Not usually.
Umm maybe - but you're preloading the springs. Usually shorter shocks are used with shorter springs or because the suspension travel has been otherwise modified. People use short shocks on lowered cars because they're designed with a different damping rate and they heve a shorter distance to work in.
The length of the shock is chosen to work over the entire amount of suspension travel, both up and down. The stock length shock is sitting somewhere between it's upper and lower bumpstops in normal conditions.
If you use a short shock to effectively pull the spring down you're probably going to be operating the shock very close to fully extended which will not allow for very much downward movement of the suspension.
Short shocks will limit the downward travel of the suspension which is good if you're trying to wheelstand a drag car but not so good if you hit a pothole.
Short shocks are also a good way to get some serious air when you hit speedhumps The wheels can't drop down so it takes a moment for the car to come back down to earth.
I'm no expert on modifying suspensions but it seems to me what you're after is lowered springs.
Pete
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