Drill to help up my game

P

Plagueis

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've tried to search for an answer and decided to just ask the question directly.
I'm looking for some drills to help improve my game in terms of position play. I have trouble seeing patterns on the table as well as making successful safeties against my opponents.
For starters I do have an excellent technical understanding of the game and my fundamentals are adequate but my speed control could be better. I'm trying to learn to approach my next shot on its shots line and not cross it which I used to do a lot and led to me hooking myself. So I'm looking for some drills to help me to see patterns and improve my control over the cue ball.
I may be a decent player but often when I am left with a beautifully open table I still can't manage the run out :(
Edit: also because I know I am unlikely to be able to run out a table I will usually safety break against a better opponent which is what helps me get the win and I get to play and practice safeties
 
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Speed control drills are fairly basic. What I used to do when I was a kid was set a shot up, place a penny on the table and try land it within a couple of balls of it. Straight ins for draw id pick a mark on the cloth and try screw back landing it on the mark. Same with follow. I would do these over and over again until I nailed them every time.

Pattern drills...hmm to recognize patterns it is best to not execute them right away. Throw 9 balls onto the table and just plan rack after rack out in your head. Then you can start putting 4 balls onto the table and plan them out. This time shoot the plan. If you can plan and execute that plan for 4 balls 10 times in a row you can move onto 6. It gets you used to stopping before you start and thinking about what you're about to do. A players plan of action in a full rack of 9 ball will change once or twice in a rack, so it forces you to reevaluate things and not just stick to the plan when things go wrong.
 
No one can really know what a player needs by reading a post. As we improve our game over the years the changes / "ah-ha" happenings become more and more subtle.

We're all searching individually for our own minute changes in grip, alignment, timing, eye motion, and whatever else can help us improve. One thing for sure, they all become more and more subtle and fewer and farther between the better we get.

Aside from the multiple physical and mental things that hold everyone back from finding that next speed, I will say that I am truly amazed at how many players continue to try to find these subtleties playing and practicing 9 ball.

If you really want major improvement practice getting through multiple racks of straight pool. No game can better help with speed control, focus, concentration for extended periods, thinking, pattern play, and just concentrated doses of many angles.

But alas ... LOL. Not many take advantage of the game for those benefits, so for those who refuse.... keep on banging away at those 9 ball racks.
 
Speed Control: Segment the table at each diamond. Lag the cue ball to the short rail and into each quadrant. Do this upto at least 3 rails up and down hitting the target quad. Use the same table all the time for these type drills.

Next add a ball to the equation and hit 1/2 ball 1/4 ball... and land the CB into your target quad.

Now deal with angles. Simply play no rail caroms. Just ball to ball. Then play 1 rail caroms. 2 or more rails is a fail. Only 1-rail. Now work on make speed ball to ball caroms and 1-rail. Then 2 and 3 rails.

The 1 rail only rule will teach you how to get to almost any target which can also be a second rail. I use a ball as the target since its smaller than a general area. Keeps me honest. Use a coin as mentioned if you want to get even more precise.
 
3andstop said:
No one can really know what a player needs by reading a post. As we improve our game over the years the changes / "ah-ha" happenings become more and more subtle.

We're all searching individually for our own minute changes in grip, alignment, timing, eye motion, and whatever else can help us improve. One thing for sure, they all become more and more subtle and fewer and farther between the better we get.

Aside from the multiple physical and mental things that hold everyone back from finding that next speed, I will say that I am truly amazed at how many players continue to try to find these subtleties playing and practicing 9 ball.

If you really want major improvement practice getting through multiple racks of straight pool. No game can better help with speed control, focus, concentration for extended periods, thinking, pattern play, and just concentrated doses of many angles.

But alas ... LOL. Not many take advantage of the game for those benefits, so for those who refuse.... keep on banging away at those 9 ball racks.
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The thing is, no one plays 14.1 anymore. The skills they pick up in 14.1 may help all other games, but maybe they would be held back by just playing that alone. If a person just played 14.1 they wouldn't have a god damn clue how to get to the next ball in 9 ball if they had to go multiple rails, for example. The patterns in 14.1 are nothing like any other game. They're closer to snooker than other pool games I'd say. So whilst you're in love with the game, and I can admire its difficulty as much as the next guy...people aren't playing it anymore.
 
Pidge said:
The thing is, no one plays 14.1 anymore. The skills they pick up in 14.1 may help all other games, but maybe they would be held back by just playing that alone. If a person just played 14.1 they wouldn't have a god damn clue how to get to the next ball in 9 ball if they had to go multiple rails, for example. The patterns in 14.1 are nothing like any other game. They're closer to snooker than other pool games I'd say. So whilst you're in love with the game, and I can admire its difficulty as much as the next guy...people aren't playing it anymore.
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I never said play only straight pool. I said its the game that will be the best teacher . The reason no one plays it is because they are so humbled by it they can't wait to get back to 9 ball.

One pocket will teach you more about pool than 9 ball.

Kids love making shots not decisions.
 
14.1 will teach you about 14.1
One pocket will teach you about one pocket
9 ball about 9 ball
10 ball about 10 ball
8 ball about 8 ball
Banks about banks
...and so on.

