It’s that time of the year again! As the leaves turn, the kids go back to school and the fall pool league season begins. Do you have any plans for a better league season this year? Can you improve from last year? Now would be a good time to set some tangible, measurable goals. Maybe we want to move up by one handicap. Maybe we want a higher win percentage. The great thing with league is that someone else is keeping stats for you.

Your kids come home with progress reports that show their development and indicate their areas for improvement. Granted, the league stats won’t identify the shots you miss most often or how many times you play a safety, but most will show ERO’s (Earned Run-Outs) and win-loss percentages. Now remember, our goals must be performance based, not outcome based. If we put in the time, the results will follow. If you play five people in one night that all run the table on you, that was not a result of your performance.

Let’s start with something simple!

Choose a new drill each week to focus on. This should be something that allows you to target a weakness in your game. Perhaps you dislike rail cut shots or have a phobia of draw shots. If you can’t identify your weakness, just ask one of your teammates. Obviously, if one week is not enough time, keep working on it. Don’t move on to another one until you’ve got it. If you’re having trouble with it, ask for help. That’s the only way to improve.

Here’s one that I enjoy. It requires minimal set up and is a great warm-up before leagues or tournaments:

In a perfect rack, the center ball doesn’t move. It’s very common to find the 8 or 9 ball still in the rack area after the break.

In this exercise, set up the 8 ball or 9 ball one ball behind the spot (basically, the same place it gets racked). Shoot the shot with ball in hand in the kitchen. If you find that’s too difficult, move the cue ball closer. Make sure you’re using a very level cue and very little side-spin. Use a deliberate, smooth stroke and try to get the cue ball back to the kitchen area, or close. Re-spot the ball (or another one) and shoot it again from where the cue ball stopped.

You’d be surprised how many times the money ball stays put after the break. The next time you face this game-winning shot you’ll already have it in your arsenal.

Pick up a book, watch a video, surf the internet, or simply read through the rest of this publication. There are so many great resources out there to help you get started. Many of them won’t even cost you a dime!

Please be sure to visit PoolTipJar.com to share stories from your early pool memories.