Mississippi Nine Ball Drill

D

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ok, someone mentioned this layout yesterday, so i went home and tried it out last night. never could get all the way through it, however. had problems going from the 5 to the 6, and then from the 6 to the 7.

going to give it another try tonight.........

DCP

p.s. the 9-Ball isnt showing up, but its right behind the 7-Ball near the short rail

CueTable Help

 
tjlmbklr

tjlmbklr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
DrCue'sProtege said:
ok, someone mentioned this layout yesterday, so i went home and tried it out last night. never could get all the way through it, however. had problems going from the 5 to the 6, and then from the 6 to the 7.

going to give it another try tonight.........

DCP

p.s. the 9-Ball isnt showing up, but its right behind the 7-Ball near the short rail
Click to expand...

I've been doing this same drill, but yet to run out. I have the same problem with getting to the 6 from the 5.
 
M

mikeiniowa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
whenever I do this drill I set the one up in the center of the table and the cueball near the corner pocket. I guess it doesn't matter you how tough you make it just make it tougher than what it is. the way the layout is now you might as well take the one off and use ball in hand on the 2. make it tougher and race the ghost to 15. good luck
 
DoomCue

DoomCue

David J. Baranski
Silver Member
DCP,

If you have the right angle, which would be CB near the center of the table, you should be able to go one rail off the 5 for the 6 in the same pocket as the 3.

-djb
 
Mike in MN

Mike in MN

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
DrCue'sProtege said:
ok, someone mentioned this layout yesterday, so i went home and tried it out last night. never could get all the way through it, however. had problems going from the 5 to the 6, and then from the 6 to the 7.

going to give it another try tonight.........

DCP
Click to expand...


The 5 to the 6 is a tough shot, especially on a larger table. What I would suggest is trying to get to the center of the table (as close to it as you can) and play low-left english to get back to the rail on which the 4 was. From here you have a decision. You can leave yourself short to play the 6 in the same pocket as the 3 and bring the cue ball off the head rail and back up table for the 7, OR ... you can leave yourself "underneath" the 6, meaning about even with the first diamond (so the cue ball and the 6 are in a straight line with the first diamond) and from here you have an angle to play the 6 in the same pocket as the 3, and experiment using low-right, center-right, and high-right english to give you the desired angle on the 7.

Just make sure to leave yourself an angle to get back up table for the 8 :)
 
ericyow

ericyow

WPA Masse World Champion
Silver Member
I love this drill. I tried showing it to some friends here in TN and they wouldn't have anything to do with a drill called "MS 9ball". ;) Just remember on the first four shapes you want to be back in the center of the table. When you get more precise, you can move it closer to the next ball each time. Otherwise, you could try and get "too straight" on the five to draw straight back. There's not much more to say but to just practice. I must have done this twenty or more times before I got it the first time, a few years ago. Now I challenge the better players to it. There's just something about having them all right there in front of you that makes it intimidating. You know EXACTLY what to do, but it's so easy to get out of line. (As with any open table like that.)

-yow!
 
BVal

BVal

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
psykoyow said:
I love this drill. I tried showing it to some friends here in TN and they wouldn't have anything to do with a drill called "MS 9ball". ;) Just remember on the first four shapes you want to be back in the center of the table. When you get more precise, you can move it closer to the next ball each time. Otherwise, you could try and get "too straight" on the five to draw straight back. There's not much more to say but to just practice. I must have done this twenty or more times before I got it the first time, a few years ago. Now I challenge the better players to it. There's just something about having them all right there in front of you that makes it intimidating. You know EXACTLY what to do, but it's so easy to get out of line. (As with any open table like that.)

-yow!
Click to expand...

Just tell them it is called "TN 9ball" :D I am sure they will jump all over it.

BVal
 
gulfportdoc

gulfportdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
We'll take credit though...

ericyow said:
I love this drill. I tried showing it to some friends here in TN and they wouldn't have anything to do with a drill called "MS 9ball". ;)
Click to expand...
Well, I live in Mississippi, but I never saw that drill.;) However you can be sure I'll set it up and practice with it. Looks like a great drill. A good companion to Kinister's "9 pointed star".

