A 9-ball pattern drill that forces you to work through gaps.

Here’s a great 9-ball drill that anyone can practice with because you can make it as easy or difficult as you want. It’s a great pattern drill that forces you to find those gaps between balls that always seems to intimidate us.

The setup is simple, as are the rules. You must shoot the balls in rotation and you’re not allowed to bump the other balls.

To start, I like to leave a nice angle on the 1 and draw the cue ball with a little left English to clear the 7. As always, the key is to leave an angle on the 2 ball. Leaving the proper angles gives you so many more options.

Use the same shot on the 2.

The 3 could be tricky, depending on the angle. If you stay on this side of the 7, you can play the cue ball with no English to come around the 7. If you have too much angle, don’t despair. Just come between the 7 and the 9.



Again, depending on your angle, you can shoot the 4 and come around the 8 or between the 8 and 9. The purpose of the drill is being able to change things up, so the angle will determine which path you need to take. In this case, high cue ball with a touch of left will get between those balls. Don’t be afraid to let your stroke out a little here.

If you land right on the 5, high cue ball will come outside the 7 for position on the 6. Speed control is important when traveling up and down the table.

The 6 ball is just a touch of right for a straight in shot on the 7. Use a punch stroke to get on the 8 into the side pocket. Another punch follow with a half tip of left English will leave you an easy shot on the 9.

You will see how good this drill is for playing in tight areas and using the rails to find those gaps. Understanding cue ball control for the angles and paths will make pocketing the balls easy.

If the drill is too difficult, simply take away the 7, 8 and 9, and play the 1-6. It will help you build confidence and eventually get back to the full drill.