The purpose of a driving shot is to hit one of your own balls closer to the jack, or to knock one of your opponent's balls away.

A shot is deemed to be successful if:

• it clears an opponent's ball out of a tactical position by striking it and forcing it away from the jack
• it removes a leading ball from being the closest ball to the jack
• it pushes your own ball into a tactical position or to be the leading ball

A successful shot will need to:

• have a decent height when thrown so that the ball does not decelerate too rapidly by being in contact with the ground
• be weighted accurately so that it reaches the jack but does not pass it by
• be accurate in direction, usually towards the jack