The game of 8-ball requires good timing; this is only achieved through long hours of practice. It has been said this is only possible by getting fired from your job, getting a divorce and be willing to starve.
Wrong.You don't have to give up your life to enjoy 8-Ball and even be good at it. Practice is the key, but don't let it dominate your life.
1. Practice at home as soon as you can
Having a table at home is not only desirable, it is essential if you are going to make substantial improvement in your game as you need to complete consistent, progressive practice drills. This means commitment.
One vital exercise is the stop shot. This is important in helping you gain position for your next shot as it keeps the cue ball where you know it will be.
Set this up by placing the target ball about two feet out from the second diamond and the cue ball on the same line back beyond mid-table. The object is to pocket the target ball in the corner and stop the cue ball at the point of impact so it replaces the target ball.
Repeat this 50 times a day until you have it mastered and the cue ball doesn't roll forward or bounce off in any direction.
There are many other drills here which will find improve your 8-Ball performance. Check out The Monk's famous 2-7-2 series, for instance.
Most Casual Players you find playing 8-Ball are struggling to make the shot in front of them and really don’t think much about it.
I believe in knowing what I will be doing next. In the beginning, I'll say this cost me a few shots, but by starting early in my desire to move the cue ball to a particular spot after impact with the object ball, I started to see not only ways to do this, but also learned there are immutable laws of physics at play in these collisions.
I learned very early from The Monk that center table is the best spot to be shooting from on your next shot as it provides the most possible targets. Getting back to center table is not as difficult as you might imagine. Take a look at the 2-7-2 series of drills. They are designed to do just that.
Getting to center table can remove the indecision of not knowing what to do next. Make this drill series a center point of your practice and remove the doubt regarding your next shot.
3. Concentration
There are four areas where your focus must be acute if you plan on sinking the shot in front of you.
- · Your target on the cue ball must be burned into your brain For the most part concentrate on center ball hits. Your target isn't just the middle of the cue ball; it is its very core. Before you pull the trigger you must be certain you will hit your cue ball target.
- · Now the object ball. You must know where you want to hit it for the intended line to the pocket. This to needs to be burned into your brain, but only after you have the cue ball target committed because you are not going back for a sneak peak at the cue ball target. Your focus now is entirely on the object ball and its point of impact.
- · You must be aware of the type of stroke you will use for this shot. This has a lot to do with where you want the cue ball after impact with the object ball. Your stroke determines the path the cue ball will take. The Monk often says "The stroke minus the interference equals the shot". Clear from your mind any lingering doubts about your ability and any reliance on factors out of your control, i.e., how would a pro shoot this shot? If you are not ready to deliver the stroke, pull away and restart with your pre-shot routine.
- · Few give much thought to speed, especially in Casual Play. They have never been aware of how hard you have to hit the cue ball to make it go from one end of the table to the other and return. You will have a lot more "lucky shots" when the object ball is traveling just fast enough to get to the target pocket.
The game of 8-Ball requires you to think on your feet, and to have a plan. Because you do not have a numerical shot progression like in 9-Ball, instead, you have freedom of choice. This freedom requires much more discipline. For instance stay on your high side, don't attempt low percentage shots. If faced with nothing but low percentage shots, start thinking safety.
Where possible, clear all of your trouble balls early without having to attempt a low percentage shot.
Give up nothing! Giving up the table with several of your balls remaining makes it difficult on your opponent. You are not there to make it easy for him or her.
Stay away from your opponents balls. Don't even think of using them in a combination shot (it’s against the rules), but keep from striking them on the rebound.
5. Can you Runout?
Running a rack in 8-Ball is easy if you have practiced it hundreds of times. You need a good ball spread and your stop shot must be dead on.
The third key element is having a plan for the runout. You'll never here anyone say "Whoops, I accidentally ran those five balls".
If you have a runout in mind you must relax. With an open spread, take the time to plan the route of your attack. Walk around the table and see the pocket for each ball and what the succession must be.
6. The Inner Game
This is the inner game at play. We need to conquer it before it conquers us.
We address battling the inner mind in more detail elsewhere, but you need to be aware of its influence, even in casual play. Concentrate on the shot at hand. It is the only thing you can do. No one ever manages a runout without focusing on the shot in front of them.
The plan is important, but it must not replace your concentration on this important shot in front of you.
Survival in 8-Ball is all about who has the advantage. There can be outside influences weighing on your opponent’s mind that will block his winning ways to the point you have an advantage over a superior player. Take it. Use it.