So for the past few two days I went to this pool hall and played 8 hours each day straight. The owner of the pool hall came over and gave me a few pointers and stuff but he said my biggest weakness is my ball-pocketing skills, and that's something I totally agreed with. Too many times I would miss on easy shots, and sometimes even when i get a ball in hand. Currently I've been trying to use the ghost ball method, but I can't always visualize this ghost ball all the time, making it kind of hard to know where I need to hit. Does anybody have any suggestions on any drills I should try to do, or a new different system I should try to use? I'm also confused about my bridge length and stroking style, but I'll try to figure that part on my own (currently the bridge length is a tad bit too long and my stroking style has a lot of arm movements).
Help! In need of a drill or new system.
- Thread starter xtenglong
- Start date
Just spread all of the balls across the table and pocket them in no particular order. Make sure there are not clusters, just try to pocket all of them.
Practice straight in shots, start with a distance that is reasonably uncomfortable and as you become more consistent increase the distance.
Your bridge should be 6-8 inches long. You can lengthen it up to 10-12 inches as your stroke become more controlled.
Focus on keeping your elbox still, your forearm should be the only thing moving.
Practice straight in shots, start with a distance that is reasonably uncomfortable and as you become more consistent increase the distance.
Your bridge should be 6-8 inches long. You can lengthen it up to 10-12 inches as your stroke become more controlled.
Focus on keeping your elbox still, your forearm should be the only thing moving.
you need a stroke...
until you get a repeatable stroke any and all adjustments you make are worthless..
should the room be 5 degrees warmer or 5 degrees cooler??
what if you are not in the room?
you need a baseline to adjust from...
you will never learn how to adjust... until you have a starting point...
JMHO
Good Luck
Find a teacher who will check your fundamentals... feet placement, body placement, hand(s) placement, stroke with follow thru, etc. Once you have the foundation information then you need to practice a process that will allow you to get each part of you into the proper placement on every shot. Learn a process so that you step into the shot in such a manner that each body part will "fall" into place when you bend down on the shot. Practice that process over and over until it's habit. It starts with finding the ghost ball while standing up, hold the cue up so that it's on a line with the ghost ball, plant the rear foot so the cue will pass over the toes, plant the front foot, slowing drop into shooting position.
Then learn aiming techniques. The best way for me to find the ghost ball is to walk behind the shot to the point that I can see the shot straight in. Find the point in the pocket that you want to hit and draw a line from that point back through the object ball and across the table to the rail on the other side. Mark in your minds-eye where that point is and return to behind the cue ball. Visualize that line and project the vision of the ghost ball based on that line you've found and drawn in your mind.
It takes a LOT of practice to be able to do find the ghost ball accurately on all shots. There are other aiming techniques you can use but that's a long story... a very long story and the bottom line is you just have to hit balls.... lots of balls... a million balls... two million. Good luck. Stick with it.
Then learn aiming techniques. The best way for me to find the ghost ball is to walk behind the shot to the point that I can see the shot straight in. Find the point in the pocket that you want to hit and draw a line from that point back through the object ball and across the table to the rail on the other side. Mark in your minds-eye where that point is and return to behind the cue ball. Visualize that line and project the vision of the ghost ball based on that line you've found and drawn in your mind.
It takes a LOT of practice to be able to do find the ghost ball accurately on all shots. There are other aiming techniques you can use but that's a long story... a very long story and the bottom line is you just have to hit balls.... lots of balls... a million balls... two million. Good luck. Stick with it.
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My best advice:
GET A GOOD INSTRUCTOR!!!
I'm quite sure that the reason for missing balls is not just aiming, it is also the stroke, the grip, the stance and probably how you approach the shot....
In a nutshell "the Basics", that's what your missing not the balls.... :wink:
GET A GOOD INSTRUCTOR!!!
I'm quite sure that the reason for missing balls is not just aiming, it is also the stroke, the grip, the stance and probably how you approach the shot....
In a nutshell "the Basics", that's what your missing not the balls.... :wink:
yeah, I spent the last two days playing for 8 hours each day, and the owner of the place is also the instructor and he pointed out a few things for me to change, but I have to say my biggest problem now is just the pocketing part.
on a side note, has anybody here played pool for 8 hours straight with no breaks? my neck, back, and shoulders are killing me T.T...
on a side note, has anybody here played pool for 8 hours straight with no breaks? my neck, back, and shoulders are killing me T.T...
