This is one of the most important drills for any player. There is no shortcut for becoming proficient at pocketing balls and controlling the cue ball. There is nothing that can compare to shooting the same shot over and over again learning all the nuances of that particular shot using different speeds and english. After practicing the same shot for a number of times you’ll reach a point where it becomes difficult to miss the shot. Aiming and controlling the cue ball start to become automatic. But this only happens after the player has put enough time into performing these drills. Zero-X has a series of ball pocketing drills for english, stun and center ball (links below). If you don’t want to use these drills then you can create your own ball pocketing drills. First, set up a shot that tends to give you issues. With many players it is a thin cut shot into the side or corner pocket. When first attempting this shot simply the shot by moving the cue ball closer to the object ball. Sticker up each ball using reinforcement labels. Keep shooting the shot until you pocket it. Now watch the path the cue ball takes. Place two balls along this path to be used as a cue ball target. Now, practicing pocketing the object ball and sending the cue ball along this path. Remember, if you send the object ball into a different part of the pocket this will slightly change the cue ball’s path. As this shot becomes easier you can start to move the cue ball farther away from the object ball. Give yourself a goal like performing the shot 3x in a row. Then, in the next session, see if you can perform this particular shot 5x in a row. Also, practice this shot using different types of speed and spin and keep track of the cue ball path for each shot. Congratulations! You are now on the road to automatic aiming!
Ball Pocketing Drills: https://www.patreon.com/posts/ball-pocketing-e-19169270
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