8 ball pattern play problems

judochoke · Oct 29, 2018

I really like to do 8 ball pattern play. 7 solids and the 8 ball, sometimes ball in hand, and try to run out. I do well in the beginning, but then as the balls dwindle, I make a small mistake or miss a shot to blow it.

should I be using 7 balls, or 4 balls to to this drill? with 4 balls I can see the pattern better, because of less traffic on the table. or should I only use 2 or 3 balls and the 8.

dont want to sound like a pussy, but its hard to line up for a straight shot on the 8 most times. I need help

Black-Balled · Oct 29, 2018

Yeah, I'll go for removing a couple balls after the break. 1 or 2 from each set should open up a whole new world. I wouldn't even give it much thought as to which balls you yank.

Any comments about patterns, we are gonna need some meat: a vid or pictures.

MattPoland · Oct 29, 2018

The ZeroX system spends a lot of time on pattern play. They have an entire book of specific pattern challenges (with solutions) to get your mind thinking in patterns.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Get_A_Grip · Oct 29, 2018

A good drill is to randomly spread out all of the balls on the table, with none of them closer than 6 inches from a rail. Then take ball in hand and run them out without letting the cue ball ever touch a rail. That exercise will get your mind used to seeing the patterns--hopefully to go from one stop shot to the next for many of the balls.

Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums

Black-Balled · Oct 29, 2018

Get_A_Grip said:
A good drill is to randomly spread out all of the balls on the table, with none of them closer than 6 inches from a rail. Then take ball in hand and run them out without letting the cue ball ever touch a rail. That exercise will get your mind used to seeing the patterns--hopefully to go from one stop shot to the next for many of the balls.

Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums

Naw...far too advanced, I think.

Doesn't read that he is playing 2 balls ahead.

Get_A_Grip · Oct 29, 2018

Black-Balled said:
Naw...far too advanced, I think.

Doesn't read that he is playing 2 balls ahead.

I didn't realize that a "pattern" could be less that 3 balls.

_______

tonythetiger583 · Oct 29, 2018

I think you should start thinking about the table in sections.

So it's not 7 balls and the 8. Maybe it's a 3 ball pattern here...and a 2 ball pattern over there...and theres a ball that connects you from one pattern to the next. Then you need a ball that connects you reliably to the 8.

But if you're good at 3 ball patterns that's great. Look for them and find balls that bridge you from one 3 ball pattern to the next.

Tin Man · Oct 29, 2018

Start with 3 stripes and the 8. Then if you make it go to 4. Add a ball each time you make it. If you run out with 7 stripes, then go to 7 stripes and a solid. Then 2 solids. Etc. Each time you miss go back a level. Each time you run out go forward a level.

There is more to it in terms of building specific skills to increase your run out percentage, but as for testing yourself this progressive approach is a good one.

Black-Balled · Oct 29, 2018

Tin Man said:
Start with 3 stripes and the 8. Then if you make it go to 4. Add a ball each time you make it. If you run out with 7 stripes, then go to 7 stripes and a solid. Then 2 solids. Etc. Each time you miss go back a level. Each time you run out go forward a level.

There is more to it in terms of building specific skills to increase your run out percentage, but as for testing yourself this progressive approach is a good one.

I think das boot camp woul be exactly that.

Find out where you are and make it better.

Knowing which ball to shoot isn't going to make one run out.

Ralph Kramden · Oct 29, 2018

judochoke said:
I really like to do 8 ball pattern play. 7 solids and the 8 ball, sometimes ball in hand, and try to run out. I do well in the beginning, but then as the balls dwindle, I make a small mistake or miss a shot to blow it.

should I be using 7 balls, or 4 balls to to this drill? with 4 balls I can see the pattern better, because of less traffic on the table. or should I only use 2 or 3 balls and the 8.

dont want to sound like a pussy, but its hard to line up for a straight shot on the 8 most times. I need help

.

Try this as a practice game using BIH to start.... http://sites.google.com/site/poolandbilliard/Home/fast-8

.

Bob Jewett · Oct 29, 2018

judochoke said:
I really like to do 8 ball pattern play. 7 solids and the 8 ball, sometimes ball in hand, and try to run out. I do well in the beginning, but then as the balls dwindle, I make a small mistake or miss a shot to blow it.

should I be using 7 balls, or 4 balls to to this drill? with 4 balls I can see the pattern better, because of less traffic on the table. or should I only use 2 or 3 balls and the 8.

dont want to sound like a pussy, but its hard to line up for a straight shot on the 8 most times. I need help

I suspect that the main problem might be that you don't have enough control of the cue ball to play patterns. If the object ball is a foot from the pocket and the shot is straight in, how far away can you put the cue ball and still shoot a stop shot?

The reason that I bring this up is the time that I gave an eight ball clinic to a league team. Before the clinic they said that they really wanted to learn the proper way to play patterns. As soon as we started I realized that two of the players didn't know how to stop the cue ball or make it come back towards them for a straight shot. We shifted gears to the basics and everyone was drawing the ball and making a decent bridge by the end. I don't think we got to patterns but we might have discussed side spin shots and maybe even a little strategy.

Do you know how to play with inside follow and outside draw when the object ball is near a cushion? If you have a thin shot along an end rail, do you have enough speed control to take the cue ball to the other end and back to end up near that first rail?

