TheOne's Straight Pool 350 drill

hobokenapa

hobokenapa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Has anyone tried this yet? The idea was to run 25 racks of Straight Pool and see how many times you missed. Since it is a fixed number of balls (350), the drill should take a pre-determined length of time (approx).

I think it'd be worth recording on a scale of 1-10 the difficulty of the break shot you leave yourself with each rack, and if you made it successfully (pocket ball and have a shot). One thing I most definitely learned playing SJM on Friday night was that it is not sufficient just to get 'on' a break shot, you have to get on it well so that the shot itself is not a problem. As an example, I had three balls left (sorry can't do diagrams on this machine), one a perfect side of the rack break shot and a ball over each side pocket. Cue ball in center of table. I played the first side pocket shot but did not think to get the right side of the ball in the side pocket so I could drift down right near the break shot. Instead I left the cue ball around the side pocket and actually ended up missing the break ball.
 
hobokenapa said:
Has anyone tried this yet? The idea was to run 25 racks of Straight Pool and see how many times you missed. Since it is a fixed number of balls (350), the drill should take a pre-determined length of time (approx).

I think it'd be worth recording on a scale of 1-10 the difficulty of the break shot you leave yourself with each rack, and if you made it successfully (pocket ball and have a shot). One thing I most definitely learned playing SJM on Friday night was that it is not sufficient just to get 'on' a break shot, you have to get on it well so that the shot itself is not a problem. As an example, I had three balls left (sorry can't do diagrams on this machine), one a perfect side of the rack break shot and a ball over each side pocket. Cue ball in center of table. I played the first side pocket shot but did not think to get the right side of the ball in the side pocket so I could drift down right near the break shot. Instead I left the cue ball around the side pocket and actually ended up missing the break ball.
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Hi mate, one thing I forgot to add about the reason I'm going to use this drill was the whole point of it lol! I don't know about everyone else but everytime I missed after a fairly big run it was always hard to start again from zero, often I would be so pissed off I would change games to 9 ball or something else lol! But with this drill I thought at least you've got something else to aim for once you've missed, eg trying to miss as few times as possible in 25 racks. 25 racks seemed like a nice number esp since it equals 350 balls. The added bonus of course is that not many people have EVER ran 350 balls (less than 20?), prize indeed :D

I'm hoping to drive 45mins to my local(!) Rileys sometime in the next week and have a go.
 
Wow... 25 racks. I usually go for about an hour and a half a day, and shoot maybe 10 racks. So I'd have to go when I got paid with some money left over.




Man... just thinkin of 25 racks makes my head hurt :p
 
9BallWill said:
Wow... 25 racks. I usually go for about an hour and a half a day, and shoot maybe 10 racks. So I'd have to go when I got paid with some money left over.




Man... just thinkin of 25 racks makes my head hurt :p
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For the more serious/dedicated players for sure I guess but I'm guessing it won't take more than 2-3 hours?
 
TheOne said:
Hi mate, one thing I forgot to add about the reason I'm going to use this drill was the whole point of it lol! I don't know about everyone else but everytime I missed after a fairly big run it was always hard to start again from zero, often I would be so pissed off I would change games to 9 ball or something else lol! But with this drill I thought at least you've got something else to aim for once you've missed, eg trying to miss as few times as possible in 25 racks. 25 racks seemed like a nice number esp since it equals 350 balls. The added bonus of course is that not many people have EVER ran 350 balls (less than 20?), prize indeed :D

I'm hoping to drive 45mins to my local(!) Rileys sometime in the next week and have a go.
Click to expand...


That sounds like a great drill. I used to run balls
until I missed 10 times and then switch to 9-ball.
But I like your idea better, because you're finishing
out all the racks.

I once heard Mika Immonen say that he made over 1000
balls in 10 tries. I don't know if that's true but
if it is...that's an average of 100 balls an inning!
 
Bobby said:
That sounds like a great drill. I used to run balls
until I missed 10 times and then switch to 9-ball.
But I like your idea better, because you're finishing
out all the racks.

I once heard Mika Immonen say that he made over 1000
balls in 10 tries. I don't know if that's true but
if it is...that's an average of 100 balls an inning!
Click to expand...


