Serious Question About Practice Drills

goingproin07

goingproin07

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok so here it is....I have became a very good player over the last few months... I have been playing a total of all of maybe 7 months, but i have beaten Pros, and quite a few A players in diffrent tournements.. I have won every tournement in Jacksonville NC except 1 that i hope to win this sunday... I play in a tourney about 4 days outta the week now to gain experience, and i never play for free. I always play at least 3 bucks a rack nine ball so that i can get use to pressure... I will increase that amount the better i get. Here is my question... I need to know EXACTLY what to do practice drill wise to get to the level to be able to play on tour...of course i know it wont happen over night, but im willing to dedicate 40 or more hours a week to practice, and want to know drills that will take my game there.... My main areas of struggle are long shots of the rail, being able to safe opponents, and seeing my "patterns" or run outs. I honestly believe that if i could get these areas to the same level the rest of my game is, then i would be increadable... So any drills that u guys know of, that will produce good results i would love to hear.... My practice drills normally start with about five 3ball runs, then about 5 four ball runs, then 10 five ball runs, then 10 six, and then i start to show signs of struggle at about 7 ball runs.... Anyways, please reply to this post with some good guidance...thanks everyone,

Justin Harris
 
DUDE for real if you are that good that fast find a mentor - a local retired pro and learn from someone that has been there and seen it all. Till you find that person look for a book on the net called Pro Skill Drills . it will take you there, hands down. www.proskilldrills.com
 
Ok it seems like you might be serious.

well, first off, don't just focus on the stuff you have trouble with, that is one of the biggest mistakes a lot of people make. How many times do you really lose because you mess up on a shot you usually miss?

It's almost always on shots that you consider routine...

So you need to incorporate drills into your daily practice that incompass everything that you come across, and elevate your game and knowledge in general, because there's no way that you can practice every conceivable shot.

So, a couple of drills that you should incorporate into your daily schedule that will help you substantially, are shot drills not worrying about shape at all , just concentrating on stroke.

You can start by using nine balls. Shoot them in order but set them up, the object ball on the third long diamond and the first short diamond and the CB on the first long and short.
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%KB6B7%LB8\4%MB2B8%NC1\3%OB0B3%PI3H0%UJ7[0%VJ4Z6%WM1H2%XJ3G9
%YK9Z6%ZL1Y8%[r3D0%\P6H1
)END


after shooting all nine balls then leave the CB at the 1,1 but move the OB's up table one diamond but leave them on the first short diamond. You continue that till you get to the end of the table. Switch sides and do the same thing....

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%KB6B7%LB8\4%MB2B8%NC1\3%OB0B3%PI3H0%UJ7[0%VJ4Z6%WS7G8%XJ3G9
%YK9Z6%ZL1Y8%[r3D0%\V4G6
)END
Another one you can do is to place the OB on the long rail at the second diamond out and place the CB about five inches behind and three inches out from the OB and practice cutting it all the way up table...

START(
%AO0D0%BD7V4%CF8U4%DE2T2%ED0V8%FC4S7%GD9R6%HD1X0%ID8U3%JB5B5
%KB6B7%LB8\4%MB2B8%NC1\3%OB0B3%PK6F3%UJ7[0%VJ4Z6%WM2D2%XL2E5
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)END

The other ones I would suggest are carom drills and combo drills....

If you do all of these drills every day, your over all game will improve considerably once you start to consistently make the shots...

Then there are the T drills and the square drills and the half circle drills to help improve shape and CB control.... If you want the specific drills pm me and I'll explain them to you....

I can also give you some draw drills to do as well....
 
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The way I look at drills, various shots on the table, etc., is that there are shots which I frequently make and get to be quite good at.

But there are many shots I might only use once in 3 weeks or once a month. And since I am not shooting these shots very often while playing, the only way I will get to be proficient at shooting them is to practice them - concentrate on shooting just these seldom used shots during practice.

And this is what has many times helped me to win matches. Being able to shoot that one seldom needed shot.

For example the other night my opponent snookered me. I could not hit one of my balls with a regular 1, 2, or 3 rail shot. All I could do was shoot straight forward to the opposite short rail. Well no problem because I had a ball which happened to be 2 diamonds over and I knew from practice that I could shoot straight forward with two tips of right english and it would come back 2 diamonds over. And it did, I made a good hit, left my opponent nasty, then later ran out and won. That one shot kept my opponent from getting ball-in-hand. And my opponent would have won if I had given him ball-in-hand.

