Single best practice drill?

[berko]

Of course I know that there is no such thing but I have reached the point in my pool career where getting on my table and playing is yielding diminishing returns in my improvement. Im a C- player, and while my non pool playing friends think Im great at the game, I know how far I am from being "good."

I realize that I either have to get into a practice regimen, or be satisfied with being a good social pool player. The problem is that I find drills unbelievable boring, and when something isnt fun, it doesnt get done.

Im thinking that if I can just find one drill that I will do reliably, it would be a huge improvement to my practice schedule and may lead to a more disciplined practice regimen.


So what you got?

Thanks in advance.

 

[prad]

You are a C- player, so i assume you can't run a table right now. If I was you I would forget drills and work on my stance, pre shot routine, being stable on the table, chalking properly and try to learn how to have a smooth looking stroke. I would throw 4 balls on the table and try to run 'em out with ball in hand in no particular order, that will give you the idea how good your pocketing skills are. Next, try to run 'em out IN order that will tell you how well do you play position for shots.
Also find a instructor or some one (a better player than yourself) that is willing to help you. Watch videos, watch better players ask 'em questions. Try new shots, try kicks. After all of this you will have a better idea of what you need to work on and where you are as a pool player. And then you go for "drills" that you think are going to help a certain aspect of your game like cut shots, banks, cue ball control etc.

 

[Cuebuddy]

Of course I know that there is no such thing but I have reached the point in my pool career where getting on my table and playing is yielding diminishing returns in my improvement. Im a C- player, and while my non pool playing friends think Im great at the game, I know how far I am from being "good."

I realize that I either have to get into a practice regimen, or be satisfied with being a good social pool player. The problem is that I find drills unbelievable boring, and when something isnt fun, it doesnt get done.

Im thinking that if I can just find one drill that I will do reliably, it would be a huge improvement to my practice schedule and may lead to a more disciplined practice regimen.


So what you got?

Thanks in advance.

Berko this drill sucks more then most but if you can stay with it you will not believe how much you learn from it.
Shoot it ten times and find out what your average is that way you can measure your progress. Try it for a few weeks and give it a fair chance, in other words shoot it until you want to puke.
You will learn strokes that will stay with you forever.
I will warn you it is not an easy drill to run all 15 balls. At one time my average was over nine balls a try, I don't think I can do that anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpThRZWCICs

 

[Tramp Steamer]

There are lots, and lots, of good drills to practice, but one I always liked was playing a Cosmo.
Put the one through nine on the table, and scatter them out so there is plenty of room from ball to ball.
Your first shot on the one ball is ball in hand. Shoot until you miss.

 

[Cuebuddy]

This ........... :thumbup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPxT7-kZUyc&list=UULo0Kbj9BCnIvTPRO6NZvag&index=76

That drill reminds me of this one....another good drill that works for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aEGwh1HiJI

Hers a close up of what I am shooting around.

 

[ctyhntr]

Whenever I hit a plateau I start seeking out an instructor to see what bad habit or issue is holding me back. Best of luck.

 

[7forlife]

practice patience

the best drill for you is sitting thru an ahead match between two D player.

What i'm trying to say is if you don't have patience for practice odds are you are doomed, since you prob don't have natural talent for the game. I am a strong believer in practice, but you must be able to do it. So what i think you should do? practice for short periods at a time "working on something" 30 mins of stop shots, draw, rail, short position, long position (don't do banks) or like someone else mentioned work on form, no care about pockets or anything, just shoot the ball down table with the same PSR as the last one working on developing a stroke and timing and feel. But like someone else mentioned get advice from an instructor (not just you friend who is a B+, cause not everone is good at coaching) cause there is no point working on stroke and center ball and stuff if you have no idea what you're doing wrong or what wrong is.

good luck (if you live in NY I might be able to help a bit more)

 

[Pidge]

Practicing drills sucks. Everyone knows that. But if you are serious about improving it has to be done regularly. There are plenty of great threads on here about structured practice. My time is taken up playing 8 ball lately so when I practice, around 70% of it is practicing safety play.

The thing I've noticed about players of a similar ranking to you is that they don't think ahead enough, or they think ahead wrong...well not wrong but they choose the wrong angle on a ball and leave them selves too much to do. If you want to compete with the B and A players then just watch how those guys run out a rack, especially A players. Almost always leave themselves the right angle on a ball so that they don't have to force the CB around the table. In one of CJs posts or videos he says he likes to leave the same angle on a shot, around half ball, because he can get to any point on the table with little effort. My prefered angle is somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 ball so just experiment with a scrap of paper on the table and try land the CB on it to find what angle you prefer.

If you have the chance to do a couple hours with an instructor that will really help you out. They will iron out any chinks in your stroke and stance, amongst other things. Some can be expensive but worth the money. No doubt after a few months of tuition you could easily be a B player.

Good luck buddy.