I would love to know this drill so i can try it ..
 
Colin Colenso said:
Pardon my nerdiness, but if you polished off the entire 25th rack, that would be 351 balls. :p
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Maybe if you potted the last ball, but I think I would keep going if I was on 350 he he, but yes if you potted the last ball and stopped

<gets on the IPT and now he's a bloody smart ass!>

he he ;) :D
 
So, you run 25 racks and when you miss, you start all over again until you will not miss any more? No, it can't be right.

Are you saying you try to run 25 racks, and keep shooting after you have missed, and mark down how many shots you have missed when the 25 racks are completed. Say, if I miss the break out shot but broke the balls out, then I reset all the balls and do it again, if I miss a shot, I put the ball back and do it again until I make it...etc. You keep track of the number of balls you miss. Is that the drill?

Craig, will I see you in the All Japan?

Thank you.

Richard
 
nipponbilliards said:
So, you run 25 racks and when you miss, you start all over again until you will not miss any more? No, it can't be right.

Are you saying you try to run 25 racks, and keep shooting after you have missed, and mark down how many shots you have missed when the 25 racks are completed. Say, if I miss the break out shot but broke the balls out, then I reset all the balls and do it again, if I miss a shot, I put the ball back and do it again until I make it...etc. You keep track of the number of balls you miss. Is that the drill?
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It seems that there is a flaw in this drill in that I think you would hit the break out ball with a little more force than you would in a regular straight pool game ...

The reasoning being that if you missed the break out ball it would only count as 1 miss and at least the spread on the rack would be beneficial and maybe help you get the next big run...

I suppose you could just approach it like a normal game of 14.1, but wouldn't that lead to more misses... thus making you feel like you aren't doing so well... My point is that this drill might lead to bigger runs, but would it really help you in a 14.1 match...

Of course I am saying this as a B- or C player who rarely runs more than 25 balls... usually less than 14... lol
 
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TheOne said:
Maybe if you potted the last ball, but I think I would keep going if I was on 350 he he, but yes if you potted the last ball and stopped

<gets on the IPT and now he's a bloody smart ass!>

he he ;) :D
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I couldn't stand to leave a ball on the table at the end of a drill :p

btw: Starting to practice a bit..drinking practice sessions :rolleyes:

Am working out a deal with a local club to get a table to myself a few hours a day for the next few months. I'll try out a bit of 14.1 once I get my eye in. My chest is out, to match my eye! :D

btw: I expect to see you at the US open and World Champs where the bulk of the prizemoney is.

<getting smart assier by the day>
 
ive used this drill from the first day i changed from snooker too pool.

i usually do 20racks, and started to do 25 racks since a month (as im playing quicker and missing less balls...)
I started out with missing around 100 pots in 25 racks. after a month i went down to 60. and now im getting close to missing 50 pots...

i use the 2 turning number thingy on the table to count. left one counts amount of racks played , right one counts the amount of balls ive missed.
one thing i did found out on this drill. is that if on a rack that didnt brake good and i missed around 5 6 balls, i tend to play the next rack ALOT better. just so i woudnt screw up my average. if i did a 1 rack runout, i tend to miss alot the next game. it helps very good in keeping your concentration high, BUT i dont think its a good match practice... as u are getting 100% of table time, when im playing matches and im in the winning position i do very ok, but as soon as i have to sit down 15minuts, i feel totally lost and i played very bad.

the drill is good for training shots, end racks etc, but deffinetly not a good match practise. but ive been doing it since day 1 and i like it. when i come home, i just put the results in a excel sheet, and i can see my progress every month.

(ps as im not from the US, if i miss 50-60 balls in 25 racks, what class player am i? cuz ive got no idea...)
 
TheOne said:
I'm hoping to drive 45mins to my local(!) Rileys sometime in the next week and have a go.
Click to expand...


I used to drive an hour plus through bad traffic to get to my favorite pool hall and still sometimes do, but I eventually gave in and bought a table, best decision ever!
 
Addicted2CuesRU said:
I suppose you could just approach it like a normal game of 14.1, but wouldn't that lead to more misses... thus making you feel like you aren't doing so well... My point is that this drill might lead to bigger runs, but would it really help you in a 14.1 match...
Click to expand...

