Favorite 14.1 Drills

NastyNate13

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Anyone out there want to share some of their drills or practice routines that could help a novice player? My high run is only 18 but I would like to increase that and do better in league. I've done some drills like the Brainwash drill and some of the ones on David Sapolis' YouTube channel.


Anything helps, thanks.


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Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
I have lots of different drills for 14.1 that I developed myself, for my own use. They may not be suited to you, though. Perhaps if you tell us what you want to work on, we could help you better?

Try a game of bowilliards and tell us what your score was. That will give an idea of your ball running ability, with balls in open play. There is a thread about it in the main forum. It's a good exercise for all pool games, and very good for beginners. I would suggest this drill/game to you right now as a good way to increase your ball-running ability, combined with the 5 ball drill.

Here are some drills I have used, some are adapted from others and changed to my liking, a couple I invented myself. I have more, but they are too challenging at this point, I would think. It is very important to stay motivated when practicing. If a drill is to difficult for you, stop using it or make it simpler. When a given level of the drill becomes too easy, increase the difficulty or move on to something else. If a drill is boring you, again, find something else. If you practice in a half-assed manner, your game will suffer the same fate...

1. SP_99's breaking game: Focusing on the opening break and using a score system. The goal is to make a legal opening break (safe break) and leaving the cueball within a balls with of the head rail. If not you don't, you do not score any points for that inning, and have to start a new inning with the break again. If you do get the ball to the right place from the opening break, you get to continue and try to pocket a ball. I If you pocket a ball from there, you get 1 point, if you pocket a ball AND get a shot at another ball you get 2 points. From there you re-rack and start over with a new inning.

2. 5 ball drill. A classic. Spread 5 balls randomly on the table. Run 4 and get on the fifth as a break ball.

3. Sp_99's 3 ball drill. Freeze 2 balls toghether anywhere on the table (but smart to start in the rack-area). The third ball is put in a random place anywhere on the table (again, smart to start with the ball somewhat close to the rack area, and incease distance later). Take ball in hand above the headstring on your first shot and try to run all 3. You can break the 2 balls up, or play position, whatever you feel like. I score this drill as well. Each ball gives a point. This is quite tricky, more than you probably think.

You can add a couple of "free" balls up to a total of 5 to make it easier (because you get more chances to break up the cluster). Ball in hand only on the first shot.

4. The L-drill. A classic. Look it up. While not specialized for straightpool as such, it teaches skills that are very valuable for straightpool players.

5. Line up. Another classic. Look it up. More of a general skill drill, but can be adapted with "restrictions" to work on specific skills.

6. Up-table straightpool. You start with a side of the rack breakshot, with ball in hand behind the headstring. Run as many balls as you can, taking ball in hand behind the headstring on each shot.

7. The grid. Placing all 15, or even up to 45 balls on the table, each ball placed on a diamond intersection point, try to run all the balls without ever touching another ball with the cueball. The balls have to be pocketed cleanly, no combinations. If you only have 15 balls, use only a small part of the table to get a tight grid. Very good for tight cuball control in small spaces.
 
Last edited:

9BallJim

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have lots of different drills for 14.1 that I developed myself, for my own use. They may not be suited to you, though. Perhaps if you tell us what you want to work on, we could help you better?

Try a game of bowilliards and tell us what your score was. That will give an idea of your ball running ability, with balls in open play. There is a thread about it in the main forum. It's a good exercise for all pool games, and very good for beginners. I would suggest this drill/game to you right now as a good way to increase your ball-running ability, combined with the 5 ball drill.

Here are some drills I have used, some are adapted from others and changed to my liking, a couple I invented myself. I have more, but they are too challenging at this point, I would think. It is very important to stay motivated when practicing. If a drill is to difficult for you, stop using it or make it simpler. When a given level of the drill becomes too easy, increase the difficulty or move on to something else. If a drill is boring you, again, find something else. If you practice in a half-assed manner, your game will suffer the same fate...

