better way to practice? serious question

judochoke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
there are hundreds of drills on the internet, and I practice some of them. but reading a article by Jennifer barrara, (spelling), she says she practices by putting 15 balls on the middle pocket line, ball in hand behind the 2nd diamond, and shoots them in. says it keeps her stroke straight and pure.

so I started doing this drill, and I like it a lot. just 12 balls in a line, and hit each ball from the second diamond. if I make all 12, I restart to the next upper diamond, if I make all 12, I go to the next diamond. its harder than it looks. each shot has to be perfect.

I have not gone 36 for 36 yet.

my question is this: is it better to forget all the drills out there, and just concentrate on this drill, until I can go 36 for 36 each time, say maybe 5 times in a row???? 3 times in a row?

when I do well on a line, I take a break and throw 7 balls out and try to shoot in rotation, then back to this line drill.

I have to admit, sense I have started making this drill my only drill, things are going a little better when I shoot the 7 balls in rotation. should I follow this practice, maybe for a month or so, or continue doing other drills? thanks for the advice, you guys are great:eek:
 

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judochoke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
each shot makes me stand back, get lined up, doing a good pre shot routine, and each shot im able to relax and stay tight, stay still, and keep down till after the shot. my biggest problem is going to fast, forgetting my pre shot routine. :smile:
 

bbb

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
i am not an instructor but here is my 2 cents
jennifer is a pro
who has already mastered cue ball control and aiming
you are not a pro and are in the process of developing your stroke improving your pocketing skills and understanding of the cue ball (jmho no disrespect intended)
so for her her main priority is to maintain a perfectly straight stroke
for you (and me)
i need drills where i a shoot the same kind of shot over and over
and run out drills where i have to master getting from here to there with control and precision in addition to drill to get my stroke straight
so to answer your question
drills to improve the accuracy and straightness of your stroke should take priority since if you cant hit where you aim you might as well take up hand grenades.....:grin-square:
but you need to practice shots and position too
jmho
icbw
 

judochoke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
thanks for your reply. I seem to be ok, as a new player with cue ball control, angles, coming off a rail, and moving the cue ball with stun. when I throw 6 or 7 balls on the table, I do pretty good moving the cue ball around with out losing control of the cue ball. so when I take a small break from the line drill, I hit now 7 balls. I usually make one or two mistakes either on position or a miss per 7 ball rack.

so I am getting some practice on position and pattern play. thanks for the input
 

judochoke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
well thats what she said in the article. but either way, my straight in shots are getting much better thanks to this drill. when I miss a shot, I immediately know what I did wrong. so its making me much more consistent. but I will include a couple of other drills, but I think im going to stop looking for new drills, and just concentrate on a couple for a while.
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
well thats what she said in the article. but either way, my straight in shots are getting much better thanks to this drill. when I miss a shot, I immediately know what I did wrong. so its making me much more consistent. but I will include a couple of other drills, but I think im going to stop looking for new drills, and just concentrate on a couple for a while.

Did she really write that it's the only drill she uses?
 

judochoke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
seems to be dropping my elbow. or I will feel my cue moving too much between my clenched fingers. sideways movement. but my straight in shots are getting better and much more consistent, so the drill is working out well for me.
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
seems to be dropping my elbow. or I will feel my cue moving too much between my clenched fingers. sideways movement. but my straight in shots are getting better and much more consistent, so the drill is working out well for me.
Since you seem to be serious about your practice and improvement, I suggest you use a method that will allow you to numerically track your progress. You could simply keep track of number made out of twelve in the drill in the OP or use the Billiard University "exams" which have scoring built in.
 
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