Teaching Speed Control....

[nineballman]

I was playing a friend the other night and she said she has a lot of difficulty judging the speed of the cue ball. She makes ball consistently and on many shots get the right angle. I told her she needed to practice drills on speed control and really pay attention to where the cue ball goes after each of her shoots. I told her to practice rolling the cue ball off another ball/rails and trying to make it stop on different spots marked by a dollar bill.

She wanted me to teach her speed control, but I told her that was something that I could not do as opposed to aiming.

Any more ideas?

 

[Zims Rack]

I was playing a friend the other night and she said she has a lot of difficulty judging the speed of the cue ball. She makes ball consistently and on many shots get the right angle. I told her she needed to practice drills on speed control and really pay attention to where the cue ball goes after each of her shoots. I told her to practice rolling the cue ball off another ball/rails and trying to make it stop on different spots marked by a dollar bill.

She wanted me to teach her speed control, but I told her that was something that I could not do as opposed to aiming.

Any more ideas?

I was just teaching finesse speeds to some players last week! The way I teach it, it teaches you how to shoot finesse shots as well as normal stroke shots. Hard to explain in words, but simple to comprehend when in person.
Zim

 

[pdcue]

I was playing a friend the other night and she said she has a lot of difficulty judging the speed of the cue ball. She makes ball consistently and on many shots get the right angle. I told her she needed to practice drills on speed control and really pay attention to where the cue ball goes after each of her shoots. I told her to practice rolling the cue ball off another ball/rails and trying to make it stop on different spots marked by a dollar bill.

She wanted me to teach her speed control, but I told her that was something that I could not do as opposed to aiming.

Any more ideas?

There aren't any more ideas.

The choice is pretty much 20 days of constructive practice vs
20 years of banging balls. You might try explaining that CB control,
much like using english, requires a precise 'feel' for the shot.
This can only be developed through repitition.

Dale<who whishes he had known this at age 19>

 

[PoolSponge]

Get the Kim Davenport box set "Target Pool". It has step by step drills designed to show you the goal and help you get there. I used it in the beginning of my learning and now use it with many students. Easy and fun. Each drill shows the proper setup, where the target should be, the path of both intended balls, as well, it shows the cue ball contact point and has a brief explanation about the objective and goal of the drill.

www.thewinningstoke.com

 

[SlickRick_PCS]

I was playing a friend the other night and she said she has a lot of difficulty judging the speed of the cue ball. She makes ball consistently and on many shots get the right angle. I told her she needed to practice drills on speed control and really pay attention to where the cue ball goes after each of her shoots. I told her to practice rolling the cue ball off another ball/rails and trying to make it stop on different spots marked by a dollar bill.

She wanted me to teach her speed control, but I told her that was something that I could not do as opposed to aiming.

Any more ideas?

IMO, get her to play straight-rail billiards (an easy Carom discipline) or consult an individual who is expert in this discipline. It will teach her how to maintain her control on the cueball with finesse. English Billiards (for those with Snooker tables) will also be a great bet for the latter. If that is not the case, then tell her to get into Straight (14.1 continuous) Pool, which would teach her how play control out of each ball.

Happy Hunting!

 

[cuetable]

For a beginner, I believe it's probably the best for to consult with a instructor to get a complete clear idea. I know I have learned something not quite right in the past and it has stocked with me like a bad habit for a long time...

Leave this critical job to a certified professional.

For example, Scott Lee has shown me his version of Draw Speed Control Drill. You will get the most out of it with him on site watching your first few attempts.

http://pl.cuetable.com/showthread.php?t=84

 

[supergreenman]

You can teach:
- how to aim
- the effects of different spins
- how to calculate banks
- how to calculate different kicking systems
- how to plan patterns and runouts
- how to play safe

You can not teach speed. This is something that comes with experience.
JMO

 

[Zims Rack]

You can teach:
- how to aim
- the effects of different spins
- how to calculate banks
- how to calculate different kicking systems
- how to plan patterns and runouts
- how to play safe

I agree 100%

You can not teach speed. This is something that comes with experience.
JMO

This part I completely disagree with! However, it's something that is much better taught in person. You have to see it to believe it!
Zim

 

[nineballman]

I agree 100%
This part I completely disagree with! However, it's something that is much better taught in person. You have to see it to believe it!
Zim

Thanks! Some great ideas and thoughts here. Can you elaborate on your method of learning speed control?

 

[PKM]

Actually in a way speed control might be easier to teach than aiming. You can have an objective target for the speed of a shot -- for example you could have a target for the CB. For aiming, two people may not be perceiving the shot in the same way.

 

[Zims Rack]

Thanks! Some great ideas and thoughts here. Can you elaborate on your method of learning speed control?

Give me a call sometime, 1-877-ZIMSRAK
Zim

 

[Bob Jewett]

... She wanted me to teach her speed control, but I told her that was something that I could not do as opposed to aiming.

Any more ideas?

There are dozens (maybe hundreds) of drills available on-line specifically designed for practicing and perfecting speed control. Why don't you help her with those drills?

 

[nineballman]

There are dozens (maybe hundreds) of drills available on-line specifically designed for practicing and perfecting speed control. Why don't you help her with those drills?

Yes, but she still must develop the sense of speed for herself. It was almost like she wanted me to tell her how hard to hit the ball.

I have found a few and will post them soon, but do you have links pertaining to cue ball speed control and drills?

 

[Bob Jewett]

Yes, but she still must develop the sense of speed for herself. It was almost like she wanted me to tell her how hard to hit the ball.

I have found a few and will post them soon, but do you have links pertaining to cue ball speed control and drills?

