Practice Drills

R

rons819

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I'm looking for some advice on the best approach to practice drills. Apologize in advance for the lengthy post, but any feedback is much appreciated!

Here's a quick background on my playing abilities:
  • Been playing league (APA) for about 5 years now
  • I do not stroke good naturally (I tend to not follow through)
  • I started out as a SL3 in 8-ball and made it to a SL4 based purely on playing smart (not good)
  • I went to Pool School in Dallas (Cue-Tech), which helped me understand my mechanical issues (my mechanics basically sucked!)
  • I then went up to a SL6 in 8 and 9-ball over a few year span, but am now a SL5 in 9-ball (weird b/c I prefer 9 over 8)
  • I tend to struggle mentally especially when my opponent is on fire (worrying about my opponent and not my own shooting), and I fall out of stroke too easily under pressure

Anyway I got sick of not getting any better (and feeling like I was getting worse in some ways). I decided to get serious about drilling. I shoot quite a bit of pool (have a table at home), but I tended to shoot 9-ball or just hit balls, which I realized wasn't going to help any of my weaknesses.

I don't have a lot of free time between family, work, and league, so I setup a drill schedule for each day of the week. I do each drill for 10 minutes and I do 5 drills in a session (50 minutes for the mathematically challenged). I try to do those 5 days a week if i can fit them in. Each drill focuses on a specific skill, and I always start with a 10 minute stroke drill. I'll then focus on concepts like speed, finesse speed, stop/draw/follow, cuts, position play, etc.

I got on track and managed to drill every day for a couple of weeks in preparation for the City championship. I figured I would really nail 9-ball as a SL5. I played ok, but ended up losing a couple of matches that I thought I could win. Overall, I wasn't playing anywhere close to where I wanted to be. I realize that this stuff takes time and dedication (especially when you don't bring natural ability to the table), but I'm not sure I have setup my drill schedule optimally.

Should I be doing fewer drills, but do them for a longer duration? Should I focus on weaknesses or equally divide time between weaknesses and strengths? Should I be introducing new concepts into my drills (seems like I should)?

Any feedback on an optimal way to approach the limited time I have to practice will be great. I'll save the questions on my mental game for another post, as this one is long enough ;)
 
One great book that was recommended to me by these boards:

"Pleasures in Small Motions". Great insight to mental aspect of the game.

I think stroke is a little more difficult, do you happen to have a Pool School near you? I personally don't like the books regarding stroke because they all say "this is the way you have to do it" and you feel like a pretzel by the time you get though their instructions.

I also think drills are great but if you are stroking inconsistently, you'll be perfecting how to to stroke inconsistently as well. I hope that makes sense.

Good Luck!
 
I like Joe Tucker's Guaranteed Improvement

His first drill about drawing and following straight in shots will show any imperfections in your stroke real quick. Using a measle cue ball or a striped ball might also help when doing this drill.

Another tool that I have purchased and skimmed but not really immersed myself into is the Playing Ability Test. I think I got it from Seyberts.

Both programs include drills and scoring so that you can keep track of your progress.

I have also found watching matches has helped my game with understanding when to perform certain shots. Just being able to go three rails around with low inside isn't enough, you have to be able to recognize when to use this drill AND be able to execute.

If you have a flaw in your stroke, I think that needs to get fixed first though. I went through a tough spell trying to fix my stroke. Easy to get frustrated, but hang in there and good luck!
 
There is a book called "Sports Psyching" Playing your best game all the time. It is written by Thomas Tutko and Umberto Tosi. Though it is not written specifically for pool. The later chapters have a lot of relaxing and mental approach drills that can be applied to pool.

I have having a lot of trouble with end game this book really helped me out.
good luck :thumbup:
 
RONS819

Have you done all of your "Mother Drills"????

Have you taken your free refresher course????

Would you like to meet for your free hour follow up???

Your Instructor, randyg
 
Rons819,

First off, take RandyG up on his offers. You said that his course helped you, so a refresher would probably be quite helpful. Good instructors, and RandyG is certainly one, take an interest in the success of their students, something clearly evident from his previous post.

Did you get a video and or materials from that course? Watch/read them over again and put the info to work.

You should work on your weaknesses, not your strengths. As you improve and what was a weakness isn't any longer, move on to what has replaced it as your biggest weakness. But don't just work on one thing. Your idea to break it up and do some different things is a good one, but I would adjust it a little.

Make a list (if you can do this with Randy's assistance that would be even better) of your skill level across as many different skills as you can. Be honest with yourself! Here's a list to get you started. I've lifted this from Capelle's Practicing Pool, a great book I heartily recommend.

