So how do you improve cue ball control?

JC

JC

Coos Cues
Reading the "hopefully the last aiming system" thread last night I was thinking about how correct it is that cue ball control is the ingredient that separates the different classes of players. Cue ball control of course equals tight safety play also. So what "systems" are out there to improve this critical aspect of play dramatically? Once you get to the point where you really aren't missing any routine shots then this is where the effort needs to be spent, IMO. But we all know you can practice incorrectly until you're blue in the face with bad results. Or continue to do the same things that aren't working well. If the only consideration is controlling the cue ball, what resources are the best to help with this? Other than the obvious trial and error and hours spent practicing. Which books, DVD's etc. that a person can acquire and take home are best for cue ball specific improvement? Which are a waste of time and money? Sorry if this has been beat to death here already, I have trouble finding some search results.

JC
 
I think Mike Page did an excellent job on this series of videos about cueball control.

part 1
http://www.youtube.com/user/FargoBilliards#p/u/4/2J0I6IgLlo8

part 2
http://www.youtube.com/user/FargoBilliards#p/u/5/Oii0UhnYjCc

Cueball control is the ability to control the path of the cueball. That is super important but its also overlooked by understanding the natural path the cueball should take and playing the right patterns to make things easy. I know its something I've struggled with.

When you have to get fancy with the cueball, it makes pocking the ball much harder. It also could make your speed control harder to judge. When you watch pros play 9ball/10ball a lot, you will start to see a pattern in the way they play certain shots. Similar layouts come up a lot and you can learn a great deal by remembering how they handled them.

I've been trying to learn one pocket over the past year and its helped my cueball more than anything and its made me better at other games as well.
 
metmot...You cannot buy a better stroke, and that is the only answer. There are no systems for better CB control. It comes with creating a better quality setup and delivery process, that can be trained to be bullitproof. Video analysis is critical to this evolution. A qualified instructor can help you with this.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com


metmot said:
So what "systems" are out there to improve this critical aspect of play dramatically? Once you get to the point where you really aren't missing any routine shots then this is where the effort needs to be spent, IMO. But we all know you can practice incorrectly until you're blue in the face with bad results. Or continue to do the same things that aren't working well. If the only consideration is controlling the cue ball, what resources are the best to help with this?

JC
Click to expand...
 
i teach people i coach a golf drill, it gives you better cueball conttrol and makes you understand where to hit the cueball.
 
Cue Ball Control

Improving cue ball control takes a lot of practice, knowledge and skill.

Knowledge of cue ball path on stop shots, follow shots, draw shots. The skill to be able to execute stop shots from all distances (consistantly). This is where practice comes in.

The other big step is speed control. Start by practicing basic speeds - 1 table length, 2 table lengths, 3 table lengths... When you have this relatively consistant you practice 1/2 table lengths.

When the previous 2 steps are on their way you just need to know "Conservation of Momentum and Energy". The way I teach this is a stop shot head onto a ball, the cue ball transfers all of its energy into the object ball. Then you try a 1/2 ball hit and the cue ball transfers 1/2 its energy to the object ball and retains 1/2 its energy (both balls will travel at the same speed). Basic knowledge and practice at this and you will start to see (estimate) approximately how far you need the cue ball to go (say 1 table length) and with a 1/2 ball hit you lose 1/2 the energy - so the desired speed is 2 table lengths. The trial and error (lots of practice) at this comes when you need to estimate approximately how full of a cut this is or if you are using running/reverse english which can change the speed of the shot.
 
Basically cue ball control is a function of 3 things.... An accurate contact on the cueball. Hitting the object ball where intended, and speed control......

Most people concentrate on accurate hits on the object ball.. IE aiming... They may even do position drills to work on speed control.... but most people do not work extremely hard on accurate tip contact on the cue ball.....

There are 2 ways you can work on this aspect...

1) Buy either the Rempe Cueball or the Elephant Practice balls and use them to sharpen your ability to contact the cueball exactly where you want to. Until recently I would have laughed at this idea but owning a set of the Elephants has changed my mind... I am finding out exactly how accurate my strikes are for different speeds and english daily....

2)

CueTable Help



This is known by many names but I like calling it the clock face... Start with making the 1 and hitting the cue ball 12 noon you should hit the 2... Place the 2 where the 1 is and replace the cueball use 12:30 and you should hit the 3... Progress around the clock face until you have contacted all of the ball and count the number of shots it takes... When you can do it in under 26 start starting over every time you miss......
 
Thanks Guys

Thanks for all the input guys. I will buy Joe's DVDs on two recommendations. The Renfro, Paul Potier showed me that drill one time and called it "the wagon wheel" but for whatever reason it didn't click how powerful it is for exactly what I am asking today until you mentioned it. Duh!!

Scott Lee, I think my term "system" wasn't exactly what I meant. It was more like productive information/practice combos. I know I can't buy a stroke or I would have a killer one by now. Isn't buying instruction kind of like buying skills? I mean if you take it serious and practice what you are taught. I have always struggled with pool. Lot's of bad habits and not much god given talent. Everything has come hard to me but I still love the game. I hate it when I see a kid pick up a cue for the first time and surpass me in skills within a few years. And I've seen it plenty at my age.

JC
 
rockroll60 said:
you could, in practice play open carom... 2 object balls...and also sewer pool ...where you sink the cue ball.
Click to expand...

