Your last miss has nothing to do with this moment!

You may shoot a shot that looks perfect and feels perfect – only to see the object ball rattle out of the jaws of the pocket. The next time you are aiming for that pocket, or that ball, or just your next time at the table, the thought of that previous shot may come up.

This in itself is okay, it’s human nature. Read more »

Play any game you want, but try to play as quietly as you possibly can. Roll the balls so that they barely go in the pockets. Tap that cue ball like it’s an egg. Take off your shoes and be a ninja. Do not disturb the force.
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In accordance with the Sticks and Stones principle of keeping it simple, I want to talk about an overlooked aspect of executing a pool shot. Although it seems so basic, most players suffer negative consequences from time to time as a result of overlooking the fundamental question, “What do I want?”
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The One Stroke Drill was shown to me by a friend of mine who had uncanny sight in shotmaking — he had a very still head, focused, unblinking eyes, and was very adept at precision shots such as the extremely thin cut.

The drill can be used with any game, or as I recommend, just throw out five or ten balls and shoot any ball in any pocket. On each shot, take no practice strokes at all. Keep your stick completely still, with the tip pointed at your desired contact, until you are ready to execute the shot.
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Practice a predictable stroke, or see how predictable your current stroke is, by using this simple exercise:

Take a striped ball and place it inside the jaws of a corner pocket, with the stripe going straight up and down. Strike the ball dead in the center and shoot medium soft, aiming in a straight line through the diamond in the middle of the opposite end rail.
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One really fun way to practice cue ball control is by playing Scratch Pool. Scratch pool is not so much a game by itself, like Eight Ball or Nine Ball — It’s more a variation of a game that can be used in conjunction with any other game of pool.

Unlike traditional pool games, where the player strikes the cue ball and runs it into object balls to try to push them into the pocket, scratch pool requires you to hit the ball you want to pocket (say the four ball) with your cue. Read more »

Throw all fifteen balls out and shoot any one you want. Use only center english on every shot, and shoot just barely hard enough to make the balls teeter on the edge before they fall in the pocket. Don’t worry about manipulating the cue ball for position – just be aware of, and attempt to catalog, what happens to the cue ball when you shoot as soft as possible with center english.
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You can make or purchase a landing target that will help your position play dramatically. Cut out a circular piece of paper with a diameter of 6-18″ (the more advanced you are, the smaller it should be).
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A common problem you’ll hear among nine ball players is ‘dogging it’, or missing an easy shot. This drill helps build confidence in ‘finishing the game’ for rotational runout games. The example I will use is 9ball, but this works for 7-ball, 10-ball, and 15-ball as well.
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Spend an hour shooting opposite handed — if you’re a righty, try left handed, and vice versa. Be aware of the challenges you face as you try to pocket balls, and try to identify which of these obstacles give you trouble in your “real” game.

When you play pool normally, with your dominant hand, if you’ve played for long enough, your muscle memory takes over — and you don’t really think about what you are doing. Read more »