If Drills are so important

[pooljunkie4ever]

If Drills are so important in getting better, than why is it that when I go to the pool hall, nobody is shooting them? If most great players did drills to get in stoke, they would shoot them before a big money match or a tournament.
Does this mean that all the great players have a table in their house where they can practice drills in private?

I just don't get it, if someone ask how do you improve, the most common answer is do drills, the "Cross", the "T", the "L" you name it, the drill has a name, lol.

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking the drill masters out there. Just asking the question.

As for the people that say the "Ghost" is not practicing, then why is it that
whenever you go to a pool hall, someone is always using this method. If you asked them what they are doing, they would answer "practicing".

Is it possible that a huge percentage of the players are just practicing wrong?

 

[C.Milian]

Yeah drills don't do much for me. It takes about ten shots of a particular shot and I'm familiar with it.

 

[Wybrook]

Its all in how much you want to get better.... I used to create my own "drills" to work on things I saw needed practice. You don't have to do any of the standard ones for there to be improvement.

Its basically a mixture of playing and practicing that will improve your game. If you think that anyone who plays well didn't do tons of practice then you are wrong. It just may vary in appearance to what you consider a "drill".

No one is doing any kind of drills or practice because no one these days has any drive to get better, nor the ambition to put the time in to get where they want to be. Everyone "wants" to be better, but its not magic.

Then again, I know some players who only do drills and otherwise play horrible in competition... They are only working on one aspect of the game and need to round out their skill set.

 

[Wybrook]

Yeah drills don't do much for me. It takes about ten shots of a particular shot and I'm familiar with it.

"Familiar" with a shot is much different than being proficient.

I know EVERY shot, but I had to work to get proficient at 99% of them.

Like they say.... Amateurs shoot a shot until they make it, professionals shoot a shot until they don't miss it.

 

[macguy]

If Drills are so important in getting better, than why is it that when I go to the pool hall, nobody is shooting them? If most great players did drills to get in stoke, they would shoot them before a big money match or a tournament.
Does this mean that all the great players have a table in their house where they can practice drills in private?

I just don't get it, if someone ask how do you improve, the most common answer is do drills, the "Cross", the "T", the "L" you name it, the drill has a name, lol.

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking the drill masters out there. Just asking the question.

As for the people that say the "Ghost" is not practicing, then why is it that
whenever you go to a pool hall, someone is always using this method. If you asked them what they are doing, they would answer "practicing".

Is it possible that a huge percentage of the players are just practicing wrong?

A drill is a training device, a means to an end. There does come a point as you get better where playing the game often is enough to keep you in stroke, unless you begin to identify a problem you feel you have to work on. Having said that, players may be doing drills and you don't even notice.

I would often throw out the balls and begin running them into one pocket. People always thought I was practicing one pocket. I was not practicing one pocket, I was practicing position play and creative thinking. If they watched closer they may have notice I may be running them in the side pocket at times. You don't have to just line up balls and do it over and over, you can do all kinds of things that could be defined as drills.

I just remembered something that happened some years ago. My wife was making candy for Christmas and using the pool table to layout the candy on waxed paper to cool. I wanted to play so I set up a barrier in the middle of the table so I could shoot on half the table. I was going to a tournament and wanted to get in some practice. I did this for maybe a four or five days when I was home never shooting a shot more the a few feet away playing position only on half the table. It was weird, I got really sharp for some reason doing this and finished second in the tournament losing to Miz in the final. Go figure.

 

[Roadking]

In my opinion most people do drills or play ghost at home for free. Or to warm up before league or tournament.

 

[MikeM]

If Drills are so important in getting better, than why is it that when I go to the pool hall, nobody is shooting them? If most great players did drills to get in stoke, they would shoot them before a big money match or a tournament.
Does this mean that all the great players have a table in their house where they can practice drills in private?

I just don't get it, if someone ask how do you improve, the most common answer is do drills, the "Cross", the "T", the "L" you name it, the drill has a name, lol.

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking the drill masters out there. Just asking the question.

As for the people that say the "Ghost" is not practicing, then why is it that
whenever you go to a pool hall, someone is always using this method. If you asked them what they are doing, they would answer "practicing".

Is it possible that a huge percentage of the players are just practicing wrong?

What level of player are you talking about; beginner, advanced, shortstop, pro? I think there are different answers for every level. Someone who doesn't have a stroke should probably work on that before they start practicing difficult shots, no?

 

[Jaday]

If I had the choice of shooting drills or playing a guy I can learn something from I'll choose the latter every time.

 

[RBLilly]

Maybe because practicing takes place in the days, weeks, months before a big tourney?

The reason you don't see them practicing the day of the tourney is that it is too late to practice.

Do you see the Dallas Cowboys practice on game day? No! You see them warm up before the game which is something different all together.
Same thing can be said for the Dallas Mavericks, and almost every other pro sports team out there.

Therefore on game day "tournament day" you are watching people warm up not practicing. Practice takes place way before the tournament day.

If you walk into a pool hall in the daylight hours on a non tournament day you will almost always find someone practicing and/or shooting drills.

 

[Quesports]

I agree with the OP about not seeing people doing drills. I do them on nights when I go out to practice. Many times people look at me funny because they do not even understand what the hell I am doing. The true pool players understand what and why I am doing them. I almost always do 25 straight in shots every time I go to any pool room to see if my stroke has any hiccups or not. Drills are not designed to put you in stroke but more to strenghthen and reinforce your muscle memory on particular shots. If you cannot do them in drills how are you going to be able to do them any other time. Personally I like drills but I limit the amount of time I spend on them because they can get boring due to their repetitive nature. Drills are an important tool to becoming a better pool player IMO...

