The game used to come naturally for me as I grew up with a pool table and I could run out a descent amount of the time. Never really got into advanced forms of setting myself up, but I made up for it some by being excellent at making difficult shots. Then somehow in the last 10 years of not playing very much, my skill went way downhill. Going back to basics like this and mastering simple before more complex seems like excellent advice. I can’t wait to try these drills, and plan to first focus for a while on all balls run out for beginners to get some of my confidence back, then long shots in increments starting shorter to the ball and slowly increasing distance to the ball, and then on the 9 ball drill. Thank you so much for this video!
Excellent advice as always, B. I’m an intermediate/ high intermediate player and just realized that I’ve been trying to get my 7’ draw shot down lately when I am about at the 5’-6’ range right now, so I’m going to follow your advice and not try the 7’ until I get the 5’-6’ down. It’s hard to do where I’m at, in my opinion, because I’m close to being a runout player and want to get there sooo badly. But, as I’ve realized since starting this game about 4 1/2 years ago, there aren’t any “life hacks” or “cheat codes” to getting good. I have to put in the work.
I followed these steps today at practice. Really smart stuff. I do the open rack and if I get to 2 missed balls, I rerack and start over. Also, that’s a boss ass hoodie. 🤟
I always tell beginner players that want my help to spend quality time at the table. They can take a million lessons, but it does no good whatsoever without quality practice. Great video. I'm going to share it for those that need it. I also just joined. Keep up the great content!
So, I've standardized this into a quick session that I can use for myself. I do your 5 racks of 15 random ball run-out, which I call a "5x15". Then I do your 9-ball run-outs, 10 racks of it, ball in hand after the break, run out as many balls as possible. I call it a 9x10. It makes for a nice, easy, compact practice session if I don't have time to do more specific drills for myself, but it gets in a lot of "reps", at least 100-150 over the course of an hour or so. After that, when I have the time, I'll go into more specific drills like speed control or position play. Sometimes I'll pick up some of Niels Feijen's or Tor Lowry's drills, too, to really spice up my practice.
Wow! Thank you…. THANK YOU! Exactly what I needed. I would rate myself as a “low intermediate” mainly because I am consistently inconsistent - so frustrating!! So, back to the basics for me. Again, thank you 👍. GREAT tutorial.
Great Video, I will endeavour to incorporate these types of drills. Although I mostly play snooker I’m sure these ideas will help me. Thanks from Canada. Jim.
Thank you for the upcoming FXBTV 👍getting better at pool is a long process built in small increments. I need to (in the words of Mark Wilson) persist, persist, persist, if I want to be a better player, and always work to improve my stroke.
A good alternative for shooting 9-ball racks, if you don't like 9 ball like myself, is to shoot Saratoga 8-ball racks. Saratoga is basically 8-ball, but you must shoot your group in rotation. It's a great substitute, and it's also great for practicing safety and strategy for all pool games.
Most amateur players can’t get past the first three balls in rotation, - adding the obstacles from an eight ball rack makes it practically impossible - so as much fun as Saratoga is, t is no substitute for simply shooting balls and rotation - otherwise many players will quit after a long series of fails. Putting together a long string of failures is not recommended for any type of practice. But thanks for your comments
HI Brian..Outstanding lesson and as a pro musician it's exactly the same..be disciplined with the basics and you will achieve the freedom you are looking for! Can you tell me on the "8 ball insurance shot" you had (that was real close to the pocket). When I have a ball like that I cannot figure out for the life of me how to hit it (if the cue ball is good distance away ) how and where to hit it to get the cue ball back to roll back across the table?. Seems like whenever I do the cue ball stuns and stays down there.
Pocket hangers require a very high level of skill, and they deceive most people. Old school players say they are the worst enemy of the amateur player, but just a reason you described. I will make a video about getting position from them, for you.
I play with the revo and currently have a victory soft on it. For some reason I’m really not a fan of it. I play decent with it just something about it I don’t like. I played with a kamui black clear medium on my wood shaft. Would you play with a medium tip on carbon fiber? And if so would you add a pad? I’m mid 500’s Fargo if that matters.
Because we break with a break, cue and play with a playing cue - most serious players do not break and play with the same cue. We have specially designed break cues
This is EXACTLY what I needed. I’ve been playing for about a month and love the game. I bought my first cue and am already looking to upgrade. My problem is this … I live in an apartment complex and our table is an unbalanced, very slow 7 foot table. This is important because my main weakness is shots when there’s a lot of distance between CB and OB. Well, that, and CB placement after I make a ball. Well, that, and using spin … but I’ll keep going. Great video. Thx.
