Drill on an 8-footer?

[phil in sofla]

I have long intended to work through some of the drills in Burt Kinnester's '60 minute workout' and others, but never got it together. For one thing, it's tricky to get a vcr/monitor setup in most pool halls, and when I go to any room I frequent, I usually have someone to play.

Now I have unlimited access to a decent 8-foot table, an Olhausen with new cloth and rails, and readily available to having a vcr/monitor handy, and I'm thinking of working through those drills.

However, the drills are all about making making certain shots that come up all the time, with the cue ball ending up in a specific place, marked by a letter sized paper (center table, near a rail but off it, etc.). Obviously, the speed and stroke English required to get a certain specific place will vary on an 8-footer compared to the 9-footers I always play on, but how much, and would it be so incomparable that the time spent would be wasted?

It might be that learning the speed and hit would be worthless, since it would (likely) leave me some 1/2 foot short or something. Or, maybe the adjustment would be an easy one (just hitting a little harder), so the work put in would still be valuable. Thoughts? TIA.

[dmgwalsh]

I think the work would translate to a larger table. I have a Brunswick VIP Pro 8, which is a bit larger than an eight footer and I've been doing some of Bert's drills on it. When you get on a larger table, it takes a little warm up to get used to it, but a lot of the things I learn work there.

[pooltchr]

The speed of your shot translates into the distance the balls travel. As you practice, you will see the distances as well as the position where the cue ends. Once you can see the distances, your brain will make those adjustments regardless of what size table you are on.

[Eric.]

Hey Phil,

I wouldn't say doing the drills on an 8 ft table is pointless but there is a difference between the 2 tables. For example, IIRC, there is a Bert drill where you have the OB 1 diamond up from the corner pocket, 1 diamond out and the CB center table(Bert or Bob Henning?)

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Shoot the ball into the pocket, then come 2 rails to center table. On an 8 ft, you may need to hit it with low running English to get to center. With a 9 ft table, you might need less low and more running(or something there abouts). There actually is a bit of a difference. Personally, I don't think practising the drill will hurt.

BTW, I think Bert uses a 7ft in his videos.


Eric

[magicman]

his drills are on a 7' bar box with 760 and new hot rubber, many of them change and are different on a 8 or a 9' table, you will have to change the drill or shot to get it to make and work.