 

[macguy]

If I had the choice of shooting drills or playing a guy I can learn something from I'll choose the latter every time.

That may sound profound but what is the next step? In other word, how do you hone what you have just learned so it becomes part of your game?

 

[Bob Jewett]

Its all in how much you want to get better.... I used to create my own "drills" to work on things I saw needed practice. You don't have to do any of the standard ones for there to be improvement. ...

This.

As far as the OP's list goes, I'd say as soon as you have the skills to get through the L half the time, you should move on to something else. If you don't know what your weaknesses are, you should think a little more about how and why you get into trouble. Then work on a fix.

 

[victorl]

I believe one of the main reasons why American pool is starting to fall behind European and Asian pool is the amount of disciplined, structured practice that they put in. During my visit to Taiwan, I was amazed at the amount of world-class talent being churned out. I watched kid who couldn't have been a day older than 12 do progressive safety drills for 6 straight hours and I couldn't believe the shots he was pulling off. Watching a lot of the players, it seems like they have no weaknesses because they've drilled every part of their game to near perfection from a young age.

 

[sr 9ball]

If there's any week parts of your game. U need to create a drill to make that shot a strong part of there game.
Most beginners love bank shots. And I bet they don't just shoot one or two banks in a match and then know the bank. Most beginners get frustrated and shoot a dozen or so intil they know the bank, on the practice table

 

[Tom In Cincy]

There is a great feeling approaching the table and it is your 'practice drill' shot.

To me, practice drills re-enforce my stroke and table speed and most of all a raised level of confidence. My drills last abou 30-45 minutes and then I will play the ghost or find someone to play against.

I want to put to work the practice shots in a game or match.

 

[Bambu]

Drills wont let you feel the table, the ghost does. Ghost is also less boring. And as long as you stop to re-shoot the missed shots, ghost is also effective in finding weaknesses. Drills work though, but theyre boring(and were lazy).

 

[Fast Lenny]

I was not into drills except for the past year, it does help me. I do gamble and play tournaments both atleast once a week which I prefer over drills. When the pool hall is dead I do drills and it simulates pressure and frustration because if I mess up I have to set it up and start the drill from scratch when I miss and its a full 15 ball drill so there is a challenge there. I try playing the ghost too along with 2 other drills I like to do.

I believe to be a good player you need to do all of it, drills/practice, gambling and tournament play but that is just me, some players are great and they just drill and practice along with tournament play, will not bet and that is okay because they love the game and are playing at a high level. Look at Shane, he practices and it shows, he is the top of the money list.

Many players practice but you do not see it, even when they are gambling (robbing) a player who has little to no shot, that is practice for them too even if they do not call it that because there are many people who will donate to get some table time with them. Besides that fact if they are on the tournament trail they are playing a ton of pool at a high level, for me just being around it makes me play better, watching those good players does something.

 

[C.Milian]

"Familiar" with a shot is much different than being proficient.

I know EVERY shot, but I had to work to get proficient at 99% of them.

Like they say.... Amateurs shoot a shot until they make it, professionals shoot a shot until they don't miss it.

They miss shots all the time they shouldn't miss. Watch them. You're only watching the matches where these guys run good on the TV table. That philosophy is only true to an extent. I know guys that will watch someone do drills of a particular shot and get up and drill that shot better than the driller.

Drills are only for beginners who don't know why it is unnecessary to set up shots and do it over and over. Just because you are in position to drill a certain shot dose not mean you have executed it entirely.

 

[lfigueroa]

If Drills are so important in getting better, than why is it that when I go to the pool hall, nobody is shooting them? If most great players did drills to get in stoke, they would shoot them before a big money match or a tournament.
Does this mean that all the great players have a table in their house where they can practice drills in private?

I just don't get it, if someone ask how do you improve, the most common answer is do drills, the "Cross", the "T", the "L" you name it, the drill has a name, lol.

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking the drill masters out there. Just asking the question.

As for the people that say the "Ghost" is not practicing, then why is it that
whenever you go to a pool hall, someone is always using this method. If you asked them what they are doing, they would answer "practicing".

Is it possible that a huge percentage of the players are just practicing wrong?

I believe there are several different ways to look at drills.

First off, I think you can look at drills as an end in themselves. Work the drills and learn variations on a standard -- maybe like playing "Chop Sticks" on a piano. A drill can show you how minor riffs can produce divergent outcomes -- selection of speed and spin all dramatically changing what the balls will do on any given shot -- similar but different.

Second, some people need a little structure to maintain their interest while practicing. IOW, the drill is an overt tool to help maintain focus. One guy likes the treadmill, the other likes an outdoor run. One guy can practice 9ball or 14.1, the other likes drills, but they both want the benefits of the exercise. And for these folks, drills are a great little game of solitaire to strive and measure their performance against.

Personally, I think the most valuable way to look at drills is like a Zen koan. The drill is just a vehicle to get you inside your game, your mechanics, your stroke, your mind. This is also the toughest way to workout. You are not only working on the aggregate shots and required positional plays of the drill, you are also seeking to achieve a mental state wherein you can become introspective about your choices, mechanics, and stroke. There's the real payoff.

Lou Figueroa
wax on
wax off

 

[Neil]

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