Fun Pool Practice????

gatorcc

gatorcc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok....I know that is probably an oxymoron as doing drills over and over is never fun, though I am sure some folks love drills. I am wondering if anyone has any really fun ways to practice without the repetitive drills. I have tried 14.1 but I am struggling with the little nuances of that but it is fun and as my skill level grows that will be my practice game of choice I am sure. I don't like the ghost because I tend to spend more time breaking than playing....that dang ghost kicks my butt and I typically get fed up. I even made up a game, at least it is my opinion I made it up, where you try to sink all the balls in the least amount of strokes.....like golf but on the table.

Do any of you have some fun games to play for practice that are good for all levels of play?

I am sorry in advance if this has been posted previously.
 
I play 6-ball ghost. Rack like 10-ball without the back row. A medium break sets up like a drill.
 
gatorcc said:
I don't like the ghost because I tend to spend more time breaking than playing....that dang ghost kicks my butt and I typically get fed up.
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The solution to this is to cheat!! Lol, yeah, that's what I said. If you get snookered, then move the cue ball an inch so you have a shot. You're alone with the ghost ... who's gonna tell? There aren't any trophies awarded at the end of a practice session.
 
bdorman said:
I play 6-ball ghost. Rack like 10-ball without the back row. A medium break sets up like a drill.
Click to expand...

I got hooked on this as well. I read that to be considered a B player you need to regularly beat the ghost in a race to seven. No cheating like I suggested in the other post. ;)
 
4-ball ghost, then
6-ball ghost, then
9-ball ghost, then
10-ball ghost, then...

When you beat the 10-ball ghost and are bored, set a high run goal in 14.1

When I'm warming up for 8-ball. I play the 8-ball ghost, but when I miss, I start shooting the other suit.
 
Whatever keeps your attention!

I hate drills, so I just rack em and try to run out. If I get bored or sloppy during the rack, I'll switch over to banking out the remaining balls. When I'm having problems with a particular shot, I'll shoot that until I feel that I have a better understanding of the shot or why I've been missing it. That's about as close to a drill as I get. If I'm not enjoying it, I'm just going through the motions.
 
Rack up all 15 balls, break them open, then start shooting from wherever the cueball stops. Shoot any ball, in any order, until you miss or scratch. Try to continue the run thru as many racks as you can.
 
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Fargo is a good game.

I also like playing Cowboy to change things up.

The BU exams are good to identify areas needing improvement.

Instead of playing a full-rack ghost, figure out about how many balls you run (for example, 5) and play the 6-ball ghost. When you can beat that, add another ball, etc.

Equal Offense is also a good game.
 
Bowliards

I play Bowliards and keep track of my averages and have done so for years. Rack 10 balls break and spot any that drop. Ball in hand in the kitchen and when you miss CB goes back into the kitchen. Score like Bowling, and you can print scoresheets online from various websites.

This game keeps you focused and is good practice for other games also.
 
DAVE_M said:
4-ball ghost, then
6-ball ghost, then
9-ball ghost, then
10-ball ghost, then...

When you beat the 10-ball ghost and are bored, set a high run goal in 14.1

When I'm warming up for 8-ball. I play the 8-ball ghost, but when I miss, I start shooting the other suit.
Click to expand...

I do the same. I play myself as I'm playing an opponent. Safeties and all.
 
Practice

I'm a 6 ball ghost man myself. Can play it for hours. I like to take different cues and see which one wins more against the ghost. It also lets the cues know they are in constant competition for a spot in the bag.
 
Drink a shot of Single Malt Macallan every time you miss. (preferably the 1926 vintage)



BTW--- I can't afford to miss even once while playing this way.



Honestly though I have found my practice to be a bit more like work but I add a reward to the end. It might sound silly but if I complete my practice regime while maintaining good mechanics I allow myself to play some 9 ball ghost or straight pool.

