Have you ever seen the cue ball come to a complete stop after contacting another ball? The stop shot seems to defy logic, but it is extremely easy to implement once you know the secrets. As you read below, I will break down these secrets so any player with a little practice will be a master of the stop shot.
The stop shot is one of the most popular shots in any billiard game. To implement a stop shot all that is required is a good stroke and a proper contact point on the cue ball. As with anything in life, the only way to become a master is with tons of practice and dedication, but if you follow these secrets and practice drills that I have put together for you, you will be a master in no time.
I am sure you have tons of questions and are excited to begin your journey to improving your skills on the pool table. I will try to answer any questions you may have below, so let us not waste any more time, and let me show you how to become a master of the stop shot.
What Is A Stop Shot?
Stop shots are an important skill to have in your arsenal of shots. You will use them all the time to position to the cue ball. Okay so you are probably asking yourself well what exactly a stop shot is and how to implement one.
A stop shot is exactly what it sounds like, it is when the cue ball stops once it has contacted the object ball. To implement a stop shot you need to hit the cue ball just below the center, about half a tip. The cue ball will have just enough backspin on it to fight the friction from the cloth until it hits the object ball without any spin which will cause the cue ball to stop in its tracks.
Much like any other type of shot, the stop shot will need practice to perfect. The speed and power of the shot will also depend on how far away the cue ball is from the object ball. The greater the distance the harder the shot will need to be.
The Proper Technique
Before you learn how to master the stop shot, make sure you know the fundamentals such as the proper stance, how to grip the cue, what bridge to use, as well as how to do a proper stroke and follow through. Assuming you are still hear reading, I will expect you to know the fundamentals.
Here are some quick tips for achieving the stop shot:
- Make sure your tip is shaped well and is always chalked before trying a draw shot.
- Keep the cue as parallel to the table as possible.
- Hit just below center on the cue ball, about half a tip.
- On your stroke, make sure to follow through the cue ball and do not drop your elbow.
- Keep grip hand loose and smoothly accelerate your stroke.
- Finish your stroke all the way and do not jerk the cue back.
The stop shot is simple to implement but don’t underestimate the power that this shot can bring to your game. The trick to these shots is to aim right below center on the cue ball, but also keep the cue as parallel to the table as the shot permits. The most important tip to achieving the stop shot all boils down to timing. The stop shot really comes down to feeling the shot based on the distance between the cue ball and object ball.
To achieve a stop shot the cue ball must be sliding across the felt and not spinning when contact is made. So, the amount a force that must be applied to the cue ball in order for that to happen will all depend on the distance. The greater the distance, more spin must be applied to counter the friction created from the cloth that will start to reverse it’s spin.
Another trick to help with the stop shot is to pay attention to how far away the tip of the cue is from the object ball before you start your stroke. A good ideal distance is the size of a cube of chalk. Having a shorter distance is key to achieving maximum follow through on the shot to get the most action out of the cue ball.
Understanding the Physics of Stop Shots
So, what is happening during a stop shot that causes the cue ball to stop on contact? I am going to try to explain this without getting too technical. There are several factors to consider when determining what causes the cue ball to stop on impact and they are the tip offset (how far off the center the tip contacts the cue ball), the stroke speed, power of the stroke, distance between the cue ball and the object ball, and finally the condition of the cloth on the table.
For example, when you hit the cue ball in the center, the cue ball will not apply any spin to the cue ball but will rather slide across the cloth of the table. This is considering that the distance between the cue ball and object ball isn’t far away, the farther away it is the more time the cue ball has to stop sliding and begin to spin forward with the force of the shot and friction from the cloth.
To implement a stop shot the cue ball must be sliding when contact is made, if it has any backspin or forward spin the cue ball will not stop on contact. That is really the only thing that makes this shot complicated is getting the timing for how hard the ball will need to be hit in order to fight the friction from the cloth based on the distance the cue ball must travel before making contact.
When trying to understand the stop shot there are two things you will always have to take into count, which are the speed of the shot and the distance it must travel. The lower from the center of the cue ball that you aim and the speed at which the ball is stroke will determine how much backspin will be applied. The greater the distance the ball will need to travel you will either need to hit the ball harder or apply more back spin to counter react the friction created from the cloth that will begin to put forward spin on to the ball.