Cornerman · Oct 29, 2018

judochoke said:
I really like to do 8 ball pattern play. 7 solids and the 8 ball, sometimes ball in hand, and try to run out. I do well in the beginning, but then as the balls dwindle, I make a small mistake or miss a shot to blow it.

should I be using 7 balls, or 4 balls to to this drill? with 4 balls I can see the pattern better, because of less traffic on the table. or should I only use 2 or 3 balls and the 8.

dont want to sound like a pussy, but its hard to line up for a straight shot on the 8 most times. I need help

You could always watch 8-ball on youtube. Search for me and Bobby Cotton. We do a fantastic job on non-fantasy, real winning 8-ball pattern play.

Freddie <~~~ no shame and no apologies

hunter121 · Oct 29, 2018

My issue personally hasn't been the run to the eight but the follow through in to the eight, for some reason I just can't get passed the eight. My solution, and I hope it works....I ordered 15 black balls and I'm going to play nothing but hitting in black balls.

Get_A_Grip · Oct 29, 2018

hunter121 said:
My issue personally hasn't been the run to the eight but the follow through in to the eight, for some reason I just can't get passed the eight. My solution, and I hope it works....I ordered 15 black balls and I'm going to play nothing but hitting in black balls.

Once you go black, you will never go back. Well, someone had to say it.

_______

hunter121 · Oct 29, 2018

Get_A_Grip said:
Once you go black, you will never go back. Well, someone had to say it.

_______

I was waiting for it lol

judochoke · Oct 29, 2018

yes I have watched tom lorwys videos and bought his book, but the pictures are too dark and hard to see. yes I can see three balls ahead, so I see the pattern, but I either miss on cue ball control or miss my shot. yes I can use inside and outside English, but it seems like on my final two balls, something always goes wrong. my main problem is how to do a stop shot on a angle shot?? say two or three diamonds away from the object ball, with a angle, I try a easy slow stoke bottom English shot, and the cue ball floats away to where ever it wants to go, which kills my pattern.

thanks for all of the advice.

I played a young kid a few days ago at a bar, the kid was really really good. he safety me to death, and I asked him why are you doing that? he said he plays safe until he sees the run out pattern??? like in Chess he said, he wants all of his soldiers in place to run out.

I got a black belt in judo at age 42. state champion in drug free powerlifting at age 38. but this game is the hardest thing I have ever tried. but I aint giving up boys

7forlife · Oct 29, 2018

I did not read all the comments but I'm sure there's some good stuff in there. Now what I think might be missing is the possible obvious fact which is something a good 14.1 player will tell you. The problem is not the amount of balls or any of that stuff the problem is either not having the proper plan or patter for the last 3 balls (or 4) or the skill to execute this, so here is my opinion.

throw 3 balls out on the table 2 of the same suit and the 8, now before you start pick the pocket each ball will be played and that is the only pocket it can go, should you fail to be able to play in that pocket or get on the next ball for it's pocket then you failed and must start over. Do this until you feel pretty confident and when that time comes add 1 more ball, rinse and repeat you get the drift.

This to me this is a very powerful drill/exercise for players of certain levels.

I personally like to throw out a full rack, run all the stripe to the 8 (or actually the ball before the 8) then run the solids in rotation, sometimes if possible I try to leave the 9 but I'll take it if I have too. Best of luck anyway on your journey.

iusedtoberich · Oct 30, 2018

judochoke said:
....snip....
my main problem is how to do a stop shot on a angle shot?? say two or three diamonds away from the object ball, with a angle, I try a easy slow stoke bottom English shot, and the cue ball floats away to where ever it wants to go, which kills my pattern.
.....snip.....

Unless I'm misunderstanding what you wrote, this sentence tells us you really don't understand what the cueball (CB) does after striking the object ball (OB). Its impossible to stop it dead on any shot with an angle. It is supposed to go off to the side like you are observing. Now you have to learn how it goes off to the side, and be able to predict that very reliably.

You mentioned powerlifting.... I skipped my squats and deadlifts this morning because I decided to be lazy instead

ha ha.

Tony_in_MD · Oct 30, 2018

iusedtoberich said:
You mentioned powerlifting.... I skipped my squats and deadlifts this morning because I decided to be lazy instead ha ha.

I’ve got that beat. Been skipping mine since 1984.

Lol

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Patrick Johnson · Oct 30, 2018

judochoke said:
my main problem is how to do a stop shot on a angle shot?? say two or three diamonds away from the object ball, with a angle, I try a easy slow stoke bottom English shot, and the cue ball floats away to where ever it wants to go, which kills my pattern.

iusedtoberich said:
Its impossible to stop it dead on any shot with an angle. It is supposed to go off to the side like you are observing. Now you have to learn how it goes off to the side, and be able to predict that very reliably.

Here's a diagram that shows how the CB travels (with stun, follow or draw) after contacting the OB on a cut angle. The "stun line" ("tangent line") is always 90 degrees from the OB's path.

Hope it helps.

pj
chgo

P.S. "Stun" means the CB is sliding with no follow or draw rotation when it contacts the OB (like a stop shot).

View attachment 10085

8 ball pattern play problems

AzB Silver Member

AzB Silver Member

AzB Silver Member

Truth Will Set You Free

AzB Silver Member

Truth Will Set You Free

AzB Silver Member

AzB Gold Member

AzB Silver Member

BOOM!.. ZOOM!.. MOON!

AZB Osmium Member

Cue Author...Sometimes

AzB Silver Member

Truth Will Set You Free

AzB Silver Member

AzB Silver Member

AzB Silver Member

AzB Silver Member

You want some of this?

Fish of the Day

Attachments