If you have any trouble at all with the draw shot that trouble probably increases as the distance between the cue ball and the object ball increases. There are many things you can do that we have already talked about in this column, including raising the rear end of the cuestick slightly and just hitting the cueball lower, both of which help impart more backspin.
But there are two ingredients that are easier than these to apply and which can have instant effectiveness. Try the following drill to see if they work for you. Set the table up as in the diagram. The object ball is at the intersection of the first diamond on both the long and the short rail. Begin with the cueball one diamond away and attempt to both make the object ball and draw the cueball all the way back to the head rail. Most of you will be able to do this fairly quickly.
Now start moving the cueball back one diamond at a time, as indicated by the X’s in the diagram. At some point as you move back either you will miss the shot, be unable to draw the cueball all the way back to the rail, or both. The problem usually stems from the fact that as you move further away from the object ball you must strike the cueball more forcefully to get the backspin to stay on until it contacts the object ball. The extra force warps your stroke and sends the stick out of line with the desired path. Most of you are not hitting the cueball where you think you are.
When you find the point where you begin having problems, do this first: move your bridge hand closer to the cueball and really cinch down with your bridge finger so that there is not a lot of ‘slop’ room in your closed bridge. This will increase your control and accuracy. How much closer? Try reducing your current distance by one-third to one-half.
If this helps you make the shot but you are still having trouble drawing the ball back uptable, then move your grip hand back towards the butt end of the cue. How much depends upon how tall you are, how far you are stretching to make the shot, etc. Try moving back a palm width at first (don’t be afraid to take your hand all the way down to the end of the butt), then fine-tune it so that you are no further back than you need to be to reliably draw your rock. Why moving your hand back on the cue helps impart more spin is a topic open to controversy, but it does work so concern yourself for now with the results and argue the whys with someone who cares.
