Draw Shot in Pool: How to Draw the Cue Ball Back in 7 Easy Steps

Quick answer: To hit a draw shot in pool, aim your cue tip about one tip below the center of the cue ball. Lower your bridge hand a little and keep the cue as level as you can. Shoot straight through the cue ball with a smooth stroke and a good follow through, and stay down. The back spin makes the cue ball come back toward you after it hits the object ball.

The draw shot is the shot most players want to learn. It is also the one most beginners have the most trouble with. The good news is that the draw is not magic. It is the same stroke you use for every shot, with the cue tip a little lower on the cue ball. I have played pool for over 50 years, and the draw is one of the three basic shots in my free fundamentals course, along with the stop shot and the follow shot.

What Is a Draw Shot in Pool?

A draw shot makes the cue ball come back toward you after it hits the object ball. You do it by hitting the cue ball below center. That puts back spin on the cue ball.

In my free fundamentals course, I like to say the draw shot is exactly the same as the follow shot, only different. With follow, your cue tip strikes the cue ball above center, and you put forward spin on it. With draw, your cue tip strikes the cue ball below center, and you put back spin on it. That is why some players say follow is high English and draw is low English. You may also hear draw called backspin, bottom spin, or screw.

How to Do a Draw Shot in Pool: 7 Easy Steps

Start with an easy straight in shot. Put an object ball about a foot from a corner pocket. Put the cue ball about a foot behind it, on a straight line to the pocket.

Step 1: Chalk Your Cue

Chalk before every draw shot. You are hitting away from the center of the cue ball, and chalk helps the tip grip the ball so it does not slide off.

Step 2: Get in Your Stance

Stand behind the shot, step in, and get your chin down over the cue. Stay balanced so only your stroke arm moves. See our pool stance page for the steps.

Step 3: Lower Your Bridge a Little

Lower your bridge hand a little so the cue tip can reach below center. Many players like a closed bridge for draw, because it gives you more control on draw and follow shots. Learn the open, closed, and rail bridge on our pool bridge hand page.

Step 4: Keep the Cue Level

Keep the cue as level as you can. If you raise the back of the cue, you hit down on the cue ball, and the draw will not work as well. Hold the cue lightly so your stroke stays smooth. See how to hold a pool cue.

Step 5: Aim About One Cue Tip Below Center

Line up your tip about one cue tip below the center of the cue ball. Do not go to the very bottom of the ball. If you hit too low, the tip can slide off the ball. That is called a miscue.

Step 6: Shoot Straight Through the Cue Ball

You must shoot straight through the ball with a good follow through. Do not jab at the ball. A short, jabby stroke will not draw the ball much. Let your cue keep going past where the cue ball was.

Step 7: Stay Down and Finish Your Shot

Stay down and finish your shot. Jumping up is a big reason draw shots fail. When your cue ball starts backing up, you will need to lift up and get out of the way. There is plenty of time on most shots. On close shots the cue ball comes back faster, so you have to get out of the way sooner.

When you can draw the cue ball back a foot or so, move the cue ball a little farther from the object ball and try again. Close shots draw much easier.

Where to Hit the Cue Ball for Backspin

Think of the cue ball like a clock face. The center is where you hit for a plain shot. Here is a simple guide for a straight in shot:

• Center or a little below: a stop shot. The cue ball stops where the object ball was.
• About one cue tip below center: a draw shot. The cue ball comes back toward you.
• About one cue tip above center: a follow shot. The cue ball rolls forward after the object ball.

The lower you hit, the more back spin you get, up to a point. Stay inside the safe area on the ball, and get more draw from a smooth, long follow through, not from hitting lower and lower.

Stop Shot vs Draw Shot vs Follow Shot

These are the three basic shots in the game. On the same straight in shot, only the spot where you hit the cue ball changes:

• Stop shot: hit the cue ball in the center or a little below, with a firm speed. On a straight shot, it stops dead.
• Draw shot: hit below center. The cue ball spins backward and comes back toward you.
• Follow shot: hit above center. The cue ball rolls forward after it hits the object ball.

Learn the stop shot first. If you can stop the cue ball on a straight shot, you know how to hit the center of the cue ball, and the draw builds from that. Our cue ball control page explains all three shots and how speed changes them.

Watch: Stop, Draw and Follow

In this video from our Pool Skool channel, I show the three basic shots on the table. To stop the ball, I hit low center with a good stroke, and the ball stops. Then I go above center and follow the ball. Then I draw the ball back.

