Having Trouble With Position/Runouts?

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
For the newer players that are having trouble running out in 8, 9, 10 ball and 14.1. A good way to learn how to run out in the above games is to play the 6-ball ghost. I found it easier to learn to think ahead 3 balls with just 6 balls on the table. Knowing 3 shots ahead in just about all pool games is one of the big factors of running out. How many times have you had an open table and shot an easy shot W/O thinking ahead to the shot after the next, and can’t get on the correct side of the 3rd after you make the 2nd ball.

Another big key to run outs is very good position. Doing 2, 3, and 4 rail position is fine, but the short position play is just as important and more important in 14.1, 8-ball, and even 10-ball. I found the best drill for short position is the circle drill. Make a circle with 15 balls about 2” apart in the middle of the table with CB in the center of circle. Now shoot all 15 balls in any pocket making sure the CB doesn’t go out of the circle and no hitting rails. This drill is all stop shots L&R, and draw very short distances.

You will find your game go up and run out more when you can control that CB by a ½” on short position shots. Johnnyt
 
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Very interesting. I will have to try this circle drill. Thanks for this post its very insightful.
 
They make a big, plastic template that positions all 15 balls in a perfect circle. One of our local rooms, plus my close buddy each has one. I wish I knew where to buy one.

I've ran 10 balls a couple of times. The 11th ball tripped me up.

I call the drill......"The 15th Circle of Hell".
 
60's

Where I grew up in the burbs of Chicago, we were weaned on 6 ball, the good players shot 9 ball.
 
The Chinese coaches got it right. Students get just the CB for as long as it takes to get a good straight repeatable stroke. Next they get one OB and learn shot making, the rails, and position play. I wish I started like that. I was lucky I had my Dad teaching me as he was a pretty good shortstop. Trouble with him was he'd show you something once and if you didn't get it right away he walked away saying "I give up". Of course at 14 I knew everything anyhow. Didn't like being told what to do. I had a hell of a time in the Army :eek:. Johnnyt
 
Thanks for the advice and drills. I'm mainly an 8 ball player so patterns are important. Lining the balls up on the home table now and going to give it a shot.
 
Johnnyt said:
Of course at 14 I knew everything anyhow. Didn't like being told what to do. I had a hell of a time in the Army :eek:. Johnnyt
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You too, hey? If i only knew 1/2 now of what I knew when I was a teen I would have been at least a shortstop 2 years ago, 6 months after starting pool. :grin-square:
 
I think my favorite way to practice my short game is to utilize half of the table. I'll throw 3 balls between the bottom rail and the second diamond and shoot then in any order. The cue ball isn't allowed to pass the side pockets or you start again. Once you do this you throw 4 balls out, 5 balls and so on. It requires a lot of very delicate stun, follow and draw shots.

If that's too easy try them in number order. If you can shoot 6 balls in rotation like this the try it again, but this time you can't contact a rail. Make sure no balls are thrown out within 2 balls distance of a rail.

I think my record shooting rotation and no rails is like 8 balls, its a lot tougher than it sounds but it improves getting the right side of the balls massively if you can't contact a rail.
 
Johnnyt said:
For the newer players that are having trouble running out in 8, 9, 10 ball and 14.1. A good way to learn how to run out in the above games is to play the 6-ball ghost. I found it easier to learn to think ahead 3 balls with just 6 balls on the table. Knowing 3 shots ahead in just about all pool games is one of the big factors of running out. How many times have you had an open table and shot an easy shot W/O thinking ahead to the shot after the next, and can’t get on the correct side of the 3rd after you make the 2nd ball.

Another big key to run outs is very good position. Doing 2, 3, and 4 rail position is fine, but the short position play is just as important and more important in 14.1, 8-ball, and even 10-ball. I found the best drill for short position is the circle drill. Make a circle with 15 balls about 2” apart in the middle of the table with CB in the center of circle. Now shoot all 15 balls in any pocket making sure the CB doesn’t go out of the circle and no hitting rails. This drill is all stop shots L&R, and draw very short distances.

You will find your game go up and run out more when you can control that CB by a ½” on short position shots. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

The circle drill Is good. I would add pattern recognition to that. Take four balls and scatter them in a random pattern from the middle to bottom of the table not close to the rails kind of like the circle drill. Take ball in hand and make all four balls without moving the cue ball more than an inch after contact. This forces you to select the right shot sequence to keep cue ball movement to a minimum. After you do four, add one. Five then six and so on. I need to go do some of that today.
 
I wish more of the good players on here would put up a tip or two every once in awhile. There are a lot of beginning players on AZB that never post for whatever reason, but read just about everything. A lot of them joined AZB to get tips on playing better pool...not to read soap operas. Let's all try and get AZB back to what it was most likely started for, billiard news, playing tips, and what's going on in the tournament world. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
I wish more of the good players on here would put up a tip or two every once in awhile. There are a lot of beginning players on AZB that never post for whatever reason, but read just about everything. A lot of them joined AZB to get tips on playing better pool...not to read soap operas. Let's all try and get AZB back to what it was most likely started for, billiard news, playing tips, and what's going on in the tournament world. Johnnyt
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That's a noble idea, but when two "good" players disagree, the thread is ruined.
 
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