8 Ball Pool - Practice Routines

[@Jude300c]

This is something I've needed to see. I'm an amputee from young age and got interested in pool for sometime, but only ever got a chance to practise twice in my life. Now I'm planning to go to my local hall once a month to practise shooting and finding a way to adapt it to myself. Seeing this will help me structure my shots, help with practising my control and then I can just fun. Bless!

[@rtctchr]

There is an amputee in our local league, he uses the head of a rest instead of his bridging hand and is really good, the only problem you might experience is if you have to bridge over other balls however I'm sure you could use a similar device but with something under it to make it higher

[@orezscript4022]

Nice video. I am Australian u/18 champion and as I find these drills quite simple, they help me improve the more I practice them. Keep up the good work! :)

[@trentboes4482]

oRezscript what’s your name mate

[@TornadoTed]

Thank you for your kind words, couldn't agree more. I got in the Welsh team with a £30 sports shop cue back in the day, it's quality practice that really matters.

[@martyndaly1539]

Great recovery shot at 5:46. I use these techniques to sharpen myself up, it has a built in competitive element to it which helps your match practice too. Great vid

[@JosephByrne]

These are great drills. They really emphasise how important it is to keep some sort of control of the white and how to practice doing that. That's much harder to do if you just play game after game.

[@abdullaibrahim6033]

Thank you very much, this is very helpful. Now how to practice making long shots!.

[@tigerfish66]

Great vid, i used the 15 ball practice 'game' in my youth, played league pool in essex for 28 years and still going, always playing an attacking game, hence i used to practice like this too but without a table at home i used a local social club.....like your use of the corner pockets in pref to the centers, i can relate to that....keep uploading

[@liamgriffin5583]

Quality video mate. Played league pool 20years ago and gave it up. Looking to start playing again and seeing lots of 8ball on you tube. Love the video mate. I want to do something similar. May swipe some ideas.

[@michaelpeake7801]

Hi mate, thanks for the top vid, I was wondering, during ''5 in a row'' the last 3 balls that you pot, are you using english on the ball or just natural spin?

[@TornadoTed]

It's a 7' x 4' table with 2" balls, the white is 1 7/8". That is the standard here in the UK. It is a snooker cue, one piece 16oz with a 8.5mm tip.

[@dnbmania]

May I ask how did you develop your middle finger pointing like Tony Meo? Do you find it helps with your timing as some people find?

[@SteveSmith-gh7ok]

Great table and great video! Looks to have a slow cloth on it, is that right?

[@MinnessotaSlim85]

Great practice routines m8! I'm going give them a try I normally just roll the balls out and practice clearing the table... I find the line up to easy so I like the idea of making it harder by potting all the reds then yellows and black. I may even try it like your 15 ball version 2 and keep the white ball one side of the table.

[@aronjames3803]

My eyes could be playing tricks but this guy looks a lot like someone i know in one of the pool leagues I play in, I could be wrong by a long way but his name also gives me the thought, if it the guy I am thinking of i thank this guy so much as I've been using these practice routines since i started playing 3 years ago

[@TornadoTed]

Newtown?

[@aronjames3803]

That's the one! Knew my eyes weren't playing tricks :D

[@V3GAS4CE]

These drills look great. Nice and challenging, yet simple to remember. I agree with phdfraffiti too. My standard of pool was a lot higher when I had my own table and would practice every day with a cue that cost me £4, than it is now with a £150 cue, just because I don't play as often. To be a great player, you have to put in the time.

[@TornadoTed]

Thanks for the kind words. I hope to get some first to 10 matches filmed next year once I have finished renovating my house and my new baby is al ittle less needy!

[@nuttyboy11]

Don't know if it's a pool 'thing' but i pause at the cue ball rather in the back stroke also..... I've also tried the pigskin tips and hated them with a passion... Back with my trusted Elkmaster.... Great clip and a good looking potting table... :) NB11

[@skzy_music]

Interesting. i was studying your stroking technique and noticed you pick up your middle finger on your bridge hand and tap it on the table while pre stroking, Is there a particular reason or just a habit?

[@TornadoTed]

Just a habit, I don't do it all the time, usually only when concentrating hard. A snooker player called Tony Meo used to do it all the time!