Doc
 
Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I use to practice this drill for hours. It's tuff to run even if you know where to go for shape for the next shot. A lot of pros and shortstops have come up to me over the years and asked me what the hell I was playing. More than one big name pro tried it a few times and walked away saying, "fu** that" It's a great game to use for a drill. ou need pin-point position to pull it off. Johnnyt
 
1

1on1pooltournys

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
DrCue'sProtege said:
ok, someone mentioned this layout yesterday, so i went home and tried it out last night. never could get all the way through it, however. had problems going from the 5 to the 6, and then from the 6 to the 7.

going to give it another try tonight.........

DCP

p.s. the 9-Ball isnt showing up, but its right behind the 7-Ball near the short rail

CueTable Help

Click to expand...

I have been shooting this drill since i was 16!! My dad was an old shool player and showed it to me. It's tough this way...but once you master it like it is..try freezing all the balls to the rail and doing it. The story goes that they would set up this drill at tournaments and offer cash to whoever could do it first try, sorta like drawing for a break contest to make the 9. It's not too tough once you work on it. I'd say it'll improve your game half a ball once you get it mastered.
 
buck15

buck15

going broke! got there!
Silver Member
9BallMarksman said:
The 5 to the 6 is a tough shot, especially on a larger table. What I would suggest is trying to get to the center of the table (as close to it as you can) and play low-left english to get back to the rail on which the 4 was. From here you have a decision. You can leave yourself short to play the 6 in the same pocket as the 3 and bring the cue ball off the head rail and back up table for the 7, OR ... you can leave yourself "underneath" the 6, meaning about even with the first diamond (so the cue ball and the 6 are in a straight line with the first diamond) and from here you have an angle to play the 6 in the same pocket as the 3, and experiment using low-right, center-right, and high-right english to give you the desired angle on the 7.

Just make sure to leave yourself an angle to get back up table for the 8 :)
Click to expand...
or when going from the 6 to the 7 you use low or middle left and go 2 rails out of the corner, almost a draw but good follow thru. when you shoot the draw 2 rails out of the corner the speed is very hard to go wrong, you eliminate the scratch possibilty when you are under the 6 and the possibilty of ending up on top of the 7 or to short when you go one rail. playing 2 rails is the correct way to try and play the shot. jmo
 
D

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
mikeiniowa said:
whenever I do this drill I set the one up in the center of the table and the cueball near the corner pocket. I guess it doesn't matter you how tough you make it just make it tougher than what it is. the way the layout is now you might as well take the one off and use ball in hand on the 2. make it tougher and race the ghost to 15. good luck
Click to expand...

i did manage to run out this drill a couple of times last night. wouldnt exactly say it was done with precision accuracy, but accomplished nonetheless.

also, instead of starting with an EASY shot on the 1-Ball, i started out shooting a draw shot on the 1-Ball, pulling it back for position on the 2-Ball.

also have a question - assume in the diagram below that the position i now have at Point A on the 6-Ball is NOT how this drill was meant to be played? but rather you want to be at Point B for this drill, and come around 2-3 rails for position on the 7-Ball at Point C. correct?

DCP

CueTable Help

 
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R

rikdee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Mississippi 9-ball drill

DrCue'sProtege said:
ok, someone mentioned this layout yesterday, so i went home and tried it out last night. never could get all the way through it, however. had problems going from the 5 to the 6, and then from the 6 to the 7.

going to give it another try tonight.........

DCP


Arrived home yesterday evening, took the cover off the table, and set up the drill. I took three attempts to figure out the exact routes and executed a textbook clearance on the fourth try. Sequence as follows:

> 1-ball, slight draw to gain an angle on the 2-ball.
> 2-ball, five o'clock CB ball to center table.
> 3-ball, five o'clock CB ball to center table.
> 4-ball, seven o'clock CB ball to center table.
> 5-ball, seven o'clock CB ball rolling through center talbe to gain angle on 6-ball.
> 6-ball, seven o'clock CB doubling the corner, returning up table to about the same position for the 7-ball.
> 7-ball, seven o'clock CB doubling the corner, returning up table to about the same position as what I had for the 6-ball.
> 8-ball, thin cut to left head pocket, CB floats up table to foot rail.
> 9-ball, straight-in stop shot to left foot pocket.


