Ok, so you completed Part 1 of the stroke calibration training and you're hitting the balls straight. Now, you're ready to improve your accuracy when using english. We're going to do the same exercise that we did in Part 1, but first let's revisit the shot from your last lesson.

In this example, we need to hit the cue ball with low right english. Hitting this shot with english makes it a little more difficult to pocket. You have to compensate a little for the english that is applied. How much you have to compensate is determined by several factors including...

• Cue ball squirt
• Cue ball swerve
• How hard the shot is hit
• How much english is applied
• How level your cue stick is
• Collision induced throw
• Table conditions

I don't want to get into all the science of pool in this post. There is a lot of information available if you'd like to study it further, but I think your time would be better spent learning how to compensate for it. The biggest factor that affects accuracy is, probably, cue ball squirt. You don't have to become an expert on this subject. Just understand that when you hit the cue ball with left english, the cue ball will travel off-line to the right, slightly (vice-versa for right english). How much the cue ball squirts varies from cue to cue. Some cues are designed to minimize squirt, but some, inherently, produce a lot of squirt. Either cue can be used to play at a high level as long as you learn to play with it. The exercises I'm giving to you will help accelerate the learning curve drastically. Wouldn't you rather go through this learning process during practice, instead of during game situations?
Also, table conditions can affect how the cue ball reacts to english, specifically the type, newness and cleanliness of the cloth. That's why I recommend using these drills to help calibrate your game when playing on foreign equipment. It will help you become comfortable more quickly.

Let's take a look at the exercise from the previous session.

At this point, you should have a good completion percentage for steps 1 thru 3 performed at a variety of speeds.

The next step is to repeat the process using left english, then right english. As in the previous session, be sure to shoot from all three positions using different speeds. The amount of english and the speed will both affect how much you have to compensate for throw and swerve. As you do your 10 attempts in each step, try to be consistent in the speed and the amount of english applied to the cue ball.

Depending on your experience level, you may be surprised at just how much english affects the path of the cue ball, especially the longer shots. It is very typical for people to start using english without understanding its effects. When that happens, missed shots often get misdiagnosed and people make the wrong adjustments. One thing is for sure, though, a systematic process like this will shorten the length of time that it takes you to master cue ball english use.

Keep using this drill, trying to increase your make percentage using different amounts of english. When you miss, be sure to watch where your cue ball hits the object ball, so you can tell which way you have to address.

I strongly recommend recording your results to keep track of your progress.

You can also try some low-left, high-right, etc. to see how consistent you are at those types of english.

Let me know how your doing with these exercises. Leave a comment or email me: Skippy@9Baller.com

Cheers,
Skippy

There are many books available on the market today that teach fundamentals of pool. Those works focus on different parts of the game such as form, stance, grip, bridge, balance, aiming, etc, etc. Some of the information is better than others.

I've been playing this game for over 30 years and like many of you I've tried to consume just about any training material I can to improve my game. I've found that some of the information is very good and others are mostly fluff. The books that have taught me the most have been the ones that focus on strategy and/or the mental part of the game. I've never seen a book that can really teach the basics of the game. That is what has inspired me to launch this site.

One of the biggest problems I've seen with pool players is this...

They want to advance to quickly.

Without building the foundation of skills that they need to be a solid consistent player.

They tend to get ahead of themselves. I know because I am guilty of the same sin. In my excitement and passion for the game I would consume as much information as possible looking for that secret nugget that would get me to that next level.

If you want to really develop consistency in your game, then you have to do some very specific things. Focusing on the wrong things will either slow you down or degrade your game. The one thing you need to develop is your stroke.

I have developed a system that has helped me to fine-tune my stroke. On this site I am going to show you the techniques and tricks that I use. I'm not going to teach you the basic fundamentals of form. There are other texts that do a good job of that.

Whether you are just starting out or have been playing at a high level for some time, these tools could be very helpful to your game.

Cheers,
Skippy