 

[snuuker]

One drill I have used for many years that has never gotten boring for me is called the 3 ball drill.

Grab the 7, 8 and 9 and throw them on the table at random. Ball in hand on the 7 and you want that shot to lead to an easy or relatively easy shot on the 8 and the 9. Will have you thining a couple shots ahead.

When you miss any shot in the 3 ball run and you think you should be making it most of the time then set that shot up until you make it 5 times in a row.

Shouldn't take long to notice improvement in your position play and your shot making.

:grin:

 

[bender_lu]

snuuker: good drill for rotational games, it is known under progressive X ball. my favorites are straight pool or equal offense.

 

[Donny Lutz]

Drills

Of course I know that there is no such thing but I have reached the point in my pool career where getting on my table and playing is yielding diminishing returns in my improvement. Im a C- player, and while my non pool playing friends think Im great at the game, I know how far I am from being "good."

I realize that I either have to get into a practice regimen, or be satisfied with being a good social pool player. The problem is that I find drills unbelievable boring, and when something isnt fun, it doesnt get done.

Im thinking that if I can just find one drill that I will do reliably, it would be a huge improvement to my practice schedule and may lead to a more disciplined practice regimen.


So what you got?

Thanks in advance.

"Drills" are generally considered to be practicing by repeating shots (or techniques) until they become more routine. So simply throwing out a few balls and running them would not be a drill.

There are as many drills as minds thinking about them. The most basic drills are:

For beginners...simply shoot a ball down the table into a pocket - if you have trouble doing this, you need help with your delivery system.

For the novice...to develop a straight stroke...place the cue ball on the head spot and an object ball on the foot spot. Strike the cue ball dead center and have the cue ball strike the object ball dead center, so that the OB rebounds off the far rail and drives the CB back toward you. If you don't have some consistency with this shot, it's a waste of time to move to pocketing balls, etc.

For the intermediate...dead stop shots from varying distances.

 

[cueaddicts]

My advice at this stage in your game.....make it fun. A lot of practice drills are boring (and difficult to remain focused), especially to players just starting out on the journey to try to improve their game.

I would work on all the fundamentals that were mentioned before (stance, pre-shot routine, proper chalking, proper grip, stable open and closed bridges, stroking straight through the shots, staying down, following-through).

You can begin to work on pattern play ('fun drills'). Start of playing 3-ball, breaking them and taking ball in hand to try to get out. Then when you become more proficient with that, take away the ball in hard.....or go to 4-ball, etc. You can even do this with a partner of similar skill.

When you get more comfortable and can start to see and run patterns more consistently, then you can begin to worry about specific drills, if you are so inclined.

Imo.

 

[ceebee]

One thing comes to mind. When I was a Golf Pro, we continually reminded players that you don't learn to play Golf on the Golf Course.

I believe the same thing goes for Pool. Do the Drills (L Drill, Circle Drill, Longstring Drill, Kinister's 6 point Star, Kinister's Ladder & Kinister's Mighty X). Learn the drills, then play the ghost to fine tune your application skills.

Good Luck

P.S. get yourself a coach, to help you develop a stroke.

 

[randyg]

Of course I know that there is no such thing but I have reached the point in my pool career where getting on my table and playing is yielding diminishing returns in my improvement. Im a C- player, and while my non pool playing friends think Im great at the game, I know how far I am from being "good."

I realize that I either have to get into a practice regimen, or be satisfied with being a good social pool player. The problem is that I find drills unbelievable boring, and when something isnt fun, it doesnt get done.

Im thinking that if I can just find one drill that I will do reliably, it would be a huge improvement to my practice schedule and may lead to a more disciplined practice regimen.


So what you got?





I certainly agree with your situation.

Maybe this will help?

I break my drills down into different catgories aka:
Physical
Mental

I decide what I want to do for that time period and set a goal. Will I work on:
my stroke
my aiming
my pre-shot routines
my speed control
my tangent lines
my ball pocketing
my banking
my kicking
my jumping

Then I spend about 15 minutes working and recording that selected
area of my game.

randyg

 

[CreeDo]

All the mechanics stuff others mentioned is important of course.
BUT
If I could only do one drill the rest of my life, here it is:

1. Roll balls randomly onto the table. How many balls depends on your skill level.
Your APA skill level is a good number (C- is like... maybe an APA 4? so start with 4 balls).

2. Start w/ball in hand, shoot in any order, But plan the entire run ahead of time.
First plan which pockets the balls will go into (usually the nearest hole).
Then decide which ball is best to start with (usually the hardest shot).
Lastly plan how you'll make the cue ball move from one ball to the next
(e.g. "I'll sink the four, bounce off the top rail, then sink the 11").

When you're done, you should have an exact gameplan like:
"8 in the corner, draw back for 2 in the side, then the 4 in the other corner,
with an angle to bounce off the top rail, then sink the 11."

