Advanced Game / Drill - 2 BALL

[Colin Colenso]

You'll often see good local players miss when they need to carom into an object ball after potting a ball, as it takes their focus off the pot and the positional patterns with which they are familiar.

This is a drill / game I created to help to improve caroming skill and a few other skills that don't come up often enough in standard play for us to develop a familiarity. I think it is particularly useful for 8-ball and 14.1 games, but it introduces random challenges that can develop skill-sets useful for any pool game.

I call the game 2 Ball, as it requires 2 balls to be nominated each shot. 1 to be potted, another to be moved.

Most of the shots are potting a called ball and caroming into another nominated ball. This awards you 1 point for the pot and another point for moving the other nominated ball. The visit (or break when doing as a drill) continues if the 2 points are scored.

You can also play an object ball off another object ball and into a pocket, or play one ball onto another ball to pocket it.

Here are a few examples from a set I played earlier:

The first is the 14 ball off the 6 ball into the center pocket, using the tangent angle as a guide. I'd nominate pocket 14, move 6 for this shot.

btw: Don't mock the mess. I've got a US table and 2 x 12 foot snooker tables packed into that garage so there's crap everywhere at the moment!

 

[Colin Colenso]

The game starts with 15 balls in a triangle, making a ball off the break scores 2 and allows the breaker to continue.

In the early stages of play, clusters allow many alternative shots and combinations are common as are caroming short distances into clusters to open them up.

As the game unfolds, options are less so the more common shots are semi difficult pots which may require travel off rails to compete caroms.

Here is what us UK influenced players call a train. As I play the 6 ball into the 9 ball to pocket it.

 

[Colin Colenso]

A bit further on I had this shot on the 6 ball. The carom onto the 5 ball was easy, but by drawing onto the 1 ball, I could get better position and develop more options.

With some practice, you start thinking shots ahead and picking better, though trickier shots and thinking about the speed and side of the caromed ball to hit to set up for the next shot. When you're doing this regularly, you learn to focus on both the pot and the position without fudging the shots so often.

 

[Colin Colenso]

Toward the end of the rack, the pots are more difficult and you'll need a good grasp of angles and use of spin to create caroms.

Here I'm choosing to play the 12 (I think that's the 12) into the center going 4 rails to the 10 ball, rather than trying to cut the 10 in with left side to carom into the 12 ball.

I know on this shot I need to hit about where the stars are placed to make this shot. I came up a little short and missed the 10 by about 3 inches, but knowing this angle, I knew I'd get pretty close using right english around this pattern.

On the last ball, to get the 2 points and the next break, you need to make the pot and get the CB within a hand span radius of the center dot on the table.

The shot I had was quite tough, it needed draw right to create the angle but the draw had to take just enough before hitting the first rail, in order to slow it down. I ran through the center of the table but travelled about 18 inches too far.

In game play, an OB is put onto the foot spot and play continues until someone pockets the ball and gets within the hand span radius of the center of the table.

Hope some of you try this game out and provide some feedback.

Colin

 

[Straightpool_99]

Interesting. I experimented with playing 9 ball like this a couple of years ago, but it is almost impossibly difficult. You do learn some interesting shots, though. For a 14.1 style of play it's more doable. I'll try it in the weekend.

 

[Colin Colenso]

Interesting. I experimented with playing 9 ball like this a couple of years ago, but it is almost impossibly difficult. You do learn some interesting shots, though. For a 14.1 style of play it's more doable. I'll try it in the weekend.

Yeah, I've tried this rotation style and it becomes mostly a bash, bank, fine cuts, snookered, kick shot, luck fest. Would take a top pro to play it that way and not make it look like a total bashfest.

I would love to see pros play the 2 Ball game. I can't see them running a rack more than 10%, but we'd see some superb shots.

After you do this drill for a couple of hours and then try some standard rotation v ghost ball, rotation seems much easier. The game trains you to become very accurate with the cue ball.

Colin

 

[JasBy]

I use a game similar to this for people that are lower in skill level and having problems seeing shots that will scratch afterward. You break the balls and then from that point on you strike the object balls directly - caroming them off of the cue ball to pocket them afterward. Works great for training break out shots also.

