Speed Control in Pool: Stroke, Tip Height and Drills
Speed control in pool comes down to three habits: change speed with the length of your backstroke instead of with muscle, hit the cue ball slightly above center (about 20 percent of the radius) when distance matters most, and use the rails as brakes. Dr. Dave Alciatore ranks speed control as the most important fundamental after pocketing balls and controlling the cue ball's direction. A runout usually dies on a cue ball that went a foot too far, not on a missed aim line.
Below: why speed decides position, how far each ball travels after contact, a stroke system for setting distance, how to recalibrate on a strange table, and drills with pass marks.
Why speed matters more than aim for position
A position zone is a long, thin slice of table. You usually have plenty of room across the cue ball's path and very little along it. That makes distance, which is pure speed, the error you're fighting on most position shots.
Two consequences follow. First, a player with three or four reliable speeds will out-position a player with perfect aim and one speed (firm). Second, the best route is often the one where speed matters least: a cue ball rolling along the line of the next shot lands fine whether it's a little short or a little long, while one crossing that line has to be exact. Our position play guide covers choosing those routes; this page is about delivering the speed.
Give your speeds names
"Soft" and "medium" mean different things to everyone, so it helps to know what they are in real numbers. Dr. Dave's typical values:
| Speed | Cue ball speed | Where you'd use it |
|---|---|---|
| Soft touch | Under 1 mph | Tap safeties, nudging a ball an inch |
| Slow | 1 to 2 mph | Pocket speed on short shots, roll-up safeties |
| Medium | 2 to 4 mph | Most position shots |
| Fast | 4 to 7 mph | Multi-rail routes, long draw |
| Power shot | 7 to 10 mph | Power draw, force follow |
| Powerful break | 25 to 30 mph | The break only |
The point isn't to think in miles per hour at the table. It's to notice how small the range is for almost everything except the break. Most of the game is played between slow and fast, and the difference between good and bad position is a fraction of that range.
One speed deserves its own name: pocket speed, just enough to get the object ball to the pocket and drop it. Pockets accept slightly off-line balls more readily at that speed, and the cue ball travels the least. If you can't say why a shot needs more than pocket speed, it probably doesn't.
Backstroke length is the throttle
The repeatable way to change speed is to change how far you pull the cue back, not how hard you push it. Dr. Dave compares it to a car's gas pedal: the same smooth press held longer produces more speed. Keep grip pressure and tempo the same on every shot and let a short backstroke make a soft shot and a long one a firm shot.
Three details make it work:
- Finish the stroke. Decelerating into the cue ball (trying to "guide" a soft shot) is the most common speed killer. Accelerate smoothly through the ball even on a tap.
- Shorten the bridge for short strokes. A short backstroke with a long bridge invites a jab; a shorter bridge also hides small stroke errors.
- Don't use a long, slow push on finesse shots. A short stroke that's still accelerating at contact controls speed better.
For a starting system, Dr. Dave's 1/8 rule gives stroke lengths in diamonds. It assumes a high tip for follow, a very low tip for stop, stun and draw, and the same smooth acceleration each time:
| Shot | Add 1/8 of your full stroke for each |
|---|---|
| Stop or stun | Diamond between the cue ball and object ball |
| Follow | Diamond you want the cue ball to travel after contact |
| Draw | Diamond to the object ball, plus each diamond of draw you want |
It won't be exact on every cloth. It gives you a system to adjust instead of a guess. The stroke itself is covered in how to build a straight pool stroke.
Where to hit the cue ball for speed control
When distance matters most, hit about 20 percent of the radius above center, roughly a quarter inch above center on a regulation 2 1/4 inch ball. Dr. Dave's analysis for his lag article explains why. For the same cue speed, a cue ball struck there traveled about 11 feet, versus about 9.5 feet for a center hit and about 7 feet at the 50 percent miscue limit. More important, small mistakes in tip height barely change the distance at 20 percent, while at center or near the limit the same mistake moves the ball about a foot.
