Having Trouble on the Big Tables... Please Help!

[Mikey Town]

Thanks again for all of the responses.

I've been practicing a few of these drills this week on my bar box at home and I feel like I'm getting straighter and making many more balls into the center of the pocket while using less english.

I'm trying my hand at another big table 8-ball tournament tonight. I expect to see some improvement over last week... If not improving in how I finish, at least improving in how I play (sometimes you just get stuck on the wrong side of the draw).

Either way... this has been very helpful for my bar table game as well.

 

[Baxter]

Place 2 balls on the head rail in front of the center diamond, just over a ball width apart. Place cueball on the footspot (as long as it's not indented), and shoot at the center diamond, between the 2 balls. If your stroke is straight, you'll miss both balls and the cueball will come back to your cuetip. If it's not, or you're putting unwanted english on the cueball, you'll hit one of the balls. This drill is great because over time you can also recognize a pattern to your misses, if you generally hit the left ball or the right ball.

 

[Scott Lee]

Mikey Town...Sent you a PM. I'll be in S. CA early November. Get me some contact info, and maybe we can meet up.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Thanks again for all of the responses.

I've been practicing a few of these drills this week on my bar box at home and I feel like I'm getting straighter and making many more balls into the center of the pocket while using less english.

I'm trying my hand at another big table 8-ball tournament tonight. I expect to see some improvement over last week... If not improving in how I finish, at least improving in how I play (sometimes you just get stuck on the wrong side of the draw).

Either way... this has been very helpful for my bar table game as well.

 

[notnilc20]

this is just a tester for your stroke.......take a beer bottle and lay it down on it's side after you've drank all the beer... then try to stroke inside the bottle without hitting the rim of the bottle....try to hit the back of the bottle or bottom. This can show you instantly if your stroke has any twists or things.....it's old school but its pretty effective.

You can also take a sticky paper and mark a line down the middle about the size of your cue shaft maybe a bit thinner. Put the sticky on the middle foot diamond and stroke directly over the foot spot....while doing this....look at the sticky and if any of the line that you drew on the paper shows while you are stroking...then you are not perfectly straight.

 

[Mike in MN]

this is just a tester for your stroke.......take a beer bottle and lay it down on it's side after you've drank all the beer... then try to stroke inside the bottle without hitting the rim of the bottle....try to hit the back of the bottle or bottom. This can show you instantly if your stroke has any twists or things.....it's old school but its pretty effective.

You can also take a sticky paper and mark a line down the middle about the size of your cue shaft maybe a bit thinner. Put the sticky on the middle foot diamond and stroke directly over the foot spot....while doing this....look at the sticky and if any of the line that you drew on the paper shows while you are stroking...then you are not perfectly straight.

Make sure you try this after your FIRST beer, not your 16th ...

 

[Redneck Jim]

Make sure you try this after your FIRST beer, not your 16th ...

Thanks for clearing that up. I was doing the drill with a lot of success.
Not hitting the edge of the opening in the bottle neck while hitting the bottom .

I then realized the bottle needed to be turned around.

Think I'll have another Coors.