Follow, Draw & Stun
Vertical tip placement controls whether the cue ball follows, stops, or draws back after contact.
Follow: hitting above center
Striking above the cue ball's vertical center imparts topspin, so after the initial skid the ball rolls forward through and past the point of contact with the object ball. The higher above center you strike (within reason), the more pronounced the forward roll after impact. Follow is the shot to reach for when you need the cue ball to continue traveling in roughly the same direction after the hit.
Draw: hitting below center
Striking below center imparts backspin, so the cue ball skids forward briefly, then the backspin overcomes that slide and pulls it back toward where it came from. Draw requires more precise, often lower and firmer contact than follow because there is less cue ball surface below center before you risk a miscue or a mishit into the rail. A loose grip, level cue, and confident acceleration through the ball matter more here than almost anywhere else.
Stun: killing the roll
A stun shot is struck close enough to center — usually slightly below — that the cue ball has little or no rotation left by the time it reaches the object ball, so it slides into contact and stops or squirts off at roughly ninety degrees to the object ball's path (the tangent line) rather than rolling forward or drawing back. Stun is the tool for holding the cue ball in place or sending it off at a predictable right angle, and it depends on hitting firmly enough that natural roll has not developed before impact.