DRAWING THE CUE BALL

And I don't mean with a pencil!

Many players have a hard time drawing the cue ball. Let's see if we can help you get better at this. Before we start, here are some of the reasons I think people have problems with draw.

First is that a lot of players use a big cue ball on bar tables. The physics of the big ball makes pulling the cue ball back much harder than with a regular cue ball.

The next reason is caused by an optical illusion. Looking down on the cue stick makes you think you are hitting the cue ball lower than you actually are.

Finally, most people tend to hit the cue ball too hard when trying for a draw shot. This causes the elbow to drop, raising the tip slightly, causing a higher hit than intended.

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For one reason or another of the above, draw shots cause players problems.

The first step in fixing this problem is to make sure your tip is well groomed and properly chalked. Next set up a shot as in the diagram above and about one diamond from the object ball. Keep a slight angle so you can let your stick go straight through the cue ball.

Now what you are going to do is make a "draw bridge"! Take a look at this picture taken in Troyes, France of my draw bridge. You make a fist, loop your index finger around the cue stick, and put your hand flat on the table.

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Now make sure you pull your cue stick all the way back to your fingers and swing smoothly. Remember you don't have to swing too hard or pull your cue stick back. You will get some nice draw after a few tries.

Once you have learned how to draw the cue ball from one diamond away from the object ball, open the distance up to two diamonds. Once you have two diamonds down, the fun part begins, leaning how to control your draw shot.

As a start to learning control, set up a shot like this, and practice drawing the cue ball back one, two and three diamonds.

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You are now well on your way to mastering the draw shot!

Good luck and see you on the road.