I don't have time this morning but I'll write up a few drills for you and post them on here. As far as playing for 8 hours with no breaks.....Of course you're going to hurt. When else has your body ever been in that position for that long? Head slightly tilted up, putting a strain on your neck. Body bent over, putting a strain on your back, arm cocked back, putting a strain on your arm and shoulder.
You gotta take a good 20 minutes after every hour or hour and a half to just walk around, drink some water, and relax those muscles again.
YES like everyone else is telling you "Stroke" is key. Here is a little test that everyone on this forum should be able to do 100% without a miss. If you can't then you have serious stroke issues to work on. Walk before you run.
Take all 16 balls (including CB) and just pot them all in all the various pockets. Try to pick the furthest pocket to shoot it in. When I mean pot them I mean hit just the ball, no CB into OB. You should split the pocket on every shot. This is also a method I use before I practice just to get myself in a consistent stroke. Work on a good pre-shot routine and always use it.
Scott Lee Certified BCA instructor taught me use however many warm up strokes you feel comfortable with and stick with it. Mine is 3, then the 4th stop for a brief second and pull the trigger. Follow through follow through follow through. My league partner has major issue with this. I watch him and every time he misses he didn't follow through. You will be amazed at the effect good follow through has on the CB versus hitting hard!
Hope this helps!
I think you've got a lot of good advice, thus far.
I use a contact point to contact point aiming method...which is based off the ghost ball method.
I visualize the CB and OB contact points, and make small adjustments to the OB contact point based on applied CB english.
You don't seem to be hearing the main message you're getting here - you need a straighter, more consistent stroke before anything else will help.
Shooting shots with a stroke that wobbles and swoops all over the place is like having a rifle that won't shoot straight. You can't learn to shoot straight if your "rifle" won't shoot straight.
Look for stroke drills.
pj
chgo
Shoulders?
It should be your Bicep and/or Pectoral, not you shoulders.
I have had much longer than 8 hour sessions, and I feel the most soreness in my legs/feet.
If your shoulders are sore, then you are elbow dropping, a lot.
I recommend you get instruction from Scott Lee. He will analyze your stroke to death, and you will instantly have a blueprint that will 100% improve your stroke.
It's best to get your fundamentals down, now....before you start developing nasty habits.
If you don't get a hold of Scott Lee, then look for an instructor that has video analysis.
Can you do the first drill on this clip?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEfpzRgONzU
If you don't have a reliable straight shot, anything that happens thereafter, no matter how spectacularly successful, is just an accident. Only shoot on the vertical centre line - no side spin
Potting instruction starts around 7:50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8JxEFj2-aw
Potting Drills on the first part of this clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mwmXqZqdis
Rather than aiming a big object - the cue ball or the ghost ball -
Aim the cue at a point on the object ball (remember you are hitting the cue ball on the vertical centre axis, as you must do in the first drill at the top of this reply).
For example
For a half ball hit - aim the centre of the cue at the edge of the object ball
For a quarter ball hit - aim the centre of the cue at a point on the object ball that is half way to the edge of the object ball.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEfpzRgONzU
If you don't have a reliable straight shot, anything that happens thereafter, no matter how spectacularly successful, is just an accident. Only shoot on the vertical centre line - no side spin
Potting instruction starts around 7:50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8JxEFj2-aw
Potting Drills on the first part of this clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mwmXqZqdis
Rather than aiming a big object - the cue ball or the ghost ball -
Aim the cue at a point on the object ball (remember you are hitting the cue ball on the vertical centre axis, as you must do in the first drill at the top of this reply).
For example
For a half ball hit - aim the centre of the cue at the edge of the object ball
For a quarter ball hit - aim the centre of the cue at a point on the object ball that is half way to the edge of the object ball.
Hi, How long have you been playing pool? If you have been playing for years and still missing easy shots. You should check if what you're shooting is the one you are aiming at.
If it is and you still miss, then I believe you have an aiming error. Check CTE aiming technique.
If you can't shoot where you aim at, then you have a stroke error, try to use a softer stroke to minimize error and see if it improves.
