The Shooting Line

Since most games of beirut (beer pong) are played without called shots, a percentage of unintended or collateral cups will be hit. Players should try to maximize the number of collateral cups that they hit by altering their shooting line. The shooting line is defined as the line projected on a plane parallel to the table by the ball during it's flight, from the instant it leaves the shooter's hand to the instant it makes first contact. By altering their shooting line to intersect more cups, a shooter can possibly increase the percentage of collateral cups that they hit.

It is important note that the shooting line should not distract the shooter, so that they forget that they are still aiming for a single cup. The shooting line is only a strategy to maximize collateral cups, and may be ignored completely by advanced players, or called shot players.

Feet Position

The most common hindrance to maintaining a consistent shooting line is the position of the shooter's feet or stance. Shooting the ball in beirut (beer pong) is similar to shooting free throws in basketball, or throwing darts. In both of these other sports the player should not center their body in front of the target. Their body should be to the side of the target with their throwing arm lined up with the center of the target. The same holds for beirut (beer pong); the shooter should position their feet so that their throwing arm is inline with their shooting line.

Incorrect position

Correct position

Alternate Stances

Many shooters position their feet like a basketball player's during a free throw; parallel to each other, and inline with the end of the table. Many players can maintain a consistent shooting line with this stance. However, many players may have difficulty because their head and eyes are no longer inline with the shooting line.

An alternative is a stance similar to a dart player's. For this stance, a shooter should position one foot inline with the shooting line, and the other foot back and turned away from table. This positioning of the feet brings the shooters head and eyes back inline with the shooting line and may be more comfortable and accurate for some players.

Dart throwing like stance

Maximizing the Shooting Line

To maximize the shooting line, a shooter should alter the shooting line so that it passes through the greatest number of cups, including the cup that they are aiming for. In most instances, this means that the shooter should alter their stance so that their body is turned at a slightly from the angle they would use during a straight on shot.

Altered stance

This strategy relies on the ability of the shooter to throw the ball in a straight line consistently. If you are having trouble maintaining a consistent shooting line, try this practice drill.

Practice

Place three cups in a vertical line at the opposite end of the table. Focus on a single cup prior to each time you shoot. Pay attention to shots that land to the right or left of the line of cups, and make adjustments to your shot accordingly.

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Disclaimer: Beirut (beer pong) can be played with alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, or no beverage at all. If you choose to play beirut (beer pong) with alcoholic beverages, you should be of legal drinking age and drink responsibly.