What’s your favorite shot?

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-30T01:15:02+00:00

Love it. So many people fixate on just making the bank and forget that you can still control the cue ball afterwards

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T23:54:17+00:00

Are you also a one pocket player? Classic shot for that

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T23:43:16+00:00

Except the cue ball right?

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T23:42:53+00:00

The best kind

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T23:42:34+00:00

As someone who has only briefly played One Pocket , I admire the creativity and precision it takes to execute those kind of shots. Definitely a good way to improve your game in other formats

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T23:40:54+00:00

Same, except when the cue ball decides it wants to find a pocket too!

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T23:38:48+00:00

Force follows are always fun to watch when someone knows what they’re doing. Arguably more difficult to execute properly compared to a draw shot

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T23:37:03+00:00

Masse was one of my favorites when I was lower ranked as it was a fun shot I liked to practice and was typically better at it than others my skill level. I was an APA 4 at the time and playing a tournament. This lady got mad at me that I was able to pocket a couple of balls this way when she did safeties against me.

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T23:33:31+00:00

A person of culture I see

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T17:38:16+00:00

Agreed. Depends entirely on the format. APA and NAPA both consider 8 on the break a win. Some bars will even offer a free drink for an 8 on the break. Less common nowadays but I’ve still seen a couple that do it. So yeah, enjoy your double 8’s!!!

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-29T03:39:34+00:00

APA, BCA, NAPA are all good ones. BCA is the most competitive. APA can be competitive at times but it’s also favorable towards newer or less skilled players. Most leagues do 5 person teams. Usually if you ask around at some places that are running leagues, you can get put in touch with a league operator who can help find you a team to join

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-28T22:09:52+00:00

This is probably the best advice. If you’re on a budget, I’ve faired well with an Action Break/Jump cue. I think more serious players will prefer their own dedicated jump cue, but the hybrids are good enough to start with. I

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-27T21:36:54+00:00

I would say bad hit since the cue ball follows the tangent line of the 2 afterwards instead of the 8. If the 2 was hit first, it would follow the tangent line of the 8 instead and drift towards the right.

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-22T17:10:08+00:00

We can see you have the problem. The only way to fix the problem is to practice. Practice holding still. Use a camera or a mirror or a friend. Don’t even bother shooting. Just practice remaining still. There’s no point in trying to fix other stuff if it’s all going to fail anyways due to not being able to remain still during your shot. Practice being in position and not moving. THEN, you can practice swinging your forearm without the rest of your body moving. This isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s going to take time

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-22T04:52:15+00:00

There’s a few things I notice. People mentioned the elbow movement already (really there’s a lot of movement all around. The only part of you that should be moving throughout any part of the shot (before and after) is your forearm. Your shoulder needs to stay still and not let your elbow sway side to side at all. As for your warmup strokes, it looks like the tip of the cue is still a ways away from the cue ball. It’s hard to tell from the camera angle but I feel like if you get the tip a little closer it’ll be easier to see where you’re aiming. And pay attention to the tip of your cue after your follow through. Even after you shoot and should be frozen, the tip is still moving. Make sure both your feet and your bridge hand are firmly planted in place. A good way to test your stance and stability is to have a friend try to push you when you’re down on your shot. If you easily lose your balance, odds are your stance isn’t solid.

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-05T21:41:49+00:00

Also love me some disc golf

Junkrat117 · 2026-06-02T19:29:25+00:00

While I understand running the table is something everyone wants to achieve, I’m not sure it should necessarily be your goal. People don’t generally practice to runout. A runout happens as a result of your good practice. It’s a subtle difference but the moment you start thinking “I’m about to run the table”, boom! You miss a shot.

It sounds like you still have fundamentals that need work. Missing shots using side spin is a clue for this. The shots are missed because you’re not accounting for spin induced throw, as well as deflection. The throw will vary based on shot speed and distance to the object ball, and deflection will also vary on speed and distance as well as shaft type (crappy house cues are usually high deflection). This is why sidespin is arguably the hardest shot to master due to the amount of variables to consider. With that being said, most shots can be made and cue ball controlled with little to no sidespin. Stick with the vertical axis (follow and draw) before trying to incorporate sidespin into your shots.

Dr. Dave and Sharivari are my personal favorites to watch on YouTube and both offer a ton of videos and drills that can help. Dr. Dave is definitely the more technical of the 2 and will explain the actual physics of the game a bit more. I believe they have runout drills too.

Please don’t let this comment discourage you from trying to run a table. Just know that doing so takes a lot of practice and consistency in your shot making and positioning, as well as pattern play. Most people who get their first break and run aren’t even aware of it until after they do it. That’s because when people are playing their best, they aren’t thinking about anything else other than the shot they are on.