You want to be able to time that exact point where the backspin is beginning to transfer to forward spin when contact is made between the cue ball and object ball. Now I know that sounds really complicated but with practice you will begin to get a feeling based on the distance for where to hit the cue ball and how hard it must be hit.
When to Use A Stop Shot
There are many reasons to use stop shots in any game of billiards, but the most common is to minimize the risk of getting a bad position. The more distance the cue ball must travel to get in position for your next shot the greater the chance of not getting the desired position. If you have the option to just stop the cue ball on contact and be in position your next shot, you should always choose this option just based on risk management.
Drills to Practice the Stop Shot
You may find yourself being able to stop the ball after a few tries, but don’t get overly confident. Stopping the ball is simple from shorter distances, but for varying distances between the cue ball and object ball will take some practice to get the feeling for. This shot is really more of a “feeling” shot meaning every shot will be different and after some practice you will start to know automatically how hard and fast you need to hit the cue ball.
Now that I have explained to you what a stop shot is, how it can be helpful, and that you need a lot of practice to perfect. You will need to know some practice drills so you can become a master as well. There are tons of drills that can help you with all your fundamentals, but if we are just going to work on stop shots, I have a few favorite practice drills to challenge you.
Practice Drill #1:
For this drill we are going to work on the stop shot and getting a feeling for how much speed and power is needed for achieving a stop from multiple distances between cue ball and object ball. To get started pick a long side of the table that is easiest for you to shoot on, whether you are right-handed or left-handed will decide this for you.
We are going to be using the diamonds on the table to measure distances and control where we are putting the balls. I am going to break down this drill into multiple levels, to make the most of this practice drill, you must follow the rules. In order to advance to the next level of this drill you must be able to complete each exercise ten consecutive times, meaning ten times in a row without messing up. Let the learning begin!
Level 1
So, to get started, begin by getting set up:
- Place the object ball at the first diamond from a corner pocket on the desired side of the table.
- Place your cue ball on the second diamond.
- Align both the cue ball and object ball to sit off the rail about the length of a cube of chalk.
Now that you are set up, the object of this drill is to hit the object ball in the corner pocket and stop the cue ball on contact. This will take some practice to get the cue ball to come to a complete stop on contact. Once you have mastered this level, meaning you have completed the challenge ten times in a row, we will move to level 2.
Level 2
Congrats on completing level 1, I know that it was probably frustrating but know that you are making tons of progress with each level you go through.
Now lets begin level 2, to get started, begin by getting set up:
- Place the object ball at the first diamond from a corner pocket on the desired side of the table.
- Place your cue ball on the third diamond.
- Align both the cue ball and object ball to sit off the rail about the length of a cube of chalk.
This level of the challenge will be harder than the first by increasing the distance between the cue ball and object ball by another diamond’s length. Do not give up, nothing in life that will improve your skills is easy at first but over time it will become easier. This challenge is the same as before, you must complete this exercise 10 consecutive times before moving on to the next level.
Level 3
Congrats on completing level 2, you are beginning to get comfortable with stop shots with the distance between the cue ball and object ball at a diamond’s length. Now lets change this up so you can get use to varying distances.
To get started, begin by getting setup:
- Place the object ball at the first diamond from a corner pocket on the desired side of the table.
- Place your cue ball on the second diamond like level 1.
- Align both the cue ball and object ball to sit off the rail about the length of a cube of chalk.
The object of this level is to increase the distance between the cue ball and object ball one diamond’s length every shot without messing up. So, the object ball every shot will remain at the first diamond, and after each successful shot, you will reset the object ball and move the cue ball up another diamond. The side pocket will be considered the fourth diamond and continue until you make it to the other corner pocket with about a chalk’s length distance from the end rail.
You may be surprised that adding more distance will have such an effect on your ability to stop the ball. This level will build upon the first two levels and then increase to where you are making stop shots all the way across the table. This challenge will probably take quite a bit of practice, but I believe if you put in the time and effort anyone can achieve this.
Once you have finished this level, congrats on completing this challenge. This is a great challenge to do regularly every so often to brush up on your skills. By using the diamonds to judge the distance this will help you in any game by allowing you to relate the distance you want to achieve by using the diamonds as a reference.
There is so many ways you can add to this challenge by increasing the distances between cue ball and object ball. You could try half diamonds, diamond and half, it’s good to experiment with this as it allows you to subconsciously program your brain to know how hard and fast you need to hit the cue ball based on their distances with diamond lengths as a reference since they are on every table.
