The Warm Up: A Foundation For Consistency in Your Game
- Raymond Linares
- Apr 21, 2016
- 11 min read
It's often said that repetition is the mother of skill, and that success is a habitual practice. One where we master the basics over many thousands of attempts in order to be rock solid during the moments that matter most. Those moments, highlighted through competition, are a forum in which we showcase the long hours of practice we put in to achieve success and the current state of our game overall. Player's who've taken the time to master elements of their game, use those strengths to their advantage in critical moments of match play and propel themselves forward towards deep tournament runs or high finishes. Champions are crowned and their hard work acknowledged with prestige, notoriety and of course money.
But the old adage goes that champions are not made on the field, but rather in the hours and time spent in the practice room honing their craft. It would lead us then to believe that being structured with our time at the practice table is what will give us the most notable benefits during competition. A sound structured approach to improving your game is a key element to measured and consistent progress. But often times a very key and fundamental element of practice is overlooked and taken for granted. One that if were structured, could have positive benefits to your game for the long haul. We're of course talking about "The Warm Up". I've often heard players point out when someone walks into a pool room and just starts "hitting balls". Throwing out the balls on the table without any care for where they go and what they'll be doing. They just start going through the motions in order to prepare for play or practice or competition. To the seasoned player and viewer the connotation is negative, and though it may be fine once and a while to get loose, the habitual practice of not having a structured routine when stepping into your table time can lead to many bad habits. As a side effect a player can become lazy, unmotivated and unfocused, all of which end up manifesting during the heat of battle and potentially causing a player to under achieve. In order to avoid bad habits and give myself a chance to have a baseline measuring stick for when I warm up and get calibrated for the day, I've adopted a very simple but very useful drill from none other than pro instructor and player Joe Tucker. I came across Joe's "Guaranteed Improvement" DVD many years ago and in it he mentions this one warmup drill called "25 Straight in Shots". The drill has a hosts of benefits for players of which include but not limited to...
Aligning your vision, stroke and stance for the day
Developing a sense and feel for the speed of the table
Building and reinforcing your touch and sensitivity of stroke
Accuracy, cueing and ball pocketing improvements
Strength and speed of stroke
In Joe's version he calls for the players to shoot 25 straight in shots, in increments of 5 with different objectives regarding your cue ball. I've modified his approach to the extreme follow and draw sections in favor of building a power stroke into the warmup which lends itself to moving into more active phases of your training routine. Either way here's my version of the 25 Straight in Shots and how each one builds on and improves your game one piece at a time. Note that for this drill I like to keep all 15 balls on the table off to the side. Typically I'll put them in number order so I can keep track of where I am in the progression and not have to count backwards in case I lose track. We shoot each stage in groups of 5 and you do not advance to the next ball or stage until you've successfully pocketed the ball and achieved the ideal position for the cue ball. You can do the same with just 10 balls but you'll have to make an extra trip if you do so :). Let's begin!
1) THE STOP SHOT:
The first grouping of 5 in our 25 straight in shots is the stop shot. For this entire exercise and drill I position the cue ball on the head-string (or foot-string as shown here) and the object ball 1 diamond passed the side pocket giving us a total distance of 3 diamonds between our cue ball and object ball. In this phase of the warmup our objectives are
Make sure to pocket the Object ball in the corner pocket
Make sure we're not applying inadvertent side spin on the cue ball (measles cue ball helps visually with seeing side spin)
Make sure to execute a good clean stop shot without letting the cue ball drift forward after contact.
This portion of the warmup is a great way to start because it allows us to get acclimated for the day with a basic but important shot. The stop shot will allow us to make sure our alignment is correct all the way through from our sighting position, our stance, our cue position at contact etc. This a way for us to check all the systems and make sure they're in alignment and ready to perform at a high level. If you're seeing inadvertent side spin being applied but you're still making the ball, try to make the corrections between shots. Advance through the progression of five but make a note that you're tip position is off during contact. You should see a nice flat ball make contact with the object ball with no english during this shot. That would be ideal and would mean you're hitting right where you're aiming and are ready to move into the next sequence of 5. An important thing to note with this shot is that you can achieve a perfect flat ball stop shot with various tip positions and stroke speeds. From extreme low draw and a slow stroke speed, to a center ball and a very fast stroke speed. I think when choosing how to address this shot you should think of percentages for execution and what best suits your game long term. I personally like to make sure I pocket the stop shot at a slower speed in order to give the ball the best chance to go in the pocket should I catch a little of the long rail going in. Think about what works best for your game and what you need to improve on most before deciding your approach.
2) THE STUN FOLLOW:
After you've made the 1-5 successfully you can advance to the 6-10 and move into the stun-follow shot. This shot is how champions deal with moving their cue ball short distances forward and make sure they retain total control over their playing environment. We've all made the mistake of slow rolling a ball at distance, aiming it right in the heart of the pocket, only to have the table drift out on us and take our inning away... sometimes even the match. The lesson is a hard pill to swallow but one that every seasoned player must learn in order to advance and eliminate this potential error from their game. In this phase of the warmup our objectives are
Pocket the Object ball in the corner pocket with a medium to medium firm stroke
Make sure to not apply any inadvertent side spin to the cue ball
Stun Follow your cue ball 1-2 diamonds forward finishing at the B cue ball position.
In this phase of the warmup we build on phase 1 and begin to broaden our stroke and cue ball control to include a very practical stroke needed for regular competitive play. Dialing into the stun follow further enhances our feel for the speed of the table, ensures that we're delivering a consistent and accurate stroke at a higher rate of speed, and controlling the cue ball accurately over distance. Again if you're pocketing the ball with some side spin don't worry too much. By now you should be dialing into your tip position just fine and should see that go away for the remainder of the drill. Make your adjustments to tip position and speed of stroke in order to get your desired results for your cue ball.
