🎱 Mastering the Draw Shot

Draw shot tips, breathing hacks, & achieving perfect pool

Author

Madison Gazda
August 21, 2025

Welcome back to Stroke of Confidence. This week is all about two essentials: your draw stroke and your breath. One affects your cue ball control. The other affects your control of everything else.

Big thanks to everyone who gives feedback on the newsletter. It helps motivate me to keep doing this. Click reply or use the poll at the bottom of the newsletter to leave feedback. Here is what some readers are saying:

“My consistency is off and on. These tips help me.”

“Good info to add to the mindset I’m forming.”

“Well put together and solid info.”

P.S. For those looking for a way to submit questions, you can do that here or at the link in the Quick Links section. Submitted questions may be answered in upcoming newsletters.

This week’s topics:

  • Draw stroke tips

  • The importance of breath

  • Ko Ping Chung’s perfect game

Let’s dive in:

Drawing a blank

Draw shots are one of the sexiest parts of pool. They look flashy, feel powerful, and show everyone you’ve got real control. But they’re not magic. They’re mechanics. If you're not getting the cue ball to come back the way you want, it’s usually not about hitting harder. It’s about a few small adjustments that make a big difference.

Try working through these one at a time:

  • Check your tip placement: You want to strike the cue ball low, but there’s a fine line. Too close to center and you won’t get much draw. Too low and you’ll miscue. The sweet spot is just above the edge of a miscue.

  • Use a level stroke: Your cue should stay level all the way through. A dip or lift in your stroke sends energy the wrong way. A flat cue delivers smooth spin.

  • Tempo over force: A rushed or pokey stroke kills spin and accuracy. Instead of trying to muscle the ball backward, take a more fluid approach. Let your stroke move through the ball without speeding up at the last second. You don’t have to blast it. A clean hit with good mechanics will draw more than a wild stroke with too much speed.

  • Keep a relaxed grip: A death grip on the butt of your cue limits how smoothly you can follow through. Try loosening up a bit and letting your fingers guide the stroke instead of choking it.

  • Check your bridge: If your bridge isn’t steady, your tip won’t hit where you expect. Make sure your bridge hand is planted and your cue slides smoothly through it.

  • Chalk up: For draw shots especially, make sure you chalk before you shoot and check that there’s full coverage. See my chalk of choice here.

  • Back arm placement: Make sure your elbow is in the shot line and your forearm is at a right angle to your cue.

  • Complete your stroke: Stopping your stroke as soon as you strike the cue ball won’t apply the spin you need. Follow through and let the cue naturally finish its path. A longer follow-through often leads to more spin and more draw action.

You might miscue a lot at first. That’s not a bad sign—it usually means you’re finally hitting low enough. Stick with it. Getting good at draw takes time, but once it clicks, you’ll have way more options in every game. Check out this video from Ron The Pool Student below if you have been miscueing and scooping the ball and how to fix it.

TipMaster TM61 6-in-1 Cue Tip Tool

If you’ve ever been halfway through league night and realized your tip is mushroomed, or your chalk isn’t sticking, you know the panic of not having the right tool. I’ve been there, and since I started keeping the TipMaster TM61 in my bag, I’ve never been back. It’s not just another gadget; it’s the Swiss Army knife of cue tip care.

Why I like it:

  • All-in-one convenience – Shaper, scuffer, aerator, burnisher, and tip pick, all in one compact tool. Saves space and keeps everything in one place.

  • Solid build – Made from durable aluminum, so it feels sturdy in your hand and should last for years. I’ve had mine for 3+ years and it still performs like it’s new.

  • Quick fixes on the fly – Whether I’m at league or in a tournament, I can get my tip back in shape in under a minute.

  • Consistent tip performance – A well-shaped and maintained tip holds chalk better and grips the cue ball more effectively, leading to cleaner, more controlled shots.

Downsides:

  • Learning curve – If you’ve only ever used a single-purpose tool, figuring out all six functions might take a little practice.

  • Price vs. basic tools – Costs more than a cheap scuffer, but replaces several items at once.

If you’re interested in simplifying and upgrading your cue maintenance setup, you can check it out here. The confidence it gives me knowing my tip is in tip-top shape (pun intended) is priceless.

*Buying through this link helps support the newsletter at no extra cost to you.

Don’t hold your breath

Most players don’t think about their breathing until they feel pressure or something goes wrong. If you’ve ever rushed a shot, lost focus, or totally collapsed in the final game, you already know what that feels like. But building a simple breathing habit can help you stay calm and reset faster.

There’s real science behind why breathing works. Controlled breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system (the part responsible for calming your body down). It lowers your heart rate, reduces cortisol (your stress hormone), and improves focus. That’s why it’s used in therapy for anxiety, in sports psychology for performance, and in meditation for clarity.

Here’s how to make it part of your game:

  • Use a 4-4-6 rhythm: Try breathing in for four seconds, holding for four, and exhaling for six. This type of breathing activates your nervous system’s “calm down” response. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it gets you centered before you play.

  • Breathe before every shot: Adding a breath into your pre-shot routine is one of the easiest ways to quiet your thoughts. It doesn’t have to be dramatic—just a slow inhale before you get down can help you zone in.

  • Breathe between racks: Whether you won the last game or not, a controlled breath before the next break helps separate past and present. It’s a small habit that gives each rack a fresh start.

  • Breathe through frustration: Next time you miss a shot, take a deep breath before reacting. That moment of pause can keep you from spiraling or making emotional decisions on the next shot.

  • Practice it outside the game: Breathing with intention isn’t just for pool. If you use it during workouts, commutes, or everyday stress, it’ll feel more natural when you need it under pressure on the table.

This is one of those tools that’s always available, always free, and way more powerful than it seems. Build it into your routine. The more pressure you feel, the more important it becomes. The more you practice it, the more natural it becomes.

Flawless victory

The US Open is happening right now, so it seems fitting to throw it back to one of the many iconic moments of the event’s past. In the 2023 US Open, Ko Ping Chung delivered one of the most flawless performances in recent memory, running all 99 balls to reach the final.

This masterclass by KPC was a reminder that while perfection in pool is impossible to sustain forever, there are rare moments when it all comes together. For a short stretch, the game feels effortless and every decision is the right one.

Here is the full highlight reel of every shot from that legendary run:

🟢 2025 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship - IN PROGRESS
Aug 18–23 | All Players | 9-Ball | Watch
Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, Atlantic City, NJ

🟢 2025 SVB Junior Open - IN PROGRESS
Aug 21–22 | Juniors | 9-Ball | Watch
Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, Atlantic City, NJ

🟢 2025 WPBA Felt Colorado Classic - IN PROGRESS
Aug 21–24 | Women | 9-Ball | Watch
Felt Billiards, Englewood, CO

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Appreciate you being here this week. If something in this edition clicks with you, take it to the table and test it out. There’s always more to learn. Keep showing up and we’ll see you next week.

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