The reason: a center hit starts the ball sliding, and how much speed the cloth takes away before it starts rolling depends on the cloth and balls. A hit near 20 percent starts the ball close to rolling, so there's less drag to guess.
| Tip height above center | What it's for |
|---|---|
| About 20 percent of the radius | Best speed and distance consistency, lags, rolling position shots |
| About 40 percent | Ball rolls off the tip; close object balls |
| 50 percent | Miscue limit |
Those are the same figures used in our follow and draw guides (draw mirrors them below center). For a stop shot, low and slow controls speed best; see stop shot.
How far each ball travels after contact
Speed control isn't only about the cue ball. The hit splits the speed between the two balls, and the split is predictable:
| Situation | What happens to the speed |
|---|---|
| Stun (sliding) cue ball, any cut | The cue ball loses the same fraction of its speed as the ball-hit fraction. Half-ball hit, it loses half; full hit, it stops |
| Stun shot, 45-degree cut | Both balls leave at the same speed and travel the same distance, each about half as far as the cue ball would have gone alone |
| Rolling cue ball, a hair thinner than half-ball (just over a 30-degree cut) | Both balls travel about the same distance |
| Rolling cue ball, straight-in | The object ball travels about 7 times as far as the cue ball (6 to 8 depending on balls and cloth) |
The last row is the useful one for follow shots. Shoot a full-ball follow shot at pocket speed from four diamonds out and the cue ball only rolls a fraction of a diamond past contact. To follow farther you need much more speed than the pocket needs, because on a full hit the object ball takes most of it. Dr. Dave notes this relationship is consistent enough to learn quickly, which is part of why good players lean on follow. Test the ratio on your own table.
Use the rails as brakes
A cue ball that goes nearly straight into a cushion loses about half its speed on the rebound (Dr. Dave's high-speed video measurements). So if you need the cue ball to finish near a rail, send it into the rail and let it bounce back a little. Your speed error after the rebound is roughly halved.
The catch: at shallow angles, with the ball running almost along the rail, very little speed is lost. And sidespin changes the rebound speed, so a shot with English off a cushion can come off livelier or deader than you expect. When speed matters more than the angle, keep the spin off.
The lag is the purest use of this. Dr. Dave's advice is to hit about 20 percent above center and use enough speed to touch the head cushion and rebound slightly. A lag that's a little long loses half its extra speed off the cushion and still stops close; one that's equally short just stops short. Under WPA rule 1.2, touching the head cushion is fine; a lag loses if it touches a side cushion, crosses the long string, is pocketed, or hits the foot cushion more than once.
Choose shots that need less speed precision
The easiest speed to control is the one you don't need. Pattern advice from Dr. Dave's site, including tips from player Matt Poland that he features there, points the same way:
- Come into the line of the next shot rather than across it.
- Move the cue ball as little as possible. Short distances mean small errors.
- Favor center-table positions; a slightly longer shot from the middle forgives more than a perfect one near a rail.
- Get very good at pocket speed and small changes around it before worrying about long, fast routes.
If you consistently need exact speed to get out, look at your patterns before you blame your stroke.
Reading a new table
Speed doesn't carry between tables. Worsted (napless) cloth such as most tournament cloth plays faster and lets spin last longer than napped cloth, which is common on bar tables. New cloth is quicker than worn cloth, dirty cloth and dirty balls play slower and less predictably, and humid air slows a table down. Dr. Dave also notes that on slicker cloth, follow and draw stay on the tangent line longer before curving, so position paths change as well as distances.
A warm-up routine that takes five minutes:
- Two or three lags to the head cushion at 20 percent above center.
- A soft shot along a rail to see whether the table rolls off.
- A straight stop shot, a one-diamond follow and a one-diamond draw.
- One two-rail position shot you use a lot, to see how the cushions return the ball.
Keep collecting data during the match: every lag and safety your opponent shoots shows you how the balls die. Cloth types are compared in Simonis cloth compared, and humidity effects in pool table humidity.
Speed control drills
Dr. Dave makes a fair point about the classic up-and-down-the-table speed drill: it trains lags and long kicks, but game speed control means pocketing balls with different shots and cut angles. Do a little of each. These complement the speed drills in our practice drills guide (softly to the side, lag to the rail) rather than repeating them.
Six-speed ladder
From Dr. Dave's speed control drill sheet: cue ball on the head string, six target spots at increasing distances, some needing a rail. Hit above center. Stop within 1 to 3 inches of target one twice in a row, then move to the next. After target six, start over. Mark the targets with spots so they stay put.
