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. You hit the four ball into the cue ball instead of the other way around — hoping that the four ball bounces off of the cue ball, and either falls directly into a pocket, or pushes another ball in. In other words, scratch pool asks you to scratch on purpose. If you do, you get to keep shooting!

If you accidentally pocket the white ball, it is considered a foul, but in scratch pool, when a player fouls, the other player doesn’t get cue ball in hand — they get an object ball in hand. Place the white ball on the foot spot and proceed according to the rules of the game you are playing:

For nine ball or seven ball the fouler’s opponent picks up the lowest numbered ball on the table and places it anywhere on the table he chooses. For 14.1 (straight pool) and one pocket, any ball may be picked up and placed anywhere on the table. For eight ball, the shooter may choose any of his set of balls to use as his “cue ball” or the eight ball if all of his balls have already been pocketed.

Scratch pool is a fun way to use a wide variety of shots and techniques to manipulate the path of the cue ball (no matter what color it is) and at the very least shows you what not to do in a “normal” game of pool!

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