Trick shot
Encyclopedia
- The term has also been applied to other activities, such as archeryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, shooting sportsShooting sportsA shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
, basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, whipcrackingWhipcrackingWhipcracking is the act of producing a cracking sound through the use of a whip. Originating during mustering and horse driving/riding, it has become an art of its own. A rhythmic whipcracking belongs to the traditional culture among various Germanic peoples of Bavaria , various Alpine areas ,...
, dartsDartsDarts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
, tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, and bowlingBowlingBowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, but those usages are outside the scope of this article. See specific articles on those sports for more information.
A trick shot (also trickshot or trick-shot) is a shot played on a billiards table
Billiards table
A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which billiards-type games are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that is covered with cloth and surrounded by vulcanized rubber cushions, with the whole elevated above...
(most often a pool
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
table, though snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
tables are also used), which seems unlikely, impossible, or requires significant skill. They frequently organize the balls
Billiard ball
A billiard ball is a small, hard ball used in cue sports, such as carom billiards, pool, and snooker. The number, type, diameter, color, and pattern of the balls differ depending upon the specific game being played...
in ways that are unlikely or impossible to appear in normal play, such as balls being in a straight line, or use props
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
such as extra cues or a triangle
Rack (billiards)
A rack is the name given to a frame used to organize billiard balls at the beginning of a game. Rack may also be used as a verb to describe the act of setting billiard balls in starting position in billiards games that make use of racks , as well as a noun to describe the balls in that starting...
that would not be allowed on the table during a game. As an organized cue sports discipline, trick shot competition is known as artistic pool.
Competition formats
Billiards trick shots are the subject of increasing international competition, both amateur and professional. There are world championships, such as the WPA Artistic Pool World Championships and the World Snooker Trickshot Championship (which has not been held since 2006), and made-for-TV events, such as Trick Shot Magic and the World Cup of Trick Shots, often televised in both the USUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and providing enough prize money that some professional players specialize in the discipline.
The formats vary depending on the competition. Some, such as the World Snooker Trickshot Championship are purely exhibitions
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
, with a panel of judges scoring subjectively to determine the winner.
Events such as Trick Shot Magic and the World Cup feature head-to-head competition where the players select shots that have strictly outlined requirements specified in a playbook. Each year, players are allowed to submit their own shot inventions, however, they are disclosed prior to the event to give all players an equal chance to practice them. Players or teams are given two attempts to complete a selected shot within the given parameters, and earn one point for each successful shot. Each player or team gets to select a given number of shots, generally eight or ten, and a winner is declared when one side is mathematically eliminated. Trick Shot Magic, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's annual artistic pool pro tournament, has been widely considered the televised version of the World Artistic Pool Championship, and it has held the highest ratings in televised cue sports competitions in the United States between 2000 and 2009.
Artistic pool similarly (see below) has a (three attempts each, in a sliding-scale point system), with precisely outlined parameters requirements.
The Ultimate Trick Shot Tour features head-to-head competition between two players with no pre-defined shots. Players challenge each other with shots outlining the parameters of the shots just before shooting. Each player gets three attempts per shot, scoring one point per shot made. Each player gets to select a given number of shots, generally six to ten, and the winner is declared when one player is mathematically eliminated.
Artistic pool
Artistic pool trick shot competitions, inspired by the related discipline of artistic billiardsArtistic billiards
Artistic billiards, sometimes called fantasy billiards or fantaisie classique, is a carom billiards discipline in which players compete at performing 76 preset shots of varying difficulty...
, began in 1993 in the US at an amateur level and in 2000 professionally and internationally. They feature a program of 160 tricks to attempt, and include the BCA
Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America is a governing body for cue sports in North America , the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association...
North American Championship, EPBF
European Pocket Billiard Federation
The European Pocket Billard Federation is the European governing body for pocket billiards. EPBF is the European regional affiliate member of the World Pool-Billiard Association .-EPBF members:National affiliate members of EPBF :...
European Championship, and WPA
World Pool-Billiard Association
The World Pool-Billiard Association is the international governing body for pocket billiards . The group was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisional board of directors consisting of representatives from Japan, the United States, Sweden, and Germany...