1. SP_99's breaking game: Focusing on the opening break and using a score system. The goal is to make a legal opening break (safe break) and leaving the cueball within a balls with of the head rail. If not you don't, you do not score any points for that inning, and have to start a new inning with the break again. If you do get the ball to the right place from the opening break, you get to continue and try to pocket a ball. I If you pocket a ball from there, you get 1 point, if you pocket a ball AND get a shot at another ball you get 2 points. From there you re-rack and start over with a new inning.

2. 5 ball drill. A classic. Spread 5 balls randomly on the table. Run 4 and get on the fifth as a break ball.

3. Sp_99's 3 ball drill. Freeze 2 balls toghether anywhere on the table (but smart to start in the rack-area). The third ball is put in a random place anywhere on the table (again, smart to start with the ball somewhat close to the rack area, and incease distance later). Take ball in hand above the headstring on your first shot and try to run all 3. You can break the 2 balls up, or play position, whatever you feel like. I score this drill as well. Each ball gives a point. This is quite tricky, more than you probably think.

You can add a couple of "free" balls up to a total of 5 to make it easier (because you get more chances to break up the cluster). Ball in hand only on the first shot.

4. The L-drill. A classic. Look it up. While not specialized for straightpool as such, it teaches skills that are very valuable for straightpool players.

5. Line up. Another classic. Look it up. More of a general skill drill, but can be adapted with "restrictions" to work on specific skills.

6. Up-table straightpool. You start with a side of the rack breakshot, with ball in hand behind the headstring. Run as many balls as you can, taking ball in hand behind the headstring on each shot.

7. The grid. Placing all 15, or even up to 45 balls on the table, each ball placed on a diamond intersection point, try to run all the balls without ever touching another ball with the cueball. The balls have to be pocketed cleanly, no combinations. If you only have 15 balls, use only a small part of the table to get a tight grid. Very good for tight cuball control in small spaces.



Those all sound like great drills. I have tried all of them except your breaking drill and 3-ball drill. Those sound pretty tough.

A drill I learned from one of Blackjack's videos and altered a bit is the straight pool ghost game. As with some of the drills you mentioned, this can be difficult as well.

I rack 14 balls, place a break ball of my choice and take ball in hand and go for a high run. If I get through the rack I continue as if I am in a game (i.e. I don't move the break ball or cue ball). If I miss, my turn ends and I credit the ghost with some number of balls and then start a new inning the same way. I, personally, credit the ghost with the number of balls remaining on the table minus one, as if the ghost ran the rest of the rack, plus 7 balls into the next rack. I play games to 100 points and the games rarely last more than 7 innings. Here's a video I made describing the game. https://youtu.be/bJoHUgnY1fw.
 

john coloccia

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've started spending time just practicing break shots. I put the break ball and the cue in a reasonable place, and just see what I can do. That's so tough for me when I'm playing an opponent. So many of my runs end on the break shot. My mind has a hard time concentrating on making the ball, and I miss a lot.

I'm getting better, though. I just recently strung together a couple of nice racks and finally had a decent run. I wish I was keeping track, but I made it halfway through the third rack so I was around 35 or so. I think getting through the break shot is one of those major humps you just need to fight your way through.
 

NastyNate13

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My toughest obstacle in straight pool is position play and mapping out my run. I can always snap 10s 11s 12s against my opponents but my run usually ends when I'm trying to play to my key shots.


