STOP Being a Pool Ball Klutz

The Drill Instructor

By Dominic Esposito

Ilove doing what some call “Living the dream”— reaching out to people from city to city, spending time doing billiard exhibitions, and BOOT CAMP Pool Schools. I remember what happened when I spent one of my memory-making weeks doing the Grand Opening of Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC. This beautiful pool hall full of new Diamond tables, great food, and an awesome staff was not enough to cover up for the overwhelming number of pool players I watched night after night surrendering their turn at the table to their opponents for the same reasons that I see in so many places I visit. I like to call them a “Pool Ball Klutz.”

By definition, a klutz is someone who can’t get through a day without knocking, banging, tripping, tipping, slipping, or breaking something. A Pool Ball Klutz is a player that causes the cue ball to collide into another ball or balls for no intended reason during their attempt to pocket an object ball.

This is not a good thing to be doing if you are that player. Why? When you cause the cue ball to collide into another object ball, unplanned, 80% of the time, it will result in you not being able to finish running out to win your game. I’ll say that another way. If your cue ball unintentionally hits into another object ball, after it already hit the object ball you were shooting at, you have at least an 80% chance of not running out. It could cost you the game.

This training drill is intended to bring you into a new level of play where you learn how to navigate the cue ball shot after shot without running the cue ball into another object ball. Don’t do this unless you intended to. Now let’s get to work!

This drill comes from one of my training drills on DITV that will help you develop cue ball speed and position planning accuracy within a sea of open balls.

Lower-skill level players should start out shooting the drill at: Level I.

1. Start with Ball In Hand from any point on the table.

2. Make any ball in the pocket of your choice, moving the cue ball freely.

3. Avoid hitting any of the other balls. You can drive the cue ball or an object ball to the rails.

4. If you miss or hit another ball, reset the entire table and start over repeating steps

Advanced players may want to try starting out at: Level II.

1. Start with Ball In Hand at either end of the table.

2. Pocket each of the 3 object balls in each row.

3. Complete each row in succession from one end of the table to the other.

4. Remember, NO TOUCHING ANY OTHER BALL ON EACH SHOT.

5. If you miss a shot or hit another ball, reset the pattern, and start over.

Attempt this drill ten times during a practice session. Don’t give up or become discouraged. Work hard to complete it. Soon you’ll see your ball count per rack increase, and in time you’ll be counting successful racks completed. You’ll see a notable increase in your skill level after just one month. When you can do my drills 7 out of 10 times, you’ll be in the top 70% of the players in the world. A Sample class of DITV as seen on “The CLINIC” on Facebook nad YouTube