[@chrislane3375]

I just joined a league and have just been setting up rack after rack when I play on my own . These drills are exactly what I've been looking for . I'm an above average player but I can't seem to quite get to the elite level . Maybe these drills and others like it will improve my positioning play . I can pot just about anything , but I seem to struggle at times to get the proper positioning during a game . Thx for the tips . I'll start tomorrow working on them . Much appreciated .

[@TornadoTed]

I really hope they help you, good positional play makes everything easier particularly when the pressure is on. Pool at the highest level is about consistency in every aspect of your game, position, cueing, potting and concentration. I played for Wales for 7 years, gave up in 2009. I can still play as well as I did then on a good day but I get one of those 4-5 days out of 10 now, it was 7-8 days out of 10 back then when I was practicing regularly.

[@simon8126]

I don't know if you maybe do this already but when I practice, I play as if I am playing an imaginery opponent, so if i pot on the break, I shoot that group until I miss, then switch to the other group, this is a great help for practicing positional play, but you can also practice safeties and snooker, and how to escape them. They must work at least for me, as usually when I play on the table at my local social club, I maybe usually win one or two games max, but with all the practice I had been doing, the other week, I managed to win four in a row, practicing this way, to me is more natural, I still do drills if there is something I need to work on though.

[@TornadoTed]

My brain must be really screwy because I know a lot of people who practice like that but I just can't. I end up rooting for one of the imaginary me's and hoping the other one misses!!! That's why I like these practice routines and 14 to 1 and just trying to get the highest score possible. I do play best of 19 also where I win the frame if I clear from the break or from the 1st visit on a dry break and lose the frame if I don't. It is harder than it sounds to clear the table first visit 10 times out of 19.

[@Zombies8MyPizza]

I don't like to just run racks either. I never felt like I learn as much as I do doing drills as they allow you to fine-tune your skills in a methodical manner. If I'm gonna run racks then it'll be nine-ball as it's a game where there aren't loads of balls everywhere and you're just focusing on playing position on a specific ball and learning patterns, and even then I don't just try to break and run but rather lay the balls out myself so that the balls are laid out in a position where I can actually run out. If I screw up a shot then I'll set it up again and again until I can make the pot and position 5x in a row, then I'll move on. Always best to hit shots you struggle with over and over again until you can play them consistently, I find, of course making a mental note of what you did wrong in each shot and adjusting accordingly. If it's the sort of shot that comes up quite often in a match then it's one you want get into the memory bank.

[@gorganblade433]

dam yeah thats some cool drills i will try them out i have just started getting into comps and stuff so this will help alot thanx for posting it

[@TornadoTed]

I played for Wales B for 7 years at Blackball rules, packed in 3 years ago. I think if I played Mick Hill I would be delighted to get to 10!

[@jakeward6650]

Most of the shots you play in this video for position towards the beginning are just quiet screwbacks. I can't seem to master this, although I can play to a higher standard than you might think just from avoiding using this shot for position. Any tips?

[@TornadoTed]

Being aware of your limitations is a good thing for a pool player to have, I see too many players over complicating the game all the time. One of the best pool players I know has a poor cue action and more often than not misses if he has to hit anything hard, he just makes sure that he rarely has to! With screw back shots you really have to get the cue through the white ball even on soft screw shots, so many players jab at that type of shot and don't follow through enough. A good trick is to set up a straight pot with say a foot between white and object ball, imagine the white isn't there and and instead imagine hitting the object ball with your tip, of course you don't hit the object ball with your tip but that really helps to make sure you get the cue through the white ball properly. Hard to explain but it does work.

[@debury]

Regarding the 15 balls routines, is there a particular order you set them up in or is it just random? Great vid, btw. Definitely gonna try those out soon. Definitely need to sort out some of my long potting.

[@PunkManouche]

Hi Ed.. Great vid.. Just a rookie question.. I'm about to apply your routines this afternoon.. What are the mesurements of the spaces on that big ruler you are using at the beginning.. Is there anyway to make it up with balls or fingers? Thanks...

[@grantloveridge]

Very Nice cueing,,you play with a very nice weight, very good cue power! whats your highest break on a full size snooker Table?