 

[Colin Colenso]

I use a game similar to this for people that are lower in skill level and having problems seeing shots that will scratch afterward. You break the balls and then from that point on you strike the object balls directly - caroming them off of the cue ball to pocket them afterward. Works great for training break out shots also.

Do you mean scratching off the CB, or setting the OB up off the CB? And could you explain a break out shot? Is this extracting OBs off rails or out of clusters?

Colin

 

[Ron Swanson]

The game starts with 15 balls in a triangle, making a ball off the break scores 2 and allows the breaker to continue.

In the early stages of play, clusters allow many alternative shots and combinations are common as are caroming short distances into clusters to open them up.

As the game unfolds, options are less so the more common shots are semi difficult pots which may require travel off rails to compete caroms.

Here is what us UK influenced players call a train. As I play the 6 ball into the 9 ball to pocket it.

Train? Never heard it called that before...

 

[Colin Colenso]

Train? Never heard it called that before...

Perhaps it's an aussie thing only Ron.

 

[ENGLISH!]

Hi Colin,

Richie Richardson was playing 10 ball the other night & the 5 & 6 balls were similar to your first shot pic but reversed as to their rlationship to the center line of the table & with less angle into the side pocket. He went down to shoot the 5 in the side & then got up while making a rather loud moan. He then went & shot the 5 in the side while bouncing the CB over the 6 to the head rail & back out for the 6 in the same pocket. I was more than a bit impressed. It was obvious that that was what he wanted to do. I probably would have tried to draw it but I guess the angle would not allow him the leave the 6 there.

Not exactly what you're talking about but similar in that he knew the CB path & had to avoid hitting & moving the 6.

Cheers,
Rick

 

[JasBy]

Do you mean scratching off the CB, or setting the OB up off the CB? And could you explain a break out shot? Is this extracting OBs off rails or out of clusters?

Colin

I mean scratching after making the shot and not being familiar with tangent lines and the effect of english on them. As for break out shot I meant running into clusters after striking your object ball.

 

[JoeyA]

Colin,

I realize this is a drill but I assume that you can play 2 Ball by yourself or with an opponent.

What score would you need to have if you are playing with an opponent in order to be declared a winner? Maybe I haven't thought this through but just make it easier for me. :grin:

It looks like it could be a fun game that would improve carom and combination skills as well as shape skills.

JoeyA

 

[Colin Colenso]

Colin,

I realize this is a drill but I assume that you can play 2 Ball by yourself or with an opponent.

What score would you need to have if you are playing with an opponent in order to be declared a winner? Maybe I haven't thought this through but just make it easier for me. :grin:

It looks like it could be a fun game that would improve carom and combination skills as well as shape skills.

JoeyA

Hi Joey,

When I play an opponent in this game, we usually play sets race to 51 points which takes about 3 racks.

A 10 break is good visit and usually made early on when there are more options. I think my best is in the low 20s. i.e 10+ pot and caroms as nominated.

An option is to weight the last 5 balls as double points because it is quite a lot harder with less balls as options. The users can decide if this seems fairer.

Any balls potted that aren't nominated are spotted up, like in 1-pocket, except on the break, where each ball potted receives 2 points, even if the break is fouled.

If you pot but miss the carom, you get 1 point and the visit ends. The same is true if you make the carom but miss the pot.

Another option is that you can send the player back in if you don't like the shot left on. This discourages safety play.

I think you'll be surprised how much your CB control will improve after a few sessions of this game, and a cluster or two will start to look a lot less problematic.

Cheers,
Colin

 

[Colin Colenso]

Hi Colin,

Richie Richardson was playing 10 ball the other night & the 5 & 6 balls were similar to your first shot pic but reversed as to their rlationship to the center line of the table & with less angle into the side pocket. He went down to shoot the 5 in the side & then got up while making a rather loud moan. He then went & shot the 5 in the side while bouncing the CB over the 6 to the head rail & back out for the 6 in the same pocket. I was more than a bit impressed. It was obvious that that was what he wanted to do. I probably would have tried to draw it but I guess the angle would not allow him the leave the 6 there.