3. Run them the way you planned.
If you ever miss, reset ALL balls back to their original position, and start over.
Try again. If you can't get out after several tries, maybe you need a new, easier plan.

4. If you ever screw up position so bad that you must bank or shoot a ball in the wrong pocket... consider that a miss,
reset all the balls and start again. It doesn't matter if you could make a "recovery shot" to finish the run.
We're not interested in trying to get lucky with 'hail mary' shots.
We're interested in trying to come up with a simple, safe, easy plan... and then executing it with no screwups.

If you get out most of the time with 4 balls, then add a ball. If you just can't do it, subtract a ball. As your skill level goes up, keep adding balls.

This is great training for 8 ball but also useful in terms of teaching you to plan carefully, shoot carefully,
and stay focused throughout an entire run. Keep it simple, look for balls that naturally group together,
for example a stop shot that will leave you straight in on another shot.
Generally, the more stop shots you can do, the better.

Advanced:
Shoot the balls in numerical order. This is very similar to playing games like 9 ball,
and forces you to make difficult position shots that require moving the cue ball all over the table.
This one is more about execution while the other one is more about planning.

Don't be undisciplined about these drills! If you screw up, reset and do all the shots!
By repeating the first shots over and over, you're burning those specific shots into your muscle memory.
Don't be afraid to look at your plan again, I'd say after 3 or 4 screwups it's time for a new plan or 1 less ball.

 

[Baxter]

One thing comes to mind. When I was a Golf Pro, we continually reminded players that you don't learn to play Golf on the Golf Course.

Yes you do. You learn how to swing a club and hit a ball on the range. The course is the only place where you can learn how to play the game. There's a big difference. I've seen so many players beat stronger ball strikers simply because they know how to play the game better, and manage the course more effectively. The object is to get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible, end story. Scorecards don't take pictures.

Drills are a great tool to help you improve many facets of your game. However, they are not the end all be all of improving or playing well. You need to learn how to play the game before you can become proficient at it. Joe Tucker talks about this more in depth in his instruction articles right here on AZ.

http://www.azbilliards.com/joetucker/joe2.php

 

[SmoothStroke]

Always test yourself to improve

I agree with Randy, set yourself a goal.
The drill I would suggest is a straight stop shot.
The reason, it's the easiest shot on the table yet can be missed easily. It will test you on your complete shot routine from beginning to end.
Incorporate all your mechanics, alignment,stance,sighting,grip,bridge, straight stroke,etc.etc....and how you drop your body down on the shot. (which is part of your rhythm and pre-stroke routine) One flaw and you just screwed up the easiest shot on the table.
Set it up full pocket dead center, about 3 ft. (Set yourself a goal)
Fire away for 15-20 min....longer if you desire. (Set yourself a goal)
Keep a record (set yourself a goal) Reward yourself as you improve.
Part Two. Increase the distance, you will lose the full pocket in which this will test you even more.
Part Three. 6,7,8 ft stop shots running down the rail into a small pocket, no sliding off and no bumping the rail. You may never miss a stop shot again and your confidence reaches new levels. (Set the goal)
Look at it as a required stroke, not a required shot.( Stroke is everything)
After that move on to (2 rails and out and 3 rails and out) to center table with running English.
(Set a goal and reward yourself when you have achieved it)
I'm a believer in stroke drills over shot drills, they are more fun.
Best of luck

 

[Rhale100]

I wish I knew of this one when I first started playing :

Wagon Wheel Drill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-n-O_GyuKc

 

[dr9ball]

One drill I have used for many years that has never gotten boring for me is called the 3 ball drill.

Grab the 7, 8 and 9 and throw them on the table at random. Ball in hand on the 7 and you want that shot to lead to an easy or relatively easy shot on the 8 and the 9. Will have you thining a couple shots ahead.

When you miss any shot in the 3 ball run and you think you should be making it most of the time then set that shot up until you make it 5 times in a row.

Shouldn't take long to notice improvement in your position play and your shot making.

:grin:

What you suggest is good but I would do it by calling the entire pattern (i.e. call the pockets for the 7, 8 and 9 before you shoot the 7). Do that 70% of the time then add a ball and keep repeating once you can do it 7 out of 10 times.

 

[HueblerHustler7]

Of course I know that there is no such thing but I have reached the point in my pool career where getting on my table and playing is yielding diminishing returns in my improvement. Im a C- player, and while my non pool playing friends think Im great at the game, I know how far I am from being "good."

I realize that I either have to get into a practice regimen, or be satisfied with being a good social pool player. The problem is that I find drills unbelievable boring, and when something isnt fun, it doesnt get done.

Im thinking that if I can just find one drill that I will do reliably, it would be a huge improvement to my practice schedule and may lead to a more disciplined practice regimen.


So what you got?

Thanks in advance.

Look up a game called Fargo.