Speed control and ability to pick out patterns may be less important in some of the games than others, but practicing progressive drills to spot patterns and speed control massively help all games.
 
I think playing a lot of one pocket as a beginner can actually really hurt your overall game.

If you're playing 8-ball or rotation, do drills designed to help with those games, and play racks against the ghost, too. I like Pidge's suggestions - especially as the OP specifically mentioned speed control and pattern play.
 
Place an object ball anywhere on the table. Place the cue ball anywhere. Now place another ball on the table. Depending on where the next shot is placed. Determine what pockets it can be made in. Now take the object ball an cue ball and play position on the next ball. Repeat 3 times. Now try to add a rail if possible and another until you have exhausted possibilities. Try getting position on all sides of your next shot. Find an angle that feels comfortable but allows you to move the cue ball anywhere on the table. This way when you do get out of line your more comfortable moving the cue ball around to get back in line.
 
3kushn said:
Now deal with angles. Simply play no rail caroms. Just ball to ball. Then play 1 rail caroms. 2 or more rails is a fail. Only 1-rail. Now work on make speed ball to ball caroms and 1-rail. Then 2 and 3 rails.
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so bank to carom or carom to bank? Carom shots aren't too difficult and bank shots I can do in my sleep but I've never tried combining them both
 
I'd like to add one of my favorite drills, if you can call it that. It requires a few pennies, that's all.

When I'm playing 8 ball at home, I will plan the entire rack before hand. Starting with the black and picking a pocket for it, onto finding the key ball and its pocket and so on until I'm at my first shot. Then I will use 1 penny as a marker for my CB position. Chuck the penny onto the table where you want the CB to be. If you are contacting a rail put a penny on the edge of the rail where you want the CB to contact, do the same for any rails you plan the CB to contact. I will then try to run out. A failed run out for me is a missed shot, foul, or if I don't come within 2 balls of either penny on the table. If a run out is failed I take the part of the next player. So say I failed on solids, ill move to stripes, but this time there is no planning, no position (I have to hit every shot centre CB and firm), and a failed run out this time is only a foul or miss. I keep playing until someone wins. The penny shooter wins far more often even though the task at hand is harder. This is due to them being able to plan ahead....patterns :-) it forces you to spot patterns and plan everything in advance. Not only this, but you start to not over use CB movement. To get that CB within 2 balls of a penny is tough if you are going all around the table, but if you contact no rails or just the 1 it becomes a lot easier.
 
Plagueis said:
I've tried to search for an answer and decided to just ask the question directly.
I'm looking for some drills to help improve my game in terms of position play. I have trouble seeing patterns on the table as well as making successful safeties against my opponents.
Click to expand...
Excellent drills to help you with both things can be found here (with video demonstrations):

position control drills

safety drills

Enjoy,
Dave
 
Thanks for the info guys...I also have a problem with speed control.

I'll have to make it a practice goal :thumbup:
 
Plagueis said:
so bank to carom or carom to bank? Carom shots aren't too difficult and bank shots I can do in my sleep but I've never tried combining them both
Click to expand...

Not to be a smart A@#. If caroms are easy try to run 25. World Champions run 1,000's. Most can't run 2 or 3.

As I see the problem with Position, there's 2 main problems. Speed control and sending the CB to the desired place. That means its all about the CB. How do I get the angle and how hard or soft do I need to hit the CB.

The drills I tried to explain have nothing to do with pocketing balls. They're only about judging/learning speed and creating angles either off an OB to a rail or off the OB to another ball or coin on the table. At any rate a specific landing point.

Forget about pockets. You're working on angles and speed control with a CB.
 
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Plagueis said:
I've tried to search for an answer and decided to just ask the question directly.
I'm looking for some drills to help improve my game in terms of position play. I have trouble seeing patterns on the table as well as making successful safeties against my opponents.
For starters I do have an excellent technical understanding of the game and my fundamentals are adequate but my speed control could be better. I'm trying to learn to approach my next shot on its shots line and not cross it which I used to do a lot and led to me hooking myself. So I'm looking for some drills to help me to see patterns and improve my control over the cue ball.
I may be a decent player but often when I am left with a beautifully open table I still can't manage the run out :(
Edit: also because I know I am unlikely to be able to run out a table I will usually safety break against a better opponent which is what helps me get the win and I get to play and practice safeties
Click to expand...


Send me your e-mail address – I do have so much good stuff…
…PAT shots, Kinister shots, Target Pool, Kicking and Banking, 14.1 patterns…
 
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Plagueis said:
I've tried to search for an answer and decided to just ask the question directly.
I'm looking for some drills to help improve my game in terms of position play. ...
Click to expand...
Sometimes the advice needs to be tailored to the level of the student. You don't say how well you play now. If you break open a rack of 15 balls and then start with the cue ball anywhere, about how many do you expect to make before you miss? What is the most you have ever made from such a situation? If you don't really know, just try 10 racks, and let us know how you do.
Thanks,
 
Almost any drill you can add a position to some other exact spot on the table. If you play a lot of 9 ball, throw the 6, 7, 8, and 9 balls out on the table and keep running them. Add the 5 ball and so on as you can run them all or most of the time. Practice stun and stop shots. Johnnyt
 
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