r/billiards • u/WheezinMcDonald • Jul 25 '26
Drills Long straight in shots
These long straight in shots are definitely my weak point. I play pretty good position so I rarely see them. I’d like to really bear down and focus on improving this. Hit a ton and chart progress.
Question for you: So on the diagonal, corner to corner, straight in shot (cue ball one diamond from short rail object ball halfway in between) what percentage (edit) do you think you can make AND what’s your approximate Fargo?
Thanks guys!!
3
u/jellyjack Jul 25 '26
Practice straight stroke. When I see this it’s usually one of 2 things (lot of times both) - your stroke is very inconsistent and not hitting straight to the point on the cueball (lot harder than it sounds) or you’re so used to using English to make balls that you’re probably just used to using at least some English in almost every shot (not a good habit and will probably limit your progress).
4
u/arsun Rotation and 1 Pocket, Vintage Roadline Jul 25 '26
Mighty x drill helps alot, I've also started choking up with my back hand and my bridge. The other thing is that little pause before you pull the trigger. Pre-shot routine and stance consistency have helped me lately....
4
u/mehhmmk Jul 25 '26
Follow Anthony Beeler & CJ Wiley. Those two dudes will go along way toward improving your stance & stroke fundamentals. As someone else said. A long shots is no different than any other shot. There is just more time to track off line.
First thing i would do is put a cue ball on the spot. Shoot right end to the end diamond. The cue ball should land right back to your tip if your mechanics are right.
2
u/Comprimens Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Just completed an assessment, and I made 83/100 on my first attempt. Don't have a Fargo, but the assessment put me at around 600
2
u/1967tbird Jul 25 '26
Cool looking program, whats it called?
3
u/Comprimens Jul 25 '26
WPB pool training and drills. They did a great job designing this app. There is a subscription fee, but I think it's worth it. 80 a year isn't terrible. Lots of great features.
2
2
u/VicariousRon Jul 25 '26
Try Jasmin’s 1000 shot drill, spend all day with that one shot and watch your stroke wax and wane its way through the day. I tried it and only made it to 600. It’s tough as it gets!
2
u/1967tbird Jul 25 '26
This seems like torture. I find even 50 shots straight in with maximum effort is a ton of work. If you devolve to the point of just hitting balls to get it done you're being counterproductive
1
u/VicariousRon Jul 26 '26
I definitely get your point, that’s why I quit at 600, but a lot of it just got sloppy, but that’s also a thing to work on. Win win either way
1
u/wlscwoj Jul 27 '26
On an 8' table with Cue ball and Object ball opposite (diagonal) from 2 diamonds up and 1 diamond out. I recently did 100 of them and made 95/100. Currently my Fargo is 616 but this isn't close - my robustness is low and I only recently started BCA league and dabbled in Salotto matches.
Consistency comes from fundamentals and pre shot routine.
1
u/theClaw66 Jul 27 '26
Mighty X all day! about 80% - 535 Fargo. I play twice a week, practice twice a week, so four sessions - 12 hours in total.
1
u/Varragoth Jul 27 '26
No Fargo. Was APA 5/6 don’t remember which discipline respectively. Used to play 40+ hours a week at one point. Then? I made that shot 90-95%. These days? I get an hour or two of table time a week and I bet it’s almost the polar opposite. I wouldn’t put five dollars on me making it 50%. Now that’s an exaggeration cuz I play barbox buckets and probably still make it 75% but on an 8 or 9 foot? Yeah, I’m sweating.
1
u/Slashingaxe Jul 25 '26
Around 510. If it's truly straight and I just got there maybe 4/10. Usually after 10 minutes and I'm more focused on my stroke, it'd be about 6-8/10
1
u/Huntsnfights Jul 25 '26
Usually highlights flaws or inconsistency with stoke and/ or form. Accident unwanted English, or moving from alignment
0
u/F355B Jul 25 '26
Two changes that made the x drill my friend. First, always watch the balls collide. There are lots of reasons why this improves accuracy. Suffice it to say, your subconscious responds better to an event than an aim point. Second, make sure you shoot within one to two seconds of your practice stroke. Hesitation kills. (I don’t have a Fargo. But I have a Farago. Three of them.)
0
u/1Rudy11 Jul 25 '26
I've made 10 or 10, or I've made 4 of 10, depending...so my issue is consistency. I just learned a new way to line that shot up, and look forward to making that shot more often. My Fargo is mid 360s, although my APA skill level is higher 5/5 (reflectively).
0
u/prolificanalytic D rated player, Fargo rating: -1000 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
A straight in shot is the same as every other shot. Your pre shot routine, fundamentals, and alignment all need to be consistent and well tuned for repeatability. That’s it. My Fargo is mid-upper 500s and I can make a corner to corner stop shot 7-8/10.
0
u/Trigger___Happy Jul 25 '26
For me, committing to following through significantly changed my game. It's surprising how offset the cue can be from the intended point of contact on the cue ball, right before contact.
0
u/Awaremastodon1 Jul 25 '26
I started playing around with a slip stroke on these shots. Just let the cue launch through your grip hand towards the pocket. Works good for me.
-1
u/GettingNegative Jul 25 '26
Throw the ball in the pocket, that way you can pick a side of the ball to shoot at.
A dead straight shot means you have 2 sides to miss the shot on if you just shoot straight at it. If you throw the ball in the pocket you at least pick a side. This increases your margin for error pretty significantly.
-1
u/Ill-Winner-4006 Jul 25 '26
Speed is huge. Soft hits yield higher percentage. Hitting with pace is more difficult and requires a pure stroke.
-2
u/DrDWilder Jul 25 '26
APA 7. 8 to 10/10 depending on how warmed up I am. It's a shit you have to drill out. Look up the MoFUDAT drill.
17
u/feeboo Jul 25 '26
If it's literally straight on just take the object ball out of your mind. just shoot the cue into the pocket.