I must say I think people are being a little unfair to TheOne on this. Any drill that leads to bigger runs is almost certainly a good thing. 90% of a 14.1 match, at every level, is played with the balls mostly open. Isn't it a good thing to practice this phase of the game as much as you can?

[Yes, there will be times when you're in a defensive battle and must fight for that first shot; but there is a (boring) drill for this: keep playing safe on yourself, starting with a closed rack. The first time you leave a reasonable shot, consider the game over (but take the shot anyway; making tough shots after a small period of playing safe is a nice skill to have). No matter if you make it or miss it, start again from a closed rack.]

I've never really understood why some consider 14.1 practice and 14.1 matches so different. Aren't they very similar? Most of my practice runs end the same way a match run would end; missing a fairly makeable ball. Playing safe in 14.1 should really be a last resort. If you are playing safe with reasonably open tables in your matches, imho you're probably playing too conservatively.

Back to the topic :p, solartje mentioned that this might not be the best drill for a 14.1 match because it doesn't incorporate a long waiting time. C'mon... don't you think that's a bit unfair? You want a guy to invent a drill that has you sitting down for 15 minutes after each of your misses, lol? I mean, I guess we just invented it here :) :). Tell me how it goes, though... I'll be hitting balls while you're sitting in the penalty box :).

In my opinion, the 350 sounds like a great drill and I look forward to trying it...

- Steve
 
Solartje said:
ive used this drill from the first day i changed from snooker too pool.

i usually do 20racks, and started to do 25 racks since a month (as im playing quicker and missing less balls...)
I started out with missing around 100 pots in 25 racks. after a month i went down to 60. and now im getting close to missing 50 pots...

i use the 2 turning number thingy on the table to count. left one counts amount of racks played , right one counts the amount of balls ive missed.
one thing i did found out on this drill. is that if on a rack that didnt brake good and i missed around 5 6 balls, i tend to play the next rack ALOT better. just so i woudnt screw up my average. if i did a 1 rack runout, i tend to miss alot the next game. it helps very good in keeping your concentration high, BUT i dont think its a good match practice... as u are getting 100% of table time, when im playing matches and im in the winning position i do very ok, but as soon as i have to sit down 15minuts, i feel totally lost and i played very bad.

the drill is good for training shots, end racks etc, but deffinetly not a good match practise. but ive been doing it since day 1 and i like it. when i come home, i just put the results in a excel sheet, and i can see my progress every month.

(ps as im not from the US, if i miss 50-60 balls in 25 racks, what class player am i? cuz ive got no idea...)
Click to expand...

It depends on if you are just potting the racks out and then giving yourself a free break, and also the size of the pockets.

You're obviously a pretty decent player by those stats, regardless of the method, but if you're getting a free break, you should try to get down to 10-15 misses over 25 racks. Then you'll be getting closer to elite status. Under 10, and you should start competing with the pros and see how you go. Doesn't mean you'll beat them, but you may give them a fright :D
 
I assume that when you miss, you just leave the cue ball where it is and shoot at the next intended open shot.

Obviously this is subjective, but 2 questions for all you experts to answer to maximize motivation, productivity, and fun:

1) What do you do if you make a ball but don't leave yourself a reasonable shot at another ball?

2) What do you do if you miss a ball and don't leave yourself a reasonable shot at another ball?

Thanks! Trying to do this game/drill in a consistent manner so as to judge improvement. I really welcome and appreciate feedback.
 
Steve Lipsky said:
I must say I think people are being a little unfair to TheOne on this. Any drill that leads to bigger runs is almost certainly a good thing. 90% of a 14.1 match, at every level, is played with the balls mostly open. Isn't it a good thing to practice this phase of the game as much as you can?

[Yes, there will be times when you're in a defensive battle and must fight for that first shot; but there is a (boring) drill for this: keep playing safe on yourself, starting with a closed rack. The first time you leave a reasonable shot, consider the game over (but take the shot anyway; making tough shots after a small period of playing safe is a nice skill to have). No matter if you make it or miss it, start again from a closed rack.]

