Are you stuck on 20-30 ball runs? Try this excercise for 2 weeks and tell me the results:
1. In the half of the table where the rack is, scatter all the balls with no ball touching any others. Don't try to disperse them perfectly, just randomly.
2. Put one ball in an ideal break position and one in a perfect key ball position. These are now chosen and cannot be altered during the run. You MUST use that key ball and that breakball when going into the next rack.
3. Run all the balls WITHOUT having the cueball touch any other ball than the one that's being pocketed. You can use all 6 pockets. Go into the next rack and run as many as you can. Preferably the same way as much as possible.
4. Combinations are allowed, but should be avoided as much as possible. No caroms! Avoid jumps and other trick shots. That's just cheating yourself out of the lesson.
5. First shot is ball in hand from the kitchen.
TIPS for those who struggle:
1. ALWAYS choose a rail target when playing position, even if the cueball won't come close to touching a rail! When the cueball DOES touch a rail, choose a rail target that is to be contacted, AND a railtarget that is to be "approached" on the next rail.
2. Stay as far away from the other balls as possible! Play into large open areas. Do not try to get cute. Use the rail targets to imagine the balls path.
3. Identify problem areas and "blocker" balls that need to be removed and get them as quickly as possible.
4. Stay off the rail at all times. If you have to play close to a rail, make a plan to get away without losing position.
5. KNOW where the cueball is going, don't guess! If you don't know exactly what the cueball will do, do something else. BUT ALWAYS PLAY POSITION INTO AN AREA WHERE YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF DIFFERENT SHOTS, IF THAT IS POSSIBLE.
1. In the half of the table where the rack is, scatter all the balls with no ball touching any others. Don't try to disperse them perfectly, just randomly.
2. Put one ball in an ideal break position and one in a perfect key ball position. These are now chosen and cannot be altered during the run. You MUST use that key ball and that breakball when going into the next rack.
3. Run all the balls WITHOUT having the cueball touch any other ball than the one that's being pocketed. You can use all 6 pockets. Go into the next rack and run as many as you can. Preferably the same way as much as possible.
4. Combinations are allowed, but should be avoided as much as possible. No caroms! Avoid jumps and other trick shots. That's just cheating yourself out of the lesson.
5. First shot is ball in hand from the kitchen.
TIPS for those who struggle:
1. ALWAYS choose a rail target when playing position, even if the cueball won't come close to touching a rail! When the cueball DOES touch a rail, choose a rail target that is to be contacted, AND a railtarget that is to be "approached" on the next rail.
2. Stay as far away from the other balls as possible! Play into large open areas. Do not try to get cute. Use the rail targets to imagine the balls path.
3. Identify problem areas and "blocker" balls that need to be removed and get them as quickly as possible.
4. Stay off the rail at all times. If you have to play close to a rail, make a plan to get away without losing position.
5. KNOW where the cueball is going, don't guess! If you don't know exactly what the cueball will do, do something else. BUT ALWAYS PLAY POSITION INTO AN AREA WHERE YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF DIFFERENT SHOTS, IF THAT IS POSSIBLE.
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