I’ve heard it a million times from people when I tell them that I play pool, “I can make angled shots but I’m helpless on straight in shots.” If you have seen my essential pool skills boot camp videos and my other instructional materials, you are well aware of how much importance to your pool game I place on taking the time to work on your straight in shot. As with most things, if you just work on it a little bit, you will improve your pool game. Work on it a lot and you have the makings of a champion.
And the great thing about this discipline is that it helps all aspects of your billiards game, all the way down to extremely thin cut shots, which seem to have no relation to the straight in shot. While you work on your straight shot at all different distances, focus on following through with your cue staying perfectly on the line between the center of the cue ball and the center of the object ball. Keep your head down so you can actually see if your stroke stayed on that line or not.
If you miss the shot, notice which side of the pocket the ball went to so you can make an adjustment in your aim on the next shot. Carefully check and see if you are indeed cueing the cue ball in the center as it is easy for your eyes to trick you and you may actually be hitting to the left or right…this causes deflection and then a miss. Also try hard get the center of your cue on the stroking line, having someone with a keen eye watch you do this is invaluable to your progress.
This is like hitting golf balls on the driving range. What great golfer does not make use of a driving range or does not work on their ability to hit the golf ball straight? Like a golfer, you have to hit buckets and buckets of balls to reap the benefit. If you are not willing to work on your game, you cannot reach your full potential as a player, but if you are even reading this, I know that is not the case. I know you will do what it takes to succeed.
As you do this pool drill, you will find that the more consistent your foot positioning and body positioning is, the better your setup into the straight shot will be. Everything you do will get better. I dare you to do this for 10-30 minutes a day for a year and just see how much your pool game improves. Don’t forget to send me some stories of conquest on the pool table! Looking forward to hearing about it! Thanks!
See you soon…
Max Eberle