If you are finding your practice boring, try breaking it into shorter chunks. Try 15 minutes of whatever, then do something else or 5 or 10 minutes. Then go back to practice, rinse and repeat until you have finished your regimen. This obviously works better at home. Sometimes I will go practice at the pool hall just to have a change of atmosphere.

10 minutes of quality practice is better than 3 hours or sloppy play for fun.
 
A simple game we used to play is bowling rules. Fun alone or with a bunch of friends.

Rack up 10 balls and break

Scoring:
Strike: All balls are run after the break with no misses or scratches
Spare: All balls are run after the break with only 1 miss
When you miss the number of pocketed balls count for that "ball" (as thrown in bowling)
A scratch is considered a gutter ball and the end of your inning. Any balls made when scratching will not count. If you scratch on your first ball, then take the number of balls made before the scratch as your first ball score and a zero for your second ball score. If you scratch on your second ball you will take a zero for your second ball score.

Scratching on the break: There are two variants on what to do here.

Var 1: You consider the scratch a "miss", all balls stay down and you have cue ball in hand in the kitchen to continue to try to runout for a spare. Prob here is your first ball score will have to be whatever balls you made on the break (if any) which is not very realistic to bowling
Var 2: You do not consider the scratch a miss, but the shot is considered a "split" and you are to leave 8 balls left on the table. Pocketed balls can stay down, but any more than two balls down are spotted so 8 are on the table. If there are more than 8 balls left on the table, remove the ones closest to the foot spot. The player has ball in hand in the kitchen to try to run out the remaining 8 balls. If done then his first ball score is 8. Leave the cueball where it is and take two balls and put them on opposite ends of the table on the center of the end rails. The player can then continue to try make the other two balls potentially getting a spare. If the player does not clear the 8 balls from the table on the first try, he takes the number of pocketed balls as his first ball score. He gets one more turn to try to clear the remaining balls, but with no chance to pick up the remaining two balls.

The second variation on scratching on the break is a little more complex, but more realistic to an actual game of bowling.
 
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Banks said:
Whatever keeps your attention!

I hate drills, so I just rack em and try to run out. If I get bored or sloppy during the rack, I'll switch over to banking out the remaining balls. When I'm having problems with a particular shot, I'll shoot that until I feel that I have a better understanding of the shot or why I've been missing it. That's about as close to a drill as I get. If I'm not enjoying it, I'm just going through the motions.
Click to expand...

I am the exact same way if I am just doing the same drill over and over again I end up just going through the motions.
 
Mitchxout said:
Rack up all 15 balls, break them open, then start shooting from wherever the cueball stops. Shoot any ball, in any order, until you miss or scratch. Try to continue the run thru as many racks as you can.
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I really like this idea. Very similar to 6 pocket pool that I read about a couple years ago.
 
Fun practicing

Along the same lines.... For those that play one pocket, how do you practice? Can you play one pocket by yourself like you play the ghost in rotation?
 
I'm not good enough to go on long runs since I'm just getting back into playing again and I don't want to break after every 4 balls or whatever so I just rack 9, break them, take ball in hand, and try to go on as long a run as I can. When I miss a shot I take ball in hand again and keep going until the rack is done. That way if I go on a four ball run and then screw up I still have a shot at a 5 ball run with what is left on the table.

I find this more useful than just racking fewer balls as it saves time racking and breaking and also simulates more real play conditions with having the full 9 balls on the table to start with.

I've only just started playing again after a couple years off so I haven't started keeping track yet but I'm going to start writing it down for each rack such as 3/4/2 which would be a three ball run, ball in hand, a four ball run, ball in hand, and then the last two to close out the rack.
 
Do your safeties need work?
This is good to do with a friend and actually helps your safety and kicking game.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=3556483&postcount=1

For a single player, track how many safes you blow and look to improve that number.
You might be surprised to find that with almost infinite options, you still might fail to hide
ball A from ball B over half the time. There's always room to improve.
 
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