Practice time should alway be serious and should always have purpose. That said, it doesn’t mean that you can’t throw a little experimentation into the mix to try out new things.
One of the things that players will lose with lack of action, like during the current pandemic, is their draw stroke. I’ve noticed many times that when I don’t get to the table as often as I’d like, my draw seemed to be deteriorating. When you are used to having a powerful draw shot, it’s pretty noticeable when it weakens.
When that happens, I will devote some extra practice time to working on various solutions and methods to get that part of my game back.
I like to fool around with my approach. Instead of lining up my cue tip directly even with the point of contact on the cue ball during my practice strokes, I will do things like keep it low, just barely off the cloth. I will stroke my cue with the tip just a hair above the table, then, during the delivery of my final stroke, I will raise the tip right before impact. (Obviously, this will keep me from miscuing.)
In a way, my “experimentation” is a way of mimicking the great Filipino players. They almost all address the cue ball will below center and change their delivery at the point of contact. I came up with that once just to experiment and it actually got good results in my initial practice session. I’m not saying that you should adopt the same style, but taking a completely different approach sometimes allows you to find something that works.
Here is a nice, little draw shot drill to experiment with. Set up the balls as shown in the diagram, with the object ball a diamond from the corner pocket and the cue ball another diamond and a half beyond that. Pocket the shot repeatedly using different strokes and thought processes just to see if something clicks. Do any of the experimental approaches yield positive results? Which produce the most draw on the cue ball?
The point is that it’s okay to experiment when you’ve got the time. One hint: Have a notepad with you to keep track of what experiments you tried and which ones worked.
