How to practice 9 ball on your own?

B

briskx

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi there

I have always played pool with someone, for example i stated playing pool with my own 8ft in my house and i usually just played with my brother and when i sometimes go to the local pool hall i just play with a mate. Whenever i did play on my own i just chucked 9 balls on the table and see if i could run them out (i partly did this because the tables i play on just dont break like you see on tv!)

I'm unsure if this is the best method of just getting better, i ask this because there is an actual tournament in 2/3 weeks and i want to put in a lot of time at the pool hall but i dont know how to make use of my time.

I have looked into playing the ghost but its a lot of effort, especially if you miss first time ;p but maybe this is just the best way?

thanks for any tips.
 
Not breaking is doing yourself a disservice. The break gives you a different spread, often with clusters and problems you don't see when you just throw out balls and shoot. Also, the break is an important part of the game. If you are going to play in a tournament soon, you need to develop EVERY part of your game.

And just for the record, tables don't break, the shooter breaks. If you accept responsibility for everything that happens on the table, you take control. If you blame the equipment, you become a victim. It's best to be in control of your own game.

Steve
 
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pooltchr said:
Not breaking is doing yourself a disservice. The break gives you a different spread, often with clusters and problems you don't see when you just throw out balls and shoot. Also, the break is an important part of the game. If you are going to play in a tournament soon, you need to develop EVERY part of your game.

And just for the record, tables don't break, the shooter breaks. If you accept responsibility for everything that happens on the table, you take control. If you blame the equipment, you become a victim. It's best to be in control of your own game.

Steve
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I agree i may not be a instructor but i was always told by so good players if you are practicing always practice from the break
 
The break can make all the difference in the world.
I can beat the 9 ball ghost 7 out of 10 racks (with BIH after the break), but take away the BIH after the break and I can't win 1 single rack.

I've use the text book Pro 9 ball break, but some how I am almost always hooked after the break....if I pocket a ball.
Instead of parking the CB in the middle of the table. I tried drawing it back to the head string, and it yielded a little better results, but still pretty pathetic percentages.

If you give me a perfect rack, I can pocket the wing ball 15 out of 15 times, but 99.9% of the time....the tables or rack doesn't allow for a perfect rack. Me and some of my teammates noticed the 8 ball is bigger than the rest of the balls. The theory is that idiots steal the 8 ball and the owners replace them with cheap ones that don't match the other balls.

I guess I need to refresh myself with my Joe Tucker DVDs for reading the gaps in the rack...and practice, practice, practice.
 
All in all, it depends on what you need to work on. If you are having pocketing balls, set up a shot that you would normally struggle with and shoot it till you can make it 10 or 20 times in a row. If you are having trouble with position, three balls is about the best drill out there (throw 3 balls on the table and run them out. repeat until you are 80-90% out of 100 tries). Having trouble with speed control? Shoot table length lag shots. Start with lagging the ball 2 lengths of the table (like the lag for the break). When you are happy with that one shoot for a diamond less, then a diamond less etc etc etc until you are only bumping the cueball about a diamond or so.
Breaking and trying to run racks can be beneficial if you are just warming up, but will only hurt your game if the rest isnt there to begin with. Every time you fail to run out you are adding negative thoughts into your mind. And that leads to thinking running out is the end all be all, and if you dont or cant then you suck. Instead you should be filling your thoughts with success. Even small successes add up, and if you are pocketing well, you are playing the correct position routes and have the speed control to land the cue ball where you want it...... you will be dangerous.
Chuck
 
Of course there is the 9 ball ghost which is a good run out and position play excercise.

I would suggest also play 10 or so racks, without bih. However in this situation your goal is to make as few mistakes as possible. If you don't have a reasonable shot try to play safe and hook yourself. This way your working on your safety game as well as your potting. Furthermore its not as dependant on how well the table is breaking.
 
