Lately, I’ve been struggling with long, straight-in shots. I missed a few at the recent straight pool event, and it bothered me. I realized that even though I had been practicing a lot, I never quite got into a comfort zone where I was confident in my shots. I knew that my stroke was still a little out of whack.
There is a drill I use for long straight shots, and the drill is as much about getting your stroke straight as it is about making the shots. I put the cue ball on the spot where the head ball is normally racked, and I put an object ball on the headstring so that it is in a straight line with a corner pocket. I practice this shot 100 times and I try to get 15 in a row. Once I feel like I can make this shot 80 or 90 out of 100, I know that my stroke is straight.
The game comes in making the cue ball stop exactly where it hits the object ball. If I make that shot, I leave the cue ball where it is and place a different object ball on the spot and use it as the new cue ball. I continue to do this as many shots in a row as I can. And because it is a stop shot, the cue ball ends up exactly one ball’s width behind the object ball. As you continue to make the shot, the “object” ball gets closer and closer to the “cue ball.” My record in consecutive perfect stop shots on this drill is 13. You’re actually rewarding yourself because each shot becomes shorter.
If I miss, I look at a few things. I make sure I’m coming back slowly with the cue. If I am doing that and missing, it usually means I’m moving somewhere…my arm, feet, etc. Also, I know how to aim the ball dead straight, so even if I make the shot but the cue ball goes left or right a bit, something is still not perfect in my stroke.
After I’ve got this drill down, I do a couple variations. One is to try to follow the object ball into the pocket 15 times in a row. The other is to try to draw the cue ball back to the tip of my cue 15 times in a row.
Additionally, if you can show the perseverance and patience to do this drill, it will do wonders for your mental toughness. It really helps toughen you up mentally.
