Whats your practice routine? Or do you even have one?

Cdryden

Cdryden

Pool Addict
Silver Member
I have started a routine that consists of;

50 straight in shots while controlling the follow and draw of the CB to a specific location. (good warm up)

15 minutes of various bank shots

30 minutes of 1,2, and 3 rail position shots

15 minutes of practicing the break

25 minutes on the brainwash drill (probably need to spend more time on this one)

30 minutes of playing 9-ball while focusing mainly on defense ( trying to get ready for a 9-ball tournament)

5 min drinking beer!
 
Thanks for the post. You have great discipline. I start out with good intentions but revert to shooting 8 ball. Good luck in your upcoming tournament.
 
I just normally start with all 15 balls on the table as a straight pool break up and start from there... If I dont get on the break ball I usually throw 3-4 more balls on the table and keep shooting until I do. If I miss I keep shooting, sometimes give myself ball in hand, but if I get stuck I will try a shot within the rack just to see where the balls go.

I wish I had the discipline to do the steps from the above poster, but that would last all of about 15 minutes before my focus turned somewhere else. Ill just blame it on (ADD) for now.
 
OMG I would be brain dead by the end of the week.............oh I'm half way there already after just reading this post.

Man you have some good discipline to keep that up, if only I had that dedication these days, sad to say I don't. These days I mainly play racks and spend maybe 20 mins doing various drills, just lately I have been spending that time practising potting balls down the rail.

Good luck and please skip straight to step 7 at least once a week!
 
Cdryden said:
I have started a routine that consists of;

50 straight in shots while controlling the follow and draw of the CB to a specific location. (good warm up)

15 minutes of various bank shots

30 minutes of 1,2, and 3 rail position shots

15 minutes of practicing the break

25 minutes on the brainwash drill (probably need to spend more time on this one)

30 minutes of playing 9-ball while focusing mainly on defense ( trying to get ready for a 9-ball tournament)

5 min drinking beer!
Click to expand...



Other than the beer, how do you spread these drills out over say a weeks time???

Thanks
randyg
 
Cdryden said:
I have started a routine that consists of;

50 straight in shots while controlling the follow and draw of the CB to a specific location. (good warm up)

15 minutes of various bank shots

30 minutes of 1,2, and 3 rail position shots

15 minutes of practicing the break

25 minutes on the brainwash drill (probably need to spend more time on this one)

30 minutes of playing 9-ball while focusing mainly on defense ( trying to get ready for a 9-ball tournament)

5 min drinking beer!
Click to expand...

Two comments: First, If my second step were 15 minutes of bank shots, I would shoot myself. Second, what's the brainwash drill?
 
Cdryden said:
I have started a routine that consists of;

50 straight in shots while controlling the follow and draw of the CB to a specific location. (good warm up)

15 minutes of various bank shots

30 minutes of 1,2, and 3 rail position shots

15 minutes of practicing the break

25 minutes on the brainwash drill (probably need to spend more time on this one)

30 minutes of playing 9-ball while focusing mainly on defense ( trying to get ready for a 9-ball tournament)

5 min drinking beer!
Click to expand...
I can't stand to practice. I think playing various games (namely 14.1 and One Pocket) with my practice partner is the only way I can practice. I lose interest after 15 minutes with drills. I guess I just need the competition. BTW, I would like to know what the brainwash drill is, too...not that I will do it...lol.
 
nelldrake said:
I can't stand to practice. I think playing various games (namely 14.1 and One Pocket) with my practice partner is the only way I can practice. I lose interest after 15 minutes with drills. I guess I just need the competition. BTW, I would like to know what the brainwash drill is, too...not that I will do it...lol.
Click to expand...

Isn't the brainwash drill the one where you throw all balls on the table at random and clear them without touching a rail?
 
My tension has been so high lately, I just cant seem to play. I walk by my table all day and it just is not intriguing to me at this time. :frown:
 
randyg said:
Other than the beer, how do you spread these drills out over say a weeks time???

Thanks
randyg
Click to expand...

I'm not sure exactly what you mean but this is the routine I do every day. I do mix up the position of the balls in the drill so I'm not shooting the exact shot every time, but its the same routine from week to week. Do you have a suggestion on spreading it out or mixing it up? I would really appreciate your opinion.
 
walrus_3d said:
Two comments: First, If my second step were 15 minutes of bank shots, I would shoot myself. Second, what's the brainwash drill?
Click to expand...

The brain wash drill is putting all 15 balls on the table, none touching the rail or another ball and running them out without letting the cue ball touch a rail. It's a great way to work on finer CB control and strategy/planning out your run-out.
 
Wow, that's a nicely structured practice regimen! Looks like 2 hours plus but varied.

I think some people might say that's too much in one sitting every single time (probably what Randy was alluding to), and that shorter bouts of more focused practice are more useful in the long run. But I'm like you, except I only get 2 days a week to practice/play so I have to cram in whatever I want to work on at the beginning of those sessions on both days.

For me, I start with 10 - 20 straight in shots from the "X" positions (OB about 2 1/2 diamonds from the pocket, CB about 2 1/2 diamonds from the opposite corner pocket). I try to stop the cueball dead with no sidespin etc. Sometimes I will shoot 10 or 20 more using draw or follow, used to do that more but not as much anymore since I got my stroke to be pretty similar between various speeds and spins (I used to tense up or quicken up sometimes when hitting with more power).

