How do you spend practice time? - Billiards-Talk Forums

djkx1 · April 3rd, 2007, 09:51 AM

I know I spend a lot of my time playing the ghost or 14.1 lately. I have never been very disciplined at doing drills. I find it boring to spend a lot of time on drills, although I know they can be benificial. I seem to lose focus to easily, and perhaps that exactly why I should do more of them.

Just wondering how everyone else spends their practice time at the table. Also, if you do a lot of drills, which ones do you like?

Bishop · April 3rd, 2007, 12:45 PM

I've gotten away from practicing lately. I never really did anything particular but I used to take two or three shots that gave me trouble and just take 20 shots each of them then switch it up after a month. I've had less and less available time to practice lately.

George · April 3rd, 2007, 01:04 PM

I go out and shoot with people.

shexcpoolgawdess · April 3rd, 2007, 03:01 PM

What very little time I do get to go out and practice I spend with my dear friend Eddie. Typically its anywhere from 4-8 hours straight of trading racks. We sometimes run drills. Sometimes just work on the lil things that ar out of whack that bother us. When we shoot though we change the game every so many racks. Jusyt to keep things interesting for not only him but for me as well.

I don't spend a lot of time practicing but when the time does permit you better bet I'm out doing it.

A-Train · April 3rd, 2007, 08:15 PM

Practice? What's that? Just kidding.

I'm in a point in my game where I was expanding my stroke and finding new possibilities on how to get shape on my next shot. Lots of spin on the ball was what I was going for. Now that I know more or less where my boundaries exist, I can focus again on pure ball making, using my brain, and most importantly not muscling the ball as much.

I'm also working on strictly playing shape to the center of the table if I can. Unless I need to be on a rail to get a good angle on a ball I'm playing shape as close to center table as possible. Life is much easier from there.

Maniac · April 3rd, 2007, 10:05 PM

I usually throw all or most of the balls out on the table and proceed to look for the type of shots that seem to give me the most problems in a real game. If I can't find that type of shot, I'll shoot an easier one while putting a certain amount of "english" on the ball to see if I can still pocket it. I seem to still have a problem potting shots in the intermediate range while using english. I just haven't yet figured out how far from the centerline the ball will drift on these type of shots.

Sometimes I just rack 'em, break 'em and play the ghost. He wins often!!!

Maniac

Maniac · April 3rd, 2007, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A-Train

Unless I need to be on a rail to get a good angle on a ball I'm playing shape as close to center table as possible. Life is much easier from there.

True that!!!!

Maniac

shark3149 · April 5th, 2007, 05:35 PM

I try to start of just shooting straight in shots.I then work on my banks I love to bank.Then I work on any thing that I have been having trouble with.I spend about an hour doing each of these and more time on any thing that seems be keep giving me trouble.I had back surgery about 8 months ago so I am working hard on my stance and stroke.

BHQ · April 5th, 2007, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shark3149

I try to start of just shooting straight in shots.I then work on my banks I love to bank.Then I work on any thing that I have been having trouble with.I spend about an hour doing each of these and more time on any thing that seems be keep giving me trouble.I had back surgery about 8 months ago so I am working hard on my stance and stroke.

bank pool huh???? cooollllllll beans .

shark3149 · April 6th, 2007, 07:24 PM

I do love those banks.I am trying to get my self to take the cut over the bank now just to see if it will help with my run outs.I have to say my favorite game has to be one pocket even though I am not that good.

fultimebum · April 9th, 2007, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shark3149

I try to start of just shooting straight in shots.I then work on my banks I love to bank.Then I work on any thing that I have been having trouble with.I spend about an hour doing each of these and more time on any thing that seems be keep giving me trouble.I had back surgery about 8 months ago so I am working hard on my stance and stroke.

I know the feeling.I have had 3 Back Sugeries and every time I had to learn how to stand all over again.When I practice by myself I usually shoot 9 ball so that I can get used to putting the Cue Ball where it needs to be.Plus it's like you are coming to the table for your shot after you miss.And it's really something when you pull off a good safe on yourself on purpose.Make's you want to get out of it even more I think..So it teache's you to play safe and to see angle's to make a good hit.Also it teaches you to bank if you need to to get shape on the next ball.I noticed that my banking and ability to kick improved the more that I got into 9 Ball so that's why I pick that game to practice with.

mosconiac · July 12th, 2007, 05:48 PM

In the past I rarely practiced. I loved the game too much to "waste time". Now that I play as much in a month as I used to play in a day, I need to practice a bit before playing serious. I have three practice drills:

Drill#1: I practice the corner-to-corner, straight-in shot. I *try* to fire it in and repeat until a full rack of balls is gone.

Here's a example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT5lTil-aNs

I just happened to fire this one in VERY hard. Normally I play 5 balls slow, 5 balls medium, and 5 balls hard.