Here is a list of things to practice....
(No need to practice frequently used shots which you are quite good at.)

Speed, Draw, Follow, Stun, Jump Shots

Position, Tangent, Scratch, Throw, Timed Shots

Kick, Safety Shots

Aiming, Carom, Cluster, Combination Shots

Cut, Nip, Misc. shots
(Misc. shots are left-handed, one-handed, mechanical bridge.)

Straight, Massé shots

Frozen balls, Bank Shots, Break Shots
 
sounds like you're making good progress. ask one of the pros what they think about your patterns and lines. If you're having trouble with 7 ball runs and the table isn't really messed up, you need to take a look at the way you play. The most important piece of advice I can give you is to be very careful who you learn from and make sure you learn the right things.

goingproin07 said:
My main areas of struggle are long shots of the rail, being able to safe opponents, and seeing my "patterns" or run outs. I honestly believe that if i could get these areas to the same level the rest of my game is, then i would be increadable... So any drills that u guys know of, that will produce good results i would love to hear.... My practice drills normally start with about five 3ball runs, then about 5 four ball runs, then 10 five ball runs, then 10 six, and then i start to show signs of struggle at about 7 ball runs.... Anyways, please reply to this post with some good guidance...thanks everyone,

Justin Harris
Click to expand...
 
hmmm, i sense some exaggeration here, but oh well. if you're that good after 7 months, keep doing what you're doing and don't listen to anyone on this board who doesn't play for a living or play at a pro speed, as you've surpassed most everyone else on this board already.

VAP
 
Looking at your photo and your statement about Jacksonville, NC...I noticed you must be a Marine. When I was stationed at Camp Lejeune, it was very easy to make a ton of money in the barracks. For some reason, other Marines thought that by playing double or nothing over and over again they would come out even. Also knowing room numbers allowed a certain line of credit, and $2.00 games would add up to a couple hundred.... Same type stuff still go on there?

Still got the 9' tables at the USO for cheap hourly rates?

Bob Henning Pro Book is very good. If your a visual person, he also has the 4 disc Video series of the book. $110.00 through Seyberts. I cant vouch for the videos yet, but the book is very good. Will help you recognize certain shots whenever they come up.
 
From what I've seen on this board.....

AS far as who to listen to..... John (RUDE DOG)..... Jimmy mendoza...., of course any of the few pros that post occassionally, Colin Colenzo......These folks have shown either through their knowledge or their playing ability to be able to guide others the right way, and of course ME. LOL.....
 
goingproin07 said:
.. I need to know EXACTLY what to do practice drill wise to get to the level to be able to play on tour......
Click to expand...
Practice your weaknesses. Note which shots you miss in games, and turn those shots into drills. One way to do that is explained in the September and October 2004 issues of On The Break News at

http://www.onthebreaknews.com/Jewett3.htm#September04

The general idea is to set up a drill that you can make progressively harder, just as you might add weight in a workout. The concept is explained starting on page 7 of http://www.sfbilliards.com/basics.pdf with lots of basic drill examples in five skill levels after it.

If there is a particular shot that's a problem for you, we can try to figure out a drill to work on it.
 
drills

All of these tips are very helpful...thank you all. I also like the idea of making drills out of the shots you have difficulty with... There is a really good A player down here (breaks and runs probably 4 outta 10 racks), and i think hes going to work with me a little bit in the time i have left down here.... And there are still tables here at Camp Lejuene, but they are ALL extremely worped olhousens...or however u spell it...lol. and there only 8'. I think im spoiled, b/c i wont play on anything thats not a diamond, unless maybe a nice brunswick....lol...I think i need to work on that...lol. Anyways thanks for all the advice everyone, and my ProSkillDrills videos will be here in like 4 days...woot woot!!!!

Justin Harris
 
If you like 9ball, and want to get to the pro level, start playing straight pool!

These exact words were said to me by a top flight player. I did what he said, and in 1 year improved 4 balls. I was already a strong "B" player at the time.

That and don't practice 9ball, practice rotation, then 9 or 7 ball will seem MUCH easier...

Good luck, Gerry
 
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