I can't hit the ball exactly center? Any drills?

Colin Colenso said:
The standard shot that snooker players have advocated to for centre ball striking is this:

Place the cue ball on the head spot and hit the cue ball firmly in a straight line over the foot spot. Practice until you can make it come back over the head spot. If there is any side english imparted the cue ball will deflect from the rail off line.
Click to expand...

For me this shot is no help. On that shot everything is "squared up" and it is easy to find center ball (for me anyway). I do this over and over with little problem but on a shot that is angled down the table, it's a whole different visual with nothing squared off and this is where i fail., Even on the break from the side rail, centerball eludes me.

No one else seems to have this problem so i think i have some weird eye thing going on.
 
Thanks everyone for all their help. I will incorporate the drills into my daily practice and continue my slow but steady progress towards my current goal of being able to run 2-3 racks of 9 ball on a consistent basis. I have lurked on this site for some time and the collective knowledge on here is a tremendous asset to the aspiring player. Now if I just had room in my house for a 9 ft table. Thanks again, Gil, Omaha, NE (moving to Biloxi, MS in the near future).
 
The miscue drill

If you want to discipline yourself using center ball while having some fun as well, here's the ideal drill. Toss all 15 balls on the table and try to run them out in no particular order. Easy? Yes, but first, whipe the chalk completely of your cue tip. Do not chalk at all. Even with no chalk on your tip, you can still impart spin, but anything ambitious will result in a heavy miscue. You simply have to stay on vertical axis. This drill will also make you think about natural angles. Try to run 10 racks or so like this every day and try not to miscue one single time.

Combine this drill with above mentioned drills (you can use chalk with those if you wish, lol) and you'll be a center ball stroke expert in no time!!!
 
softshot said:
... when I do it I add a tip of follow to the ball so it is always rolling and doesn't' "slide" off..

using a stripe with the stripe vertical shows any unwanted sidespin as well.
Click to expand...
But if you want an even tougher test, shoot the ball with draw. It is much, much harder to keep the stripe vertical if you use draw -- it amplifies any error in centering.
 
Bob Jewett said:
But if you want an even tougher test, shoot the ball with draw. It is much, much harder to keep the stripe vertical if you use draw -- it amplifies any error in centering.
Click to expand...

I agree that is more difficult.. are you suggesting shooting it like a "draw drag" and letting the cueball roll into the foot rail.... or should the cueball still have backspin when contacting the foot rail? or does it even matter?
 
softshot said:
I agree that is more difficult.. are you suggesting shooting it like a "draw drag" and letting the cueball roll into the foot rail.... or should the cueball still have backspin when contacting the foot rail? or does it even matter?
Click to expand...
You can do it both ways, but the cue ball has to come back to your tip.
 
play line-up or regular game with a piece of tape over your tip (scotch/sticky tape) you can only stun or roll the ball. good for center ball hit and knowledge of cueball (90degree etc.)


poolkrant.nl
club-8.nl
 
Get yourself an index card. Fold it in half. Measure from the folded edge 1 3/16 inch in and draw a line. Cut from the folded edge up to the 1 3/16 line around 1/2 an inch from the edge of the card. Cut away the excess. What you end up with when you unfold it is a U that has the bottom that is 1/2 inch high and the legs of the U is 2 3/8 inches away from each other. Use some scotch tape to tape the U on the tip of your cue where you made the bend in the index card so the legs point away and extend past the end of the cue. When you put the tip of the cue on the cueball the legs will tell you where you are hitting the cueball.

it is the same concept as JT Third eye but does not cost 20 bucks and you can make one tonight.
 
Scratching

Try scratching the cue ball. Put the object ball in the middle of the table. Now shoot from about 1 foot from the pocket into the pocket on the opposite corner of the table. If you can draw the cue or follow the cue ball into the pocket you are stoking and aiming straight.
 
Colin Colenso said:
The standard shot that snooker players have advocated to for centre ball striking is this:

Place the cue ball on the head spot and hit the cue ball firmly in a straight line over the foot spot. Practice until you can make it come back over the head spot. If there is any side english imparted the cue ball will deflect from the rail off line.
Click to expand...

Then place two balls on the rail on either side of the centre of the rail. When you can make that shot consistently, add more balls down the table on either side of the foot spot and the centre of the table. The tunnel is a distraction when shooting and requires greater precision.

Steve Davis recommends setting up a mirror at the end of the table so that you can see how you have lined up.
 
Here's one that will test your stroke and center ball hit. On an end rail with the CB on the center diamond out enough to rail bridge, shoot down to the end rails center diamond and back, don't move your cue. If the CB doesn't come back and hit dead center on your tip then you're hitting off center.
 
The guy above said Kinister's shot #1. I can't agree more. I must've shot that shot 10000x...no kidding. Helps.

The light reflection will show you center.

"See a line" from the very top of the ball (point) to the very bottom point and bisect it.

Of course, the trusty......the 3rd Eye Trainer.
 
I was able to spend a little time with Stevie a week ago. He was explaining how he finds the center on the cb vertically. What he does is when he is down he looks at the crown of the cb to find the middle of the cb the tracks his cue tip straight down from there till he gets to center.

.
 
Bob Jewett said:
But if you want an even tougher test, shoot the ball with draw. It is much, much harder to keep the stripe vertical if you use draw -- it amplifies any error in centering.
Click to expand...
This is a tough drill for me. My tendency is to impart some RH english. I have yet to make the CB come back to my tip. Still can't figure out why. I can hit center ball all day long and make it come back to my tip, even on hard shots.
 
Play with a 44mm tip!:rolleyes:

Some good advice here. Playing with no chalk is a good one that many people over look.
 
I Have an Easier Method...

In all honesty there is a pretty simple way of doing this.

Look at the reflection of your ferrule and your tip in the cueball. If they are equal to each other, you are in the middle of the cueball.

This also teaches you to put your tip as close to the cueball as possible on your practice strokes. Some people don't realize their tip stops an inch or two away.
 
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