World Championship, among others. The tricks are divided into eight "disciplines", including trick/fancy, prop/novelty/special arts, and disciplines for extremes in each of the core cueing techniques. The world governing body for this sport is the WPA Artistic Pool Division, while the largest league and player organization is the US-based Artistic Pool & Trick Shot Association (APTSA). The greatest contemporary champions of artistic pool include Mike Massey
Mike Massey
Michael "Mike" Massey is an American professional pocket billiards player, best known as a trick shot artist since the late 1970s, and has given substantial visibility to the sport by traveling the globe to perform exhibitions and compete in a variety of disciplines...
, Stefano Pelinga
Stefano Pelinga
Stefano Pelinga is an Italian professional pool player from Rome. He is best known as a multi-year international artistic pool champion, as both an individual and team captain. He has also served as an officer for the Polizia di Stato for 27 years...
and Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman, a notable professional player and billiards author.
In APTSA competitions, competitors have three chances to successfully perform each trick, earning full points if they are successful on their first attempts and incrementally reduced points for subsequent attempts. Each shot has an associated difficulty rating (also the point value) with a higher rating being more difficult. A preliminary round of 40 shots is performed, and the top players (the number varies depending on the number of competitors, but usually the top 12) proceed into a head-to-head playoff format to determine the winner. Artistic pool also features equipment limitations, and shot requirements (e.g., preclusion of any off-the-table tricks, such as are popular in events like Trick Shot Magic).
Objects used
As with other pool and billiards games, trick shots usually utilize a , one or more , and a cue stickCue stick
A cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the...
. However, many props can be used in trick shots including bottle
Bottle
A bottle is a rigid container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth". By contrast, a jar has a relatively large mouth or opening. Bottles are often made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum or other impervious materials, and typically used to store liquids such as water, milk, soft...
s, drinking glasses, basket
Basket
A basket is a container which is traditionally constructed from stiff fibres, which can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehair, baleen, or metal wire can be used. Baskets are...
s, coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
s, ball racks
Rack (billiards)
A rack is the name given to a frame used to organize billiard balls at the beginning of a game. Rack may also be used as a verb to describe the act of setting billiard balls in starting position in billiards games that make use of racks , as well as a noun to describe the balls in that starting...
, cue tip chalk, and other billiards- and non-billiards-related equipment. Props are used to change the difficulty of the shot or add aesthetic value. As with artistic billiards pros, trick shot artists often have specialized cue sticks for performing particular types of shots, particularly and massés.
Disciplines of trick shots
The APTSA trick shot disciplines are:- Trick and/or fancy: Primarily deals with setup shots, multiple ball configurations, and/or a shot where cue ball travels in a "kick" pattern to make final ball(s). May also include "extreme" cut shots and special skill shots not in other disciplines.
- Prop/novelty and special arts: Unusual or new shots of any nature, shots with "props", such as cues, bridge(s), rack(s),coin(s), chalk, etc., and shots of a unique or "special" art form, such as wing shots, time shots, "legal" or "illegal" follow-thru shots, push shots, roller coaster technique/waterfall specialties, plus demonstrations of one-handed jack up, behind back, under leg, and more. Referred to as general amusement category.
- Draw: Basic to advanced with cue ball greater than 1/2" from first object ball. The cue ball contacts an object ball with draw (backspin) and pockets another.
- Follow: A cue ball is hit with follow (topspin) and goes forth and hits in an object ball.
- Bank/Kick: Bank, meaning to hit object ball(s) into cushion(s), and kicks meaning to hit cue ball into "x" number of cushions first and then to object ball(s).
- Stroke: Cue ball less than 1/2" from first object ball(s), for draw or follow, plus accuracy position shots, speed control shots, or unique "stroke" shots.
- Jump: Any shot utilizing jump shot technique, other than "prop" shots with bridge(s), and some special "stroke" shots.
- Massé: Half and full massé – cue elevations over 10 degrees.
Notable trick shots
- "Machine gun" (1): A line of object balls are placed in a row about a ball width away from a , and the cue ball is shot into the space between the balls and the cushion so as to reverberate between them while traveling and hit each one of the object balls in series, issuing a machine gunMachine gunA machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
-like sound. - "Machine gun" (2): A line of object balls are placed in a row along but not against a cushion, and are then shot directly with the cue, one after another, around the table, each contacting three cushions, and into the same pocket. The trick requires carefully timing the shots, so that newly-shot balls travel between balls already in motion.
- "Machine gun" (3): A line of object balls are placed on the table. The cue ball is shot into a pocket with deadweight and the object balls are all potted into the same pocket directly one after the other with the cue, while the cue ball is still traveling. Done right, the cue ball is the first ball hit and the last ball falling.