Cameron Smith said:
Of course there is the 9 ball ghost which is a good run out and position play excercise.

I would suggest also play 10 or so racks, without bih. However in this situation your goal is to make as few mistakes as possible. If you don't have a reasonable shot try to play safe and hook yourself. This way your working on your safety game as well as your potting. Furthermore its not as dependant on how well the table is breaking.
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Great point! Too many players focus on trying to run out. I tell my students it is far more important to win than to run racks. One mistake trying to run out can cost you a game. Playing smart is the key, even if it takes a couple of extra innings to get the job done!

Steve
 
pooltchr said:
Great point! Too many players focus on trying to run out. I tell my students it is far more important to win than to run racks. One mistake trying to run out can cost you a game. Playing smart is the key, even if it takes a couple of extra innings to get the job done!

Steve
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Very true, We see those bar box 8ballers always trying to run out and getting their brains beat out, they don't know when to stop making balls and how to move the furniture.

Here's what I do sometimes, I play the ghost with ball in hand on a regualr non shimmed table I rape the Ghost so its not too fun, w/o BIH I still win but its more difficult, I play the wing ball and kill the cue in the center, while playing the one off the long rail up to the corner pocket by break area. When I'm running out if there is a problem in the rack that can't be broken out then I play safe....It has to be a dead safe tho.

If I can see the ball for a hit wether there is a makable shot or not, I lose the rack. If I have no straight line to shoot the ball and have to kick or masse or jump then I basically play the shot for the ghost, and then resume my run of the rack. Only side thing is if its a gimme jump with a ball sitting in the hole, then no deal...its all relative, you have to make it as realistic as possible.

The Ghost is great especially when you develop a way to play the ghost that allows for defense....which as we all know is a definite part of the game.

If you play the safe you can either shoot for the ghost that one shot, or you could just take ball in hand after the good safety. Its all up to you, just wanted to throw you guys a good idea.

Keep shootin,
Grey Ghost
 
So what i've gathered is to firstly rack up and break, take ball in hand, then try to run whatever number of balls i've started to play with. I have read that you can remove balls after the rack but i think thats just even more effort and time wasting so if i start with 4 lets say and then race the ghost to 9 and see if i win, if i then win i try 5 then 6 etc?

how would potting combo balls work too?
 
briskx said:
So what i've gathered is to firstly rack up and break, take ball in hand, then try to run whatever number of balls i've started to play with. I have read that you can remove balls after the rack but i think thats just even more effort and time wasting so if i start with 4 lets say and then race the ghost to 9 and see if i win, if i then win i try 5 then 6 etc?

how would potting combo balls work too?
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Keep it simple. Start out with 4 balls (1-4), rack them with the one in front, break, take ball in hand after the break and run out. Repeat. Once you do that 5-10 times in a row (number of your choice), add a ball so it is 5 balls (1-5)...repeat the same steps. If you miss, start over at that ball count level.

Edit...this is good for practicing making balls and playing position, but does not work on your safeties, or mental game with an opponent. I would take notes on what type of shot you missed, and the difficulty of the shot and examine it after your practice session is done. Then set up shots that you missed to practice them.
 
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Spimp13 said:
Keep it simple. Start out with 4 balls (1-4), rack them with the one in front, break, take ball in hand after the break and run out. Repeat. Once you do that 5-10 times in a row (number of your choice), add a ball so it is 5 balls (1-5)...repeat the same steps. If you miss, start over at that ball count level.

Edit...this is good for practicing making balls and playing position, but does not work on your safeties, or mental game with an opponent. I would take notes on what type of shot you missed, and the difficulty of the shot and examine it after your practice session is done. Then set up shots that you missed to practice them.
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That would be fine except you get an unrealistic break and spread compared to breaking the whole 9ball rack. In place of this you can also just run out the 9ball rack to a lower ball, like getting weight. You can't get to the nine? Well how about the 7? If not the 7 then maybe its the 5 ball. Either way you still have a life like simulation, and you can still set your goals according to your skill level. Run out to the 5 ball and re-rack and break.