It's important to note two things. The cue ball at contact with the object ball is everything. The cue ball should not be rolling softly when contacting your object ball. This is an authoritative shot, which means your object ball will be traveling at a quicker pace than your cue ball towards the pocket. Remember this is a "Stun Follow" shot. It's also important that stun does not mean tip position, it simply refers to the state the cue ball is in at contact. A stun, whether hard or soft, refers to a cue ball that is sliding at collision with the object ball and hasn't achieved natural roll. You can be stunning at any tip position, so when someone tries to explain stun to you help them understand also that stun doesn't necessarily correlate with tip position. However for this shot you'll be hitting in the center ball to above center range to achieve your desired outcome. If this is new to you be patient with it. It's a shot that when you do master, you'll be easily a better player for it and will see your game broaden and improve.
3) THE STUN DRAW
Now that you've made your second phase of 5 balls it's time to advance to the stun draw and phase 3. With this shot you're going to really start dialing in that 1 diamond distance on your table. This shot is crucial in game situations when you have to come with a draw shot but only for a short distance. Draw being the more difficult to control between it and follow, this shot may give you some headaches at first. But be encouraged that when you start getting a feel for this kind of accurate control, your game will be much better off for it! In this phase of the warmup our objectives are
Pocket the object ball in the corner pocket with a medium to medium firm stroke
Stun Draw your cue ball back 1 diamond and land it within the jaw lines of the side pocket
Make sure to avoid inadvertent side spin on your cue ball
Much like the stun follow, the stun draw allows us to bring our cue ball back a distance while also making sure to pocket our object ball with authority. Also at this distance it's harder to execute this shot with too soft a speed, especially if you have very dirty or worn cloth. So the stun stroke will have to be a little firmer if that's the case. Either way the same principle reigns true. Make sure to pocket the object ball and keep control of the cue ball over an accurate distance. That's how winning is done! Remember 5 shots and then we move on to the next phase!
4) MAXIMUM FOLLOW
Ok, now it's time to let your stroke out a bit and start testing yourself at high speeds! Until now we've been working on controlled and accurate results with the cue ball. It's time to rev up the engine now that we're close to being fully warmed up and seeing where our stroke is at the moment.
In this phase of the warmup our objectives are
Pocket the object ball in the corner pocket with maximum speed and follow tip position.
Make sure to not put inadvertent side spin (at first)
Follow your cue ball the maximum distance you can
This drill is great because over time you can see how your stroke improves, becomes more fluid, and travels greater distances with ease. It also requires you to be very accurate with your cue delivery because as the speed cranks up on your stroke, whatever imperfections in your delivery tend to be magnified. The high speed means that if you don't hit the pocket purely, then you're going to miss and jar the ball, forcing you to re-spot your shot and shoot it again. For me I typically make the object ball, follow to the head rail, back up table and bounce off the bottom rail. If you have an awesome stroke and a fast table you'll be able to go farther, if you're on a really slow table with dead rails then getting passed the side pockets might be an accomplishment. Take into consideration your playing environment when judging how well you did. If you've never hit a pure max follow shot at a high speed before, when you do nail one it'll feel invigorating to see how well you can move your cue ball and see just where you stack up in ability. It's always gratifying to walk my students through this drill and see their eyes open when they're able, relatively quickly, get passed the side pocket, foot string and even touch the back rail after their first or second session. You've got it in you and can definitely get there with a little practice! Enjoy the added benefits of a strengthened and more accurate stroke in your game! ADVANCED VERSION:
For players who are more developed and with powerful strokes as is, start playing with different types of english with this shot. Shoot this power follow shot with High-Inside spin and see how accurately you can repeat your position and stroke. Do the same for running english and force your cue ball to spin 3-4 rails up table! Stretch your legs, this should be fun.
5) MAXIMUM DRAW
And for the last part of our warmup the Max Draw shot! This is all about pureness of stroke, speed and accuracy. Really the best way to wrap up our 25 straight in shots and open up our stroke for development and the rest of our training session. The objectives for this phase of our warmup are
Pocket the object ball in the corner
Avoid applying inadvertent side spin
Draw your cue ball for maximum distance
This drill is all about progress and seeing your ability, stroke and distance grow over time. It's a great cornerstone to touch on during practice because having a reliable power draw stroke can really help bail you out of trouble in some tricky shots during a tournament. If you're a strong player already and play on a decent table you should be able to draw your rock all the way to the back rail and past the side pocket line like me :). Beginning players take inventory on where your draw stroke gets you and work on improving that each day. If you wanna take some extra time and shoot a few extra on these in order to develop them you most certainly can. I had one student who couldn't believe the cue ball could come back so far during a draw stroke. Being unexperienced at this kind of shot, she doubted if she could even get back to the head string. So I worked with her a little bit and made sure we were keying in on the key components of her stroke that would allow her to succeed. With a few minor adjustments she was drawing back past the head string and nearly clipping the back rail. And that's just after 1 session!! I can't emphasize enough how having this be a standard procedure for you when you come to the pool room will benefit your game. Doing so has so many added benefits and allows you to really get into the mindset that "I'm here to do work" to get better and to achieve. Incorporate this into your routine and watch as your previous limitations start lifting and you start improving overall. As a reference. I've been doing this drill every time I go to practice or warmup for 8 years. Enjoy! For more tips, updates and information please follow my social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. If you have any questions regarding this or other drills don't hesitate to contact me. Also if you are incorporating this into your routine please let me know! Tag me on Facebook or Instagram, or send me an email with your progress and thoughts. Really hope this blesses your game and opens your mind up to a more structured and measured approach to progress and improvement. Best of luck and have an awesome day!
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