- "The dollar bill shot": This shot uses a banknoteBanknoteA banknote is a kind of negotiable instrument, a promissory note made by a bank payable to the bearer on demand, used as money, and in many jurisdictions is legal tender. In addition to coins, banknotes make up the cash or bearer forms of all modern fiat money...
, typically a US$United States dollarThe United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100 bill, placed on the short rail near the corner pocket as a target landing zone. The cue ball is banked off of eight or nine cushions and should land with the ball's edge over the banknote. This shot is used as a tiebreaker on Trick Shot Magic with the competitor landing closest to the bill winning the match. - "Up and in": Originated by World Champion Mike MasseyMike MasseyMichael "Mike" Massey is an American professional pocket billiards player, best known as a trick shot artist since the late 1970s, and has given substantial visibility to the sport by traveling the globe to perform exhibitions and compete in a variety of disciplines...
; the cue ball is jumped off the table into a cowboy bootCowboy bootCowboy boots refer to a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a Cuban heel, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing...
on the floor. Also referred to as "the boot shot". - "The bottle shot": Two balls are balanced on top of a glass soda bottle. The cue ball pockets a ball in the side and gets propelled in the air, knocking the bottom ball from the top of the bottle, letting the top ball drop to rest on top of the bottle. This shot was conceived by Japanese player Yoshikazu Kimura and popularized by World Champion Stefano PelingaStefano PelingaStefano Pelinga is an Italian professional pool player from Rome. He is best known as a multi-year international artistic pool champion, as both an individual and team captain. He has also served as an officer for the Polizia di Stato for 27 years...
. - "The butterfly": Six object balls are grouped in the middle of the table in a butterflyButterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
shape; in a single shot, each ball drops into a different pocket in the billiards tableBilliards tableA billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which billiards-type games are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that is covered with cloth and surrounded by vulcanized rubber cushions, with the whole elevated above...
. - "Just showing off": Five object balls are clustered near the left side pocket and a hanging object ball in the lower right corner. The cue ball is sent in to the cluster pocketing all five balls and then travels 3 rails to pocket the hanging object ball. This shot was made famous by Steve MizerakSteve MizerakSteve Mizerak , nicknamed "the Miz", was a world champion pool player dominant during the 1970s and early 1980s in the game of 14.1 continuous....
in a beer commercial in the 1970s. - "The snake shot": Fifteen object balls are placed across the table. The 15 ball is the first and it is placed 6 inches away from the corner pocket. Each successive ball is placed 3 inches behind the previous one in a winding chain. Each combination of balls beginning with the 1 and the 2 should be aligned so they aim toward the next ball in the chain. The cue ball must be set up in position to make a straight line with the first two-ball combination. When the 1 ball is hit it should cause a chain reaction as each two-ball set hits each other.
Notable professional players
- Bruce Barthelette ("the Big Guy")
- Lou ButeraLou ButeraLou Butera is an American professional pool player and an inductee into the Billiards Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 1986....
("Machine Gun") - Eddie CharltonEddie CharltonEdward Francis Charlton AM was an Australian professional snooker and English billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title...
- Sal Conti ("Cool Cat")
- Charles Darling ("Spitball Charlie")
- Steve DavisSteve DavisSteve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
("the Ginger Magician") - Ralph Eckert
- Paul Gerni ("the Ambassador of Pool")
- Sebastian Giumelli ("the Matador", "el Rey del Pool")
- Jamey Gray ("Sharpshooter")
- Ralph GreenleafRalph GreenleafRalph Greenleaf was an American professional pool and carom billiards player, a twenty-time World Pocket Billiards Champion, whose ability and charisma dominated the sport during his heyday.His obituary in The New York Times said of Greenleaf, in March 1950: "What Babe Ruth did for baseball,...
- Terry GriffithsTerry GriffithsTerrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
- Ewa Laurance ("the Striking Viking")
- Jeanette Lee ("the Black Widow")
- Mike MasseyMike MasseyMichael "Mike" Massey is an American professional pocket billiards player, best known as a trick shot artist since the late 1970s, and has given substantial visibility to the sport by traveling the globe to perform exhibitions and compete in a variety of disciplines...
("Tennessee Tarzan") - François MingaudFrançois MingaudCaptain François Mingaud was an infantry officer in the French army and a carom billiards player...
