How it works
Speed decides how far the cue ball goes. A rolling cue ball slows down at a steady rate on the cloth. Because of that, a little more speed goes a lot further: twice the speed rolls about four times as far. Small changes in your stroke make big changes at the end of the shot.
Each cushion also takes some speed away. So does the object ball: after a full hit, the cue ball keeps very little speed (Level 2, Lesson 1). A cue ball that has to go two or three cushions needs much more speed than one that rolls the same distance on the cloth.
Good speed control comes from a smooth, repeatable stroke. Change the length of your backswing, not how hard you push. A short backswing gives a soft shot; a long one gives a firm shot. Keep the same rhythm and follow through every time. A jab or a sudden push makes the speed hard to repeat.
Many players judge speed in table lengths: how far the cue ball would roll if nothing stopped it. On a 9-foot table, a soft shot rolls about one table length, a medium shot about two, and a firm shot three or four. Every cloth is a little different, so check it when you warm up. Thinking in lengths helps you plan, even when the shot uses cushions.
Step by step
- 1
Before the shot, decide where the cue ball should stop.
- 2
Estimate the distance in table lengths, and add some for each cushion it will hit.
- 3
Choose a backswing to match: short, medium or long.
- 4
Take your warm-up strokes with the same length and rhythm as the real stroke.
- 5
Pause, stroke smoothly through the cue ball and follow through. Don't speed up or slow down at contact.
- 6
Stay down and watch where the cue ball stops. Compare it with your plan, and adjust next time.
Common mistakes
Hitting harder instead of a longer backswing
A push or jab makes the speed different every time.
Forgetting the cushions
Each cushion takes speed away. A shot that hits two cushions ends up short.
Decelerating
Stopping the cue at the cue ball to "play soft" makes the speed hard to judge and often steers the cue off line. Keep the follow-through, just with a shorter backswing.
Changing everything at once
If the cue ball goes too far, change only the speed next time, not the spin and the aim too.
Practice this
Exercise · Level 2
Lag to the cushion
Place the cue ball on the head string. Shoot it to the foot cushion and back, so that it stops as close as possible to the head cushion without touching it. Play 10 shots and note how far each one stops from the cushion. In a real lag, touching the head cushion is allowed; in this drill, count it as too long.
Exercise · Level 2
Speed ladder
From the head string, roll the cue ball so it stops just past the side pockets, then at the foot spot, then one diamond from the foot cushion. Use the same rhythm and change only the backswing.
Check yourself: 10 lags to the head cushion. In 7 of them, the cue ball stops within one diamond of the cushion without touching it. Then you’re ready for the next lesson.
Note: warm up with a few lags every time you play. They tune your speed to that table's cloth, which can be faster or slower than you expect.