Fundamentals Grip, Stance, Bridge, Stroke, Aim, Preshot Routine
Shotmaking Basic Shotmaking, Cut Shots, Thin Cuts, Rail Shots, Long Shots, Jacked Up Over a Ball
Position Play Basics: Stop, Draw & Follow, Speed of Stroke, No Rail Routes, 1 Rail Routes, 2 Rail Routes, Use of Outside English, Use of Inside English
Pattern Play Key Balls (Identification), Process of Elimination, Last 3-5 Balls
Problem Solving Breaking Clusters, Identifying Problems
Kick Shots Basic Routes, Using English, Using Speed
Safety Play Full Hit Safeties, Thin Hit Safeties, The Cue ball, Control of Object Ball, Knowledge of a Variety of Safeties, Imagination
Mental Qualities Love for the Game, Patience, Concentration, Confidence, Desire to Compete, Heart, Memory/Recall, Judgement, Playing with a Lead, Coming from Behind, Creativity, Discipline
The Break Cue Ball Control, Adaptability to the Table, Lag
Specialty Shots Short Rail banks, Long Rail Banks, Caroms, Billiards, Combinations, Curve Shots

Use this as a starting point, add more items to your heart's content. Then work your weaknesses. Weight the weaknesses with an importance factor. The list of skill areas is in rough order from most important to least important. Work the items in the first group, then in the second, etc. Just because your kicking is relatively worse than your fundamentals it doesn't get your attention first. The reason for this is that the items at the top of the list have the most effect on your overall game, and improvements there will also have the greatest improvement.

Pick your top two issues and work them each for 1/2 hour (25 min if you want to stick to the 50 min you are spending now). This is just to keep from getting too bored and to keep your attention and interest at maximum. More is not better here. Longer sessions might be better, if you can keep your focus, but working too many different skill areas can be counter productive.

There are many drills available for each area. You can alternate each day which drill or exercise you use to work the skill in question. Work each skill area every day for at least a week, preferably 2 weeks minimum. Make up a test for yourself and do it before you start to practice that skill, then again once a week to measure progress. When progress is satisfactory, move on to another area.

The two areas you work on each day will not necessarily improve at the same rate. No problem. Just move along only on those where progress has been substantial, and keep working on the other one until it too improves.

No matter your level of skill, or lack of it on the last 2 categories, my rule of thumb would be that until you can beat the 9 Ball ghost, don't practice those things, practice the items higher up on the list more. You'll get more out of the time you spend.

The mentioned Joe Tucker's Guaranteed Improvement, and IPAT (International Playing Ability Test) are both excellent, as are other programs. Doing the in a disciplined way is the key.

Best of luck to you in your quest to improve.
 
dr2112 said:
There is a book called "Sports Psyching" Playing your best game all the time. It is written by Thomas Tutko and Umberto Tosi. Though it is not written specifically for pool. The later chapters have a lot of relaxing and mental approach drills that can be applied to pool.

I have having a lot of trouble with end game this book really helped me out.
good luck :thumbup:
Click to expand...

all the good players i know got good buy playing.
go play in tourneys gamble cheap play good players you will get better.
 
Welcome to the forums =)

Drilling may not help you unless you get your mechanics down. It wouldn't be a good idea to shoot 10,000 balls with a funny stroke, it just makes it harder to fix it later.

I'd work on just the stroke for now. Don't worry about shape, don't worry about speed. Set up a long, diagonal shot that you will miss maybe 1 out of 5 tries. Try to sink that shot with an absolutely textbook stroke -

- forearm and elbow and stick all in a line, without your elbow sticking out like a chicken wing or tucking in to your side.

- draw back, pause a full second, and swing forward. Aim to hit dead center on the cue ball and do not allow yourself to steer or jump up or twist the stick while going forward.

- focus on only moving your forearm and nothing else. Sit there for a second after the stroke finishes, even after all the balls have stopped moving.

Try to get that shot up from 80% to 90%. If you can get a long diagonal straight shot 10 times in a row, your stroke is prolly ok. Then you can worry about the other drills.

Two pieces of advice that will get you over the hump from C player to B player -

1 - Don't ever lie to yourself. What I mean is, don't let laziness and wishful thinking screw up how you shoot. Watch for bad habits (like spinning balls in with english that don't need it) and admit you have them and work to fix them, even if that means you start missing balls more often and losing more games. Use the fundamentals you know are correct during every single match, not just while drilling (that includes league matches you don't want to lose and fun matches you don't care about).

Again, do this even if it means you may miss the ball. A lot of people are ashamed to admit they cannot sink certain cuts with center ball, the only know how to aim them with a little sidespin to help the ball in. Force yourself to do it correctly every time.

Also be aware of lazy leaves and bad planning. Have a realistic plan on every single shot. Never sink a ball when you KNOW you have no hope of seeing or sinking the ball after. A good clue - if you find yourself having to bank a lot, you're doing lazy planning.

Pick out an exact leave (a point on the table the size of a dime) before you bend down on the shot. Do this even on the hangers or situation where the leave is automatic and there's plenty of room for error. Try to find the ideal angle you'd want if you had ball in hand and work to put the CB there. The key word is work, playing like this will feel slow and maybe even a little boring, but it's worth it to run out racks.

