I was thinking about how burned out I get on doing normal drills and how playing the ghost isn't really the best practice method (at least at my level of play)... so I came up with my own new "practice game" and I was wondering what the instructor's thought of it's worth in being an actual training aid.
I basically take the cue ball and two other balls and randomly scatter them on the table all at once using one hand, usually trying to make them hit each other near the far rail to randomize their final positions even more.
The rules are as follows: You get 3 points if you hit one of the balls in(you get to choose either of the two balls to hit in first) and then play position such that you hit the 2nd ball. If you make the first shot but miss contacting the 2nd ball with your position, you can still make 1 point if you make the 2nd ball in. If you miss your first shot you get zero points, which I thought would strengthen one of my weaknesses which is worrying about the position play so much I miss the shot I'm shooting at. If you make contact with the 2nd ball after making the first ball you just get 3 points, you don't get to try for the bonus point of making the 2nd ball as the real purpose of the "game" is to make the first shot and play position to hit the 2nd ball, which you have already done. The "2nd shot if you don't make contact" thing is just to keep the game interesting and give you a better feeling about the game in general because you at least get something for getting the balls in even if you missed your position play contact shot.
I usually do this 20 times for a max possible score of 60, I started out in the 20s and have worked my way up to high 30s in just a few weeks, even broke 40 a few times. As a relatively unskilled player, I'm pretty happy about my scores. The best thing about this practice method is that it keeps me interested and also has a reliable comparison scoring method over time. The bad thing is that sometimes the balls roll in such a way that you just get a super easy 3 point play with a ball near a pocket and the 2nd ball close to it or some natural position setup, etc. But hey, that happens in a real game too, so I figured don't sweat it.
Sometimes my friends and I will even compete using this method, best score out of 10 tries, opponent scatters the balls, and that can be fun too.
Does this sound like a useful drill to the instructors or is this more of a game to pass the time?
I basically take the cue ball and two other balls and randomly scatter them on the table all at once using one hand, usually trying to make them hit each other near the far rail to randomize their final positions even more.
The rules are as follows: You get 3 points if you hit one of the balls in(you get to choose either of the two balls to hit in first) and then play position such that you hit the 2nd ball. If you make the first shot but miss contacting the 2nd ball with your position, you can still make 1 point if you make the 2nd ball in. If you miss your first shot you get zero points, which I thought would strengthen one of my weaknesses which is worrying about the position play so much I miss the shot I'm shooting at. If you make contact with the 2nd ball after making the first ball you just get 3 points, you don't get to try for the bonus point of making the 2nd ball as the real purpose of the "game" is to make the first shot and play position to hit the 2nd ball, which you have already done. The "2nd shot if you don't make contact" thing is just to keep the game interesting and give you a better feeling about the game in general because you at least get something for getting the balls in even if you missed your position play contact shot.
I usually do this 20 times for a max possible score of 60, I started out in the 20s and have worked my way up to high 30s in just a few weeks, even broke 40 a few times. As a relatively unskilled player, I'm pretty happy about my scores. The best thing about this practice method is that it keeps me interested and also has a reliable comparison scoring method over time. The bad thing is that sometimes the balls roll in such a way that you just get a super easy 3 point play with a ball near a pocket and the 2nd ball close to it or some natural position setup, etc. But hey, that happens in a real game too, so I figured don't sweat it.
Sometimes my friends and I will even compete using this method, best score out of 10 tries, opponent scatters the balls, and that can be fun too.Does this sound like a useful drill to the instructors or is this more of a game to pass the time?
