Trick shots for family fun, by Florian Kohler

Enjoying a family game of billiards

Pool is also an ideal activity for good times with family or friends, and trick shots all the more so because you learn them together, then challenge each other. Here we show you three shots that are perfect for family fun because, while they’re quite easy to learn, they nevertheless require a few tries before pulling them off successfully. Who’ll be first to learn these awesome shots? Who’ll be first to pull them off successfully? It's your turn to give them a go with help from Florian Kohler, artistic billiards expert, twice named World Cup of Trick Shots champion and multiple record holder.

The “cushion compression” shot.

The first trick shot we suggest to learn for family fun with Florian Kohler is the so-called “cushion compression” shot. Here, the white ball is alongside a cushion and two other balls are nearby, forming a right-angled triangle. What you need to do is get the ball that’s not directly touching the white ball initially to go into the middle pocket. This shot requires a little more skill than you might think. You’ll need to be concentrated, precise and patient to pull it off.

The “forced follow” shot

The second shot that Florian Kohler, alias Venom, teaches you is a “forced follow” shot. Two balls are near two pockets at the end of the table. The white ball is alongside a cushion. You think it’s impossible to pocket the two balls in a single shot? Not for you, once you've seen this video! A bit of spin, a bit of precision and voilà!

The “point shot” or “Efren Reyes shot”

The third trick shot in this video is called the “point shot” or “Efren Reyes shot” after the player of legend who came up with it. Indeed, he invented a solution to get out of a tricky situation, where the white ball appears to be wedged between two balls and it seems impossible to reach the black ball to win the game. You need to aim for the corner of a pocket to make the white ball bounce off it to carry off this visually impressive shot.

See the full tutorial: Trick shots for family fun, by Florian Kohler