Practice regimen and drills

[christopheradam]

Hello Jen.
Could you give me a quick summary of the types of things you practice the most. Do you mostly "play the ghost" in 9-ball and other games or do you do more drills. Also could you comment on how much practice time you put in per day. Do you generally work on things that are giving you the most trouble in your tournaments or do you practice a little bit of everything. I don't want to bog you down with too many questions in one post but I would also be very interested in any video tapes,books, or other that have helped you build your game. Thanks for replying to many of the posts on this forum. And good luck on your future tournaments.
Chris

 

[JennBarretta]

Hi Chris,

The things that I consistently work on are shots that I have been having trouble with, my mechanics and stroke shots.

The rest of my routine changes depending on what I need to work on. I try to practice at least 6 hours a day, but lately it's been difficult because of my hectic schedule. My current routine has been less drills and more variety in the games I'm playing. Lately I've been playing more bank pool, straight pool, 3 cushion and even snooker. After I came off the snooker table last night, the nine footer looked like a bar table! All of these games are improving my 9ball game and keeping my practice routine fresh.

Best of luck,

Jenn

 

[christopheradam]

Thanks for the response Jen. I would really love to try Snooker and 3 cushion billards some day. I also have been trying to mix up the games I play, Stright pool, one pocket. Played bank pool a few times but I'm terrible, maybe I should be playing that exclusively . Thanks again and good luck in your upcoming tournaments.
Chris

 

[Snapshot9]

practicing ...

After playing for 43 years, I don't practice much. If I play once a week, I am okay ... I know the patterns and shots. What I do practice on before playing
a tournament or a tough match are bank shots, all kinds of bank shots.

This is because tables bank differently. Sometimes a table may have a halfway
dead rail, and I like to know that up front. Tuning up your bank shots is a good idea before tough matches.

Jenn is right, work on shots giving you trouble or shots you can never do until
you feel comfortable with them.

Playing snooker is good for your 'eye', but actually in some ways it can hinder you too - why, you say, because in pool, players throw shots or play shots to one side of the pocket or not depending on the shot and cueball postiion.
Players also 'slide' shots in because it is better for getting shape on the next ball. Yes, you can get 'bit' doing that on a big table with real tight pockets, but under normal conditions, players do these type of things on a bar table or big table in Pool.

Actually, if you want to improve areas of your game, and 1 pocket is a little too slow for you, play 'golf' on a snooker table. Improves your eye, you have to bank a lot, and you have to kick a lot.