Masse shots are always a fan favorite, especially if they’ve never seen a cue ball curve before. Normally, a masse shot would be defined as using an elevated cue, but some liberties were taken in putting these in the Artistic Cup program to make them easier. To that end, here are seven easy masse trick shots with video tutorials to walk you through them.
The first “masse” shot is actually a draw shot, and not much of one at that. Like some of the bank/kick shots, the cue ball starts off sandwiched between a blocker ball and the rail. The objective is to compress the cushion allowing the cue ball to escape and curve around the other blocker balls to make the hanging ball in the corner pocket. I swear I can make this with a center ball hit though, so you don’t need any draw if you can find the correct angle. You may have to shorten your follow through to avoid hitting the cushion and swiping the blocker ball with your cue. WATCH ESCAPE DRAW VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS
The second “masse” shot is called a Level Cue Masse, but it’s really just a shot using reverse, or checking, english. Yes, you can hit it with draw as well, but it’s a lot easier to just hit it hard with some left english and let the spin hold it up. You can over spin it though, so be careful about that. It does take some practice to get the right speed and spin down which will vary slightly between tables, but you should be able to adjust pretty quickly. I like to aim to just miss the first blocker ball by a comfortable margin and figure out exactly how much spin I need from there. WATCH LEVEL CUE MASSE VIDEO TUTORIAL
Now we’re getting into real masse’s. Here’s one going along the short rail around one blocker ball. You don’t need too much elevation, but you’ll need to figure out what aim point and english works best with your stroke. Also, the condition of the balls and tables can play a crucial role affecting how far the cue ball slides before the spin takes. Thankfully, there’s a decent margin for error on this shot and you can come up pretty short and still make the hanging object ball. Bridging over the pocket isn’t the easiest thing either. WATCH SHORT RAIL MASSE VIDEO DIRECTIONS
Progressing from the last shot, here’s the long rail masse version going around two blocker balls. All of the same principles you learned in the previous shot will apply here. Generally, you just have to hit the shot a little harder to get the cue ball to slide out more before spinning around the blocker balls. You should still be able to do this with an elevated pendulum stroke though, no need to go super vertical. Pick an aim point on the far short rail and figure out how much english and draw you need to get it to go. WATCH LONG RAIL MASSE VIDEO WALK THROUGH
Here’s a version of the Ultimate Trap Shot. It’s a little easier since you have full access to the cue ball and there’s only one blocking ball. This shot can almost be done exclusively with side spin but a little elevation helps along with a bit of follow. You need to lean over the table and aim back into the long rail. Putting your leg up on the table (right leg, for right handers) can help from stretching too much. Just be sure to get your leg out of the way when the cue ball comes back around! Might have to pick an imaginary aim point on the long rail. WATCH ULTIMATE TRAP SHOT VIDEO TUTORIAL
This is the passing lane shot, named such because the cue ball, which starts behind the object ball, passes the object ball and curves around into the corner pocket before the object ball gets there. You can elevate your normal pendulum stroke for this one as well and use high left english. Really juice it up. I have to think about locking my wrist when I shoot this for some reason. I like to start the cue ball frozen against the short rail to give myself the most room to get around. It also helps with bridging and getting the right elevation. WATCH PASSING LANE VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS
Here’s the kick masse, but only around a 3 ball wall. It may not seem like much, but you still need to put some good spin on the cue ball. I use a dart stroke for this shot, but I don’t go too vertical. I find an aim point that will let me clear the blocker balls and apply left hand english to get the cue ball to curve. Coming in at the shallowest angle will give you the most margin for error. If I hit the wall, I hit the cue ball harder so it has more speed rebounding off the cushion. Using the right aim point and speed will make it nigh impossible to overspin the shot. WATCH KICK MASSE VIDEO DIRECTIONS
More video tutorials!
1. Trick / Fancy
2. Special Arts
3. Draw
4. Follow
5. Bank / Kick
6. Stroke
7. Jump
8. Masse