I am going to show you some techniques that I have used to improve my shot-making and consistency. A lot of players get frustrated, because they don't execute shots the way their mind envisions it. I know I've had this happen many times. The typical reaction to that is "what the $$#@ just happened". In order to figure out what happened and to prevent it from happening again, it is critical to dissect the shot process intocomponents that can be analyzed and improved. Let me explain what I mean by all that. Let's look at the shot shown in the diagram below.

This is an example of a typical type of shot that comes up in 9 ball. The illustration shows the 4 ball being pocketed in the upper left corner and hitting the cue with low right english. The english is needed here to lengthen out the angle of the cue after it hits the rail. The low right english is, also, what causes the make-percentage to go down somewhat. Anytime you add compexity to a shot it makes it progressively more difficult to execute. A very consistent player should pocket this ball a very high percentage of the time. However, even intermediate and up players will "mysteriously" miss this shot more than they think they should. Many players that miss this shot will give different reasons for the miss like jumping up, lost focus, lack of concentration, distractions, skidding, etc. While these reasons may be true in some cases, I believe most misses of this type are due to, basically, inaccuracy.

How do you cure inaccuracy?....Practice, Practice, Practice.

More importantly, the right kind of practice is needed. The kind of practice that I prescribe is a sort of "calibration" for your stroke. It's a very simple process, really. We're going to break your shot process into components and find out where the inconsistency is breeding.

Let's look at the shot in diagram 1, again. In its simplest form, this shot is comprised of two major components. First, you have to find the correct contact point to pocket the ball. Second, you have to hit that point using the correct speed and english, of course. It sounds simple, but there are a lot of other things that factor into the shot such as, cue deflection, squirt, cloth conditions, friction-induced throw, etc. There are lots of books and materials out there that go into many of these things in detail. My goal with this guide is not to explain all of those things, but to provide you with a tool that points out what part(s) of your game need improved and helps improve your consistency.

Instinctively, players focus on improving their aim as the first step to being more accurate. However, there is a fundamental flaw in that approach. How do you verify that you aimed at the right point, if you don't know if you hit the point you aimed at. My point is this, you have to know that you can hit the point you aim at (i.e. you can shoot straight), before you can tell if your aiming correctly. This is especially true when learning how to play using english.

So let's get to it. Let's get your consistency to new levels and keep you "in stroke" longer. Let's start calibrating your stroke.

Step 1 - Can you hit the mark?

The diagram below shows an exercise that will quickly tell you how straight and consistent your stroke is. Start by placing an object ball near where the 9 ball is in the diagram. Place the cue ball about 12 to 18 inches back in line with the corner pocket. Try to set the shot up so it is perfectly straight into the center of the pocket. Shoot this shot with center cue ball, medium speed. Shoot the shot 10 times and record the number of makes and misses. Next, shoot another ten shots from a longer distance, near cue ball position A. Lastly, try the same exercise from cue ball position B. Naturally, you're more likely to miss more shots the longer the distance gets.

You should keep practicing these shots until you can make them at a fairly high percentage of the time. More specifically, the first shot should be made 9 out of 10 times. If you're struggling to make this shot 90% of the time, then you need to work on your fundamentals. This type of shot should be a very high percentage shot. You should be able to make 8 out of 10 from position A. You should be able to make 7 out of 10 from position B.

Keep in mind there are some factors that might justify "tweaking" these standards. One of them being pocket size and table size. For this guide, I'm assuming a 9 foot table is being used with standard size pockets. Tighter pockets might warrant loosening the standards a little for positions A and B. Conversely, a smaller table would require a higher make percentage.

Use your best judgment when performing these exercises, but don't kid yourself. If you're really hitting them good, the cue ball won't float left or right after contact the object ball. It is possible to hit it a little bad and still make it, especially on very loose tables. Be honest when doing this...no mulligans. The goal isn't to artificially make the numbers look good. Rather, it is to create a stroke that can be replicated to produce a desired result time after time. Depending on your ability level, it might take some work to get there or you might already be there. Regardless, the first step is to be able to master this simple exercise. If you are making these shots with the required consistency, try them at different speeds varying from slow rolling to firm stroke. Don't be surprised if your make percentage goes down when hitting the shot harder. Again, if you find that to be true, then that is an area of your game that you'll need to work on.

What if you just keep missing certain shots? More experienced players will probably be better able to identify what is going wrong with their stroke and make the proper adjustments. That's why I like this short exercise, even for advanced players. Other players might need some help to identify what they need to change. Ask other players that you respect to help you. Getting a coach or instructor to help you, is a great idea. They will be able to spot problems with your fundamentals quicker than most. Video recording yourself and reviewing it later is a great way to see your form from another vantage point. This could help you spot your problem. Otherwise, just practice, practice, practice. You'll get it, eventually.

In Part 2 of this "Stroke Calibration" course, you will be introducing english into the equation. Make sure you have legitimate results in part 1, before focusing on Part 2.

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