I've never really understood why some consider 14.1 practice and 14.1 matches so different. Aren't they very similar? Most of my practice runs end the same way a match run would end; missing a fairly makeable ball. Playing safe in 14.1 should really be a last resort. If you are playing safe with reasonably open tables in your matches, imho you're probably playing too conservatively.

Back to the topic :p, solartje mentioned that this might not be the best drill for a 14.1 match because it doesn't incorporate a long waiting time. C'mon... don't you think that's a bit unfair? You want a guy to invent a drill that has you sitting down for 15 minutes after each of your misses, lol? I mean, I guess we just invented it here :) :). Tell me how it goes, though... I'll be hitting balls while you're sitting in the penalty box :).

In my opinion, the 350 sounds like a great drill and I look forward to trying it...

- Steve
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Thanks Steve, although I didn't take it too personally the drill was just something that popped into my head one day. Mainly like I said because I wanted something that offered an alternative to the dissapointment of starting again after missing after a long run. For most people 25 racks will not only offer them a chance to beat their high run but will also offer other ways to measure their progress, for example, lowest number of misses, average run, back to back 50's and 100's, breaking 100,200,and who knows even 300!! Still having thought of it I still haven't tried it lol! I would be interested to hear how you do Steve, maybe give us all something to aim for ;-)

Colin,
No worries mate, hope you start putting in the hours, from what I saw ou could do some damage in the IPT. I didn't really expect to be picked in the IPT after 10 years out of the game, but I still had hope. However given my lack of recent results I made the calculated risk of waiting until I had played in a few more tournaments before submitting my application - this turned out to be a mistake. However when I saw some of the names that where on the list I was dissapointed but after thinking about it its probably a blessing in disguise. I really needed to get back into my IT career after 9 months off and I was a little fed up of the hotel rooms too lol But the best reason was the one you pointed out, not being slected as far as we know isn't the end of the world. I hope to play in both the open events and taking into account the costs of the meeting etc for the international players there really isn't a big difference in cost. Of course non-members might have to win a few more matches but the best way to prove the "selecters" wrong is to beat pay your money and beat the "selected" members! So no hard feelings but I'm coming for ya Colin he he ;-)

:D
 
papercut said:
I assume that when you miss, you just leave the cue ball where it is and shoot at the next intended open shot.

Obviously this is subjective, but 2 questions for all you experts to answer to maximize motivation, productivity, and fun:

1) What do you do if you make a ball but don't leave yourself a reasonable shot at another ball?

2) What do you do if you miss a ball and don't leave yourself a reasonable shot at another ball?

Thanks! Trying to do this game/drill in a consistent manner so as to judge improvement. I really welcome and appreciate feedback.
Click to expand...


Hey papercut, no hard and fast rules here but personally since the objective is to improve your positional game etc and its really a total offence drill then its tough, you need to try and make a ball. At least this might add a little magic to your game by trying the creative. Of course you could just push out into a better position and "waste" a miss but I can't see you learning much from that?
Good luck anyway, hope this helps
 
TheOne said:
Hey papercut, no hard and fast rules here but personally since the objective is to improve your positional game etc and its really a total offence drill then its tough, you need to try and make a ball. At least this might add a little magic to your game by trying the creative. Of course you could just push out into a better position and "waste" a miss but I can't see you learning much from that?
Good luck anyway, hope this helps
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Thanks a bunch for responding. I think I'm pretty stringent when it comes to rules (partly because I tend to look for the loopholes, I suppose). I like going for the aggressive shot, but seems as though one could cheat the system by just breaking up the rack and taking a "miss". Perhaps I'll incorporate my own rule where a miss followed by contact that moves, say, 3 or more balls is counted as 2 misses.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Thanks for the practice routines. I too am ultra-guilty of throwing in the towel after messing up an attempted high-run. I need something else to aim for to prevent the 14.1 practice from becoming a drag.
 
papercut said:
... I need something else to aim for to prevent the 14.1 practice from becoming a drag.
Click to expand...
I like to start from a standard break shot (14+1) and shoot until I miss, then start over from another 14+1 rack. I do 10 innings of this in a group, which lets me figure my per-inning average pretty easily. Also, I think I need more work on my break shot than the other shots. If you note each inning on a score card, you also have your high runs, and can figure out what fraction of the time you get into the next rack.
 
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