Ok, so I came back to the game after a couple of years off earlier this year, and for Christmas, my girlfriend entered me in the amateur 9 ball tournament at the Super Billiards Expo. I'm not in any kind of shape to produce a respectable showing there, and I've got almost 3 months to fix that.
Here's where I am:
Skill level 5 in APA 8 ball (probably going back up to a 6 any minute now - I had a hard time at first coming back from the time off) and if I play the ghost in 9 ball, I typically win 1-2 games in a race to 7. I don't really have any glaring weak spots that are significantly worse than the rest of my game, but I need work across the board - position play (mostly recognizing and playing common patterns), shotmaking (my aim is off a bit lately, and I miss a lot of shots I shouldn't), defense, etc.
On the plus side, my break is pretty strong - my cue ball hits the head ball, jumps back, and stops about 50% of the time, and that continues to improve. I also have a pretty solid, repeatable stroke with a good pre-shot routine (I've worked with Randy G and Scott Lee in the past and had a lesson with Lee Brett last month), and can get the spin I need on the ball while shooting pretty softly.
I play on 9 footers and tend to improve drastically when I get down to 7s (which is what the tournament will be played on), because my biggest weakness is long shots and there aren't any on the small tables. I don't seem to have problems with increased traffic.
So here's what I'm looking for: I have 45 minutes to an hour to practice every weekday at lunch, and a little under 3 months to get my 9 ball game into better shape. I'd like to know how the professional instructors would recommend I structure my practice time.
Right now I'm doing reference shots from Henning's The Pro Book on Mondays, straight pool Tuesdays, a random drill Wednesdays (like the L, the circle of balls in the center of the table, or a snooker drill), playing the 9 ball ghost Thursdays, and practicing the Billiards University test drills on Fridays. If I don't feel focused enough to practice well on a given day, I'll play the ghost or straight pool that day and try to shuffle the rest of the days around so that I still get everything in for the week.
So how would you all recommend practice in order to boost my 9 ball game in the time I have?
Thanks!
Here's where I am:
Skill level 5 in APA 8 ball (probably going back up to a 6 any minute now - I had a hard time at first coming back from the time off) and if I play the ghost in 9 ball, I typically win 1-2 games in a race to 7. I don't really have any glaring weak spots that are significantly worse than the rest of my game, but I need work across the board - position play (mostly recognizing and playing common patterns), shotmaking (my aim is off a bit lately, and I miss a lot of shots I shouldn't), defense, etc.
On the plus side, my break is pretty strong - my cue ball hits the head ball, jumps back, and stops about 50% of the time, and that continues to improve. I also have a pretty solid, repeatable stroke with a good pre-shot routine (I've worked with Randy G and Scott Lee in the past and had a lesson with Lee Brett last month), and can get the spin I need on the ball while shooting pretty softly.
I play on 9 footers and tend to improve drastically when I get down to 7s (which is what the tournament will be played on), because my biggest weakness is long shots and there aren't any on the small tables. I don't seem to have problems with increased traffic.
So here's what I'm looking for: I have 45 minutes to an hour to practice every weekday at lunch, and a little under 3 months to get my 9 ball game into better shape. I'd like to know how the professional instructors would recommend I structure my practice time.
Right now I'm doing reference shots from Henning's The Pro Book on Mondays, straight pool Tuesdays, a random drill Wednesdays (like the L, the circle of balls in the center of the table, or a snooker drill), playing the 9 ball ghost Thursdays, and practicing the Billiards University test drills on Fridays. If I don't feel focused enough to practice well on a given day, I'll play the ghost or straight pool that day and try to shuffle the rest of the days around so that I still get everything in for the week.
So how would you all recommend practice in order to boost my 9 ball game in the time I have?
Thanks!