Side pocket position drills

arsenius

arsenius

Nothing ever registers...
Silver Member
Does anyone have any good drills for getting side pocket position? My lack of knowledge about the sides has been bothering me lately. I'm thinking mostly of times when I have to travel a good distance. For example, when you have a thin cut on the 8 into the side, and you have to travel up table and down again for the 9 on the spot. These thin cuts in the side seem to come up a lot, and I hate them. Instead of hating them, I want to just learn to control them instead.:)
 
I'll pipe in!

I am side pocket retarded and shoot the ball in the corner or bank it:rolleyes:

Less than helpful, I know, but true...
 
HA! That's exactly how I feel. Except that lately, when I think it might be the right shot, I have been shooting it in the side instead. Of course thinking "that's the right shot" and doing "the right shot" are different, which is why I need some practice.;-)
 
arsenius said:
Does anyone have any good drills for getting side pocket position? My lack of knowledge about the sides has been bothering me lately. I'm thinking mostly of times when I have to travel a good distance. For example, when you have a thin cut on the 8 into the side, and you have to travel up table and down again for the 9 on the spot. These thin cuts in the side seem to come up a lot, and I hate them. Instead of hating them, I want to just learn to control them instead.:)
Click to expand...
You've done most of the work already which is identifying the problem. Here is a drill that could help.

Put the object ball up for a shot to the side (but don't place the cue ball yet). Using a deck of cards, as described below, select a random spot on the table. Put the cards there. Place the cue ball so that you have a moderately full shot to the side, make the ball, and leave the cue ball within a hand-span of the cards. If you do that, try again with a thinner cut. If you can't do it at all, try to get it within 2 hand-spans. Keep making the cut thinner until you can no longer control the cue ball to get it to the chosen shape area. When you feel done, select a new spot with the cards and start over. An alternative to the random selection is to remember from a match what position you had trouble with.

Selecting a random spot on the table. Get a standard deck of playing cards. The aces will count as 1 and the kings 13. Stand by the side pocket. Pick a card. Count away from you the number of the card towards the other side pocket by 1/3 diamonds. An ace will be in the jaws of the pocket you are near, and a king will be in the jaws of the opposite side pocket. 4, 7, and 10 will be on the even diamonds. Put the card at the indicated spot. Draw another card. Count from the first card towards the end rails. An ace is on the center line and a king gets you to the end cushion. Which way to go, left or right? Go to the left for a red card and to the right for a black card. Example: you are standing on the right side of the table with the rack area to your right. You draw a 7 which gets you to the center spot, right between the side pockets. Then you draw a black king. That moves to the right to the middle of the foot cushion. An ace and a red 7 would get you frozen to the side rail you are standing by at the headstring. Two kings get you to one of the far corner pockets.​
 
arsenius said:
Does anyone have any good drills for getting side pocket position? My lack of knowledge about the sides has been bothering me lately. I'm thinking mostly of times when I have to travel a good distance. For example, when you have a thin cut on the 8 into the side, and you have to travel up table and down again for the 9 on the spot. These thin cuts in the side seem to come up a lot, and I hate them. Instead of hating them, I want to just learn to control them instead.:)
Click to expand...

Quick plug for Joe Tuckers Aiming work out...

Pete
 
It sounds to me as if the position problem is on the shot before that one. Of course you will have to go up and back down from a side pocket shot on occasion, but if this is the result of your own position, you have gotten on the wrong side of the ball when there should have been red flags and orangle flashing lights with sirens warning you about this before you even decided to play the next ball in the side.

You have to watch those straight-in side pocket shots, they are hard to get position for. Now, on the other hand, a ball with an angle into the side pocket is very easy to play around two or three rails and get on with lots of room for error. I always play them in the side, but the straight-in sides are trouble, watch out!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top