One of the typical ways people practice is by setting up a break ball, taking ball in hand and running as many as they can. However I was wondering if anybody has tried practicing in any different ways.
Here is an alternative that I have been playing with.
Try to pocket 150 (or whatever number you want, I have been considering seeing how many innings it would take for me to get to 1000) balls in the fewest innings as possible. So set up a break ball and run as many as you can. When you miss, add that run to your overall score (as you would playing a match), and then keep going. Keep track of each inning that goes by, and the runs for each inning. If you haven't got anything to shoot at after you miss take ball in hand, since this is about the offensive aspect of the game.
I find that I end up running more balls this way because I have an end goal in mind, rather than trying to run an endless amount of balls.
As far as the defensive aspect, I will practice safeties against myself. I am trying to play as many safes as I can before I leave myself a pocketable shot. It's kind of fun, because if you are really trying to put yourself in jail, as you get better and better it becomes more difficult to not leave yourself a shot to start a run with.
Here is an alternative that I have been playing with.
Try to pocket 150 (or whatever number you want, I have been considering seeing how many innings it would take for me to get to 1000) balls in the fewest innings as possible. So set up a break ball and run as many as you can. When you miss, add that run to your overall score (as you would playing a match), and then keep going. Keep track of each inning that goes by, and the runs for each inning. If you haven't got anything to shoot at after you miss take ball in hand, since this is about the offensive aspect of the game.
I find that I end up running more balls this way because I have an end goal in mind, rather than trying to run an endless amount of balls.
As far as the defensive aspect, I will practice safeties against myself. I am trying to play as many safes as I can before I leave myself a pocketable shot. It's kind of fun, because if you are really trying to put yourself in jail, as you get better and better it becomes more difficult to not leave yourself a shot to start a run with.