8 ball practice

[dmgwalsh]

I got in a bca 8 ball league a few weeks ago. Never really played by those rules before. What's a good way to practice? I've got a table in my basement and I've been doing some of my regular drills, then practicing breaks a little and then practicing running either the solids or stripes. Any other suggestions?

 

[piglit]

Don't miss.

-pigy

 

[Koop]

Someone on here posted a while back that a great game to practice is rotation. I completely agree as it forces you to get position on one ball at a time, where in 8-ball you can completely screw up position but still have a shot on another ball. Playing rotation will definitely elevate your game more than banging around playing 8-ball.

Regards,
DDK

 

[Perk]

It has been posted in the past to when practicing 8ball to play against your self in an Alter Ego fashion. 1 person plays runouts, the other plays make a ball and play safe until the other person has 3 balls left. This works on your runouts, safety game, and brings the realization that 8ball is truely a strategic game.

I believe it was Mizerak that said, never move a ball until you can runout.

 

[BazookaJoe]

I found the best practice sessions ever to be running through the 99 critical shots in pool. Great all-around book. Ran through as many of the shots until I got 'em right. Tried different shot or set of shots each day spending at least 30 min on each shot. Works for all games.

 

[dmgwalsh]

I believe it was Mizerak that said, never move a ball until you can runout.

Yeah, i do too many 5,6 and 7 ball runs and then they play keepaway with me until they can run out. It's hard not to go for the shot when you have it, but i know that's sometimes what you are supposed to do.

The alternating ego eight ball game and the rotation practice sound good to try. 99 critical shots, eventually. I've looked at the book. Working on Bert Kinister's 60 minute workout presently. Thanks everyone for all the good advice.

 

[Chokeinator]

How come whenever someone asks to learn how to get better no one ever explains the fundamentals beyond the stroke and aiming system? My advice is to practice stop, follow and draw, learn what a tangent line is and learn to predict the natural path of the cue ball, once you can predict the path of a cue ball learn to alter that path using follow and draw. Forget about learning right and left english until what I've just said isn't greek to you. Teaching 8 ball strategy to someone who doesn't understand the basics of moving a cueball around the table is pointless.

 

[SuperDave]

How come whenever someone asks to learn how to get better no one ever explains the fundamentals beyond the stroke and aiming system? My advice is to practice stop, follow and draw, learn what a tangent line is and learn to predict the natural path of the cue ball, once you can predict the path of a cue ball learn to alter that path using follow and draw. Forget about learning right and left english until what I've just said isn't greek to you. Teaching 8 ball strategy to someone who doesn't understand the basics of moving a cueball around the table is pointless.

That's all very true. However, the person asking the question mentions:

I've got a table in my basement and I've been doing some of my regular drills, then practicing breaks a little and then practicing running either the solids or stripes.

I, for one, tend to think that the guy already has a clue about the game when he already has a drill regime.

To answer dmgwalsh's question, I do precisely what Perk mentions when practicing specifically for 8-ball. Sometimes I play both sides safe, sometime both wide open, sometimes one side left-handed.

 

[ajrack]

A point of strategy...make sure the last couple of balls of your group are at opposite ends of the table. It is petty hard to hook you when you have a choice of shots.

 

[dmgwalsh]

I, for one, tend to think that the guy already has a clue about the game when he already has a drill regime.

To answer dmgwalsh's question, I do precisely what Perk mentions when practicing specifically for 8-ball. Sometimes I play both sides safe, sometime both wide open, sometimes one side left-handed.

That's right. I do know something about how to get the cue ball from one spot to another. Played a little target pool. Some drills from Robert Byrne books, drills from 4 or 5 KInister tapes.

I was looking for something that would help get my mind in sync with the strategy of bca 8 ball. Last night I had a lot of 6 or 7 ball runs where I came up a little off on my shapes at the end of what i thought was gonna be a run. My opponent usually made me pay.

 

[amateur]

...playing a bit of 14.1 will make your 8ball game seem like a piece of cake, except for the break shot. It will certainly make you concentrate better plus you might even learn how to break clusters. My 9ball game improved alot when I started playing 14.1, especially soft shots.

Never tried 15ball rotation, but I can only imagine...one must be bloddy good to play that game well.

You will need to learn the break also. Without it you can't run consistent racks.

 

[dmgwalsh]

...playing a bit of 14.1 will make your 8ball game seem like a piece of cake, except for the break shot. It will certainly make you concentrate better plus you might even learn how to break clusters. My 9ball game improved alot when I started playing 14.1, especially soft shots.

Never tried 15ball rotation, but I can only imagine...one must be bloddy good to play that game well.

You will need to learn the break also. Without it you can't run consistent racks.

I practiced 14.1 the other day and ran 27. That's my high run ever. Anyway, I'll keep practicing. Thanks for the input.

 

[hustlefinger]

Last night I had a lot of 6 or 7 ball runs where I came up a little off on my shapes at the end of what i thought was gonna be a run.

Having 6 and 7 ball runs and then coming up a little short means either you missed some easy shots or placed the CB in tough position.

One general strategic concept to consider is to think backwards from the eight ball. Pick a key ball before the eight, then another ball that will lead to the key ball and so on, while minimizing cue ball travel. Ideally, the last few should be stop shots.

You’re probably already doing this, but I’ve seen many players make the last few balls extremely hard on themselves. I guess all I’m trying to say is keep it simple. And, I understand that sometimes things don’t always go according to plan.

Rick

 

[cardiac kid]

8 Ball Practice

Hi dgmwalsh,

Here is my take on practice and play:

Learn to play fourteen & one from an established player. Tom
Karabatsos and Dallas West are located somewhere near you in Chicagoland. You don't need to run 200, just get the fine points. Position and shot choice are paramount. Don't worry about the number of balls run, think instead about how you ran the rack. Did you have make a bankshot? A carom of another ball? A combination shot? How many shots went the full length of the table? If you do those things on a regular basis, its just a matter of time until you place yourself where you can't make a shot.

Learn to play one pocket from a good player. Ever wonder how the "pros" hide the cue ball on their opponent in nine ball on a regular basis? The safety game part of eight ball is no different, especially in BCA play. One pocket teaches cue ball spin, banking and above all, patience!

I like to practice 15 ball rotation. If you play bar box regularly, you know how congested a table can get. Use this to learn the correct routes from ball to ball. I throw the balls out on the table and use cue ball in hand on the one ball. I'm not Django.

Spend some time playing three cushion billiards. Its great for position practice. Ever need to kick at your next ball in eight ball or nine ball for that matter? I bet you get really mad giving your opponent cue ball in hand! Billiards is just one more weapon in your bag.

I'd spend some time each week practicing safety play. Try to hide the cue ball on each open shot. Inversely, try to practice kicking at balls. I don't spend hours on each but 1/2 hour a week will sure help.

Know the rules!!!!! BCA is NOT APA or Valley.

Practice, practice, practice. Always play a better player. You can't learn from a less knowledgeable player.

 

[BazookaJoe]

I've started playing the ghost with an eight ball rack. Pick big or little......ball in hand........run out. Very challenging, though it does nothing for your safety play. For that, I like to get on a coin table (off-peak hours) and shoot nothing but safeties. See how many times I can hook myself.