- Steve MizerakSteve MizerakSteve Mizerak , nicknamed "the Miz", was a world champion pool player dominant during the 1970s and early 1980s in the game of 14.1 continuous....
("the Miz") - Willie MosconiWillie MosconiWilliam Joseph Mosconi , best known as Willie Mosconi, was an American professional pool player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Between the years of 1941 and 1957, he won the World Straight Pool Championship an unmatched fifteen times. For most of the 20th century, his name was essentially...
("Mr. Pocket Billiards") - Nick Nikolaidis ("Quick Nick")
- Alex PagulayanAlex PagulayanAlejandro Salvador Pagulayan, is a Filipino Canadian professional pool and snooker player. His nicknames are "the Lion" and "the Killer Pixie". He was born in Cabagan, Isabela, Philippines and was raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
("the Lion") - Dave PearsonDave Pearson (pool player)Dave Pearson is a British professional pool player.Pearson was the runner-up in the International Speed Pool Challenge four years in a row, losing to Luc Salvas in the 2006 and 2009 finals, and to Bobby McGrath in the 2007-2008 finals.-References:...
- Stefano PelingaStefano PelingaStefano Pelinga is an Italian professional pool player from Rome. He is best known as a multi-year international artistic pool champion, as both an individual and team captain. He has also served as an officer for the Polizia di Stato for 27 years...
("Mr. Trick Shots") - Lars Riiber
- Alain RobidouxAlain RobidouxAlain Robidoux is a Canadian snooker player; he played on the World Snooker tour from 1988 to 2005 and continues to play in events in Canada.-Career:...
- Tom Rossman ("Dr. Cue")
- Semih SaygınerSemih SayginerSemih Saygıner nicknamed Mr. Magic and the Turkish Prince, is a Turkish professional carom billiards player....
("Mr. Magic") - Andy Segal ("the Magic Man")
- Bill StatonBill StatonBill Staton , an American professional pool player and restauranteur, nicknamed "Weenie Beenie"....
("Weenie Beenie") - Luke Szywala ("Cool Hand Luke")
- Dennis TaylorDennis TaylorDennis Taylor is a retired snooker player, and current BBC snooker commentator. Winner of two ranking events, he is best known for winning the 1985 World Championship, beating World number one Steve Davis on the final black in one of the sport's most memorable finals...
- John VirgoJohn VirgoJohn Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...
("Mr Perfection") - Rudolf Wanderone ("Minnesota Fats")
- Bogdan Wołkowski ("the Wizard")
In popular culture
Various trick shot competitions (sometimes with footage dating back years) remain among the most dominant of ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's pool-related programming, and the World Snooker Trickshot Championship has enjoyed notable popularity in the UK. The British TV game show Big Break
Big Break
Big Break is a British game show based around the game of snooker, mixed with traditional game show elements. It was broadcast on BBC1 between 30 April 1991 and 9 October 2002...
, which ran from 1991 to 2002, featured a round each week called "Virgo's Trick Shot". John Virgo
John Virgo
John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...
would demonstrate a snooker trick shot which the contestant would then attempt to copy. The show also aired eight trick shot specials between 1995 and 1999.
Trick shots appear frequently in films and television. Perhaps the most outlandish case would be in BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
's science fiction comedy TV series Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
, episode "White Hole
White Hole (Red Dwarf episode)
"White Hole" is the fourth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series IV and the twenty-second episode in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 7 March 1991...
", in which the character Dave Lister
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles...
uses his pool-playing skills to play a trick shot at an astronomical level in order to save the ship, using a thermonuclear device as a "cue" and planetary bodies as "balls". Most pool-themed films, such as Poolhall Junkies
Poolhall Junkies
Poolhall Junkies is a 2002 drama/thriller film written, starring and directed by Mars Callahan. The film also stars Alison Eastwood, Michael Rosenbaum, Rick Schroder with Chazz Palminteri and Christopher Walken...
with a scene involving a high-stakes wager on a , include difficult shots that some might classify as trick shots. Another example might be the character Vince pocketing the nine-ball when asked to, in the film version of The Color of Money
The Color of Money
The Color of Money is a 1986 film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis....
.
External links
- ArtisticPool.org, a general information site by Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman
- Artistic Pool and Trick Shot Association, a player organization
- Billiards Superstars Promotions, http://www.billiardssuperstars.com, featuring the best pocket billiards entertainers