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Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
... So many of my runs end on the break shot. My mind has a hard time concentrating on making the ball, and I miss a lot.
...
One thing I sometimes do to make the break shot look like any other:

Once you have decided what you want to put on the cue ball, visualize the shot as if the rack wasn't there. For example, if you have a standard side of the rack break that you plan to shoot with outside follow, imagine what the cue ball would do without the rack there -- maybe snap two rails out of the corner and come in to the long rail you're standing by and then bounce up to the middle of the table off the head rail. Then shoot that rack-free shot.
 

john coloccia

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
One thing I sometimes do to make the break shot look like any other:

Once you have decided what you want to put on the cue ball, visualize the shot as if the rack wasn't there. For example, if you have a standard side of the rack break that you plan to shoot with outside follow, imagine what the cue ball would do without the rack there -- maybe snap two rails out of the corner and come in to the long rail you're standing by and then bounce up to the middle of the table off the head rail. Then shoot that rack-free shot.

Funny you mention that. I've actually been practicing some break shots literally without the rack there. I started doing that just to save time, but I realized it was helpful to visualize it without a rack. I what's helped me get over the hump is exactly visualizing the entire shot without the rack.

Good advice, Bob.
 

Blackjack

Illuminati Blacksmack
Silver Member
5-1.jpg
 

Cueball_Goodman

New member
In order to develop better cue ball control you need to know what happens on the table when you hit the balls. If you know where the cue ball is going after you hit it, then you can direct the cue ball.

Billiards: Cue Ball Control -part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J0I6IgLlo8
Cue Ball Control - part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oii0UhnYjCc

Start simple then progress into more complex systems or drills.

One of the best drills I was ever given was a three ball drill, though it differed from straightpool-99's.

Take 3 numbered balls, throw them on the table vigorously.
The goal: With ball in hand run all of the balls, for 9-ball do it sequentially.
The key idea: Plan all of your shots, the entire route of where the cue ball will be and how it will get you to the next shot, before you ever take a shot.
Adding complexity: If you deviate from your planned route and have to go for a different ball, consider it a loss and try again.

Determining Success: If you complete this drill 9/10 times you are successful.

I ran this drill 100 times and was successful 94 times, now what?

Increase the number of balls from 3 to 4, then to 5, then 6, and so on.

With too many balls on the table it will be difficult to see the patterns

Some other stuff that may help:

Thorsten Hohmann exercising Long Shot Drill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsGFc0puuBI

Thorsten Hohmann exercising Frozen Rail Drill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnD0O3fw6Ls

Follow and Draw Drill with Thorsten Hohmann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew4cXh6alJU

Meucci Lesson 1 Deflection Billiard Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTlY3ZZQW-M

Bob Meucci Lesson - Position Play Using the Clock System with Alejandro Carvajal Ossandon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmdr1uk8uts
 

joewag2

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This drill is hard! Tried it yesterday and managed to run a few 20s with the highest of 26. A very good drill for us mortals who have difficulties with the last few balls.
Thanks foor posting this drill! What a great way to practice getting into the next rack. Most bang for practice time award for sure

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john coloccia

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yeah, I'm familiar with Rempe's drill. I think it's also a great drill! :thumbup:

I tried it last night and pretty much find it impossible. Even Rempe screwed up the first time on his video and had to do it again. He's right, though. It really does force you to basically play stop shot position for a lot of the rack and you start seeing the patterns. Niels Feijen is the best at that kind of play that I can think of.
 

Blackjack

Illuminati Blacksmack
Silver Member
I tried it last night and pretty much find it impossible. Even Rempe screwed up the first time on his video and had to do it again. He's right, though. It really does force you to basically play stop shot position for a lot of the rack and you start seeing the patterns. Niels Feijen is the best at that kind of play that I can think of.

Here is the crucifix - I also did the brainwash drill by accident - lol

The Crucifix Drill
 

john coloccia

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here is the crucifix - I also did the brainwash drill by accident - lol

The Crucifix Drill

Ha ha...that was great.

I'm a guy that used to play predominantly 9-ball, mainly because that's what all the "serious" players where playing. It's really taken a good, solid 6-months to get out of that mode of thinking and to stop zipping the cue ball around the table. It's nice to be able to when you need to, but it's become very satisfying to actually solve some puzzles instead of trying (and usually failing) to brute force my way through a rack.
 
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