Drills before a match....

before I shoot I like to start with short stop shots to check my alignment.
Then full table straight in to get my stroke in tune. Then I practice draw and follow for a few shots. Then I practice side pocket shots from differing angles. Lastly I'll practice banks, this helps with familiarizing myself with the rails on a table I don't usually play on. Not sure about anyone else but it helps with my game.
 
I agree with Woody and would add a three to six ball drill at the end.

Depending on skill level throw out three to six balls spaced randomly but not clustered. Take ball in hand and run them out in order.

Caution, in the APA, if you do this type of warm up regularly, your team will improve, handicaps will go up and you know the rest!


woody_968 said:
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.
Woody
Click to expand...
 
desmocourtney said:
Caution, in the APA, if you do this type of warm up regularly, your team will improve, handicaps will go up and you know the rest!
Click to expand...

Yeah, you have to decide whether you actually want your team mates to improve. Unfortunately in the APA, this can lead to being forced to break up the team, due to the rule of 23.

-Andrew
 
I know about the 23 rule and yes, it could hurt. But I would concider it an honor if my team mate went up in SL because of something I did. I know the team will suffer, but individually, they will do better. Dont we all want to get better? I dont want to hold anyone back.

I really like the 3ball drill.....Rack 3balls, Break.....take ball in hand, run 3 balls.....next!

Thank for all the great advise
 
Simplest short distance control drill (8ball primary skill) ever. 1 ball drill. set up one ball on the footspot, with BIH, shoot that ball in. maintaining shape for the next ball which will be put back on the footspot. Continiue to shoot in as many balls as possible without missing, always replacing the next ball on the footspot and always playing from whatever leave you left yourself on from the last shot. Document each players high run/team record. Try it. Suprisingly harder than it sounds.
 
Wow 30 minutes is not a lot of time. Assuming no one forgets how to pot balls week to week I would do things that let you figure out the table.
1- Rack the balls and break and get a good sense of what break works that night. I you have big bagners on your team that can't pocket balls on the break that is the best way to lose at 8-ball. If you break hard then know what works, if not break soft.
2- loosen up: either set up a mid range corner pocket shot and drill it, or everyone take a turn put all the balls on the table and pocket 15 balls each trying various shots (everyone gets all 15 balls).
3 then get a sense for the speed of the table, do your three balls exercise but put the 6 & 8 at one end and the 7 at the other and run all three with perfect speed.

and I guess that is all the time you have.
 
I like an old straight pool drill, that i was taught years ago. Put all 15 balls in the middle of the table, spread them apart, and try to make them all without touching a rail, or another ball. It is hard, but you will be instroke, and in full control of whitey when your match starts!

Jeremy
 
To get all people an equal amount of table time, what our team does is, you get two games. You break one game, you rack the next, then you sit out and wait your turn. With 5 people, you're only sitting out two games, and you're back in again.

This way, even if you're playing really good, you don't dominate the table, and those that are needing to warm up, get to.
 
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