[@middletonlandscapes]

thankyou very much for this. Can't help noticing though that this table is incredibly slow!

[@hawktime]

+Toby Bear Thats exactly what i thougt,i was wondering what kind of ridiculous magic stun spin he uses to kill the white :D Slowest table i have ever seen. On a Diamond table that i use those kind of shots would go round the table.. Good practice though.

[@TornadoTed]

+Ville Mäkinen Are you guys playing on speed cloths or something? Yes sure it could do with an iron, that would speed it up a bit but it's a Hainsworth tournament cloth and is not that slow at all.

[@someguywhocanfly]

I dunno man, how many tables have you played on? Looks very slow to me, and I play mostly on tables covered in beer stains.

[@TCMontageProductions]

try samonis 860 cloth, thats the fastest cloth there is.

[@MikeyD22]

Nice drills but my god, I've seen faster astro turf.

[@Poloman134]

Really appreciate this!! :) ....been doing these for a good couple of weeks now and slowly improving at them, so thank you for that :)

[@bevins69]

awesome! best pool video i've seen on here ..... added to my favourites .....

[@JamesBFC]

Great shot at 8:20 using the knuckle!

[@matthee2248]

+Ed Lewis Hi, can you please tell me the name of the first song and the band. Thanks

[@TornadoTed]

Generally the game at the top end of County now is very attacking. That Llanelli team do have some older more experienced players from the 'old school' who would maybe play more safety than the younger generation coming through, you wouldn't get much safety from Swansea Valley or Newport in the Premiership. Apart from a handful of exceptional potters in Wales who can pretty much pot their way out of any trouble the best players have a balanced all round game.

[@TornadoTed]

Yeah my table at home in the barn, I built a very basic timber frame and screwed insulation sheets to it. Nice finish by the way.

[@stevensimms1749]

Why are people commenting on the speed of the table. If you leave yourself in position to play stun shots then your eliminating the need for the ball to travel a long way where the speed of the table would make a difference. When you watch a good player notice how 9 out of 10 the shot is an easy shot potting is the easy part cue ball positioning is the skill and these drills are perfect to practice that.

[@TornadoTed]

Hi, To be honest I consider my cue action fairly poor and reached the level I did despite it! I know the theory behind a good cue action though, pause on the back swing and follow through the white while keeping the head down are the 3 most important things in my opinion. I will look into maybe doing a coaching video at some point in the future perhaps, at the moment I am extremely busy with a 5 day old baby :o)

[@MrBonosi]

ed lewis may you please upload a video of your cue stick delivery,i used to deliver it well for me untill i learned on youtube videos how to deliver and i lost it along the way i dont have a perfect stroke and cue delivery any more and i would like to learn how to deliver like you.thanx

[@moooohaz]

Thanks for this great video! Just the quick question. What to do if you miss? Do you repeat jut the one shot or the whole routine until you finish all?

[@emoxxxskater]

i live in north wales and want to play more tornements whats the best place to find were all the torememnts are held ??????

[@TornadoTed]

Hazelgrove Superleague, out of a pub who were 'upgrading' their tables, it cost me £200. I love the old Superleague tables, they will last forever with a bit of TLC.

[@DaleQuest]

Excellent routines, have helped my game no end. There are 2 questions I have, though; 1) I have a slight disability and find my bridge keeps collapsing causing fouls and all sorts. Would you have any tips for helping my bridge as currently it is stopping me from playing competitively. 2) What are the names of the songs in this video? :') Thankyou! Keep up the good work :)

[@unsaidoath]

Hello, Great video, would you please tell me what the band is in the background!? They're amazing

[@TornadoTed]

If for example I miss the 8th ball I score 7 and go to the next routine. It is harsh because one miss on your 2ns ball can lose you 14 points! The maximum score is 77. I used to play it 5 times as week and then take an average. I would generally average around 60 when I was playing well. Of course you can play it however you like and if you feel setting up the missed ball again and retrying would benefit you then go for it.

