5 Pool Practice Drills That Actually Improve Your Game
You do not need hours or a coach. A few minutes of focused drills before a game beats an hour of casual knocking about. Each drill below works on a real table or in Cue & Chalk.
1. The straight-in shot
Place an object ball a hand-width from a corner pocket, and the cue ball in line, a few feet back. Pot it ten times in a row with a smooth, medium-pace stroke. This builds your sense of a straight line.
2. The cut-shot ladder
Pot a ball at a gentle angle, then a bigger one, then a bigger one, moving the cue ball further around each time. Note the angle at which you start to miss: that is the one to practise.
3. Stop the cue ball
Pot a straight shot with a low tip position so the cue ball stops dead where the object ball was. Then try one hit higher so it rolls forward a little. You are learning how tip position changes what happens (spin guide).
4. Position play: two balls
Put two balls on the table. Pot the first and get the cue ball into position for the second, then pot that too. Choose a different pair each time. This is the foundation of breaking runs.
5. The long soft safety
From one end, play the cue ball very gently to finish within a cue-length of the far cushion. It trains speed control, which is the hardest thing in cue sports (safety play).
How to practise
- Keep score: out of ten, how many did you pot?
- Change one thing at a time.
- Stop while it is still fun.