We hear other players talk about shooting practice drills all of the time, but what if you don’t know any? What makes a practice drill good?  A good Practice drill should meet three major requirements:


1. It should consist of either a specific shot you struggle with, or a shot that you want to add to your arsenal. 
2. It should be challenging enough that it requires your fullest focus, but not too difficult that it is frustrating & damages your confidence.
3. It should have consequences.  (For example: if you miss the shot, bump a ball, or fail in any way, you must start over)


Creating practice drills customized to your game.


If I were to make a practice drill for myself, the first thing I would do is think back to a particular shot I missed in a recent competition.  A shot that maybe I was unsure of, or just plain scared to shoot.  As players it is easy to remember the GREAT shots we made to WIN, we often try and forget those terrible shots we missed when taking a loss.  I would ask you to make mental notes of these shots, as this is how we will learn from our mistakes and fears to make our weaknesses our strengths.

 

Figure A:


In Figure A, you will see a drill that I came up with to combat a shot that came up very early on in my pool career.  For some reason I had an awful tough time controlling the speed of the cue ball on short soft one rail position shots.  The drill works like this.  Place five balls, frozen together in a straight line in the center of the table, about one ball width from the foot rail.  You have cue ball in hand to start.  You must shoot all five balls into the same corner pocket, playing one rail position on the next ball in the line.  This drill is what we call a progressive drill.  Progressive drills simply mean that you are shooting the same shot over and over except that with each repetition you are adding or reducing the speed of the cue ball.  I would also try training with this drill shooting the balls first to one corner pocket, then to the opposite.  This will help train your confidence in cutting the ball to both directions and still maintain your mastery of the speed of the shot.  Remember the consequences! If you miss a ball, or hit the line of balls while playing position, you must start over!

 

Figure B:


Second Verse, Same as the first…with a subtle change.


Now I know it seems as if I am repeating myself here, but really one of my favorite things about practice drills is that it is totally up to the player as to what the “rules” of the drill are.  For instance if you look at Figure B, the drill setup looks identical to the first drill.  Well, it is!  However I have changed the “rules”.  This time around we will be shooting the balls in the corner pocket and playing position two rails, as illustrated.  This shot requires us to hit the cue ball both below center and with a touch of left side spin.

Figure C:


Now for the really difficult chorus…


Ok, I know, I know.  These drills sound pretty easy; well here is something for those advanced players who want to really torture themselves when they practice.  In Figure C, I have setup eight balls, four at each end.  The balls are in a direct line with the center of the table and are one ball width from the end rails, and one ball width apart.  You will start this drill with cue ball in hand, and you may start at either end of the table.  You must pocket the balls inward from the rail towards the center of the table into their respective pockets.  You also cannot shoot more than one ball from each end of the table in succession.  The object is to play two rail position from one end of the table to the next.  If you miss, or touch another ball while playing position, you must start over.

As we fade out on the siren song of practice, don’t forget; practice should be both intense & fun.  Creating practice drills for YOUR game is easy as humming a tune.  Just make sure it meets the three requirements: 1. A shot you struggle with.  2. It should be tough to complete, but not too tough.  3. It should have consequences.


Until next time, keep your practice humming along.
Mikey V.