Towards Perfect Cue Ball Control - The D Test

[barrywhite]

Perfect, well, near as damn it. Here's an exercise to help perfect those soft screws, stuns and stop shots while you pot balls into the middle bags, so that you're also perfecting touch with accuracy.

Put three reds on the D colour spots. Put the cue ball anywhere in the D. Pot the three reds in succession into the middle pockets. No doubles are allowed. The cue ball must stay inside the D and mustn't touch the D lines. You're only allowed one attempt per practice session. This is to help you increase focus and concentration and also cope with the pressure of all or nothing.

Post a video of your successful completion on youtube and link it here. Stay focused

[golferson123]

Perfect, well, near as damn it. Here's an exercise to help perfect those soft screws, stuns and stop shots while you pot balls into the middle bags, so that you're also perfecting touch with accuracy.

Put three reds on the D colour spots. Put the cue ball anywhere in the D. Pot the three reds in succession into the middle pockets. No doubles are allowed. The cue ball must stay inside the D and mustn't touch the D lines. You're only allowed one attempt per practice session. This is to help you increase focus and concentration and also cope with the pressure of all or nothing.

Post a video of your successful completion on youtube and link it here. Stay focused

put us a video of you doing it baz so we can see how its done, cheers

[barrywhite]

put us a video of you doing it baz so we can see how its done, cheers

Yes I have done this and I wouldn't post it otherwise. But I'd like folk to figure out how to do it first. The nice thing is that it also incorporates 3 shots which is a good amount of shots to take into account when planning ahead according to Ronnie. The second shot is the most difficult and there's only a few mms to play with. There's a clue!

[golferson123]

Yes I have done this and I wouldn't post it otherwise. But I'd like folk to figure out how to do it first. The nice thing is that it also incorporates 3 shots which is a good amount of shots to take into account when planning ahead according to Ronnie. The second shot is the most difficult and there's only a few mms to play with. There's a clue!

dont need a clue mukka just like to see you do it

[barrywhite]

dont need a clue mukka just like to see you do it

haha, good attempt, but no, not biting.

[golferson123]

haha, good attempt, but no, not biting.

I will get you one day lol

[barrywhite]

I will get you one day lol

I may get a member to verify that I've done it for you. But I don't want to show people how to do it. Good players like J6, INMTB, etc, etc will figure it out quickly. I'll be honest, it took me four attempts, one each day.

[MrRottweiler]

This is good for practicing pots to the middle pockets but it's worth considering shots from the baulk are a lot less common than shots to the middle from near the pink and black spots and it's these shots that keep the breaks going and score the highest. Usually reds but sometimes pinks are probably the most frequent balls potted to the middle so it's good to practice potting these balls as well. I like to just have the pink, black and a small cluster of reds between pink and black on the table and will try to keep on the black but use pots to the middle to get out of trouble.

It still amazes me how the pros can play middle pocket shots from acute angles and still apply backspin especially on championship tables where you need to be much more accurate. I'm not a bad potter in to the middle and never shy away from a pot but I never try to do anything fancy with the cue ball. I've tried and I always miss the pot by inches.

[barrywhite]

This is good for practicing pots to the middle pockets but it's worth considering shots from the baulk are a lot less common than shots to the middle from near the pink and black spots and it's these shots that keep the breaks going and score the highest. Usually reds but sometimes pinks are probably the most frequent balls potted to the middle so it's good to practice potting these balls as well. I like to just have the pink, black and a small cluster of reds between pink and black on the table and will try to keep on the black but use pots to the middle to get out of trouble.

This test is great for pinks and for potting reds around the pink. It's useful because the D makes tight natural perimeter and the position of the red fballs is decided by the D colours spots, so you don't need to mark the table near the pink with chalk etc.


It still amazes me how the pros can play middle pocket shots from acute angles and still apply backspin especially on championship tables where you need to be much more accurate. I'm not a bad potter in to the middle and never shy away from a pot but I never try to do anything fancy with the cue ball. I've tried and I always miss the pot by inches.

Some folk are amazed by Jimmy or Judd potting the pink or a D colour into the middle at an acute angle, then screwing the white ball off the rail, straightening it up and back up to somewhere near the middle of the table. Many club players can play this shot on billiards tables with 3.25'' pockets that are tighter than WS 3.5'' pockets. It's about confidence but not saying I don't care if I miss. It's about saying I'm going to show these guys something special and keep this break going, let them see how good I am. So, a bit of cockiness is needed. If you miss, it was a hard shot anyway, so nothing really lost. Everything to gain by playing the shot and smiling. You don't know until you try; have no fear. If you're missing this shot by inches, you may be tightening up during the backswing then going off-straight on delivery because you can make the shot without screw so it's not an angle or alignment thing. So relaxing and emptying your mind before the shot is key. As Bruce Lee said; empty your mind, then execute. You don't need to think about it or stress it when you're down, you've already made your mind up, so thinking/stressing isn't going to help at all. It's just another screw shot really. If you pot it, great. If you don't, nevermind, at least you were brave enough to have a go, so it's a win-win situation.

