A lovely draw stroke is part of the soul of pool. It's tons of fun to send the cue ball forward and watch it spin backwards again off the object ball. Author Robert Byrne calls pool draw "the equivalent of the strike in bowling."
But you need to know what type of stroke and force to exert on the cue ball regardless. Most of the players I encounter draw poorly and if they can spin the cue ball back, they are imprecise with their distance and direction both.I can draw on a shot a few inches to a foot distant and spin the cue ball back to touch my fingers 100 times out of 100--because I do not interfere with the cue stick's physical motion once released to the final stroke.
It's simple physics--strike the cue ball below its equator (as it faces you) and you will impart bottom spin on the ball, enough for it to rebound again on most shots. In this first photo, I am lining up to hit the cue ball low on this stroke.
The following pages will give you some idea of draw technique and make your life at the tables simpler. And if you're still struggling with draw strokes, you can review my stop action photos of the cue stick at work as well.
