English in Pool Explained: Follow, Draw, Stun and Side Spin
"English" is side spin, but most players use the word for any spin on the cue ball. Spin is how good players control where the cue ball goes after the shot. It also causes a lot of misses, so it helps to know what it really does.
The cue ball's face
Picture the cue ball as a clock face. Hitting above center (12 o'clock) puts on follow. Below center (6 o'clock) puts on draw. Left and right (9 and 3 o'clock) put on side spin. Most shots only need about one tip of offset from center; more than that risks a miscue.
Follow, draw and stun
- Follow (topspin): after hitting the object ball, the cue ball keeps rolling forward. On a straight-in shot, it follows the object ball toward the pocket.
- Draw (backspin): the cue ball comes back toward you after contact. The farther the cue ball has to travel to the object ball, the more draw you need, because the cloth wears the backspin off. Step-by-step help: how to draw the cue ball.
- Stun (stop): a center or slightly-low hit that makes the cue ball slide, with no spin, at contact. On a straight-in shot it stops dead. On a cut, it leaves at 90 degrees to the object ball's path (see the 90-degree carom).
On cut shots, follow bends the cue ball forward of the 90-degree line, and draw bends it back. That is the main tool for position play.
Side spin off the rails
Side spin mostly matters when the cue ball hits a cushion. Running English (spin in the direction the ball is going along the rail) makes the cue ball come off the rail longer and faster. Reverse English (the other side) makes it come off shorter and slower, or even straight back. Players use side spin to open up angles off the rail that a center hit can't reach.
The catch: squirt and swerve
Side spin changes the cue ball's path even before it hits anything:
- Squirt (deflection): hit the right side and the cue ball pushes slightly to the left of where you aimed. Low-deflection shafts reduce this.
- Swerve: because the cue is never perfectly level, side spin makes the cue ball curve back the other way as it travels. It grows with distance and slower speed.
- Throw: side spin can also push the object ball a little off line at contact.
Squirt and swerve partly cancel at some speeds and distances, which is why players learn to "feel" English rather than calculate it.
When not to use English
If you can get position with a center-ball hit and the right speed, do that. Side spin adds risk to every shot. The best players use the least spin they can.
Practice
- Stop shots from straight-in, at growing distance (the stop-shot ladder).
- Draw and follow on the same shot to see how far each one sends the cue ball.
- One-rail kicks with left, center and right spin to see how much the angle changes.
Then try the power draw and, if your room allows it, the massé.