I'm sure there are other routes that can enable a clearance. My goal, as with all such drills, is to execute without scrambling and recover shots. I have enjoyed similar drills for years although this was my first experience with this one. It is certainly time well spent.

Table: 9ft. Diamond Pro, 860, pro cut
Cue: Burton Spain, Le Pro tip

Regards to all - Rick
Click to expand...
 
Andrew Manning

Andrew Manning

Aspiring know-it-all
Silver Member
DrCue'sProtege said:
i did manage to run out this drill a couple of times last night. wouldnt exactly say it was done with precision accuracy, but accomplished nonetheless.

also, instead of starting with an EASY shot on the 1-Ball, i started out shooting a draw shot on the 1-Ball, pulling it back for position on the 2-Ball.

also have a question - assume in the diagram below that the position i now have at Point A on the 6-Ball is NOT how this drill was meant to be played? but rather you want to be at Point B for this drill, and come around 2-3 rails for position on the 7-Ball at Point C. correct?

DCP

CueTable Help

Click to expand...

I don't think "meant to be played" has anything to do with it. I think getting to point C is easier from point A than it is from point B. There's less CB movement, and it's easier to control. However, coming from the shot on the 5-ball, it's a lot easier to get to point B than point A. That's why I think most top players would leave themselves near B; it's a higher-percentage shot on the 5-ball to try leave the CB there.

-Andrew
 
Black-Balled

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
DrCue'sProtege said:
i did manage to run out this drill a couple of times last night....want to be at Point B for this drill, and come around 2-3 rails for position on the 7-Ball at Point C. correct?

DCP
Click to expand...

Either is fine- that is the beauty of the game, more than 1 way to skin a cat!

Edit- for the record, I am shooting the 7 in the other pocket (bottom L in the pic)...
 
P

predator

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This is harder than most 9ball spreads without clusters. I don't think I could beat the ghost, but I did manage 3 runouts of this drill in a row once. However, I tend to leave myself too straight on the 6...well, not just 6, all of them really...:(
 
D

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
predator said:
This is harder than most 9ball spreads without clusters. I don't think I could beat the ghost, but I did manage 3 runouts of this drill in a row once. However, I tend to leave myself too straight on the 6...well, not just 6, all of them really...:(
Click to expand...

yes, i left myself too straight in at times, and had to "Pound" the cue ball off the rail a few times. also kept leaving myself too much of a cut, and a very thin shot on the next ball.

i thought this Mississippi Nine Ball Pattern was meant to be played "A Certain Way Only", i didnt realize you could run this out any way you wanted.

DCP
 
E

eales

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Mark Wilson

I believe he used this drill for one of his columns in Billiard Digest. Might have been a couple of years ago. He suggested splitting it up into two drills to get used to it. Do the first 5 balls separately from the last 4.

Jim Eales
 
DoomCue

DoomCue

David J. Baranski
Silver Member
DrCue'sProtege said:
yes, i left myself too straight in at times, and had to "Pound" the cue ball off the rail a few times. also kept leaving myself too much of a cut, and a very thin shot on the next ball.

i thought this Mississippi Nine Ball Pattern was meant to be played "A Certain Way Only", i didnt realize you could run this out any way you wanted.

DCP
Click to expand...
To make it more challenging, you can play it so that you HAVE to be on the certain side of the 6. If you're just looking to make a successful run-out (a good way to start), play it however you can. Ideally, you'd like to learn how to play position off the 6 to play the 7 in either of the two left corner pockets in the diagram. From the position you posted in your last post, you can play low to get position for the 7 in the upper left corner, or follow (possibly with left) to go one rail (or two) for the 7 in the lower left corner. If you're above the 6 (closer to the middle of the table), practice doubling the corner (two rails) and single-rail position plays. The beauty of practice is that you can choose whichever pattern you like, and it's nice to have the shots in your memory bank, since competition doesn't always give you the choice. If you've practiced doubling the corner, and single rail positions, you'll know what to do when the time comes.

I don't think there's such a thing as too straight on the 6 unless you're stuck on the rail (a bad place to be on most positional plays - you should always strive to avoid putting yourself in such situations). If you're dead straight, you can always just draw straight back to play the 7 in the upper left corner in the diagram.

To add more options to this drill, try playing safeties, too.

-djb
 
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