How Do Professional Pool Players Practice?

There's a saying amongst many professional pool players: You don't practice until you get it right, you practice until you cannot get it wrong. When people who aspire to become pros wind up stuck at a certain level it is almost always because they are not putting in the time at practice. Practice allows us to gain knowledge about the game, to hone our technique and gain confidence in our shot-making.

If you want to be a pro you have to practice like a pro and that means 8 - 10 hours per day. That's right. Per day. Even if you have natural abilities with a cue you still need to put in the hours because talent will only get you so far. Beyond that point, you will need to rely largely on muscle memory. And the only way to build muscle memory is through practice.

The cross: Set up the balls in a cross shape with one line of balls going lengthwise down the table and the other line of balls going across the table between the middle pockets. Set up the cue ball as you wish and then pot all the balls only in the corner pockets without ever resetting the cue ball.

The circle: Set up the balls in a circle in the middle of the table and then place the cue ball in the centre of the circle. Then try and pot all the balls in any pockets while keeping the cue ball in the middle of the circle.

Long shots drill: Set up a line of balls across the table 1/4 of the way from the end. Then practice potting them in the far corner pockets. Go down the line of balls one at a time, and it's okay to reposition your cue ball after each shot. Continue practising this drill until you can routinely pot all of the balls.

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