[itsnoteasy]

So if I try it get close and say to myself ,oh I know what I should have done, I have to wait until the next time I'm in the club to try again, sorry but I may as well tell you now, I'm going to cheat and have another go lol.
I love the the pot to the middle screwing on and off the baulk Cush back out onto the colours, but on 3.25 inch pockets may well be beyond me.

[MrRottweiler]

Those kinds of shots are why players like Judd are not lifting the trophies they could be and if they thought more about shot selection they wouldn't risk losing frames. I see Judd pick bad shots almost every match I see him play in and it usually costs the frame and tips the balance. Potting yourself out of trouble only works when you pot the ball and risky power shots to the middle are best kept to the exhibition table. In fact when I think of Judd I picture him returning to his seat after missing a pot because I see him doing that so often. If he played the tried and tested percentages he could be world champion.

[inevermissblue]

This drill would be the first into the first middle and then the last two balls into the other. I will post a video asap.
Well you must be a very competent player bazza if you did this yourself at a first attempt! Even more reason to show us. I mean why would you not want to? Also when you have posted it, also take a picture of the middle pockets! I'd like to see if they have been cut. The table I play on is notoriously tight so therefore I am at a disadvantage compared to other posters! Unless we only try it on tournament pocket tables. (which is the true type).

This should give bazza at least a few weeks to actually do it himself! Pmsl ��

Here's a reminder of how tight the middles are here at Longton Snooker Club, Stoke.
https://youtu.be/ZhlR89Fhwkk

[barrywhite]

So if I try it get close and say to myself ,oh I know what I should have done, I have to wait until the next time I'm in the club to try again, sorry but I may as well tell you now, I'm going to cheat and have another go lol.
I love the the pot to the middle screwing on and off the baulk Cush back out onto the colours, but on 3.25 inch pockets may well be beyond me.

No worries mate, you have loads of goes and post it here! I agree about pockets, old billiard tables won't take it.

I've been faced with an acute red to the middle pocket many times, break is on 20ish and after that, nothing, the pack is tight. So you screw back for the black, land 3/4 ball and suddenly, it's not a 20 break anymore, you have a chance to go into the bunch. The bonus is that your opponent is now shocked, you've sent a strong message about your ability and your intent. And, you only live once, so live life to the full, buzz and smile a lot. The alternative shot would be the long one to the yellow pocket but it's quite a blind pocket, so the angle makes it a tough pot.

Let's say your opponent has played the dump shot. A mini-battle breaks out. If you don't like playing the screw to the middle, you will end up playing a lot of top rail shots. But if you can play the screw and land on the black, you're the MAN! It's a shot for those who get tight and pull offline to practice a bit so they can add it to their weaponry.

[barrywhite]

This drill would be the first into the first middle and then the last two balls into the other. I will post a video asap.
Well you must be a very competent player bazza if you did this yourself at a first attempt! Even more reason to show us. I mean why would you not want to? Also when you have posted it, also take a picture of the middle pockets! I'd like to see if they have been cut. The table I play on is notoriously tight so therefore I am at a disadvantage compared to other posters! Unless we only try it on tournament pocket tables. (which is the true type).

This should give bazza at least a few weeks to actually do it himself! Pmsl ��

Here's a reminder of how tight the middles are here at Longton Snooker Club, Stoke.
https://youtu.be/ZhlR89Fhwkk

It would have been even more difficult on my other club table which is 3.25'' pockets on an antique billiards table, so I feel your pain. But I will have a go on it today for you! I think Golferson has seen my video on the snooker table by now. lol

@mrrott: I think Judd rose to the top playing crazy shots. He practiced more then, and had loads of luck when he missed. He won tournaments that way. Then he cut practice to two hours a day and dropped back in the rankings. Now he's practising more and is having a decent season so far. Judd is Judd, Jimmy is Jimmy, it's great to have mavericks on the table, we don't just need calculators all the time, even though I love the game calculators play as well.

[barrywhite]

This drill would be the first into the first middle and then the last two balls into the other. I will post a video asap.
Well you must be a very competent player bazza if you did this yourself at a first attempt! Even more reason to show us. I mean why would you not want to? Also when you have posted it, also take a picture of the middle pockets! I'd like to see if they have been cut. The table I play on is notoriously tight so therefore I am at a disadvantage compared to other posters! Unless we only try it on tournament pocket tables. (which is the true type).

This should give bazza at least a few weeks to actually do it himself! Pmsl ��

Here's a reminder of how tight the middles are here at Longton Snooker Club, Stoke.
https://youtu.be/ZhlR89Fhwkk

Just nailed the D test on a billiards table with 3 1/4'' pockets and a slowish cloth INMTB, so it can be done on tight tables and this one is the most difficult for breaks in our league. Even the best 147 players don't make tons on it. I'll boost a vid for verification laterz.