2. Do not care at all what the other guy is doing or thinking. Control your anger. Fight against the urge to get distracted. Approach each shot as a new shot, and figure out all your realistic options. Then narrow them down to one good option, commit to it fully before getting down to shoot. If you don't like and don't want to shoot it, you won't get good results if you try to shoot anyway. Just be aware of the percentages. The best shot may be one you're not comfortable with. It might be missable. Getting leave from it might be hard. But if it's the best out of several bad options, commit to it and shoot it as if you know you will make it and get position.
 
When you are playing in a tourneyment, make a list/log of every shot that you mis-performed. Then back at your home table, set up the shot and make it 50 times.

Mis-performed includes: missing the shot, missing the CB position for the next shot, making both the shot and getting the position but realizing that it is the wrong position to have gotten, afterwards.
 
First I would take up Randy's offer.
Second, Creedo offer some sound advice.
Third I vote for Tucker's gauranteed improvement. Get both the book and dvd. The book is designed to be used on the table. Joe in an excellent instructor.
 
I personally took a long break from pool and just started playing again. Never did drills before and haven't yet. Mainly playing small sets for cheap --- though I can now see the benefits of drills and trying to figure out what I can do myself to practice.

Repetition, repetition, repetition, eh? At this point, if some muscle memory develops and I can recognize a pattern or two, I think my game would start improving by leaps and bounds. I run out the occasional 8 ball and 9 ball rack, but find he most frustrating thing is repeatedly coming close to running out racks, making simple mistakes because I get too caught up with the set for the next ball, or, worse yet, I may get too excited of the prospect of running the rack and end up "jumping up" on the ball instead of staying down.

Either way, best of luck, as I am in the same boat.
 
Thanks for the feedback

Good stuff. Thanks for the responses. I'll look at the books mentioned that I don't already own.

In case I didn't make it clear in my original post, I gained a tremendous amount by attending Cue-Tech's Pool School. It gave me a whole slew of foundational things I was missing, which certainly elevated my game.

I think the drilling I've started doing is helping. I always start out using two of the stroke drills I learned in Pool School (mother drill 1 down the table and MD 2 back up the table) and the repetition is helping me be more consistent. I still resort to my old (evil) ways under pressure, and it always seems to happen at the most inopportune time (of course).

It sounds like I need to keep up my drills. I'm thinking of focusing on fewer things in a session, but doing each one for longer, e.g. 15-20 mins for each drill rather than 10. Also, I'll need to make a trip up to Dallas and get RandyG to observe and see if he can see if I'm doing something wrong with my mechanics.

Thanks again for the feedback!
 
rons819 said:
I'm looking for some advice on the best approach to practice drills. Apologize in advance for the lengthy post, but any feedback is much appreciated!

Here's a quick background on my playing abilities:
  • Been playing league (APA) for about 5 years now
  • I do not stroke good naturally (I tend to not follow through)
  • I started out as a SL3 in 8-ball and made it to a SL4 based purely on playing smart (not good)
  • I went to Pool School in Dallas (Cue-Tech), which helped me understand my mechanical issues (my mechanics basically sucked!)
  • I then went up to a SL6 in 8 and 9-ball over a few year span, but am now a SL5 in 9-ball (weird b/c I prefer 9 over 8)
  • I tend to struggle mentally especially when my opponent is on fire (worrying about my opponent and not my own shooting), and I fall out of stroke too easily under pressure

Anyway I got sick of not getting any better (and feeling like I was getting worse in some ways). I decided to get serious about drilling. I shoot quite a bit of pool (have a table at home), but I tended to shoot 9-ball or just hit balls, which I realized wasn't going to help any of my weaknesses.

I don't have a lot of free time between family, work, and league, so I setup a drill schedule for each day of the week. I do each drill for 10 minutes and I do 5 drills in a session (50 minutes for the mathematically challenged). I try to do those 5 days a week if i can fit them in. Each drill focuses on a specific skill, and I always start with a 10 minute stroke drill. I'll then focus on concepts like speed, finesse speed, stop/draw/follow, cuts, position play, etc.

I got on track and managed to drill every day for a couple of weeks in preparation for the City championship. I figured I would really nail 9-ball as a SL5. I played ok, but ended up losing a couple of matches that I thought I could win. Overall, I wasn't playing anywhere close to where I wanted to be. I realize that this stuff takes time and dedication (especially when you don't bring natural ability to the table), but I'm not sure I have setup my drill schedule optimally.

Should I be doing fewer drills, but do them for a longer duration? Should I focus on weaknesses or equally divide time between weaknesses and strengths? Should I be introducing new concepts into my drills (seems like I should)?

Any feedback on an optimal way to approach the limited time I have to practice will be great. I'll save the questions on my mental game for another post, as this one is long enough ;)
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter how good you can stroke if you can't keep those nerves under control come match time.

Rack a rack of 9 ball, except use any balls, and play straight pool. Work on your 9 ball break mechanics and see how many times you can run out.

Put an object ball on head spot. Put cue ball near the far rail and practice your stroke mechanics. Feel them out. Move cue ball around on in different spots. etc.
 
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