The best way to hit a draw shot is to lower your bridge, which will allow you to hit the cue ball at a lower point below its equator line — again, the opposite of the hand position used for the follow shot. To lower your bridge, straighten your fingers so that they are farther away from your palm. Remember that the rail could prevent you from lowering your cue stick far enough to get the shot you want. You may find yourself shooting from an awkward angle, so choose your shot carefully and make sure you are confident that you can successfully strike the lower part of the cue ball.

Be careful not to hit the ball too low, or your cue stick will slip under the cue ball and send it flying — depending, of course, on how hard you strike it.

Angled Draw Shots

You'll have to give this shot a few test drives before you'll be able to figure out position play. When you use draw on a shot with a cut angle, the cue ball moves back toward you on an angle. If you cut the object ball on its left side, sending it toward the right with a draw stroke, the cue ball will first slide along the tangent line to the left and then start to come back toward you. The harder you strike the cue ball, the farther away from you it will wind up on the table. The softer you strike the cue ball, the closer to you it will wind up on the table. A soft stroke with a lower strike on the cue ball will minimize the sideways movement of the cue ball, while a harder stroke on the cue ball (but still below center) will maximize the sideways movement of the cue ball off of the object ball.

Power Draw Shots You use the power draw shot when you need the cue ball to pocket one object ball and then wind up in a good position to pocket another object ball that appears to be a good distance away from that first object ball. If you have learned to strategize your position plays, you will eventually see how one shot can lead to another — especially if you have all the skills required to make the shot. For example, you survey the table and see that you can pocket two balls consecutively if you can just drive the cue ball to a rail and back off, to get it into the next position to shoot the second ball.

Only use the power draw shot when the win depends on it. It is such an extreme shot that you will definitely want to show off once you've mastered it, but beware; it could backfire on you, because it requires greater speed and it increases the chances that you may miss the shot.

Nip Draw Shots

The nip draw shot is essential if the object ball is between 3 to 7 inches from the cue ball and you are concerned with position play. You'll need a very short stroke and speed of hand to get your bridge out of the way before the cue ball starts making its way back to you. If you're not fast enough and the cue ball hits your cue stick on the way back, it will be a foul and you'll lose your turn. The nip draw is not an easy shot and will require a lot of practice.

You'll also need to learn a different bridge for the nip draw: Curl the fingers of your bridge hand under so that your knuckles are actually resting on the surface of the table in a fist-like grip with your fingers closer together. This will allow you better maneuverability with your cue stick at a close range.

Jack-Up Draw Shot

Use this shot when the cue ball is less than about 3 inches from the object ball and requires a steady stroke and a great deal of practice. Here's what you have to do:

• Elevate your bridge hand so that only the tips of your fingers are on the table.

• Rest the cue stick between your thumb and index finger.

• Elevate the cue stick to a 30- to 40-degree angle from the table (the closer the cue ball is to the object ball, the larger the angle of the cue stick).

• Strike the cue ball at approximately the center from the angle at which you are looking down at the shot.

• Use a short stroke and you should be able to move that object ball and position your cue ball for your next shot.

For a jack-up draw shot use an elevated bridge and raise the cue stick to a 30- to 40-degree angle.