[@ZZeraschi]

Where in wales are you from? Do you give lesson's i am 30 years old i started playing pool a year and half ago and i really wanna improve! I do practice on my own and when i dont get the cue ball do go where i want it to go i get wound up and stop playing

[@Sharivari]

This video is so simple, just a few helping drills with music.. and has so many views. And I have so many high quality stuff with under 1k views.. haha, im doing something wrong :D

[@TornadoTed]

Cheers for the cueing tip theone225. I am too long in tooth and play very little now, too late for me to go ironing out my many bad habits!

[@321fabi]

how big is the pool table and how much space is needed for the cue ... are the balls as large as in snooker

[@monkeyboi282]

What happens if you miss a shot? Do you respot it or leave it where it ended up? You make it look so easy haha

[@TornadoTed]

If I pot 7 balls and then miss, that is it, I score 7 and move on to the next routine. The total possible is 77 so just try to get the highest score you can. When I started I would do it 10 times over a week or so and take an average. I started averaging around 50, then 55, then 60, it's easier that way to see how you are improving over time.

[@8Kryptos8]

Thank you for making this. I am excited to go and practice. Great Video.

[@SplashArt2024]

Great video ED nice play too. I am getting a table installed soon and your routines will get well used. I

[@DWillyStudio]

what song is this? its awesome ]

[@ZZeraschi]

Awesome! I play pool also but my wakness is my positioning i can pot the balls but i make it harder for myself with the next shot if i didnt get the white ball where i wanted it

[@GeminiiMiind]

What are the names of the songs?!

[@qbb01]

A harder drill is to set up the balls the same way but start at the middle and not let the white ball touch the sides of the table or another ball. Extremely hard drill requiring impeccable position.

[@RandomJoole]

Thanks for these tips, gonna try them all the next time I go to practice :) Btw I love to do 15 balls version 1, except after last ball I just set up the 15 balls again without touching the white and try to continue the combo ;)

[@repsejy]

May I ask what is the table's size? Anyway thanks for the great video! Excellent drills!

[@TornadoTed]

Thank you. The table is 7' x 4', standard UK 8 ball size.

[@repsejy]

@@TornadoTed thanks!

[@beccullity]

Nice video bud. quality drills. Is this your own coin op table at home? im jealous! I miss playing english pool, i live in australia now, still play 3 or 4 nights a week in teams, the tables here in sydney are all square cut pockets on 7fts so it makes the games a bit more attacking which is good and bad i guess. Anyways, have a look on my page at a break and run i did last week, leave a comment if you would! thanks again mate.

[@ZZeraschi]

Shame cos you would make a awesome pool teacher any advice on how to beat nerves during the game because when i play a match i get all panicky because i know who the player is and i know he is a very very good player i just think right i am going to lose and end up doing awful shots?

[@thebuldge1]

fantastic ball control. ive made a note of this video, ill have to practice more!

[@benlufc]

table looks a touch slow. great practice routines tho. I have used the same for many years, defo brings your game on far more than just playing

[@stevesmith4910]

really good drills!!! any chance of a copy of the music as well??

[@basementbilliards7879]

Thanks for the drills! ive been using these to practice

[@P714EVN]

Nice vid m8, And I think you have great cueing, BTW what size and type tip was that ? Look's tiny.

[@GobiLux]

Why do I see so many pool- and snooker-players tip the table with a finger while taking the shot? Is it just a thing or does it actually have a purpose?

[@kristiannissen1629]

i'm playing on a much faster, nylon table, would you say this drill is executed the same way on such table?

[@attilakassai2292]

Thank you very much for this video! ☺ It helps me a lot!

[@dansharpie]

stay within the circle !!!!

[@TornadoTed]

I have a copy somewhere but it is archived on a hard drive. Best thing to do is contact their latest project, Formation Flying and I'm sure they will sort you out. Same guys except a new drummer and minus female lead singer. I am not allowed to post links but if you type in Formation Flying on Facebook that will get you to them.

[@johnufuoma7882]

Great cue ball control, nice practice drill...

[@bobjoe66]

Very helpful and gave me a few ideas for my own drills

[@TornadoTed]

I'm not sure about strengthening your bridge hand, maybe one of those hand strengtheners that guitar players use could help. I can't remember the name of the songs off the top of my head, they were a Welsh band I recorded years ago that aren't together any more.

