Page 1

Set up the One and cue balls as shown. Pocket the One in the side and draw the cue ball straight back, scratching in the side pocket.

Page 2

Do this seven or eight times, until the pocket across from you is too full to accept another ball. If you have a ball return on your table, shoot the whole rack.

Keep track of how you’re doing. Your success rate doesn’t matter at this point, but as your skill improves it’s great for your confidence to see that objectively. Plus, it gives you something to shoot for each session and helps keep the pressure on you to make every single shot count.

Pick up the cue ball, walk around the table and do it again into the other side. This draw version is harder than its follow predecessor but the skils are exactly the same, you’re just learning to apply them when hitting the ball low rather than high. The cue ball also has to travel 5 spots instead of three and still stay on line.

Many people have difficulty with draw that’s more psychological than physical. Even after learning to draw, they’re never sure the ball will come back and that raises the anxiety level, which contributes to a deterioration of both their concentration and stroke. This drill will not only help straighten out your draw, it will help you gain confidence as your consistency goes up and your success rate approaches 100%.

If the cue ball isn’t scratching every time, there are several things you should check:

1. You might not be aiming at the true center of the OB.
2. You might not be hitting the cue ball on the vertical center line.
3. Your alignment might be off and your stick isn’t moving along a path that’s perfectly aligned with the desired path to the OB.

You could have one or more of these, and each is a fundamental flaw which you HAVE to get rid of, right now.

Page 3

If you have an alignment problem, it may manifest itself differently depending on your body’s angle with respect to the table. Without changing the length of the shot, execute it from various different angles.

Page 4

Since there won’t always be a pocket in the right place to scratch into, just place a couple of donuts 50" from the target pocket to represent the scratch target. On the diagram I’ve used the 14 and 15 balls but use donuts, you won’t have to keep putting them back in place and they can’t interfere with your stroke. Put them on opposite sideo of your string (yes, you still to do that, even moreso on these angled shots) and separate them a pocketwidth. They’ll be like goalposts you have to pass through to score.

Don’t forget to practice shooting to the right and left equally.

Page 5

Once you gain basic proficiency, you’ll need to set up the shot into the corners, and between the corners and the sides as on page 3. If you have a perfect stroke when you’re at 90 degrees to the table, but not when you’re at 45, your game will suffer.

You’ll also want to lengthen the shot as your success rate improves. Making the shot tougher will require focus and a stroke honed to perfection, but making these longer ones consistently will put you at the top of your game.