When I'm just warming up I do something similar to you tho...I just keep four balls on the table and run the pattern in numerical order and when i got one ball left I throw 3 more out just where ever and continue the run...like straight 9 ball lol. Its a fun easy way for me to warm up and get into stroke, and still keeps you thinking 3 balls ahead which is a minimum for good pool.


G.G.
 
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greyghost said:
That would be fine except you get an unrealistic break and spread compared to breaking the whole 9ball rack. In place of this you can also just run out the 9ball rack to a lower ball, like getting weight. You can't get to the nine? Well how about the 7? If not the 7 then maybe its the 5 ball. Either way you still have a life like simulation, and you can still set your goals according to your skill level. Run out to the 5 ball and re-rack and break.

G.G.
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I agree about the break. It does not give a true test of a break and is meant to be more for ball pocketing and shape shooting. The mental aspect of "making the nine" is important, but a person may be missing too many balls to be worried about making the money ball. Without knowing his skill level its hard to tell. Worse case scenario you can substitute the 9 ball as the last ball on the rack before breaking and shoot it last.

On a side note which was listed another another thread (without remembering which one), you can practice the break and score yourself depending on what happens i.e. you make a ball, cue ball is in the middle of the table, you scratch etc with a +1, -1 format. Someone post the link if you remember where that was listed because that was a good idea for practicing the break.
 
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Well im only a basic player, have just had a 8ft table in my room which i played on for a few years and didn't play for ages as we sold that, and i regulary go down my local rileys.

Pool is a hard sport over here, i would get a coach etc but there is non existent and same with pool cue shops etc. So i have had no coaching or anything.

I've only truley run out from a proper rack when playing my mate a few times, i've come close a few times but the tables are usually shoddy at breaking, balls generally go to rails or stick together so its hard, i reckon i could run out more if i had the chance more i.e balls spread out.

I only shoot with a Lucasi E7 and a spark break jump cue.

My break generally is okay, sometimes the white ball just comes straight back too much but i have and can park the cue ball ready. I just presume im shooting too low on the white ball, i like to try aim bangin the middle or maybe just a bit below.

Not sure how else to describe my level of playing!
 
Spimp13 said:
I agree about the break. It does not give a true test of a break and is meant to be more for ball pocketing and shape shooting. The mental aspect of "making the nine" is important, but a person may be missing too many balls to be worried about making the money ball. Without knowing his skill level its hard to tell. Worse case scenario you can substitute the 9 ball as the last ball on the rack before breaking and shoot it last.

On a side note which was listed another another thread (without remembering which one), you can practice the break and score yourself depending on what happens i.e. you make a ball, cue ball is in the middle of the table, you scratch etc with a +1, -1 format. Someone post the link if you remember where that was listed because that was a good idea for practicing the break.
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You know I talk to people alot about billiards and often use numbers to help them understand, like you said about the -1 +1 and I never thought about scoring the break as such, I often only want to squat my cue and bring the one by the top corner and make the wing ball or anyone for that matter. I also want good dispersion but dont want the balls condensing again because I broke too hard. I can definately see using a number system to guage the break being a great idea.

You know we were talking the other day at the big white diamonds tourney, about a top money players break...how it was supposed to be BIG. Yea well it looked BIG is all with his leap in the air, that was always horribly timed and the balls really didn't spread worth a dam because they all came back together. To make it worse Whitey was just running all over the world. Where as he could have slowed down took off 20% and squatted the ball, made a ball and had a good spread instead of trying to look like king kong. All it did was help him lose.

A definate that sometimes we forget that power many times has nothing to do with a great break. Find where the table is breaking hit it at the right speed and she's gonna spread perfect, one comes up to the top corner, cue ball squats and BAM YOUR OUT!