@@booboojones2590 I’ll save you a lot of time that I wasted by telling you that cue ball control is the absolute key to getting good. If you play enough, your shot making will come around to be at least manageable, and it will happen through repetition. Cue ball control, on the other hand, takes more work. That’s the reason the pros make it look so easy: they rarely have to shoot hard shots, and that’s because they know where the cue ball is going to go and where it needs to go. If you just started, look up some videos on shot lines. Thats a good place to start in learning cue ball control. FX has some and so do some others. My two favorite instructors are Bryan here at FX and Tor Lowry. I watch others if they have a specific category they’re covering that I think I need, but these two are the best at cutting through all the BS and showing you what you HAVE TO KNOW to get good. Sorry for the unsolicited advice, but you seem enthusiastic about it and I just wanna help a beginner like so many people helped me when I first started.
@@FXBilliards - Thx. Strangely enough I was doing drills similar to what you described and my game is improving but because the table is so slow I’m struggling with spin and CB placement. I recently played on a ‘real’ 8 foot table and it was so different. Guess I’ll just keep chugging along …
Coming Soon FXB TV - Get more information here: fxbilliards.com/fxb-tv
The game used to come naturally for me as I grew up with a pool table and I could run out a descent amount of the time. Never really got into advanced forms of setting myself up, but I made up for it some by being excellent at making difficult shots. Then somehow in the last 10 years of not playing very much, my skill went way downhill. Going back to basics like this and mastering simple before more complex seems like excellent advice. I can’t wait to try these drills, and plan to first focus for a while on all balls run out for beginners to get some of my confidence back, then long shots in increments starting shorter to the ball and slowly increasing distance to the ball, and then on the 9 ball drill. Thank you so much for this video!
Excellent advice as always, B. I’m an intermediate/ high intermediate player and just realized that I’ve been trying to get my 7’ draw shot down lately when I am about at the 5’-6’ range right now, so I’m going to follow your advice and not try the 7’ until I get the 5’-6’ down. It’s hard to do where I’m at, in my opinion, because I’m close to being a runout player and want to get there sooo badly. But, as I’ve realized since starting this game about 4 1/2 years ago, there aren’t any “life hacks” or “cheat codes” to getting good. I have to put in the work.
I like the way you put it because players are always looking for that secret they think is out there. The secret is put in a couple thousand reps.
I followed these steps today at practice. Really smart stuff. I do the open rack and if I get to 2 missed balls, I rerack and start over. Also, that’s a boss ass hoodie. 🤟
Thank you my friend!!!
I always tell beginner players that want my help to spend quality time at the table. They can take a million lessons, but it does no good whatsoever without quality practice. Great video. I'm going to share it for those that need it. I also just joined. Keep up the great content!
Well said!
Thank you. Most people in the know, about billiards, never want to share or teach. They just want to beat you and gloat.
The implementation of that auto tracking camera really adds some production value and dimension to these. Solid purchase.
Thank you we’re always trying to improve
Thank you B. We very much appreciated the time you put into these videos so much value you give us.
My pleasure!
Brian, thank you for this video. It’s really helpful
Im very glad to help. Let me now if there is anything you need.
Thank you very much Brian. My pool game has improved immensely since I subscribed to your channel 2 years ago. God bless you my friend.
Glad to help
Thanks Brian, it was like this video was made exactly for me. Beginning struggler trying to improve.
You got this!
Good advice practice for beginners!
So, I've standardized this into a quick session that I can use for myself. I do your 5 racks of 15 random ball run-out, which I call a "5x15". Then I do your 9-ball run-outs, 10 racks of it, ball in hand after the break, run out as many balls as possible. I call it a 9x10. It makes for a nice, easy, compact practice session if I don't have time to do more specific drills for myself, but it gets in a lot of "reps", at least 100-150 over the course of an hour or so. After that, when I have the time, I'll go into more specific drills like speed control or position play. Sometimes I'll pick up some of Niels Feijen's or Tor Lowry's drills, too, to really spice up my practice.
What a brilliant video and it’s something that’s not talk about a lot!!!
I always wondered how best to practice and this makes perfect sense to me. Thanks Brian.
Happy to help!
Exceptional instruction as always
Thanks again!
Very good refresher on practice versus playing for practice. Appreciate your patient instruction.
I’m grateful that you watched my video. And thank you very much for leaving comments.
Wow! Thank you…. THANK YOU! Exactly what I needed. I would rate myself as a “low intermediate” mainly because I am consistently inconsistent - so frustrating!! So, back to the basics for me. Again, thank you 👍. GREAT tutorial.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent practice drills i really appreciate this video, very helpful for me
Glad it was helpful! Thank you very much for watching
Just became a member... feels good🎉
Thank you
HEY BRIAN TY FOR THE POINTERS AND SUGGESTIONS...
QUALITY PRACTICE IS A PART OF ANY SPORT TEAM OR INDIVIDUAL....
Thanks for great advice. Tracking scores and seeing small improvements is really helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
Love your lighting 👍
Thank you and thank you for taking the time to watch
Great Video, I will endeavour to incorporate these types of drills. Although I mostly play snooker
I’m sure these ideas will help me.
Thanks from Canada. Jim.
Outstanding!
