My 3 short-term goals

C

Catwalk

New member
I quit playing organized pool 6 years ago due to time constraints, and have since moved to a smaller town without any real pool facilities. A small place opened up just a few weeks ago with 4 good tables, and I'm determined to reclaim my game and build on it.

I've been perusing some very nice articles at the EasyPoolTutor website, and I've gotten to the one about setting goals. I've never been one to focus on goals much, focusing instead on enjoying myself while developing my game. While you should always enjoy yourself, this has usually led to a noticeable lack of discipline in my game and my practice. So I'm going to have a go at this, and I'd like to use this thread as a small logbook for my progress to hold myself accountable.

I consider myself a decent player, I have the basics down and am fairly consistent. I can run a table of 8-ball or 9-ball from time to time, although lately I'm seeing too many mistakes for that to happen very often. My 3 short-term goals are as follows:

1) Make all 15 shots in the middle draw drill 2 weeks in a row
This is a simple drill where I put all 15 balls in a line from one side pocket to the other. I take BIH on each shot and try to make the ball while drawing CB back into the kitchen (without hitting the rail). This one is pretty easy, but I'm finding myself missing a few each session for no particular reason. I will be recording drill results once a week.
Time frame: 2 weeks

2) Run 2 9-ball racks in a row with BIH after the break
I've very rarely run 2 9-ball racks in a row. While I need to work on my break as well, I've left it out of this goal in order to reduce the luck element. I plan on practicing my break as well, I recently got some really nice tips that seem to help give me the power and consistency I've always lacked. This one is also within reach, but will require a lot more concentration than I usually muster.
Time frame: 2 months

3) Make 20 out of 40 basic bank shots 2 weeks in a row
This is the tough one. I've always shied away from bank shots, reasoning that I shouldn't waste my time on something I don't like in the first place. But it's costing me games, as I can't bank with any kind of consistency. Again, I will be recording drill results once a week and I want to achieve a 50% accuracy twice in a row.
Time frame: 4 months

I might add a goal about CB speed, if I can come up with a good template for how to measure my progress. I will be working on these goals one at a time, first one first. Comments, suggestions and ideas for practice drills are most welcome.
 
Very nice Catwalk. I started playing again a few years ago after a 5 - 6 layoff myself, so I certainly understand the initial joy followed by frustration when your game doesn't come back as well or as soon as you expect. I commend you on not only setting goals in the first place but that they also seem to be simple, achievable goals based on your skill level, excellent.

If I can offer a few tips:

1) I think the drill itself will help you focus on alignment and your draw stroke. Just remember to keep everything smooth, you certainly don't need much force/power to be able to draw the ball the way you describe, which should help you make all of the balls as well. If you find yourself missing because you are missing a few shots, just make sure your alignment and preshot routine aren't suffering because you are worried about the draw. And if you aren't getting the draw on a few shots, again focus on a smooth stroke and make sure you are hitting the ball as low as you intend. Chalking well and using the 9 ball for the cue ball can help you see where you are hitting.

2) If you can run a table of 9-ball from time to time, then running 2 in a row might be a lofty goal in a short amount of time. However, I like a drill Jerry Briesath showed me. Throw 3 balls on the table, take ball in hand, and run all 3 balls out in order. Stipulation - you have to run them "perfectly" so to speak - in other words, if you intend to play 2 rail shape on a ball and instead bump into it or sneak around it or end up with a 7 foot 70 degree angle cut, that's no good. No banks, slop shots, etc. Basically nothing that you would consider out of line for your skill level. Once you can do this with 3 balls 75% - 80% of the time (8 out of 10, 15 out of 20), then add another ball.

You'll find even if you are a strong player completing this drill consistently with 6 balls if pretty difficult. I like it because it teaches focus, planning, and recurring position patterns that should become second nature, plus it's measurable. I also find many people far overestimate their ability with the drill, I have yet to have someone I show it to complete it at the level they think they could, me included when I first saw it. The "perfect" part is what gets people. Also, the learning part of the drill is when you miss, set the shot back up again and do it until you get it right, even going back to the previous shot if you have to in order to figure out how to get out. You still count the attempt as a miss though.

3) You shouldn't have to bank that often in a game, but it is nice to know how. For sure the "simple" banks that are say within 1 diamond of the corner or side pockets are usually pretty easy and you should expect to make them regularly with some practice. I learned by trial and error, then later with some systems as guidelines, but ultimately experience and feel will help you get more consistent with all of the variables involved.

