Does anybody know a good drill to work on ball control and ball speed? Any help I this area would be helpful! Thanks in advance for any help.
Drills on Safety play?
- Thread starter SamShaddey
- Start date
Speed and cue ball control
There are many good books and videos that can help you. It's also what personal instruction is for. While the books and videos are great, they can't watch you play and give you feedback.
Defensive strategy and cue ball control are my "specialties"...I can demonstrate and teach you scores of defensive moves, just in 8-ball...
There are many good books and videos that can help you. It's also what personal instruction is for. While the books and videos are great, they can't watch you play and give you feedback.
Defensive strategy and cue ball control are my "specialties"...I can demonstrate and teach you scores of defensive moves, just in 8-ball...
I'm an vnea A player. I've just noticed that when play league matches my ball speed is always off. I play on eight footers normaly but when I get to the bar box I seem to have trouble not hooking myself and just missing my safes by an inch or two! I hope this helps.
OK thanks for the info. Everyone's case is different but since it seems to be about the transition from larger to smaller tables, may I suggest that you may be overstroking your shots --- Try shortening up your stroke a bit. You're moving the balls a shorter distance. That calls for less. Sometimes shortening your bridge length will help or just shortening your stroke. I think it's worth a try.
I think all you need to do is play more on the smaller tables. As for safety drills, I've suggested several in my articles in Billiards Digest and On The Break News.
Here is the section on Dr. Dave's website about safety play including some free videos of safety drills: http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/drills.html#safety
If there's one safety shot I'd recommend you master, it's the "stun run through" safety.
The shot where you hit the CB fairly firm slightly above center. This will cause separation between the OB and CB, but the CB will only move forward an inch or two. This can make it very easy to hide or even freeze behind another ball.
The shot where you hit the CB fairly firm slightly above center. This will cause separation between the OB and CB, but the CB will only move forward an inch or two. This can make it very easy to hide or even freeze behind another ball.
No specific drills but maybe something you may want to try to do.
Playing good safes (especially in rotation games) require creativity and touch in my opinion. There are many types of safes to play, but those safes that limit a players option to a 2 or three rail kick are about the best you can get. These safes require you to either freeze the cue ball onto another ball or at least get it within a quarter of an inch. You don't want enough of a distance between the balls to give the player an easy one rail or a jump-shot. That is where the creativity and vision comes from to see the spot you want the cue ball to be in and then of course execute it.
Next time you play a game, instead of focusing on running out, play safes against your self.
Like ball pocketing, the more you do it the better you get. For many of us we spend more time pocketing balls then practicing safety play. So then when we have to execute a perfect safe, we have not put in the time practicing that skill on the table and at time our results are not as good as they could be.
Playing good safes (especially in rotation games) require creativity and touch in my opinion. There are many types of safes to play, but those safes that limit a players option to a 2 or three rail kick are about the best you can get. These safes require you to either freeze the cue ball onto another ball or at least get it within a quarter of an inch. You don't want enough of a distance between the balls to give the player an easy one rail or a jump-shot. That is where the creativity and vision comes from to see the spot you want the cue ball to be in and then of course execute it.
Next time you play a game, instead of focusing on running out, play safes against your self.
Like ball pocketing, the more you do it the better you get. For many of us we spend more time pocketing balls then practicing safety play. So then when we have to execute a perfect safe, we have not put in the time practicing that skill on the table and at time our results are not as good as they could be.
you will find 2 ebooks on safeties here
http://www.billiardgods.com/products/binfo.htm
here is another book
http://www.ozonebilliards.com/pro-safeties-the-top-100-safety-shots-in-pool-training-bookpsf.html
i have not personally used them but hope they are helpfull
http://www.billiardgods.com/products/binfo.htm
here is another book
http://www.ozonebilliards.com/pro-safeties-the-top-100-safety-shots-in-pool-training-bookpsf.html
i have not personally used them but hope they are helpfull
Y'all have been great! I used to play a lot more safes when I played my mentor. And now I'm older I'm not getting beat on like he used to do. So I don't get a lot of practice on them. I find it strange getting used to practice on my own I use to play in bars all the time always had an someone on the other end of the table.