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Step 1
Pick a couple of balls to practice with. Usethe cue ball or a striped ball that will allow you to see your spin better. Stand behind the middle pocket on one side of the table and set the balls a few inches apart in a line between the two middle pockets. You hit one ball to pocket the other.
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Step 2
Set up a closed bridge and aim for the center of your cue ball (or the striped ball). This is called the stop stroke. When you hit the ball, don't impart any spin. This will cause the ball to stop once it hits the object ball. Take a few practice shots of pocketing the object ball while making the cue ball stop in place.
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Step 3
Raise your bridge so that your cue stick aims at the top of the cue ball to execute a follow shot. Keep the cue stick level and raise it with the bridge. When you shoot the object ball into the pocket, your cue ball should continue to roll and go into the pocket as well. During an actual game of pool, you don't want to sink the cue ball, but this exercise will show you that your follow shot is working. You can gradually learn to angle the shot so that the cue ball doesn't sink into the pocket.
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Step 4
Lower the bridge so that your pool cue aims at the bottom of the cue ball. This will let you make a draw shot. When you shoot, the cue ball should have enough backspin to roll backwards. Your object ball should go into the far hole while the cue ball draws back and enters the hole nearest to you. Again, you'll eventually learn to angle this shot so that the cue ball doesn't sink into the pocket.
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Step 5
Place some balls on the table and practice your three different strokes in game situations. Use the different shots to set up your next shot. Remember to follow through on your shots.