Ten-ball finesse ladder
Bob Jewett's drill, shown on Dr. Dave's site: put 10 object balls along the head string and hit each one directly with the cue, as if it were the cue ball, sending each one just past the last without reaching the foot cushion. Start the first as softly as you can. Dr. Dave reports getting to 12 (reusing early balls) in his video. Count yours and track it.
Pocket-speed rack
Spread a rack and run it with ball in hand where needed, but every ball must die in the pocket at pocket speed. Any ball that slams the back of the pocket counts as a miss.
Follow and draw distance matrix
Dr. Dave's follow and draw matrix drills grade distance control across several cut angles and distances. The draw version is described in our draw guide.
Speed problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soft shots come up short or wobble off line | Decelerating into the ball | Shorter backstroke, full follow-through |
| Distance varies a lot on the same shot | Center-ball or random tip height | Aim about 20 percent above center on rolling shots |
| Everything goes too far | Speed set by arm effort, not stroke length | Same tempo, change only backstroke length |
| Fine at home, lost on bar tables | Different cloth, balls and table size | Warm-up routine above before the first rack |
| Cue ball dies or jumps off the rail unexpectedly | Sidespin changing rebound speed | Use center or vertical spin when speed matters |
| Short of position near a cushion | Trying to stop just short of the rail | Plan to bounce off it |
Sources
- Dr. Dave Alciatore, "Speed Control," Billiards Digest, June 2020
- Dr. Dave, "Fundamentals, Part VII: Speed Control," Billiards Digest, March 2009
- Dr. Dave, "The Lag Shot," Billiards Digest, Oct. 2011
- Dr. Dave: speed control FAQ (1/8 rule, optimal tip height, cushion speed loss, typical speeds, drills)
- Dr. Dave: speed control drill sheet
- WPA Rules of Play (effective Sept. 15, 2025), rule 1.2 lagging
Our picks
Links open the current selection and price on Amazon so you can compare real reviews before buying.
Aramith Jim Rempe Training Cue Ball
Checking tip height and spinA regulation 2 1/4 inch phenolic cue ball marked with rings and targets designed by BCA Hall of Famer Jim Rempe, with a beginner side, an advanced side and a 56-page manual. On speed drills it shows whether you actually hit near 20 percent above center or leaked sidespin, the two things that make distance vary.
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YUXMU Pool Table Marker Dots, 240 Pack
Targets for speed ladders240 peel-and-stick 35mm spots, enough to mark every target on the six-speed ladder and the ten-ball finesse drill and leave them for weeks. A fixed target is what turns speed practice into a score.
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Predator 1080 Pure Chalk, 5 Pieces
Clean contact on soft shotsA miscue on a soft position shot costs you the shot and the position. Good chalk on a well-scuffed tip keeps contact clean when you're stroking short and slow off center.
Check price on AmazonFrequently asked questions
How do you control cue ball speed in pool?
Change the length of your backstroke while keeping the same smooth acceleration and a full follow-through. Hit about 20 percent of the radius above center when distance matters most, and use cushions to absorb extra speed.
Where should I hit the cue ball for the best speed control?
About 20 percent of the ball's radius above center, roughly a quarter inch on a regulation ball. Dr. Dave's analysis shows distance varies least with small tip-height errors there.
What is pocket speed?
Just enough speed for the object ball to reach the pocket and drop. Pockets accept slightly off-line balls more readily at that speed, and the cue ball travels the least, so it's the default unless position needs more.
How do I win the lag?
Hit about 20 percent above center and use enough speed to touch the head cushion and come off it slightly. A lag that's a little long loses speed off the cushion and still stops close; one that's equally short stays short.
Why is my speed fine at home but bad on bar tables?
Different cloth and balls, and often a smaller table. Your stroke is the same; your calibration isn't. Spend the warm-up on lags, a stop, follow and draw shot, and one two-rail route before you play.
How often should I practice speed control?
A little every session. Five to ten minutes of lags and one speed ladder at the start of practice keeps your speeds calibrated, then drill position shots where you have to land in a target zone.
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