Not exactly what you're talking about but similar in that he knew the CB path & had to avoid hitting & moving the 6.

Cheers,
Rick

Hi Rick, welcome back

The bounce over intervening ball is a pretty rare sight. Jimmy White's Masterclass book had a couple of situations in snooker where they could come up. It would take a pretty knowledgeable or desperate player to take one on.

Colin

 

[Colin Colenso]

I mean scratching after making the shot and not being familiar with tangent lines and the effect of english on them. As for break out shot I meant running into clusters after striking your object ball.

Thanks for clarifying!

I think a lot of players would benefit from scratching (losing hazard as they are called in billiards) and carom / cannon practice.

From age about 8 to 15 I primarily played billiards on a 12 foot table and I'm sure that provided a good foundation for CB control. If you know how to scratch, it follows that you know how not to scratch.

Colin

 

[JoeyA]

I decided to try this game out last night at the pool room, by myself.

At first, I broke the rack and was disappointed with my runs and after being humbled rather quickly, I decided that for the time being I should just practice my ball pocketing and carom skills.

It wasn't long before I realized that the skills you practice in this game would be very useful in playing one pocket.

It was noticeable right away that my scores in innings at the table weren't nearly as high as those posted by Colin, although I did come with a score of 10. What I was shocked at, was my lack of skill in determining where the cue ball was PRECISELY going after contact with the pocketed object ball. Previous to this introduction to 2 ball, I thought I was much more accurate at determining where the cue ball was going. By repeated shots, I started to develop a more humbled attitude toward my skill level but was encouraged because I know that this type of practice will improve my one pocket skills.

It was a fun evening, playing an interesting game, that is sure to improve my skills in determining exactly where the cue ball goes after pocketing the object ball or at least knowing where the cue ball is determined to go after first contact.


BTW, I often "cheated", repeating the same shot over and over, just to refine my ability to make the cue ball track better after pocketing the object ball.

Thanks Colin.

JoeyA
JoeyA

 

[Colin Colenso]

I decided to try this game out last night at the pool room, by myself.

At first, I broke the rack and was disappointed with my runs and after being humbled rather quickly, I decided that for the time being I should just practice my ball pocketing and carom skills.

It wasn't long before I realized that the skills you practice in this game would be very useful in playing one pocket.

It was noticeable right away that my scores in innings at the table weren't nearly as high as those posted by Colin, although I did come with a score of 10. What I was shocked at, was my lack of skill in determining where the cue ball was PRECISELY going after contact with the pocketed object ball. Previous to this introduction to 2 ball, I thought I was much more accurate at determining where the cue ball was going. By repeated shots, I started to develop a more humbled attitude toward my skill level but was encouraged because I know that this type of practice will improve my one pocket skills.

It was a fun evening, playing an interesting game, that is sure to improve my skills in determining exactly where the cue ball goes after pocketing the object ball or at least knowing where the cue ball is determined to go after first contact.


BTW, I often "cheated", repeating the same shot over and over, just to refine my ability to make the cue ball track better after pocketing the object ball.

Thanks Colin.

JoeyA
JoeyA

Glad you got something out of the game Joey. I agree, it's very humbling to realize how difficult it is to direct the CB to all angles we imagine for caroms, but it helps us improve because it shows up some flaws pretty quickly.

The cheating is just taking advantage of some nice lessons the game introduces. I'm sure they'll help out your 1 pocket moves in the future.

Cheers,
Colin

 

[ENGLISH!]

Hi Rick, welcome back

The bounce over intervening ball is a pretty rare sight. Jimmy White's Masterclass book had a couple of situations in snooker where they could come up. It would take a pretty knowledgeable or desperate player to take one on.

Colin

Thanks Colin.

He was playing a friendly cheap game so he was not desperate. Maybe that is why he just went for it.

Cheers

 

[Bob Jewett]

Rather than have the quirky final shot of the rack, I propose this change:

When only 1 ball remains, the second point is scored by scratching the cue ball into a called pocket. If you only make the ball, the game ends and your opponent has the following break. If you do both (clear the table), you get to break.