Cue Ball Only

[Island Drive]

This is a great game to improve ones one hole.


I showed this game to Hendy, Race to ten. Full rack, bust em wide open. Make a ball you shoot first. Scratches don't count, all balls down. You can also adjust rules as you go but basically. You must shoot the cue ball/carom off a ball and then pocket a called ball to get a point. Kisses, combinations and air shots and double kisses also count, scratch....shoot from the kitchen. If ya make a ball and scratch you don't get the point. When the table gets down to three object balls you can say, each player will shoot 5 more times or whatever. This games is ALL about cue ball feel and control and center ball with cueball stall or not or less or more. We all have played into shape many times for a shot such as this to continue our inning, but to play an entire game in this manner is quite exhausting. My personal record, I have run 4 two different times on a nine footer. No other game will Help improve your approach and getting your weight right than this discipline. Tough, Tough Game....

 

[Mkbtank]

Sounds cool. I used to play something similar (but different). It was 9 ball but you had to shoot the OB with the cue stick OFF OF the cue ball into a pocket. All caroms. Always playing the lowest numbered ball into the cue ball, then a pocket.

 

[boingo]

Sounds cool. I used to play something similar (but different). It was 9 ball but you had to shoot the OB with the cue stick OFF OF the cue ball into a pocket. All caroms. Always playing the lowest numbered ball into the cue ball, then a pocket.

As I remember Bill Marshall had a game like that which he called "Kiss Pool" but it was full rack and no rotation. As Long Beach Bill says it's all about cue ball feel and control, the foundation of all the games.

 

[Island Drive]

When you totally understand the physics of this game and then start focusing one hundred percent on cue ball only, ones imperfections are Magnified immensely. Often you'll miss the entire carom....Often. I'd be interested in hearing others thoughts after playing a few games. No other game focuses one hundred percent on cue ball movement. This is waaaay tougher than scratch pool and way more diverse and creative.

 

[Mkbtank]

Of course the very best cue control practice IMO is to play 3 cushion Billiards. Before starting 1p, I played 3c for about a year and there is not a day that I play 1p that I am not glad that it happened that way. (It was not planned that way intentionally. I was Never going to be a one pocket player! Lol. )

 

[Island Drive]

Carom Pool

Carom Pool

When we hit an object ball, the cue ball has three basic choices, to go left, go right or go forward. This workout addressing center ball, forward cue ball movement is Magnified. This discipline forces rock solid stance, no body movements at all and a more controlled swing. The only way you can play this game with success is to give it 100%, and it beats you up every time. But you and whitey develop a different/Better relationship.

 

[WhatWouldWojoDo]

Sounds cool. I used to play something similar (but different). It was 9 ball but you had to shoot the OB with the cue stick OFF OF the cue ball into a pocket. All caroms. Always playing the lowest numbered ball into the cue ball, then a pocket.

I play this often and I've heard it called Polish 9-Ball (because its backwards, lol) I can joke about it because I am Polish.

You can play it with all 15 balls. and the break is the cue ball is the head ball racked while the first ball (1 ball) is shot from the kitchen and has to be pocketed to continue shooting.

 

[WhatWouldWojoDo]

Scratch Pool

Scratch Pool

These games where you are using an object ball off the cue ball really teach players cue ball control.

3 Basic rules:

90 Degree line or tangent line - cue ball comes off at this line as long as it does not have any forward or backward spin when it makes contact

Follow rule - a.k.a. the 30 degree rule as most call it - typically 30 degrees but I was taught a different way that is more accurate. setup a slight cut shot, aim the shot and imagine the line of the shot (center of your cue) through the object ball and picture where it comes out the back of the object ball. Now if you go from the center of the object ball and make a line through this 'back of the ball" and toward the rail - that is where the ball will go.

Draw Rule - if you want to draw the object ball to a specific point - Start by going from the center of the cue ball to the center of the object ball (ball your drawing off from) and find this contact point. Now go from the center of the object ball toward your target and find where this contact point would be (where this aim line is coming out of the object ball). You have 2 contact points on the object ball - now aim for the 1/2 way point between them.

 

[Island Drive]

I vividly remember one of the shots during ''a'' four ball run. Played my cue ball off a ball then three rails and called/kicked a ball middle table near the foot spot into the corner pocket and made it, WOW.

 

[Alexonepockettrickshots]

I play this often and I've heard it called Polish 9-Ball (because its backwards, lol) I can joke about it because I am Polish.

You can play it with all 15 balls. and the break is the cue ball is the head ball racked while the first ball (1 ball) is shot from the kitchen and has to be pocketed to continue shooting.

Hey this is kind of like Russian Pyramid pool. Check out Evgeny Stalev. Sooo good and so methodical in his approach.