That sounds much better than smack the crap out of it and PRAY!

Just because you can crack the balls loud and hard like Johnny doesn't mean you break like Johnny. Its all about what the cue ball does after contact...making a ball on the break is the least of a mortal mans worries on the table imo, make 6 balls and the cue is dead on the rail with the obj ball 8ft away on the other rail straight head on...oh yea that BIG 6 balls on the break shot just cost you the game, you just played yourself safe. Everything is relative in this game, you can't ever have one without the other, so you always have to think "is this correct?", and apply that to whats in front your face.

Grey Ghost
 
right so i played for about 2 hours today for the first time in 3 months or so. I no
I also dont really know if i have the whiteball in the right rail, i dont know how close it should be to the rail but also how close my hand to the cue ball should bw.ticed that i just can't control the cue ball, if you look at the 1 ball i break on the left side and most of the time the white ball just goes towards to the right pocket (otherside where im breaking). I tried hitting it with less bottom and sometimes it stayed in the middle and obviously top spin made it run through a tad.


Also noticed i got some irritating racks where the 1 and 2ball were stuck together so i couldn't do shit, or lets say the 3ball was stuck behind the 9 ball over the pocket, was unsure as to what to do here.

Was annoying also to play the ghost fine but then miss a shot, but then i'd run a few more balls if not the rack out, i was making some really nice shots but failing on the more simple ones.

Any advice on how to control draw back control would be great too, i tend to think its how low you shoot on the white ball or how much power you put into the shot?

Thanks for bothering to read any of these comments and any advice is greatly appreciated. I wish i could just find someone to coach me!
 
My take is, I actually recommend that you play 15 ball rotation. It's alot more fun than practicing 9 ball by yourself.

A lot more obstacles, more judicious use of power.

After you've been playing 15 ball rotation for a bit, play 9ball. You will feel SOOOO relieved you have so many less ball to worry about.

Break and get BIH.

If you get hooked on the set up after a shot, then do ball in hand again.

If you get good shape but miss to pocket the ball, keep going with the run. This is b/c if you set up the run and the positions for say balls 3 - 4 - 5 - 6, and you missed the 3 ball. You want to see, "assuming" you've pocketed the 3ball, if you can run the 4 - 5 - 6 balls.

Come back to the 3 ball later when you see the opportunity.
 
I have heard that a half hr of drill shots is better than 3 hrs of banging balls around. If i were you i would spend at least a half hr working on shots i have trouble with. Then after that spend the next half hr trying to run out balls if you want. There are plenty of practice drills out there so pick a few and get to work.
 
A great drill

a great drill that can dramatically improve your nine ball game.
- throw 3 balls on the table and run them out in rotation.
- do it until u get it 8 times out of 10.
- then throw 4 and do the same.
- then 5 and so on till u can run out 9 balls 8 out of 10. and if u want keep going to 15.

don't forget: you get ball in hand
think 3 balls ahead all the time
find the line and pick a spot on the table for the cue ball to land on after your shot.
stay down after every shot....EVEN ON THE EASY SHOTS

and see if you run out percentage doesn't sky rocket after a bit of that

and hey, if you're not going to give 100% during practice. don't practice. Every time you pick up a cue, your game gets worse or it gets better. Practice well and it gets better. Bang balls around and it gets worse.
 
pooltchr said:
Great point! Too many players focus on trying to run out. I tell my students it is far more important to win than to run racks. One mistake trying to run out can cost you a game. Playing smart is the key, even if it takes a couple of extra innings to get the job done!

Steve
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I would also like to add, practice playing Safe on yourself from time to time also. An often overlooked aspect that can WIN YOU THE GAME.
 
This is an important topic for me, because 99% of my pool playing is solo on my table at home, and I live in a rural area about 80 miles from the nearest large city. I play for my own enjoyment and relaxation, while at the same time being a "serious" player and always trying to improve my skill.

Ruark
 
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