What is a Stop Shot in Pool?
The stop shot happens when the cue ball strikes the object ball during a straight in shot with no further movement of the cue ball either forward or backward or side to side.
The ball stops dead.
This is because the white ball is skidding along the cloth with no spin in any direction.
When you strike the cue ball below center it initially spins backward. However, this spin eventually wears off due to friction, next the ball skids for a while, then it picks up forward rotation due to friction.
This Shot Is Also called:
- The stun shot
- The Kill Shot
It really doesn’t matter what you call the stop shot so long as we are on the same page.
In snooker, it is known as the stun shot but in USA pool halls I hear the stop shot being used more often.
I have included a video below…
Why Do We Need The Stop Shot?
It is the main building block for great position play. It is the starting point for game improvement once you have mastered the basics.
If you want to know where your cue ball is going you need to learn how to stop the cue ball.
Once you can stop the cue ball without further movement on a straight shot, you can progress onto shots with an angle.
Tip Position For The Shot.
This tip position will change depending on the ball location, pace and distance.
So for a long distance stop shot you will need to adjust your cue power and the tip position or a combination of both.
The shot may need to be stroked at medium pace with 2 tips below center tip position to stop the ball. Playing the shot at a lower speed, with a lower tip position may have the same result.
How you play the shot will depend on your preference.
You Need To Find Your Own Stop Shot!
Play straight in shots at different distances and speeds until you get a feel for your own personal stop shot.
Your personal stop shot will be different to other players. Your feel for the shot and your tip position will be learned by repeating the shots over and over. Mix up your tip position and power to find the many combinations that give the same result.
Now Comes the Magic.
If you play an angled shot with the same stroke as you would if you were trying to stop the ball, you will ensure that the cue ball travels down the tangent line.
In other words, hit the cue ball with the same tip placement and power as you would for a straight shot but this time on an angle shot.
Why is this so Important for Position Play?
The tangent line is a predictable repeatable 90 degree angle. So if you know how to send your white down the tangent line every time you have a solid baseline shot on which to build all of your other positional shots.
