Kicking Drills

KenRobbins

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Try moving the OB up the rail on each shot. Also, try putting the OB out away from the pocket in open space. No offense, but with the OB in the pocket this kick is kicking's equivalent of a 5" straight-in, you should NEVER miss it.

Your absolutely correct, I never missed it. I didn't really feel like "working", just banging them around having fun. When I feel like working, I'll try it out. Thanks
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Check out the Spot on the Wall 3 rail kick. It really does work.
The spot has to be the right distance from the table. Lots of people get this part wrong. It's not hard to figure out -- from a couple of simple tracks -- where the spot is.

The spot is usually not on the wall.
 

KenRobbins

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The spot has to be the right distance from the table. Lots of people get this part wrong. It's not hard to figure out -- from a couple of simple tracks -- where the spot is.

The spot is usually not on the wall.

I tapped the chalk on the table on the 3rd one trying to play it off. This is a good easy money maker at the bar. lol
 

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Everyone has their own sense of passing time or just having fun or fiddling but pool is different...IMO.
Being serious doesn't imply not having fun. It just means you always strive to get better and improve.

Doing this drill is like setting up an easy one rail bank shot which really accomplishes very little.
Controlling the cue ball and knowing why and what to do is the only thing that matters to improve.
Absent that, it's just for grins and giggles sake since these tracks otherwise are easily identifiable.
Just like some other Azer mentioned. keep moving the object ball up the rail changing the position.

If you make any shot once, it could have just been luck or a guess on how to play a really hard shot.
Do it two times in a row, that's better but it might just be a lucky coincidence after the first attempt.
Now make it three times in a row & you can be reasonably certain you have it figured out pretty good.
However shooting at object balls in front of a pocket, well, you should make those shots 8-10x in a row

Get Willie Hoppe's Book and learn all the tracks which is painful and just an awful way to improve.
A better option is to learn the diamond system and it is appliacble for 1, 2 and 3 rail banks and it's
trustworthy too. It will help you pocket more kick shots and tremendously reduce ball in hand fouls
from close misses on a object ball where you had to use 2 and 3 or more rails. It's a valuable tool.
 
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VonRhett

Friends Call Me "von"
Silver Member
Drill? Like watching paint dry.

Similar to what garz said, place the OB 3" down the short rail, and/or 3" down the long rail.

To mix it up, leave the 1B where you had it, but place 2B frozen to the bottom short rail. This way you have to kick 3rails, make the 1 and then go 2 more rails for shape on the 2. It requires some running english so you learn to adjust your spot.

As many have said before, making a kick is one thing. Making it and getting shape is the real objective.

-von
 

KenRobbins

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Drill? Like watching paint dry.

Similar to what garz said, place the OB 3" down the short rail, and/or 3" down the long rail.

To mix it up, leave the 1B where you had it, but place 2B frozen to the bottom short rail. This way you have to kick 3rails, make the 1 and then go 2 more rails for shape on the 2. It requires some running english so you learn to adjust your spot.

As many have said before, making a kick is one thing. Making it and getting shape is the real objective.

-von

I definitely agree and I've put many serious practice hours on the table. This was just having a little bit of fun, nothing more.

The tournament scene and barbox pool going wild is watching the paint dry. Nothing to really get serious about at the moment, but that's just me. I'll put less work into the game and just take a handicap for the same money.
 

BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
The spot has to be the right distance from the table. Lots of people get this part wrong. It's not hard to figure out -- from a couple of simple tracks -- where the spot is.

The spot is usually not on the wall.

So true. In a lot of pool halls the spot can often be found on a nearby table, like a corner pocket or middle of the end rail on the table diagonal to the one you're playing on.
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Here is a three-cushion kicking challenge that's a little more varied: put an object ball on the foot spot. With cue ball in hand anywhere on each shot, hit three cushions (or more) before the object ball on each shot. Leave the OB where it ends up and take another three cushion kick until you make it in a corner pocket.

To keep things serious, play this as a challenge for a small wager with your friends. Or do it as a proposition.
 

mr3cushion

Regestered User
Silver Member
Here's a fun 3 rail kick drill. Nothing special, just having fun.
https://youtu.be/4z2RWulsWXI

I use to practice this for accuracy, place an OB deep in 1/2 of the pocket, with the CB on the spot, bank the CB 3 rails, and scratch in that same pocket without touching the OB in the pocket! Obviously, the smaller the pocket the more difficult the challenge!
 
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VonRhett

Friends Call Me "von"
Silver Member
Ah! Understood. Thanks.

Thought you were showing off a "tough shot"! :eek:

Tournament scene? What tournament scene? :)

To your point, any pool is better than no pool.

-von

\
I definitely agree and I've put many serious practice hours on the table. This was just having a little bit of fun, nothing more.

The tournament scene and barbox pool going wild is watching the paint dry. Nothing to really get serious about at the moment, but that's just me. I'll put less work into the game and just take a handicap for the same money.
 

KenRobbins

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ah! Understood. Thanks.

Thought you were showing off a "tough shot"! :eek:

Tournament scene? What tournament scene? :)

To your point, any pool is better than no pool.

-von

\

That's why in the original post I put, "nothing special, just having fun." I had to keep reading my original post wondering if I'm missing something. lol

I've been struggling on getting it up and keeping it up for pool. Just screwing around hoping to get that drive back.

Some might be struggling on finding the track lines and this could be a useful tool to make it all click. This was definitely not one of them hold my beer moments, watch this. LMAO
 

BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
Here is a three-cushion kicking challenge that's a little more varied: put an object ball on the foot spot. With cue ball in hand anywhere on each shot, hit three cushions (or more) before the object ball on each shot. Leave the OB where it ends up and take another three cushion kick until you make it in a corner pocket.

To keep things serious, play this as a challenge for a small wager with your friends. Or do it as a proposition.

I like this one. Never did it with ball in hand on each shot though. That would surely make it easier to get a 2 or 3 more often.
 

RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you want to play with 3 rail kicking practice, put a ball on the spot, and hang the cb in one of the corner pockets at the foot of the table.

Try to kick it in. If you dont get it on the 1st try, leave the ob where it is, and put whitey back in the corner and kick it from there. Repeat until you make it.

Then put the ball back on the spot, and start the cb a diamond high or low each time. Repeat until you make it.

When I used to get too bored running balls, this was the type of game I would come up with to pass the time, and sharpen my kicks.

You can do the same thing with the plus system, and several others too. :thumbup:

Then I just saw Bob posted the same thing... lol
 

jrctherake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here is a three-cushion kicking challenge that's a little more varied: put an object ball on the foot spot. With cue ball in hand anywhere on each shot, hit three cushions (or more) before the object ball on each shot. Leave the OB where it ends up and take another three cushion kick until you make it in a corner pocket.

To keep things serious, play this as a challenge for a small wager with your friends. Or do it as a proposition.

A few friends and I play with do this often. Put a ball on spot take ball in hand.....on the FIRST shot only.

Who ever makes the ball in the least amount of attempts wins the pot.

Its $2 to ante and we re-buy after the 5th failed attempt or of course, you can biw out and get in next round.

It's a blast and its GREAT practice.
 

Joe Pickens

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bob Jewett - Correct, the spot on the wall is just what it is normally referred as although I have used a bottle on a table, a leg on a chair among other items.
 
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