Then I throw 6 (sometimes 7) balls on the table and try to run them in order for probably 30 minutes, which for me focuses on what is supposed to be the easier part of the game as the rack thins out and there is less congestion, just playing the patterns properly and trying to improve consistency etc. If I miss I set it up again until I figure out what I did wrong etc.

Then I might spend some time focusing on anything recent I feel I need to work on, whether it be shotmaking, hitting balls crisper and cleaner down the rails (especially on the tight tables I play on), banks, kicks, etc.

If I'm still motivated, and no one is around, I might do various drill I have collected in my book, things from the PAT, Blackjack, Joe Tucker, Bert Kinister, or things I've found. I also might play the ghost in a race to 9, or play some racks of rotation just throwing all 15 balls out to focus on precision position routes and combos etc.

I just try to mix things up, but almost always start with at least 10 smooth, straight in shots and some amount of the 6 ball runouts. It probably wouldn't hurt for me to be a little more structured in my practice, maybe I even over practice and need to play more.

Scott
 
Cdryden said:
The brain wash drill is putting all 15 balls on the table, none touching the rail or another ball and running them out without letting the cue ball touch a rail. It's a great way to work on finer CB control and strategy/planning out your run-out.
Click to expand...

I do not time my practice anymore. I base my practice time on how productive the practice it being and how I am feeling. Some days I need less then a hour just to stay in tune and somedays I'm at the table for 3 hours or more. At table means at the table and not at the pool room.

It all depends on if I fee the practice is being productive. Forcing yourself to practice when you are not being productive and is not a good thing. Does more harm then good. I also always stop on a high note, meaning a good run out, cool shot, anything that I find positive.

I feel the use of all 15 balls in a drill can help with creativety in shot selection. The reason is that a shot is really two parts, pocketing the ball and getting the shape you want. With 15 balls on the table, this can be practiced all the time.

I use what I call 15 ball drill and the above is one version of it. Other version I use are:

Place all 15 balls between the foot corner pockets and the side pockets instead spread out all over the table.

One rail and back out. There are shots where just going into a rail and then back out you can get better shape for the next shot easier than trying to use stop or stun.

Use nothing but one type of english for all shots. Say, use inside to run all 15 balls.

Bank, Carom, Combo. That is the only type of shot you can make. No straight in shots allowed. You either hit a bank, carom or combo to run out the 15 balls.

By just rolling the balls out there on the table, there are times cluster happen, balls on the rail, things that are problems during a real game. If this happens, do not open the cluster or move the balls on the rail. Take this time to work on how to get rid of those problems. Learn the shot pattern that gets you into to shape for a ball on the rail shot.

The 15 ball drill and its variations is one of the strongest drills you can do. It covers everything.
 
I also like straight in shots as a warm-up. I pay particular attention to stopping the cueball without it spinning, or drawing or following dead straight. This drill quickly shows me if something in my alignment, aiming, or stroke is off.

My second favorite drill is the Wagon Wheel, where I put a ball in the center of the table, cue ball placed for a slight cut into the side. From there I attempt to pocket ball and hit each diamond using draw, stun and follow until I complete the half circle of possibilities. This is one of the best position drills I've ever used.

Lastly, I will throw out shots to random position and attempt to make the ball and return the cue ball to center table. This is great speed drill and helps all games.
 
duckie said:
I do not time my practice anymore. I base my practice time on how productive the practice it being and how I am feeling. Some days I need less then a hour just to stay in tune and somedays I'm at the table for 3 hours or more. At table means at the table and not at the pool room.

It all depends on if I fee the practice is being productive. Forcing yourself to practice when you are not being productive and is not a good thing. Does more harm then good. I also always stop on a high note, meaning a good run out, cool shot, anything that I find positive.

I feel the use of all 15 balls in a drill can help with creativety in shot selection. The reason is that a shot is really two parts, pocketing the ball and getting the shape you want. With 15 balls on the table, this can be practiced all the time.

I use what I call 15 ball drill and the above is one version of it. Other version I use are:

Place all 15 balls between the foot corner pockets and the side pockets instead spread out all over the table.

One rail and back out. There are shots where just going into a rail and then back out you can get better shape for the next shot easier than trying to use stop or stun.

Use nothing but one type of english for all shots. Say, use inside to run all 15 balls.

Bank, Carom, Combo. That is the only type of shot you can make. No straight in shots allowed. You either hit a bank, carom or combo to run out the 15 balls.

By just rolling the balls out there on the table, there are times cluster happen, balls on the rail, things that are problems during a real game. If this happens, do not open the cluster or move the balls on the rail. Take this time to work on how to get rid of those problems. Learn the shot pattern that gets you into to shape for a ball on the rail shot.

The 15 ball drill and its variations is one of the strongest drills you can do. It covers everything.
Click to expand...

Excellent reply! You have a good point about practicing when it's not being productive. I have been working of finding ways to work through the "tuff times" when at the table. You know when things are going bad, finding a way to work through it. And for me, pushing forward and focusing on fundamentals have been the way to do that. So when I'm not productive during practice I try to persevere, but maybe I was looking at it the wrong way. Maybe sometimes a break is just what the doctor ordered.

The main reason I time my practice is to add structure to it. A beginning and a end. It helps me stay focused. And I am very flexible on what I work on. If I notice that I need to work on my stop shots then that gets added to the agenda. Which is also why I finish with some 9-ball work, it points out certain weaknesses in my game and allows me to adjust accordingly.

I used to just throw balls onto the table and shoot them in. Great for shot making improvement but little else in my case. I will try out some of your ideas tonight, thanks for your input. :thumbup:
 
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