Most of the progressive practice drills in the Basics Clinic Handout are about speed control. Many of the drills given in these columns at On The Break News are about speed control.

As for feedback, if the student doesn't understand pretty quickly that the harder you hit the cue ball the farther it goes, I would agree that you have a problem on your hands. Here is a very simple drill from OTBN that might make that point obvious: http://www.onthebreaknews.com/Jewett4.htm#June06

 

[Bob Jewett]

... do you have links pertaining to cue ball speed control and drills?

A tape might be more effective than links. Below are the contents of Byrne's "Power Pool Workout." Many of the drills have to do with speed. I think one of the best is Mosconi's "Ring Around the Side" drill which teaches both speed and speed to match the angle. You can get the tape version for as little as $10 and there is a DVD version available.

Contents of Byrne's "Power Pool Workout" (not entirely in order)

As drills:
checking basic follow through with center and side
the "over the spots" drill
kicking cross side with precise spin
straight in shot with tape on the table, then w/o tape
cut shot along the short rail as progressive practice (PP)
cut shot off the spot as PP
two cuts and a bank shot as PP
cross side bank as PP
multi-speed lags (1-2-3-4 rails)
jawed object ball, get to center, then to end of table, each two ways
follow to end rail, then to targets as PP
stop shot as PP
stop with an angle
"stun run through" as PP, also safety demo
draw drill as PP, draw distance as the variable
Mosconi's "ring around the side" as PP with increasing balls
The ten-shot position drill from Byrne's "SBoP&B"
DelaVeau's "15-ball soft shot" drill (in a 3x5 grid to start)

Also in the tape:
misc suggestions
intro to PP
Bank w/english demo
Bank w/follow demo
max draw/follow demo -- stripe w/chalk spot ala Shepard and Onoda
Elephant training balls demo
line up pool (old but interesting game) demo
demo of the "hooked" game

 

[lewdo26]

You can teach:
- how to aim
- the effects of different spins
- how to calculate banks
- how to calculate different kicking systems
- how to plan patterns and runouts
- how to play safe

You can not teach speed. This is something that comes with experience.
JMO

Well, but you can try to explain what is it that creates consistent speed control (I wish someone did that to me when I was just starting):

1) a consistent acceleration in your stroke, so you control the speed solely based on how far your backstroke goes;

2) visualization while airstroking as a preparatory step (which I'm a little lazy sometimes to do it);

3) the idea of guiding the CB where you want to send it, rather than "hitting" it there (subjective; but it works for me).

 

[JayBates]

thanks!

Most of the progressive practice drills in the Basics Clinic Handout are about speed control. Many of the drills given in these columns at On The Break News are about speed control.

As for feedback, if the student doesn't understand pretty quickly that the harder you hit the cue ball the farther it goes, I would agree that you have a problem on your hands. Here is a very simple drill from OTBN that might make that point obvious: http://www.onthebreaknews.com/Jewett4.htm#June06

wow...thanks for all the info and drills! i used to "practice" daily but often found myself doing the same things over and over and getting bored quick. i had the excuse to quit whenever i wanted to because there wasnt any set drills i did. with this i can track my progress and keep a set plan to get thru the drills. maybe get into the mindset of competing against myself. i like these a lot Bob. thanks again for all this!
Jay

 

[vicdotcom]

I dont know if this is a drill or not, but my friends and I used to play a game to help us with speed control. It involved the cue ball, an object ball, and a one ply paper tissue.

What we did was lay out a shot, easy cut shot, straight in, bank, etc any shot really, then we laied a the tissue paper open on a spot of the table somplace away from the object ball and the cue ball.

The object was to sink the object ball but leave the cue ball on or close to the tissue. If the cueball landed on the tissue you got a point, if we both missed the tissue then the person closest to it gets the point and can set up the next shot.

You can change where you place the tissue on the table and make it for a harder or softer shot without moving the cueball or object ball. It was a lot of fun and helped me personally with speed control and feel.

Hope this helps, if not its a fun game anyways.

Vic

 

[prewarhero]

I dont know if this is a drill or not, but my friends and I used to play a game to help us with speed control. It involved the cue ball, an object ball, and a one ply paper tissue.

What we did was lay out a shot, easy cut shot, straight in, bank, etc any shot really, then we laied a the tissue paper open on a spot of the table somplace away from the object ball and the cue ball.

The object was to sink the object ball but leave the cue ball on or close to the tissue. If the cueball landed on the tissue you got a point, if we both missed the tissue then the person closest to it gets the point and can set up the next shot.

You can change where you place the tissue on the table and make it for a harder or softer shot without moving the cueball or object ball. It was a lot of fun and helped me personally with speed control and feel.

Hope this helps, if not its a fun game anyways.

Vic

that sounds fun. You might also do it with a ball obstructing the normal route.

 

[3kushn]

For a beginner, I believe it's probably the best for to consult with a instructor to get a complete clear idea. I know I have learned something not quite right in the past and it has stocked with me like a bad habit for a long time...

Leave this critical job to a certified professional.

For example, Scott Lee has shown me his version of Draw Speed Control Drill. You will get the most out of it with him on site watching your first few attempts.

http://pl.cuetable.com/showthread.php?t=84

Scott taught me another for Table Speed.

Divide the table in to quadrants of 2 diamonds long. Shoot lag shots to make your cue ball land in specific quadrants. Then start shooting harder to make the CB go 2 or more rails and still rest in your designated quadrant.

Good drills must have a Standard that Must be met. Without a Standard you'll never have Anything to compare to or nothing to judge against and no goal to reach.