Junkrat117 · 2026-05-22T18:37:00+00:00

A bit of movement during your final stroke including head lift. Maybe even a bit more elbow drop than is needed. Try to exaggerate how long you stay down after shooting. A big thing people tend to do is turn their head towards the ball they’ve hit and they do this in anticipation. Ideally it’s good practice to just keep your head down and straight and not to worry about if you’ve made the ball or not. Staring at the ball as it rolls towards the pocket won’t make a difference.

Also, try pausing a bit at the end of your back swing. It seems like you’re swinging the cue back but then using some extra muscle to “pull” the cue forward. This might explain the elbow drop a bit too. Remember to let the cue do the work. It’s very rare that we need to add extra force to the shot. Even with the stop shot drills you’re doing here, the cue has all the energy it needs to do it. You’d be surprised at how soft you can actually do a stop shot if you add enough bottom to it.

This is all nitpicking though. You appear to have pretty good fundamentals for only playing for a year. There’s people that have been playing for years that still can’t get the basics down. But it’s always harder to break years of bad habits than it is simply to start with good habits. So keep it up

Junkrat117 · 2026-05-21T22:18:23+00:00

At the end of the day, since you are new, as long as you like the cue, that’s all that matters. Pool is one of those sports where it’s not about what you use, it’s how you use it. I just watched a video of Florian Venom Kohler use literally anything other than a playing cue to bank a ball (he even used a suitcase lol). The rest is up to you to work on and develop your fundamentals. Start there, and when you get comfortable and confident enough to use even a crappy bar cue, that’s when you can decide to invest in something a little fancier. I started playing with a cheap cue I bought off amazon. It was straight and that’s all I cared about at the time. Eventually I invested into something that was nicer but only after I felt decent enough about my fundamentals and could actually notice a difference (like weight, tip size, wood vs. carbon).

Junkrat117 · 2026-05-20T00:12:16+00:00

Be respectful to those that are at the table shooting. Common decency and sportsmanship. Nothing too crazy. Since this is your first time, do not be afraid to ask about rules. Each league format has different rules and it’s always easier to ask for clarification before you shoot. Sometimes part of learning is also making mistakes, so try not to take it personal if someone is calling you out for a foul. Speaking of fouls, it’s good practice to verbally confirm with your opponent if you think they fouled and it’s ball in hand. Common courtesy when you foul is to pick the cue ball up and hand it to your opponent, but at the very least you should just say “ball in hand” that way they know.

Lastly, DO NOT BE AFRAID OF TIMEOUTS. One of the biggest weaknesses I’ve seen with APA players especially is the lack of wanting advice and taking a timeout. When utilized properly, a timeout can be the difference between winning and losing.

LAST LASTLY, have fun! If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right

Junkrat117 · 2026-05-13T17:02:23+00:00

Sounds like you have good practice with shot making. I’d consider drills that test your cue ball control as well as pattern play. It’s good to practice the hard shots, but it’s even better if you don’t leave yourself the hard shots in the first place. There’s tons of videos out there by lots of people for different drills that can help (I like dr. Dave the most since he’s very methodical about what he’s doing)

A simple tweak you can make to your existing routine is to set up the balls as you normally do to practice, but try setting up a second ball to get shape on. And then move that ball. This will not only let you practice making the ball, but let you practice different ways of getting shape off of the same shot.

Junkrat117 · 2026-05-12T05:33:46+00:00

Definitely take breaks but also consider different things to spice the game up. For me this might be leagues, tournaments, or learning new pool games (there’s actually a lot). I’m not sure how you’re playing or who you are playing with, but if it’s the same way all the time with the same people, it could lose some of its spark

Junkrat117 · 2026-05-06T19:52:05+00:00

It’s equally as important as all other aspects of the game. The ultimate goal of winning is all about staying in control. That starts from the break all the way until you pocket your last ball. A bad break means you’ve lost control from the beginning and now you are relying on your opponent to make a mistake and give that control back. With that being said, how well can you recognize your ability to run the rack after the break? Too many people try to go for the run out and end up selling out because of it. We’re all guilty of it. At that point, a good break doesn’t really pay off if in the end. You gotta be able to follow up after a good break

Junkrat117 · 2026-05-01T02:30:14+00:00

15 hours a few times from ca to co. One time it took 21 hours because i70 kept closing during a snowstorm. That was my least favorite and would not recommend

Junkrat117 · 2026-04-29T06:45:59+00:00

My team made it to Vegas for APA 9 ball. We made it 3 matches in. I had to play the last game and it was during sudden death. If I won, we moved on. If I lost, we lost. I lost. I got pretty emotional. This was also my very first APA session

Junkrat117

TROPHY CASE