How to shoot trick shots in pool?

Answer 1

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of pool and billiard trick shots. Broadly, they can be divided into two categories: artistic shots and skill shots.

Artistic shots are all in the setup and require minimal skill in order to make. These shots generally make multiple balls in multiple pockets all in the same shot. These are great to start out with as they only require a bit of knowledge and some patience to learn the setup.

Skill shots are those that use typical pool game skills and may take them to extremes. Basic skill shots would be follow shots, draw shots, and bank/kick shots. More extreme skill shots include jump shots and masse shots, where you make the cue ball curve. These shots tend to be easier to learn if you have a mastery of your pool stroke already.

Skill shots can also include novelty shots which wouldn't be encountered in a typical pool game. These include speed shots, wing shots (shooting at a moving object ball), juggling shots (shooting a moving cue ball), one-handed shots, opposite handed shots, shots using multiple cues, or combinations thereof.

There are many resources in print and online that diagram a number of trick shots. Most use a categorization scale so you know which ones are the easier ones that are better to start off with if you're just learning.