[@TornadoTed]

My tip seems to naturally go to quite a dome after I have played with it for a while, I have no idea wh!. I use pig skin tips and cheap blue chalk, pig skin tips don't seem to like the usual light blue/green stuff most people use.

[@PoolSchool]

Great set of routines, I use these all the time and have definitely seen an improvement. Still really struggle with the cross one where you can't use the middle pockets though, I'll keep practicing!

[@TornadoTed]

I'm glad they are helping you. Yeah the cross is by far the hardest of the routines. I actually had a go at this the other night for the first time in over a year (baby distraction) and I got maximum score on all the routine including the cross but messed up and only got 2 on the circle for a respectable but disappointing 67.

[@PoolSchool]

Still pretty good, I'd be more than happy with that! I know the feeling, I'll be half way through a routine and my daughter will come along and shove all the balls across the table!!

[@bencasselton7339]

Who’s the band playing in this video? Sounds awesome 😎😁

[@TornadoTed]

They are a band I recorded years ago called Who Saw Who, unfortunately they have long since split up.

[@uhhhype7255]

How much did you pay for your table, i'm really considering getting a 8 ball pool table for my house ?

[@MegaThegin]

is it a snooker cue you are playing with?

[@anthonycooper5877]

hi Ed great video and skill, nice table hope you are well.

[@andy00miha]

Just wondering do you ever play a killer game in a pub or elsewhere? :)

[@WyKeCWJ]

Thanks for the vid, it will be a great help for an amateur like me :)

[@kristiannissen1629]

What do i do if i miss a shot? do i set it up again untill i make it?

[@TornadoTed]

I haven't played much snooker, played once a week for 6 months or so and top break was 56.

[@meltingpoint97]

First song?

[@TornadoTed]

That is a band I recorded called Who Saw Who from Mid Wales, sadly they have split since.

[@MrSharpe95]

gr8 vid!! given me some practice routines to do many thx

[@kongbomb713]

Wat if u miss a ball do u start over?

[@martyndaly1539]

Yeah. That's half of the brilliance of it. You have to concentrate 100% on every ball which helps you to deal with match pressure

[@spriggo786]

how far are the balls spaced? 1 ball width?

[@TornadoTed]

We quite often play killer after a match in my local league.

[@angelomanero9782]

whos the band singing in the back?? sound sick

[@Murd3rD0lls34]

what is song please?

[@sectorbfd1234]

what the first song? band and name of song please people?

[@andy00miha]

Like your video very much! I will try to practice and improve my chance of wining game of killer lol

[@TornadoTed]

I just look at the balls and nothing else, with practice you can forget about your opponent altogether. I think nerves can be a good thing, when I feel nothing I generally play poorly, a few nerves help me concentrate.

[@jalee6587]

I cant make it half way through without setting up the cue wrong.or missing.

[@rstarr910]

Great drills!!

[@TornadoTed]

I'm right in the middle. I don't have the time unfortunately, I have given loads of people advice over the years but I don't even get the time to play myself anymore, life is too hectic!

[@TornadoTed]

No not that slow, standard wool cloth though so if you are used to nylon clothes then it would appear slow.

[@BankTheTwoBall]

Your too good to be a basic pub player you must either play World, Old EPA, Federation or Black Ball Rules. I think top players use Supreme tables. If you played Mick Hill @ World Rules for 10 grand a man Best Of 41 would he beat you about 21-19 or more like 21-9? I'm only asking so I can have an idea of how good you are in a standard game of pool, but you would destroy me for cash though. I played for London County 'C' Team @ W/R and you? Great practise routine video mate.

[@trys9262]

cheers this was a nice vid to watch :-)

[@videos4uman]

I also love the music but can't find their myspace. :(

[@ekips1988]

im sure these are great drills for snooker but pool is more about shape not just constantly drawing the ball...

[@1988Carlsberg]

This table looks really slow, is it?

[@TornadoTed]

Not particularly really. It is a Hainsworth match cloth, would speed up a fair bit with an iron though.

[@SuperTinkerhell]

1988Carlsberg Thats what i was thinking lol...the white just seems to grind to a sudden halt