Start by practicing your break, from both sides, until you can consistently lay down a decent break. When you can do that, break and then play the other side, and try and get out of your break.
You need to practice: safety play, banks, and running balls.
For safety play, remember you have to learn to play safe in opening, mid, and end game situations. Practice playing safe after the break, with the balls going up table, and when a few or most of them are up table.
For banks, start out with the little baby cross table banks, but remember it is highly unlikely your opponent is going to give up one of these, so learn to shoot the tougher ones *with* CB control.
For running balls, start out just throwing some loose ones, maybe four or five and practice running them to one hole. After that gets easy, throw the one through five on the table between the lower corners and side pockets, and shoot them off in rotation. As that gets easier, throw them further up table.
Watch Accu-Stats matches, not only to see the play, but to listen to knowledgable commentary on why you do and don't do things.
Play the game every chance you get, there is no substitute. Get a spot if you need it, but don't get too far out of your weight class. IOW, if you need a ball or two, that's fine, but don't go looking for someone that can spot you 11-6, because that's a totally different kettle of fish.
Lastly, learn to appreciate a well executed safety. Some guys who don't know any better say they get bored playing safeties. Let me tell you, there is nothing boring about hitting a safety that snuggles the CB into a death trap for your opponent and watching him squirm trying to escape.
Lou Figueroa
