What are Pool Trick Shots?

Trick shots, or artistic pool, is an entertaining and demanding discipline of pool, just like any other pool game. Casual observers are often fascinated by the poetic dancing of the balls and their magical disappearances into the pockets.

There are two general types of shots – setup shots and skill shots

There are two general types of shots – setup shots and skill shots. Setup shots are those in which the balls are positioned in a particular way to steer them towards the pockets. Once they are setup correctly, they are perhaps more difficult (though not impossible) to miss. These are the shots that volunteers from an audience are often chosen to shoot. Skill shots require a good stroke that makes the cue ball whirl around the table. The basic skill shots are draw and follow shots. The advanced ones are jumps and masses, where the cue ball curves on its own. Many of these shots can be adapted for a snooker or billiard table as well.

In artistic pool competitions, shots are broken down even further into eight disciplines – trick and fancy, prop/novelty/special arts, draw, follow, bank/kick, stroke, jump, and masse. I categorize all of my shots into at least one of these categories, although the distinguishing line between them is sometimes blurry. I’ll give you a brief description of each discipline here.

Trick & Fancy

These shots are mostly setup shots, although skill is certainly required. Often, there are a cluster of multiple balls set in a specific configuration so that all of the balls go into a pocket. See Trick & Fancy shots

Prop, Novelty, and Special Arts

These shots are the ones least likely to come up in a regular game of pool. These often use the the rack or bridge as props, require shooting a moving ball (wing shots), shooting one handed, or speed shots that require shooting multiple balls in a set amount of time. This discipline is also known as the general amusement category. See Special Arts shots

Draw

Draw shots require the cue ball to be hit below center giving it backspin so when it hits an object ball, it will return back along its intial path. Sometimes this is also referred to as reverse or drag. See Draw shots

Follow

Follow is the opposite of draw, where the cue ball is struck above center giving it topspin so it continues along its initial path after it hits an object ball. See Follow shots

Bank & Kick

Bank shots are where the object ball contacts one or more rails before going into a pocket. Kick shots are where the cue ball contacts one or more rails before contacting an object ball, often making it. See Bank & Kick shots

Stroke

While most trick shots require a decent stroke, stroke shots require particularly good technique and control. Shots where the cue ball is close to or even frozen to an object ball are an example. Also, speed control and accuracy position shots would be categorized into this discipline. See Stroke shots

Jump

Jump shots are those obviously where the cue ball leaves the table surface. This happens more than you might think even in standard pool games. Although jump shots are generally utilized to jump over obstructing balls, they can also be used to jump directly into an object ball with surprising effects. See Jump shots

Masse

Masse shots are where the cue ball is loaded up with so much spin, that it deviates from its obvious straight line path without hitting a rail or an object ball. These are the shots that some people will not believe when they see and are the most difficult to perform. See Masse shots

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