Tip Of The Week

Tip Of The Week

 

Number: 34 Jim Tellier February 2012

 

TOPIC: Team Matches or Tournament Play

 

CATEGORY: All Skill Levels

 

INTRODUCTION:

Tournament/Team play is obviously different from casual matches. But instead of thinking of the difference as simply playing the same game "under pressure", try to think of it as "having a limited number of opportunities to be at the table". So the goal should be to capitalize on every opportunity. When you walk up to the table, don't just look for the "easiest shot" and go for it! Ask yourself, "am I faced with a 'perfect' shot?". The perfect shot is all of these at once:

- one that you can make,

- one that leaves you another easy shot,

- one that fixes your problem balls,

- one that leaves your opponent nothing if you miss.

For extra credit:

- one that makes your opponents balls worse or creates problems for him

If your answer to that is "no", you need to decide whether to play a "safety", or try to shoot something that is less than "perfect". Many times, even if you have a "makeable" shot, if you have the choice of playing a "really good" safety instead, it will be worth it, just to be able to get ball-in-hand. With that, you can often guarantee yourself an easy "run out" pattern. In general, but especially in tournament play, it's better not to try running the table unless you're sure that you can run ALL of your balls. It's a big disadvantage to make all but 1 or 2, then leave your opponent with lots of balls that he/she can use to play safe.

 

TECHNIQUE:

 

Drills / Exercises:

 

The point of these is just to get comfortable with how the table "plays", and to get some predictable control over the cue ball.

         Soft Hit

Ability to hit the cue ball softly comes into play most often when shooting "safety" shots. Use this drill to get a "feel" for how fast the table "rolls" before playing a match. Put the cue ball in the center of the table. Aim to shoot the ball directly into the side pocket. Hit VERY softly, and see how many times you can move the ball forward before it drops in the pocket.Score: 1-4: Practice more! 5-8: Good, but room for improvement! 9-10: Very Good! 11: Awesome!

 

         Stop shot

Frequently, you will see a pattern or sequence of shots that can be made most easily if you can "stop" the cue ball dead as soon as it contacts the object ball, leaving you set up for the next shot. There are many situations where this skill is very useful. Line up a few balls across the center of the table. Position the cue ball behind each of them in succession. Start with about 8" between the cue ball and the object ball. Hit the cue ball LOW, about 1/2 tip diameter below center, and with a medium speed stroke. Don't worry about pocketing the ball at first, just focus on stopping the cue ball dead. After getting comfortable with the 8" distance between balls, increase it gradually. Your stroke will need to be firmer as the distance increases.

 

         Draw shot

Repeat the "Stop shot" drill, but strike the cue ball a full tip diameter below center, and use a slightly firmer stroke. Practice controlling the distance that you can consistently bring the cue ball back. Generally, there are three important things to remember about draw shots:- If the cue ball and object ball are not lined up straight into the pocket (i.e. you must "cut" the ball in) the draw you put on the ball will be less effective. If the angle exceeds about 30 degrees, it becomes very difficult to draw the cue ball back, and you risk missing the shot by trying.- If the cue ball and object ball are more than 2-3 feet apart, the difficulty of drawing the ball back increases dramatically (as does the risk of missing the shot).

 

         Follow shot

Repeat the "Stop shot" drill, but strike the cue ball 1/2 to 1 tip diameter above center. Vary the speed of your stroke, and practice controlling the distance that you can consistently roll the cue ball forward.

 

[ Id like to see everyone give some of these drills a try whenever you get to the match, before we start playing the match. Get on a practice table, and even if you need to share it with someone, suggest spending a few minutes on these simple drills, instead of just playing a practice game of 8-ball. These things will help you get the feel of the table, and really do a better job of warming up than taking randomly-difficult shots in a practice game. ]

 

Capn Carom

 

May your Next Shot be on the 8-ball!