Drill#2: I developed my one drill based on the Mississippi 9B drill discussed here-->THREAD

Until you try the Mississippi 9B drill, you have no idea how tough it is. I've had people look the table over and pick up their cue with supreme confidence only to shrink away after missing the 5 trying for position on the 6 or miss the 7 trying to get down table to the 8.

My Kim Steel has slightly soft pockets, so I decided to kick it up a notch and modified the drill to:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...cs10BDrill.jpg

Here's a video of me running the drill so you can see how hard I struggled with it. I had not played all week so I was a little shaky. I didn't feel a good groove to my stroke, but I got out.

Here's a example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWb22_gzBxc

Drill#3: You can shoot any ball at any time, but I purposely avoid "bailing myself out" with a bank or kick (due to poor position) or bumping into balls (to get them off the rails). This pressures me to play tight shape and if I don't get it..I force myself to take a long cut shot instead of an easy bank.

To make it more difficult, I will bring each ball (along the long rails) 1/2 diamond closer to the side pockets. NOW THAT'S TOUGH!

Bishop · July 12th, 2007, 06:33 PM

Great post. I'm going to add that 10 ball drill to my practice time.

justme · July 12th, 2007, 06:56 PM

I just throw the balls onto the table with no set order, take ball-in-hand and run them in order 1-?. When/if I miss, I start over. I don't have the patience for practicing though, I'd rather just gamble...Thats my practice!

mosconiac · July 13th, 2007, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justme

I'd rather just gamble...Thats my practice!

That's what Jesse Bowman said to me one day. He said he doesn't get paid to practice. LOL

Here's a practice drill that Jon Kucharo taught me that might fits guys that don't like drills where you have to setup the balls, yet can put pressure on you. That's the problem with just throwing balls out on the table and shooting them in...no pressure therefor no progression.

Step#1: Rack a certain number of balls in any geometric form you like. How many you start with depends on your skill. FWIW, I start with 5 or 6 so I can get rolling.

Step#2: Open break the balls and take BIH after spotting any that drop. Obviously, if you drop multiple balls it will make a cluster at the spot. Also, don't baby the break to keep a tight pack so its easy to run out. Really disperse them so you have to move the CB.

Step#3: Run the balls in order. If you miss, subtract a ball and go back to Step#1. If you run out, add a ball and go back to Step#1.

You will quickly gauge your game by how many balls you can comfortably run. Jon would regularly hover in the 13-15 range. He started with 9 or 10.

Jon went so far as to start using two sets of balls so he could go over 15!

He was also known to rack a 21 ball rack (like a 8-ball rack with additional 6 on the back row) and try to run them out in order.

