Pocketing balls, how to learn??
- Thread starter Train1077
- Start date
drills & competition
There are numerous drills for stroke, speed, follow, draw, position... A qualified instructor would be the best source, but if that is not possible then go to the library & review books on fundamentals. You will find books which provide drills.
When you compete, try to play superior players. Leave your ego at the door & learn from the experience.
It is very much like any other sport. Martial artists practice forms, work on light & heavy bags, strike water, sand... runners do sprints of varying distances... Golfers drive & putt. All athletes do work on flexibility, strength, stamina...
Why should pool be any different?
There are numerous drills for stroke, speed, follow, draw, position... A qualified instructor would be the best source, but if that is not possible then go to the library & review books on fundamentals. You will find books which provide drills.
When you compete, try to play superior players. Leave your ego at the door & learn from the experience.
It is very much like any other sport. Martial artists practice forms, work on light & heavy bags, strike water, sand... runners do sprints of varying distances... Golfers drive & putt. All athletes do work on flexibility, strength, stamina...
Why should pool be any different?
Practice straight in shots. Keep increasing the distance between the balls and the pocket until it get sufficiently difficult. Everything else becomes easier afterwards. Aiming isn't that difficult, it's executing consistently that makes this game challenging. Long straight pots highlight your mechanical flaws.
Train1077...I'm going to assume, from your post, that you're a reasonably inexperienced player, and you're probably asking about how to line up different cut shots too (the advice about straight-in stop shots is good too!).
To figure the cut angle on any shot, follow these steps:
1) stand behind the OB, and point your cue through the ball, at the intended pocket...place your tip on the table 1" behind the OB.
2) while keeping the tip on the cloth, on the spot 1" behind the OB, walk your cue around the table, until you are directly in line with the center of the CB (this is how you can learn to sight your aim point on the OB, through the CB).
3) keeping your eyes on the OB contact point, bring your cue back, and drop down into your shooting stance. Align your body and cue, to the sight-line you perceive through the CB, to the aim point on the OB.
4) focus on both the aim point on the CB, and the aim point on the OB, for at least two seconds each.
5) go into your pre-shot routine, stop your cuetip at the CB, pull back and deliver the cue, naturally, using a pendulum swing. Finish your stroke.
You can experiment with the same cut angle, using various stroke speeds, and various tip positions (vertical axis only, and using sidespin on the vertical axis), to learn where the CB travels, when you aim at a certain place, with the appropriate speed. I hope this helps. If this was not what you were asking, please let me know.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
To figure the cut angle on any shot, follow these steps:
1) stand behind the OB, and point your cue through the ball, at the intended pocket...place your tip on the table 1" behind the OB.
2) while keeping the tip on the cloth, on the spot 1" behind the OB, walk your cue around the table, until you are directly in line with the center of the CB (this is how you can learn to sight your aim point on the OB, through the CB).
3) keeping your eyes on the OB contact point, bring your cue back, and drop down into your shooting stance. Align your body and cue, to the sight-line you perceive through the CB, to the aim point on the OB.
4) focus on both the aim point on the CB, and the aim point on the OB, for at least two seconds each.
5) go into your pre-shot routine, stop your cuetip at the CB, pull back and deliver the cue, naturally, using a pendulum swing. Finish your stroke.
You can experiment with the same cut angle, using various stroke speeds, and various tip positions (vertical axis only, and using sidespin on the vertical axis), to learn where the CB travels, when you aim at a certain place, with the appropriate speed. I hope this helps. If this was not what you were asking, please let me know.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com