Practicing Fundamentals

Here's a simple drill to develop your stroke and improve your pocketing ability.  Some have referred to this exercise as a "concentration drill". 

This is probably the hardest shot in pool, because this is dead straight in. Put the object ball and the cue ball dead on the short rails, with about 3 to 4 feet between them. Now try to make the object ball, with a center ball hit. Once you've mastered this, try it on the long rails, with either object or cue ball crossing the side pockets. Try not to cheat yourself by using outside english to make the cue ball cling to the rail. this should eventually help your stroke, or at least, help you assess what's wrong with it.

There going to be no picture here just to tell you first. This drill most of you guys and ladies already know, but I'm going to tell the beginners anyway. This drill calls for you to have an empty soda bottle on hand. To make this drill work is to line your cue up to the bottle so that you stroke the cue into the center of the bottle. What you are trying to accomplish is not to touch any part of the soda bottle. If you can stroke your cue so that it doesn't touch any part of the bottle, you know that your stroke is straight and pure.

In this next stroke drill, try pocketing the object ball by placing your cue ball starting at position A then proceeding to the next position (position B) and so on and so forth (Refer to diagram below). Hit your cue ball exactly at the center. If your stroke is straight, the object ball should go into the pocket with no problems.

This second stroke drill is a little more difficult and is the ultimate test of your stroke.

Refer to the diagram below. The idea behind this practice drill is to determine if you have a straight stroke. Place the cue ball on the head spot and aim straight at the second diamond on the other end of the table. Make sure that you aim without english or spin on the cue ball and then shoot. The cue ball should hit the rail and go back on the same straight path that it came from and return towards the head spot where the cue ball was originally placed.