Thanks Brian I do this every day and it definitely makes a difference 👍.
Outstanding. Thanks for sharing
Straight pool logic. Love it!
I appreciate you taking the time to tune in.
Thanks Brian very insightful tips that is overlooked!!!
Thanks
Great instructional video. Thanks Brian.
Glad it was helpful!
True about practicing - in the uk so many people don't practice snooker and wonder why they can't pot one ball
Cool, once again. I have to work on solo. I often find myself getting bad practice in.
Thank you for the upcoming FXBTV 👍getting better at pool is a long process built in small increments. I need to (in the words of Mark Wilson) persist, persist, persist, if I want to be a better player, and always work to improve my stroke.
Yes, I’m very excited about the fxbtv.com project it should be good to go in a week. Thank you for watching
Thank you Brian.
Very welcome
Thank you great information...I'm looking to learn, but I have yet to see any videos on practicing.
More to come! And Fxbtv.com will have an entire section dedicated to beginners and practicing.
A good alternative for shooting 9-ball racks, if you don't like 9 ball like myself, is to shoot Saratoga 8-ball racks. Saratoga is basically 8-ball, but you must shoot your group in rotation. It's a great substitute, and it's also great for practicing safety and strategy for all pool games.
Most amateur players can’t get past the first three balls in rotation, - adding the obstacles from an eight ball rack makes it practically impossible - so as much fun as Saratoga is, t is no substitute for simply shooting balls and rotation - otherwise many players will quit after a long series of fails. Putting together a long string of failures is not recommended for any type of practice. But thanks for your comments
Talkin bout practice
Great videos I’m a beginner any suggestions on a low deflection cue?
A lot depends on your budget.
very cool advice
Glad it was helpful!
HI Brian..Outstanding lesson and as a pro musician it's exactly the same..be disciplined with the basics and you will achieve the freedom you are looking for! Can you tell me on the "8 ball insurance shot" you had (that was real close to the pocket). When I have a ball like that I cannot figure out for the life of me how to hit it (if the cue ball is good distance away ) how and where to hit it to get the cue ball back to roll back across the table?. Seems like whenever I do the cue ball stuns and stays down there.
Pocket hangers require a very high level of skill, and they deceive most people. Old school players say they are the worst enemy of the amateur player, but just a reason you described. I will make a video about getting position from them, for you.
I play with the revo and currently have a victory soft on it. For some reason I’m really not a fan of it. I play decent with it just something about it I don’t like. I played with a kamui black clear medium on my wood shaft. Would you play with a medium tip on carbon fiber? And if so would you add a pad? I’m mid 500’s Fargo if that matters.
It’s always a good idea to experiment with different tips. A medium should be just fine.
Thank you
You're welcome
❤ very good
Thanks 😄
So it doesn’t matter if you don’t alternate solids then stripes, just whatever balls you think you can make next?
Yes, it’s just a way of warming up without having to focus on specific suits
Why did you choose a different stick after the break at 3:39 in the vid?
Because we break with a break, cue and play with a playing cue - most serious players do not break and play with the same cue. We have specially designed break cues
How can i enroll online? I want to improved my skills in pool. Thanks
Visit fxbilliards.com.
I have been shouting this to the players in my areas and for crying out loud they all have excuses about why they can’t!!!
You need to practice drills practice with better players learn the shots you have problems with and own them
Thanks for watching. I appreciate you taking the time. Make sure you are subscribing.
This is EXACTLY what I needed. I’ve been playing for about a month and love the game. I bought my first cue and am already looking to upgrade. My problem is this … I live in an apartment complex and our table is an unbalanced, very slow 7 foot table. This is important because my main weakness is shots when there’s a lot of distance between CB and OB. Well, that, and CB placement after I make a ball. Well, that, and using spin … but I’ll keep going. Great video. Thx.
I’m always glad to help. Let me know if there’s anything you need or would like to see.
@@booboojones2590 I’ll save you a lot of time that I wasted by telling you that cue ball control is the absolute key to getting good. If you play enough, your shot making will come around to be at least manageable, and it will happen through repetition. Cue ball control, on the other hand, takes more work. That’s the reason the pros make it look so easy: they rarely have to shoot hard shots, and that’s because they know where the cue ball is going to go and where it needs to go. If you just started, look up some videos on shot lines. Thats a good place to start in learning cue ball control. FX has some and so do some others. My two favorite instructors are Bryan here at FX and Tor Lowry. I watch others if they have a specific category they’re covering that I think I need, but these two are the best at cutting through all the BS and showing you what you HAVE TO KNOW to get good. Sorry for the unsolicited advice, but you seem enthusiastic about it and I just wanna help a beginner like so many people helped me when I first started.
@@FXBilliards - Thx. Strangely enough I was doing drills similar to what you described and my game is improving but because the table is so slow I’m struggling with spin and CB placement. I recently played on a ‘real’ 8 foot table and it was so different. Guess I’ll just keep chugging along …