If you would like some more information, feel free to PM me and I can explain more about the systems I use when banking and also some things that should help, I just taught a banking lesson the other night and was pretty successful improving the student's percentage. There were also some recent posts on banking by Mikjary I believe that offered some system based advice on making normal and crossover banks, that might work for you as well.
Scott
 
Thanks for the encouragement Scott, looks like I'll be needing it! Yesterday I had my first practice session with these goals in mind, and I'm way off. I keep missing 3-4 balls in the first drill, for no particular reason. I think it's mainly lack of concentration, my stroke feels okay and the position is generally fine. I sank a miserable 2 balls out of 15 on the bank drill (random short-bank low angle shots to the corner pocket). I used same speed on all shots, and I kept ending up too short on just about all the shots. I'm going again tonight, and will be recording results from the 15-ball draw drill.

make sure your alignment and preshot routine aren't suffering because you are worried about the draw. And if you aren't getting the draw on a few shots, again focus on a smooth stroke and make sure you are hitting the ball as low as you intend.
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My draw shot is decent, and the tables I'm playing on are way easy to make draw shots on. I usually have to take care not to draw too far. I start with BIH in the kitchen, forgot to mention.

Throw 3 balls on the table, take ball in hand, and run all 3 balls out in order. Stipulation - you have to run them "perfectly" so to speak
Click to expand...
What I usually do is spot all 15 balls randomly and then try to run them with an extra shot called in advance. But I'm having a hard time concentrating on that, and it's more of a planning drill than a technique drill. So I think I'll try yours instead, thanks.

If you would like some more information, feel free to PM me and I can explain more about the systems I use when banking and also some things that should help, I just taught a banking lesson the other night and was pretty successful improving the student's percentage. There were also some recent posts on banking by Mikjary I believe that offered some system based advice on making normal and crossover banks, that might work for you as well.
Scott
Click to expand...
Ouch, having to learn how to bank AND having to learn systems for it? :p I suppose there's no way around it, though. I'll take you up on the offer when I start focusing more on bank shots, thanks.

EDIT: Changing the 15-ball draw drill to say twice in a row and recording once every time I go practice, won't work very well if I have to do it two weeks in a row in a time frame of two weeks ;)
 
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My precision improved a bit on the draw drill, I sank 14 out of 15 and got position on 12 of those. Still a ways to go, but definitely improving. Surprisingly, I drew too little on the position shots I missed.

I tried out the 3-ball drill, I found it to vary too much in difficulty. Some setups were challenging, most were easy. Consequently, I fuddled about and missed a lot :) I decided to try a small variant where I spot 5 balls along the middle (down the length of the table) at random and try to make them in order. This was pretty consistent in difficulty but still gave enough variation for me to not get bored too quickly and is still easy to set up. I might substitute the 9-ball goal for this one somehow, as it is similar in focus and takes less time to do.
 
Catwalk said:
I quit playing organized pool 6 years ago due to time constraints, and have since moved to a smaller town without any real pool facilities. A small place opened up just a few weeks ago with 4 good tables, and I'm determined to reclaim my game and build on it.

I've been perusing some very nice articles at the EasyPoolTutor website, and I've gotten to the one about setting goals. I've never been one to focus on goals much, focusing instead on enjoying myself while developing my game. While you should always enjoy yourself, this has usually led to a noticeable lack of discipline in my game and my practice. So I'm going to have a go at this, and I'd like to use this thread as a small logbook for my progress to hold myself accountable.

I consider myself a decent player, I have the basics down and am fairly consistent. I can run a table of 8-ball or 9-ball from time to time, although lately I'm seeing too many mistakes for that to happen very often. My 3 short-term goals are as follows:

1) Make all 15 shots in the middle draw drill 2 weeks in a row
This is a simple drill where I put all 15 balls in a line from one side pocket to the other. I take BIH on each shot and try to make the ball while drawing CB back into the kitchen (without hitting the rail). This one is pretty easy, but I'm finding myself missing a few each session for no particular reason. I will be recording drill results once a week.
Time frame: 2 weeks

2) Run 2 9-ball racks in a row with BIH after the break
I've very rarely run 2 9-ball racks in a row. While I need to work on my break as well, I've left it out of this goal in order to reduce the luck element. I plan on practicing my break as well, I recently got some really nice tips that seem to help give me the power and consistency I've always lacked. This one is also within reach, but will require a lot more concentration than I usually muster.
Time frame: 2 months

3) Make 20 out of 40 basic bank shots 2 weeks in a row
This is the tough one. I've always shied away from bank shots, reasoning that I shouldn't waste my time on something I don't like in the first place. But it's costing me games, as I can't bank with any kind of consistency. Again, I will be recording drill results once a week and I want to achieve a 50% accuracy twice in a row.
Time frame: 4 months

I might add a goal about CB speed, if I can come up with a good template for how to measure my progress. I will be working on these goals one at a time, first one first. Comments, suggestions and ideas for practice drills are most welcome.
Click to expand...



All those drills are great. When do you do any Stroke drills?
randyg
 
Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is a stroke drill? Going up rail with the CB and trying to make it return to the same spot? Regular drills are straining my concentration as is, I don't think I could make myself do that for very long :) I won't doubt its usefulness, though. I guess my big problem is the playfulness vs competitiveness struggle, playfulness usually wins out.
 
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