Draw on Cut Shots

Most shots in a game are not straight in. On a cut shot, a stop hit sends the cue ball off at about a right angle to the path of the object ball. That path is called the tangent line.

With about half a cue tip below center and a good stroke, the cue ball travels on the tangent line. Go one cue tip below center, and you draw the cue ball back off the tangent line, which makes the angle wider. Practice this at different speeds. Be careful. With a good stroke you could draw the cue ball right into the corner pocket.

Short Draw vs Long Draw

Close shots draw much easier. When the cue ball is near the object ball, a soft, smooth stroke is enough to bring it back.

Far shots are harder. The cue ball has to travel across the cloth, and the back spin wears off on the way. You must follow through with a crisp stroke in order to draw far shots. Some players call a big, long draw a power draw. It comes from a smooth stroke with a long follow through, not from muscle. Do not go wild on a draw shot, because the cue ball can fly off the table if you hit too hard and too low.

Why Can't I Draw the Cue Ball? 6 Common Mistakes

• Hitting too close to center. Get your tip about one cue tip below center.
• Jumping up. Stay down and finish your shot, most of all on draw shots.
• Jabbing at the ball. A short, jabby stroke will not draw. Follow straight through.
• Raising the back of the cue. Keep the cue as level as you can.
• Starting too far away. Begin with the balls close, then move back.
• No chalk. Chalk before every draw shot so the tip does not slide off.

Also, do not mix side spin with a hard draw while you are learning. Learn a straight draw first. Our English in pool page covers side spin when you are ready.

When Do You Use a Draw Shot in a Game?

The draw shot is a position shot. You use it when the best spot for your next shot is back toward you. It also helps you stay away from a scratch on a straight in shot near a pocket.

In 8 ball, I also use draw to break up clusters. In one of my 8 ball videos, I shoot a ball in and try to just draw the cue ball into a group of balls to separate them. That opens up the rack so I can run out. Think one shot ahead, and pick the spin and speed that will get the cue ball where you want it.

Draw Shot Drills

Draw it straight back. Set up a straight in shot near a corner pocket. Make the ball and draw the cue ball straight back toward you. Practice close shots first, then far ones. Practice these basic shots until you own them.

Draw to a target. Use the same straight shot. Put a piece of chalk on the table one diamond behind the cue ball. Hit below center and try to draw the cue ball back to the chalk. Move the chalk farther back as you get better. This drill is on our cue ball control drills page.

Stop, follow, draw. Set up the same shot three times. Make it with a stop shot, then a follow shot, then a draw shot. Most beginners have the most trouble with the draw, so do not move on until you can do each one most of the time. See our pool drills for beginners page for this drill and more.

Before any of this, make sure your stroke is straight and your body is still. Our how to shoot pool page walks through the full shot, step by step.

Learn the Fundamentals Free

The draw shot is part of our free 7 part pool fundamentals course, along with the stop shot, follow shot, the tangent line, and English. It comes one lesson at a time by email, so you can study it on the computer and then take it to the table. Sign up on our free pool lessons page. You can also read the draw shot lesson from the course on our billiards instruction page.

When you are ready to win more games, our book 8 Ball Winning Strategies shows you how to plan your run and play smart 8 ball. Learn more on our 8 Ball Winning Strategies page.

Draw Shot FAQ

What is a draw shot in pool?

A draw shot is when you hit the cue ball below center so it has back spin. After the cue ball hits the object ball, the back spin makes it come back toward you. Some players call it low English or backspin.

Where do you hit the cue ball for a draw shot?

Hit the cue ball below center. About one cue tip below center is a good place to start. Hit too low and the tip can slide off the ball, which is called a miscue.

How do you put backspin on the cue ball?

Lower your bridge hand a little, keep the cue as level as you can, and hit below center. Use a smooth stroke and follow straight through the cue ball. Stay down until the shot is over.

Why can't I draw the cue ball?

The most common reasons are hitting too close to center, jumping up during the shot, jabbing at the ball with no follow through, and starting with the balls too far apart. Start with a short shot and a smooth stroke.

What is the difference between a stop shot and a draw shot?

On a stop shot you hit the cue ball in the center or a little below, and on a straight shot it stops where the object ball was. On a draw shot you hit lower, and the cue ball comes back toward you.

Do you need to hit hard to draw the ball?

No. Close shots draw much easier and need very little speed. On longer shots you need a crisp stroke with a good follow through. A smooth, long follow through matters more than a hard hit.