Drills before a match....

homepc

homepc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been appointed captain of this coming session in our APA pool league. Whenever our team gets together before any of the matches start, we have 30min. of practice on the game table. In the past, that usually consisted of two people playing each other a game of 8-ball and the winner stayed at the table and the loser rotated out.

It has been brought to my attention that this probably isnt a very good use of our 30min pratice time. And I agree. I look at it like my daughters volleyball team, or any team for that matter. Before any game, the team goes through drills to help prepare them for the game. They dont "play" volleyball before the game, they drill.

I was wondering if anyone had good ideas of what a team should be doing to make good use of the 30min we have before the match begins. One idea I had was to setup just 3 balls at the foot. One of the three balls being the 8-ball. Have each team member break, take ball in hand, and runout the three balls. I thought this would give then a feel for how the table is playing that night, and confidence that they are pocketing balls.

Any other ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks
 
homepc said:
I have been appointed captain of this coming session in our APA pool league. Whenever our team gets together before any of the matches start, we have 30min. of practice on the game table. In the past, that usually consisted of two people playing each other a game of 8-ball and the winner stayed at the table and the loser rotated out.

It has been brought to my attention that this probably isnt a very good use of our 30min pratice time. And I agree. I look at it like my daughters volleyball team, or any team for that matter. Before any game, the team goes through drills to help prepare them for the game. They dont "play" volleyball before the game, they drill.

I was wondering if anyone had good ideas of what a team should be doing to make good use of the 30min we have before the match begins. One idea I had was to setup just 3 balls at the foot. One of the three balls being the 8-ball. Have each team member break, take ball in hand, and runout the three balls. I thought this would give then a feel for how the table is playing that night, and confidence that they are pocketing balls.

Any other ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks
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Goodluck getting them to practice. Many in the leagues just want to drink and have something to do in the process. If any do want to improve, ask what they have problems with and setup those shots, no sense in practising something they can already do.
 
Practice is the best way to warm up. If you play a practice match and miss a shot, you don't get a chance to figure out what went wrong.
I like to set up some shots going from easy (close) to harder (longer ) shots. After I am comfortable making the shots I try to make them and get position.
I agree with Jason. Good luck trying to get some people to practice. Most people don't even want to warm up. Just rack em and let's get going.
 
I printed out and tried to use 5 of Byrne's Postition Game shots for warm-up. I watched basketball players warm up, not by playing a game, but by doing drills and thought, hey, what a great idea for the short time before a match...plus putting a little pizaaz on a few shots could intimidate the opponents.

My team would have no part of it.

Good luck with it.

Jeff Livingston
 
If its a 5 man team thats 6 min a man,let each steady shoot balls for their 6 min.That way they maximize their time
 
chefjeff said:
I printed out and tried to use 5 of Byrne's Postition Game shots for warm-up. I watched basketball players warm up, not by playing a game, but by doing drills and thought, hey, what a great idea for the short time before a match...plus putting a little pizaaz on a few shots could intimidate the opponents.

My team would have no part of it.

Good luck with it.

Jeff Livingston
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I have already discussed this concept with the team, and 7 out of the 8 members really like the idea. So, I guess I have the team support. I was just wondering if its best to "setup" certain shots, or just to have 3ball runouts. I guess its a team decision....

thanks!
 
homepc said:
I have already discussed this concept with the team, and 7 out of the 8 members really like the idea. So, I guess I have the team support. I was just wondering if its best to "setup" certain shots, or just to have 3ball runouts. I guess its a team decision....

thanks!
Click to expand...

Great!

I picked 5 shots that not only allow good stoke warm-ups but also allowed the shooters to get a feel for the table: banks, speed, etc.

Please come back and let us know what you guys are doing and how it is working.

Jeff Livingston
 
I have been told my more than one top player that warmup is very important and that the shots should be easy.
No sense in missing and starting off wrong.

Of course many said that watching Pros warmup is different because some shots are easier for them.

Also heard to check standard kicks like 2-3 threes from the corners. Might need to use it and every table plays a little different.


I tell my teammates to put up a bunch of balls and then shoot them in any order and shoot the easy ones trying to keep all the shots easy.

Like mentioned already its tough to get 99% to practice or warmup.
Most warmups consist of a boubon, a scotch or a beer :wink:
 
I find that scotch doubles can be the best to get everyone involved before the matches begin. Dicusss openly why, how and where you want whitey to be.
 
I'm not expert but I think that warming up before a match is very personal there isn't necessarily a right way to do it. If you have enough tables to warm up let everyone warm up how they would like. If you are limited to one or two tables and limited to 30 mins for 6-8 people I would play shortened racks of eight ball. Let the player break and take 2-4 balls off of each side eliminating problem areas. This will help build confidence and shouldn't take too long with the lower ranked players. If you only have 30 minutes I would be more concerned with getting everyone a fair chance to warm up. Some people start cold well and others need to put some oil in the joints to get going.
 
djpstacked03 said:
I find that scotch doubles can be the best to get everyone involved before the matches begin. Dicusss openly why, how and where you want whitey to be.
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I disagree with that strategy for the same reason I don't like playing a game of 8-ball before a match.