Playing 3-cushion on a pool table was how I was taught to practice angles, rails, position, and speed control. A lot of 3-cushion shots come up in pool that the non-carom player doesn't see. Most are pretty simple to hit and the crowd roars when you make them lol. Johnnyt
 
You've got some great advise here so take heed.

Here's a game that might make things interesting rather than drills.

Every shot must be a carom. Caroms = 1 point No carom you lose your turn.
Pocket a ball with the required carom and earn the value of its number and the point for the carom.
If a ball is pocketed it immediately comes out and spotted back to its assigned spot.
Play to any amount of points you choose. 50 is a good one. 25 can be a short game.

Added rules:

If you scratch you lose all points in the run.
Go over the designated game points to win, you lose the run.

We called it Bastard Billiards using the added rules. It will get you in stroke. Well it did me way back when there were pockets in my life.

Another practice method:
Carom the CB into a pocket every shot.
 
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The easiest thing I've found is the advise given by George Fels. After the hit follow the cue ball with your eyes instead of following the object ball to the pocket. It's not about moving your head, just your eyes. Try it! You might be surprised.
 
Volumes could be written on cueball control and how to get position.

I think one of the most import things is to pick the exact spot you want the cueball to stop at. Many people skip this step and get in trouble because they get the wrong angle on the next ball. Getting too much angle or not enough can end a lot of runouts. How are you going to get the correct position if you don't know where that position is? Along with this you want to play at least 2 balls ahead.

You need an accurate hit on the cueball and the object ball to make the cueball go exactly where you want. If you hit the wrong side of the pocket you can end up on the other side of the table on some shots. Playing closer to center ball can help with this.


Always play the percentages. Don't go for a 5 inch window when you have a 6 foot window by going an extra rail or a different path. Try to play position into the line of the shot as this gives you the most margin for error.

One thing to keep in mind when playing shape is there are many different ways to get to the same position. So which way gives you the most margin for error? Let's take the straight in, follow 1 ball width example. You could shoot this with a firm stroke with center ball. You could shoot it medium speed with drag draw. You could also shoot it softly with a rolling ball.

Another example, draw 1 foot on a straight in shot. You could shoot hard with a tip below center or you could shoot medium speed with a tip and a half, or you could shoot soft with full draw. I've found the softer you can shoot the more margin of error you have so long as you don't shoot it so soft that you allow table roll to come into effect.
 
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The drill by Renfro is excellent. I put the cue ball in the center of the table just a ball width to the left of the 13 ball. Make the 13 a hit each of the other balls. No horizontal english. Just vertical tip placement.
Robert Byrne's videos 1,2,and 5 are excellent.
 
metmot said:
... The Renfro, Paul Potier showed me that drill one time and called it "the wagon wheel" but for whatever reason it didn't click how powerful it is for exactly what I am asking today until you mentioned it. Duh!! ...
Click to expand...
This is from Ted Brown's book, "Wagon Wheel System: Secrets of Fine Position Play," self published about 1989.

A drill that is a lot like Target Pool but can be extended to cover much more is in my August 2008 column in Billiards Digest. If you don't have access to back copies of the magazine, here is a PDF that includes it.
 
Bob Jewett said:
This is from Ted Brown's book, "Wagon Wheel System: Secrets of Fine Position Play," self published about 1989.

A drill that is a lot like Target Pool but can be extended to cover much more is in my August 2008 column in Billiards Digest. If you don't have access to back copies of the magazine, here is a PDF that includes it.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bob,
I don't read billiards digest so I found all of your articles in the PDF to be informative and entertaining. Are there more links to your writings in PDF format like that? Really good reading. What happened to your avatar in July of 08? Looks like you aged 20 years from June :)

JC
 
Scott Lee said:
metmot...You cannot buy a better stroke, and that is the only answer. There are no systems for better CB control. It comes with creating a better quality setup and delivery process, that can be trained to be bullitproof. Video analysis is critical to this evolution. A qualified instructor can help you with this.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...


When my stroke is on, I don't need to think about where to put the cue ball, it goes where i want it to. When my stroke is off, the ball generally goes short, long or more than likely, hooked.
 
metmot said:
Reading the "hopefully the last aiming system" thread last night I was thinking about how correct it is that cue ball control is the ingredient that separates the different classes of players. Cue ball control of course equals tight safety play also. So what "systems" are out there to improve this critical aspect of play dramatically? Once you get to the point where you really aren't missing any routine shots then this is where the effort needs to be spent, IMO. But we all know you can practice incorrectly until you're blue in the face with bad results. Or continue to do the same things that aren't working well. If the only consideration is controlling the cue ball, what resources are the best to help with this? Other than the obvious trial and error and hours spent practicing. Which books, DVD's etc. that a person can acquire and take home are best for cue ball specific improvement? Which are a waste of time and money? Sorry if this has been beat to death here already, I have trouble finding some search results.

JC
Click to expand...



WOW, another great question.

Let's get right to the root of cue ball control. The cue stick controls the cue ball. We control the cue stick. Until we have a Dependable, Reliable & Repeatable Stroke and Process, we shouldn't expect to control the cue ball to any great success. Consistency will come from control, then we add the knowledge!

Knowledge is abundant.
Control is earned.

randyg
 
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