What Are 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. 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 one of these categories, although the distinguishing line between them is sometimes blurry. You can see a full list of my shots on my trick shot index page. I'll give you a brief description of each discipline here.
Trick and 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you want to start shooting trick shots on your own, check out my trick shot primer or browse my tutorials for shots on the site.