The time for cue ball discussions (or 8-ball strategy) has ended by then. The main thing before a match is to get one's stroke warmed up and to get confidence raised by potting some simple shots with simple postion on whitey.

imho,

Jeff Livingston
 
frankncali said:
I have been told my more than one top player that warmup is very important and that the shots should be easy.
No sense in missing and starting off wrong.

This is SUCH good advice. If you have a minumum time to warm up, set up easy, frequently seen shots & do specific things with the cue ball, speed, etc.
Don't inundate yourself with bad information. Don't remind yourself how to fail. Your whole job is to let your eyes & hands remember what success is. You can't learn to shoot in the few minutes before a match. Get your eyes & hands together, provide yourself a positive mindset, try to stay out of your way, and give yourself every chance for what you can do to take care of you.
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Sounds like you are ready to move out of league play and into a bigger pond. Some will never see the benefit of this the way you do.
 
On match night, Id stay away from drills. Drills they are not intimately familiar with can hurt rather than help in some cases. Drills are a left brain activity, I want my players locked into the right brain on game day. If your gonna do "drills" on gameday, make sure they are "layup" drills. Very simple stuff.
 
homepc said:
I have already discussed this concept with the team, and 7 out of the 8 members really like the idea. So, I guess I have the team support. I was just wondering if its best to "setup" certain shots, or just to have 3ball runouts. I guess its a team decision....

thanks!
Click to expand...

Setting up shots is a good idea. Either you, or the most knowledgeable player on the team if it isn't you, should set up shots for each player based on that specific player's strengths and weaknesses. Start by setting up shots that the player is good at to loosen them up and build a little confidence. Then move into shots the player needs to work on for a while. Then move back into easier shots to regain confidence before their time is up. When I say "shot" I don't just mean pocket the ball, I mean pocket the ball and control the CB in a specific way. Having the most knowledgeable player set up all the shots is good because they're best equipped to coach the player who's warming up, and also it saves a lot of time between shots if the player doesn't have to set up their own balls.

-Andrew
 
I like using a speed control drill so I can see how my normal stroke speed moves the ball on the table I'm going to play on. It makes adjusting to a new table particularly one you don't usually play on much easier than trying to do it mid game. I will also check the banking and kicking track lines to see how the cushions play.

Hope this helps.
 
I agree that warming up instead of playing is a good idea, too often a player could go through a few rounds of king of the hill and never have a shot :)

But Id use caution with "drills". When getting ready to play you dont wont to be thinking stroke thoughts, you just want to be getting loose and find your alignment.

If I had to suggest a few things to do, I would agree with giving each player so many minutes at the table.

I would start with the cueball only drill, hitting it straight up and down the table to make sure they are hitting center ball. (Steve Davis warms up like this IIRC)

Then I would suggest straight in stop shots. Again this helps with making sure alignment is correct and helps with judging how the cloth may play.

I would set up simple banks and see how the rails react (long or short).

Then some simple cut shots taking the cueball two and three rails to judge speed. This can also be done with just the cueball. Spending a few minutes practicing the lag will also help with judging the speed, this could be incorporated with the first drill.

Warming up is different for each player due to different abilities, but they should each have a goals in mind during their warmup.

These goals should be,
1. Get the stroke loose and get mechanical thoughts out of your head.
2. Make sure alignment is correct, I believe our vision can change slightly from day to day so its important to have checks to make sure what you think you are seeing is what you are seeing.
3. GAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THE TABLE. (speed, rebound angle, if the table rolls off)
4. MAKE BALLS!!! Warming up is about getting comfortable, it does NO good to set up shots that are too hard and watch yourself miss several in a row, this cant be good for confidence LOL.

So I guess I would say set up shots that will either gain you information or build your confidence. These will be different depending on ability.

Woody
 
now this is just what i do when i'm cold and need to get warmed up and loose.

I will shoot some straight ins from close and then build them farther apart up to about 3/4 length. I do this to hit on my alignment first.

After I'm done with that I will throw a few balls on the table and shoot a few patterns, not even a racks worth of balls.

Now the one thing that helps me the most is I shoot banks for a few minutes. I like shooting them nice and firm and it just helps to get my arm working really well. As i find that it promotes precision and good speed on my shots.

Just for some reason I've always done that with the banks, I don't necessarily advise anyone to do that tho....just something that i've learned that helps me to get in gear really quick mentally and mechanically.

But the straight in alignment shots I do highly recommend, as they are very effective. The best of which is to scratch b/h the OB...if you don't hit it perfect then the CB will not follow straight and scratch. If its following the OB into the pocket then your right where you need to be.

warm up and check your fundamentals, then warm up your arm/stroke.
Grey Ghost
 
I read somewhere else and I agree but I have had a hard time getting my team mates to do it, so good luck to you.

The best way to practice is play 3 ball. Everyone gets a "break" and a chance to shoot 3 balls. It helps to loosen up and let your stroke out, take a bank or so and not worry about losing the table. It is pointless to rack and watch someone run out the balls and you only get one shot. This is not beneficial.
 
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