The "Three Time" drill

[tuffstuff07]

49:50 is the minute mark and it is about 12.5 minutes. I talk about why everyone plays terrible patterns and why they are so hard to learn, then I talk about the 3 time drill which is the best practice method I've ever witnessed for someone who can run tables already.

I'm working with another student and it is more of the same. People aren't nearly as knowledgeable about cue ball and patterns as they think. This drill is a mirror that will show the truth. Who here has been brave enough to look inside?

Are there any other drills that you can recommend for playing position and learning patterns? I know this is a weakness in my game and is one of my areas of improvement I am wanting to accomplish this year.

 

[Tin Man]

pm

Are there any other drills that you can recommend for playing position and learning patterns? I know this is a weakness in my game and is one of my areas of improvement I am wanting to accomplish this year.

tuffstuff, sent you a PM.

 

[fastone371]

The 'right pattern' is always subjective, so it really comes down to the planning of a run that maximizes your chances of success. I don't know where your patterns break down exactly but there are a lot of general rules. Things like minimizing cue ball movement, identifying and dealing with trouble balls early, working from one end of the table to the other, utilizing key balls and safety valves appropriately, planning the run from the 8 backwards, trying to minimize draw/sidespin/force/multiple rails, and so on.

Beyond that most people's patterns are limited because they don't have a full tool set in terms of cue ball control. In other words, they don't know about some of the ways the cue ball works and don't feel comfortable with some of the ways they do understand. This really limits their patterns because they are trying to run out without all of the options I would have facing the same layout. It would be equivalent to if I had to play without hitting below center on the cue ball. I could maybe do it without my full tool set, but it would be harder and I might have to plan routes that were lower percentage.

A 8x8x8 cube is 512 units cubed, a 10x10x10 cube is 1,000 units cubed. Improve your cue ball knowledge, cue ball execution, and pattern understanding by a little bit each and you can double your run out percentage. If your run out rate is 50% or less of the pros then this is probably why.

I think you're on the right track by watching top pool matches. I'd encourage you to pause the video at the start, plan your own pattern, see what they do differently, and note any shots you wouldn't have felt comfortable with. This is one way to improve. Another would be to read good books, I recommend Mastering Pool by George Fels. The "Three Times" drill is a good one which is why I passed it on. But no matter which way you go, hopefully this will help you understand what to work on.

Thank you, great info.
You mention minimizing cue ball travel but where do you draw that line between shooting 1 rail for position but coming across the shot line for shape or going multiple rails and rolling into the shot line and settling for a longer shot?? Especially on a bar box where all of your opponents balls are on the table, often times theres a possibility your route can be blocked or you bump a ball that pushes the cue ball off line.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... Beyond that most people's patterns are limited because they don't have a full tool set in terms of cue ball control. In other words, they don't know about some of the ways the cue ball works and don't feel comfortable with some of the ways they do understand. ...

Very true. An 8-ball team asked me for a group lesson because they especially wanted to work on their pattern play. We got about ten minutes in and did a reset. Stop shots were new to a couple of the players and side spin was uncharted territory for most. We made good progress but none of them was ready to complete a 3-ball pattern.

A very basic drill is the A-to-B drill. Pick two spots randomly on the table (maybe by breaking and taking the positions of two balls). Put the object ball on one spot (A). With cue ball in hand, make the ball in each of the six pockets and take the cue ball to the other spot (B) without hitting a rail. For each pocket, find the range of positions of the cue ball that allow you to get to B -- usually the range is small. Next level is to use one cushion to get to B.

I think that if you can't do A-to-B (with a reasonable error margin) the "Three Time" drill will be way out of reach for you.

An alternative is the A-to-Bline drill where the goal is to get to a line rather than a spot. This offers more options, usually, and is often what's required on the table rather than spot position.

 

[marikian]

What a great drill

I wanted to bring this post back because it is a great drill. The first time I tried it I was frustrated and gave up. Well with the lockdown I decided to give it a go again and I am really enjoying it. This really exposes the shots I have always taken for granted. I have never practiced the “easy shots” but always practiced the next shot which I was out of position on. You really need to bear down doing this. Give it a try and let us know how you are doing.

Demetrius is the man. Thanks for the all the help on this forum.

 

[Tin Man]

Thank you

I wanted to bring this post back because it is a great drill. The first time I tried it I was frustrated and gave up. Well with the lockdown I decided to give it a go again and I am really enjoying it. This really exposes the shots I have always taken for granted. I have never practiced the “easy shots” but always practiced the next shot which I was out of position on. You really need to bear down doing this. Give it a try and let us know how you are doing.

Demetrius is the man. Thanks for the all the help on this forum.

Thank you Marikian!

I know that virtually no one on this forum has tried this for any real length of time, because if they had they'd be raving about it.

My best friend is > 700 FR. He put off doing this drill a few times because it is a lot of work marking the balls and all of that. He finally got around to it and now he's a true believer. He keeps telling me this is the nuts, the absolute best thing he's ever done for learning both patterns and also getting really specific about where the cue ball is going. Not to a point necessarily, but just knowing it's path and direction and speed.

I still do this with all of my students that are 500+ FR. For most players at 580+ speed the issues aren't execution, they just don't ask enough of themselves when they play. I might outscore them 5-1, 5-3, 5-2 in sparring sets and yet I don't shoot any better than they do. I just avoid what looks to me as careless mistakes.

This should be seriously exciting to anyone that really wants to play. I'm basically saying that anyone below 600 FR can grow their game 100 points, in other words doubling their effective skill level, without shooting straighter. It's learning a little bit more about patterns and cue ball and then being more tactical with their efforts. I can understand why people are below 500 FR, it takes a ton of time to learn this game and develop comfort with all the shots. But if you are 500 then why not be 650+? You've already done all the hard work. Now just learn how to put the pieces together!

This drill is one step in that direction. Thanks for the feedback and talk soon!