April 3rd, 2007, 03:01 PM	#4
shexcpoolgawdess User Information: Status: Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Tacoma, WA Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 11 Networking:	such little time What very little time I do get to go out and practice I spend with my dear friend Eddie. Typically its anywhere from 4-8 hours straight of trading racks. We sometimes run drills. Sometimes just work on the lil things that ar out of whack that bother us. When we shoot though we change the game every so many racks. Jusyt to keep things interesting for not only him but for me as well. I don't spend a lot of time practicing but when the time does permit you better bet I'm out doing it.
	Signature: [FONT="Verdana"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="MediumTurquoise"]~~ShEx~C~pOoLgAwDeSs~~[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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April 3rd, 2007, 10:05 PM	#6
Maniac User Information: Status: Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Texas, D/FW area Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 11	I usually throw all or most of the balls out on the table and proceed to look for the type of shots that seem to give me the most problems in a real game. If I can't find that type of shot, I'll shoot an easier one while putting a certain amount of "english" on the ball to see if I can still pocket it. I seem to still have a problem potting shots in the intermediate range while using english. I just haven't yet figured out how far from the centerline the ball will drift on these type of shots. Sometimes I just rack 'em, break 'em and play the ghost. He wins often!!! Maniac Last edited by Maniac : March 31st, 2008 at 01:20 AM.
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July 12th, 2007, 05:48 PM	#12
mosconiac User Information: Status: Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bettendorf, Iowa Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 11	In the past I rarely practiced. I loved the game too much to "waste time". Now that I play as much in a month as I used to play in a day, I need to practice a bit before playing serious. I have three practice drills: Drill#1: I practice the corner-to-corner, straight-in shot. I try to fire it in and repeat until a full rack of balls is gone. Here's a example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT5lTil-aNs I just happened to fire this one in VERY hard. Normally I play 5 balls slow, 5 balls medium, and 5 balls hard. Drill#2: I developed my one drill based on the Mississippi 9B drill discussed here-->THREAD Until you try the Mississippi 9B drill, you have no idea how tough it is. I've had people look the table over and pick up their cue with supreme confidence only to shrink away after missing the 5 trying for position on the 6 or miss the 7 trying to get down table to the 8. My Kim Steel has slightly soft pockets, so I decided to kick it up a notch and modified the drill to: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...cs10BDrill.jpg Here's a video of me running the drill so you can see how hard I struggled with it. I had not played all week so I was a little shaky. I didn't feel a good groove to my stroke, but I got out. Here's a example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWb22_gzBxc Drill#3: You can shoot any ball at any time, but I purposely avoid "bailing myself out" with a bank or kick (due to poor position) or bumping into balls (to get them off the rails). This pressures me to play tight shape and if I don't get it..I force myself to take a long cut shot instead of an easy bank. To make it more difficult, I will bring each ball (along the long rails) 1/2 diamond closer to the side pockets. NOW THAT'S TOUGH! Last edited by mosconiac : July 12th, 2007 at 05:51 PM.
	Signature: [SIZE="1"][B]Cue#1[/B]: Schon SL-5 w/ 314 ([url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/mosconiac/Pool%20Stuff/IMG_0008small.jpg?t=1167231345][color=blue]Pic[/color][/url]) [B]Cue#2[/B]: Joss 94-5 w/ 314 ([url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/mosconiac/Pool%20Stuff/IMG_1624small.jpg][color=blue]Pic1[/color][/url]/[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/mosconiac/Pool%20Stuff/IMG_1623small.jpg][color=blue]Pic2[/color][/url]) [B]Cue#3[/B]: J&J J/B ([url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/mosconiac/Pool%20Stuff/IMG_1263small.jpg][color=blue]Pic[/color][/url]) [B]Case[/B]: Jack Justis ([url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/mosconiac/Pool%20Stuff/IMG_4426small.jpg?t=1167231437][color=blue]Pic[/color][/url]) [B]Table[/B]: Kim Steel 9' ([url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/mosconiac/Pool%20Stuff/IMG_0005small.jpg?t=1167231151][color=blue]Pic[/color][/url]/[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT5lTil-aNs][color=blue]Vid[/color][/url]) [/SIZE]
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July 12th, 2007, 06:56 PM	#14
justme User Information: Status: Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 10	just shooting I just throw the balls onto the table with no set order, take ball-in-hand and run them in order 1-?. When/if I miss, I start over. I don't have the patience for practicing though, I'd rather just gamble...Thats my practice!
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April 3rd, 2007, 09:51 AM	#1
djkx1 User Information: Status: Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: manitoba,canada Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 22	How do you spend practice time? I know I spend a lot of my time playing the ghost or 14.1 lately. I have never been very disciplined at doing drills. I find it boring to spend a lot of time on drills, although I know they can be benificial. I seem to lose focus to easily, and perhaps that exactly why I should do more of them. Just wondering how everyone else spends their practice time at the table. Also, if you do a lot of drills, which ones do you like?
	Signature: Take care, Darren
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April 3rd, 2007, 12:45 PM	#2
Bishop User Information: Status: Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 11	I've gotten away from practicing lately. I never really did anything particular but I used to take two or three shots that gave me trouble and just take 20 shots each of them then switch it up after a month. I've had less and less available time to practice lately.
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April 3rd, 2007, 01:04 PM	#3
George User Information: Status: Administrator Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Baltimore Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 11 Networking:	I go out and shoot with people.
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April 3rd, 2007, 08:15 PM	#5
A-Train User Information: Status: Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Las Vegas Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 20 Networking:	Practice? What's that? Just kidding. I'm in a point in my game where I was expanding my stroke and finding new possibilities on how to get shape on my next shot. Lots of spin on the ball was what I was going for. Now that I know more or less where my boundaries exist, I can focus again on pure ball making, using my brain, and most importantly not muscling the ball as much. I'm also working on strictly playing shape to the center of the table if I can. Unless I need to be on a rail to get a good angle on a ball I'm playing shape as close to center table as possible. Life is much easier from there.
	Signature: [SIZE="5"][COLOR="Red"]I learn from my mistakes and laugh at yours. LOL[/COLOR][/SIZE]
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April 5th, 2007, 05:35 PM	#8
shark3149 User Information: Status: Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Canton,Ohio Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 13	I try to start of just shooting straight in shots.I then work on my banks I love to bank.Then I work on any thing that I have been having trouble with.I spend about an hour doing each of these and more time on any thing that seems be keep giving me trouble.I had back surgery about 8 months ago so I am working hard on my stance and stroke.
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April 6th, 2007, 07:24 PM	#10
shark3149 User Information: Status: Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Canton,Ohio Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 13	I do love those banks.I am trying to get my self to take the cut over the bank now just to see if it will help with my run outs.I have to say my favorite game has to be one pocket even though I am not that good.
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July 12th, 2007, 06:33 PM	#13
Bishop User Information: Status: Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Forum Activity: Reputation: Score: 11	Great post. I'm going to add that 10 ball drill to my practice time.
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