Follow Shot in Pool: How to Make the Cue Ball Follow in 7 Easy Steps

Quick answer: To hit a follow shot in pool, line up a straight in shot. Hit the cue ball about one cue tip above center with a straight, level stroke. Follow through, and stay down. The object ball goes in, and the cue ball rolls forward after it, following the object ball.

The follow shot is one of the three basic shots in the game, along with the stop shot and the draw shot. It is how you send the cue ball forward for your next shot. I have played pool for over 50 years, and the follow shot is part of my free fundamentals course, right with stop and draw.

What Is a Follow Shot in Pool?

A follow shot makes the cue ball roll forward after it hits the object ball. The object ball goes in the pocket, and the cue ball follows behind it.

Follow is produced by striking the cue ball above center with the tip of your cue. The top spin on the cue ball makes it keep rolling forward after contact. For a straight follow, the balls must be lined up straight into the pocket. On a straight shot, the cue ball hits the object ball full in the face and then rolls on after it.

How to Hit a Follow Shot in Pool: 7 Easy Steps

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

Step 1: Line Up a Straight In Shot

For a clean straight follow, the cue ball, the object ball, and the pocket should be on one straight line. The balls must hit full and straight. If the shot is cut even a little, the cue ball will move off to the side instead of going straight after the object ball.

Step 2: Chalk Your Cue

Chalk before you shoot. You will hit above center, and chalk helps the tip grip the cue ball so it does not slide off.

Step 3: 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 and our pool bridge hand page for the steps. Many players like a closed bridge for follow, because it gives you more control on draw and follow shots.

Step 4: Keep the Cue Level

Keep the cue as level as you can. Hold it lightly so your stroke stays smooth. If you raise the back of the cue too much, the hit will not be clean. See how to hold a pool cue.

Step 5: Aim About One Cue Tip Above Center

Line up your tip about one cue tip width above the center of the cue ball. In my free course, I say to contact the cue ball with a straight, level stroke about a cue tip width above center. Do not go so high that the tip slips off the top of the ball. That is miscue territory.

Step 6: Use a Smooth Stroke and Follow Through

Shoot straight through the cue ball with a smooth stroke. Good follow through with your stroke is a must. Do not stop the cue when it hits the ball, and do not jab. The tip should go through the ball and finish past where the cue ball was.

Step 7: Stay Down and Watch Where the Cue Ball Goes

Stay down until the balls settle. Then look at what the cue ball did. Did it follow the object ball into the pocket area, roll only a little, stop, or come back? That tells you what to fix on the next shot.

When you can follow the cue ball a few times in a row, move the cue ball farther back and try again. Practice close shots and far shots. You will find the far shots much more difficult to get the straight follow.

Where to Hit the Cue Ball for a Follow Shot

Think of the face of the cue ball. Here is a simple guide for a straight in shot:

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

Some players say follow is high English and draw is low English. Leave side spin out of it while you learn. A follow shot is a center line shot. Our English in pool page covers side spin when you are ready.

Follow Shot vs Stop Shot vs Draw 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:

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

Learn the stop shot first, then follow and draw. Our stop shot in pool page shows how to stop the cue ball dead. Our draw shot in pool page shows how to draw the cue ball back. Our cue ball control page explains all three shots and how speed changes them.

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, you hit below center, and you put back spin on it. Same stroke, different tip height.

Watch: Stop, Draw and Follow

In this video from our Pool Skool channel, I show the three basic shots on the table. It starts with a straight on shot and the stop shot. Then I go above center and follow the ball. Then I draw the ball back.

Why Won't My Cue Ball Follow? 5 Common Mistakes

• The cue ball stops or barely moves. You hit too close to center, or your stroke was soft and short. Hit a little higher and follow through.
• The cue ball comes back. You hit below center by mistake. That is a draw shot. Aim above center.
• The cue ball spins off to the side. You hit it off center, left or right. Keep the tip on the center line of the cue ball, only higher.
• The tip slips off the top. You aimed too high. Stay about one cue tip above center, chalk well, and keep the cue level.
• Jumping up or jabbing. Stay down, use a smooth stroke, and follow through. Good follow through with your stroke is a must.

Follow on Cut Shots

Most shots in a game are not straight in. On a cut shot, a center hit sends the cue ball away from the object ball at close to 90 degrees. That path is called the tangent line. Follow bends the cue ball forward from that line.

So on a cut, a follow hit still starts near the tangent line, then the forward spin pulls the cue ball forward off that line. Knowing that helps you plan where the cue ball will go before you shoot. See our how to aim in pool page.

When Do You Use a Follow Shot in a Game?

The follow shot is a position shot. When the cue ball rolls forward, you can send it to the next ball, or past a ball that was blocking you. Before every shot, ask, "Where do I want the cue ball to stop?"

Be careful near a pocket. On a straight in shot near a pocket, a follow shot can send the cue ball in after the object ball. That is a scratch. If you need the object ball and want the cue ball to stay on the table, use a stop shot instead.

Follow Shot Drills

Follow it in. This drill comes from part 5 of our free pool course. Put an object ball near a pocket and the cue ball behind it, in a straight line. Hit the cue ball about one cue tip above center with a straight, level stroke. The cue ball should follow the object ball right into the pocket. The balls must hit full and straight, and you must follow through. This drill is on our cue ball control drills page.

Stop, follow, draw. Put the cue ball in the middle of the table and an object ball about halfway to a side pocket. Make it with a stop shot, then a follow shot, then a draw shot. 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 follow shot is part of our free 7 part pool fundamentals course, along with the stop shot, the draw 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 a 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.

Follow Shot FAQ

What is a follow shot in pool?

A follow shot is when the cue ball rolls forward after it hits the object ball. You hit the cue ball above center, and the top spin makes it follow the object ball. It is one of the three basic shots, along with stop and draw.

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

Hit the cue ball about one cue tip width above center, with a straight, level stroke and a good follow through.

How do you make the cue ball follow?

Line up a straight in shot, chalk up, aim about one tip above center, keep the cue level, and stroke straight through the ball. Stay down and watch the cue ball roll forward after the object ball.

Why won't my cue ball follow the object ball?

Common reasons are hitting too close to center, jabbing with no follow through, jumping up during the shot, or aiming so high that the tip slips off. Hit a little higher (but not too high), keep the cue level, and follow through.

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

On a follow shot you hit the cue ball above center, and it rolls forward. On a draw shot you hit below center, and the cue ball comes back toward you. Same stroke, different tip height.

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

On a follow shot you hit above center so the cue ball rolls forward. On a stop shot you hit the cue ball in the center or a little below with firm speed, and on a straight shot it stops where the object ball was.

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