Table markings for drill shots

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Sean Hallett

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've purchased quite a few of these lick and stick donuts to mark out my table, I was wondering where the best positions to stick them for practice drills?
I was thinking of pointing one on the cross point of every diamond to practice shots at different angles. Or is that too much? Where would you recommend I put them for good drills for a beginner?
Thanks :)
 
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bbb

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
i think that how you set up your drills is dependent upon your skill level and what you are working on
so its tough to give general advice
since the straight in shot is use as a stroke builder i would put a sticker in a straight line from the foot spot to each corner pocket at the head of the table at variable distances
this way you can use the spot to gauge how straight you came thru the ball and your follow thru in addition to how well you hit the shot
you may want to look into this projection system which will mark the table for you
it is progammed with many drills and you can program you own drills
https://projectionprobilliards.com/
you can contact robin dryer for more information...503-848-0422
robindreyer.com/
 
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slach

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I put a black dot with a fine Sharpy pen at the intersections of the diamonds. This is good for setting up most drills I use. You don't even notice the dots when just playing and they slowly fade away in 1/2 year or so and you need to re-dot them. If you need a very precise setup the self adhesive peel and stick donuts are good, I'd be careful about using lick and stick donuts as the may leave residue when removed.

Setting up a long diagonal straight-in drill with the black dots is easy and a great way to develop your stroke. I've actually worn lines in the cloth from repeating this drill so much, but it's a staple of my practice routine.
 
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metallicane

metallicane

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The Monk has some drills you can use and put the donuts where he says. But I agree on the long straight shots. Great practice.
 
StraightPoolIU

StraightPoolIU

Brent
Silver Member
Try the Billiard University drills from Dr. Dave. It is a test, but all of the drills can be done individually and work on different facets of your game. I think the website is billiarduniversity.org Also just use the donuts to set up shots you are having problems with. That's really the point of drills is to work on things you struggle with over and over until you get them.
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I use donuts for some drills when I want the balls to be in exactly the same place for multiple shots. Usually, however, I don't favor exactly repetitive drills. I think it is better for you to have to "figure out" each shot anew rather than just do exactly the same motion over and over.

Also, I don't favor practicing shots that you make 99% of the time. That is not working on your weaknesses. It's solidifying your strengths and sometimes it's a very, very narrow strength.

An example of too much repetition is the spot-to-spot spot shot that was posted about in two threads recently. The students in that class are learning how to make one single shot out of thousands they need to know. And if the gaff I mentioned is in play, their strokes are not nearly as accurate as the long runs of spot shots indicate. If that class moved each ball around the spot area a few inches on each shot then I think that drill would be a lot better. The students would have to actually aim on the shots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDz9Hqj9KUU&feature=youtu.be
 
Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
ctyhntr said:
AFAIK, the self adhesive peel and stick donuts don't leave a residue.
Click to expand...
Maybe not if you remove them pretty quickly, but I used them as part of a racking template for a few weeks and they definitely left glue residue - after removing them each donut shape turned dark with picked up dirt.

pj
chgo
 
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Sean Hallett

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The markings I got are from tweenten so they shouldn't leave a mark. Maybe I will just lightly mark the diamond intersections and use the donuts for drills.
I guess the better question now is what drills. Is there a link to basic drill patterns with just the picture of the table and ball positions? I know Dr Dave has lots of videos but that in a way is part of the problem. There are too many of them and different difficulty. Plus they aren't organised and mixed up with loads of other videos. Is there anything that has all the drills in one place and lists them in categories from beginner to advanced etc. A drill book or even a link to somewhere that has that sort of format?
 
strmanglr scott

strmanglr scott

All about Focus
Silver Member
I use white chalk often to mark the table for drills. Doesn't take much and eventually it will wear away.

I've also snapped a chalk line onto the table.

Drills should be customized to shots the player has difficulty with. Play your game, recognize shots you miss and why. Create drills to those shots.

I have trouble with the OB on the short rail and steep angle shots into it. So, I put the OB just off the rail on the middle diamond on the short rail. Then I put the CB one diamond off the long rail and the first diamond away from the short rail and shoot the shot. Then when I make it, I replace the OB and move the CB one more diamond away from the short rail and so it goes, always moving the CB one more diamond away. When it gets past half the table it really gets tough but I tighten up that shot every time I practice it.
 
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