Stop, Stun, Follow, Screw

Objective: Produce all four basic cue-ball reactions from strike point and pace alone.

Why it matters: This is the single biggest lever for positional play — where the cue ball finishes decides whether your next shot is easy or impossible.

Watch: Full video covering strike point for each of the four reactions with slow-motion replays.

Learn: Guide with a strike-point reference explaining each reaction.

See it: Cue-Ball Strike-Point Reference Sheet diagram.

Practise: Run each of the four shot types 10 times from a fixed distance, logging the result.

Test yourself: Quiz: match strike point to resulting cue-ball behaviour.

Challenge: On the same shot, produce stop, stun, follow and screw on request, in sequence.

Common mistakes: Confusing stun with a soft stop shot; screwing with too much power and losing the ball's target line.

Coaching cue: Where you hit decides where it goes.

Completion criteria: Consistently produces the requested reaction on 8/10 attempts across mixed requests.