This is my variation of the long distance masse that I call the Gap Masse. You'll see why in a moment.
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| If you're a big pool fan you've seen the movie "The Hustler". In artistic pool, this shot is known as the Hustler Masse.
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| Here you have a Jawed Masse. I have the cue ball and the object ball jawed in the side. Watch me masse out toward the center of the table then back to pocket the ball.
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| This one is a Masse Escape shot. Here I masse out of a rack of balls to pocket one in the corner.
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| One of the neatest masse shots is the Passing Lane masse. In Mike Massey's book, he calls it "Scratching with style". I remember Stefano Pelinga on ESPN2 in his italian accent calling it the "passing cars" shot. Either way, it's a nice one.
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| This is one that I think is called the Rack Masse for obvious reasons. I masse out and around the rack to pocket one in corner without touching the rack.
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| Here's another that has a name I'm not too sure of. I think this is called the Rainbow Masse because exhibitionists would place an arch of the colored solids and masse alongside them like a rainbow. I like this one because I made it on video on my first try. I suppose you'll just have to trust me on that one.
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| Don't hate me because I call this one Simple Masse 1. I don't call these simple because of how easy they are to make, because they are not very easy. However, their concepts are simple, so the title makes sense. Here are three versions of simple masse shots.
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| Simple Masse 2 |
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| Simple Masse 3 |
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| This one is not at all simple. I have been working on a long distance masse shot. The stroke to make this shot is a difficult one and it is tearing up my table trying to improve on it. I call this one the "Foot Spot Masse". Here I shoot from the 1x1 box, as you see in the picture, and masse around a ball on the foot spot to make the 1-9 combination, pocketing the nine in the corner. This is an especially difficult skill shot, so I know you will enjoy it. Watch the action on the cue ball!
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