Billiards Sports

10/17/2026

🎱 THE SPEED CONTROL TEST MOST POOL PLAYERS FAIL

If I asked you to leave the cue ball somewhere within a foot of your intended position, could you do it?

Probably.

But what if I gave you a target the size of a playing card?

Could you still do it consistently?

That’s where the difference between having cue ball control and having PRECISION cue ball control becomes obvious.

One of the most overlooked weaknesses in pool isn’t aiming, stroke mechanics, or even pattern selection.

It’s SPEED CONTROL.

And here’s the part many players don’t realize:

You can make every ball in a pattern and still make your runout significantly harder simply by leaving the cue ball six inches away from where it needed to be.

Think about that.

Six inches might not seem like much.

But six inches can be the difference between:

🎯 A natural angle and a nearly straight-in shot.

🎯 A simple follow shot and having to force the cue ball around the table.

🎯 An easy transition and running directly into traffic.

🎯 Having multiple positional options and being forced into one difficult route.

🎯 A routine runout and a desperate recovery shot.

The difference between good position and GREAT position is often measured in inches, not feet.

And this brings us to something every serious player should understand.

🔥 THERE ARE THREE LEVELS OF SPEED CONTROL.

LEVEL 1: GENERAL POSITION

You know where you want the cue ball to go, and you can usually get it into the general area.

You’re making balls, but your next shot often requires an adjustment you hadn’t planned.

You’re constantly recovering instead of flowing naturally through the rack.

LEVEL 2: POSITIONAL ZONES

Instead of aiming for a general area, you start identifying specific zones that give you favorable angles.

You understand that being on the correct side of the next ball is often more important than being close to it.

You begin controlling cue ball speed based on the position you actually need.

LEVEL 3: PRECISION AND MARGIN FOR ERROR

This is where advanced cue ball control becomes a serious advantage.

You recognize when a small target is necessary and when a larger landing zone gives you a higher percentage of success.

You understand how speed, spin, cushion response, and table conditions influence where the cue ball finishes.

And most importantly?

You don’t just know where you WANT the cue ball to stop. You understand how to give yourself the best chance of getting there.

🎱 NOW HERE’S A SIMPLE DRILL THAT WILL EXPOSE YOUR SPEED CONTROL.

Place the cue ball near the head string on an open table.

Choose a specific target spot near the foot end of the table.

Using only a center-ball stroke, send the cue ball toward the foot cushion and attempt to bring it back to rest within a small target zone near the head string.

Start with a target approximately 12 inches wide.

Once you can consistently finish inside that zone, reduce it to 6 inches.

Then 3 inches.

Take 10 attempts at each level and record your results.

Keep the same starting position, cushion route, and table conditions throughout the test.

Don’t count how close you came. Count how many times you actually finished inside your target.

You’ll quickly discover something important.

It’s relatively easy to make the cue ball travel approximately the right distance.

It’s much harder to make it travel that distance repeatedly with precision.

And that’s exactly why this drill matters.

But here’s the advanced lesson:

The goal of position play isn’t to make the cue ball stop on a dime every time. It’s to recognize when precision is necessary and when a larger landing zone is the smarter choice.

Sometimes the best position is a tiny window.

Other times, the smartest route gives you two feet of acceptable space.

Strong players understand the difference.

Because real cue ball control isn’t about making the cue ball do something impressive.

It’s about making the NEXT shot easier, the NEXT decision simpler, and the entire rack more manageable.

🔥 A player who controls the cue ball within inches doesn’t have to rely on spectacular shotmaking nearly as often.

And that is one of the biggest advantages precision can give you.

💭 LET’S PUT THIS UP FOR DISCUSSION:

When you play position, are you aiming for a specific landing spot, a defined positional zone, or simply trying to get somewhere close?

And for the instructors and advanced players here:

What’s your favorite drill for developing truly consistent cue ball speed control?

👇 Let’s hear it. Someone reading your answer might find exactly what they’ve been missing in their game.

10/17/2026

10/14/2026

🎱 7 MISTAKES THAT KEEP GOOD POOL PLAYERS FROM BECOMING GREAT ONES.

Some players spend YEARS at the same skill level. They practice, compete, buy better equipment, and put in countless hours at the table.

Yet their game barely improves.

The problem isn’t always a lack of talent or practice. Sometimes it’s the habits they’ve developed without even realizing it.

Here are 7 habits worth paying attention to, no matter how long you’ve been playing.

1️⃣ Practicing what you’re already good at.

Running racks and pocketing comfortable shots feels productive. But improvement comes from identifying what consistently costs you games and working on THAT.

2️⃣ Judging a shot only by whether the ball went in.

A made ball doesn’t automatically mean it was a good shot. You can pocket the object ball and leave yourself absolutely nothing. Evaluate your cue ball control and decision-making, not just the result.

3️⃣ Changing something every time you miss.

One missed shot doesn’t mean your stance, grip, bridge, or stroke is broken. Constantly changing your mechanics can destroy consistency. Look for patterns before making adjustments.

4️⃣ Playing every shot like you’re supposed to run out.

Knowing when NOT to attack is just as important as knowing how to pocket balls. A well-executed safety can win you a game that an unnecessary offensive shot would lose.

5️⃣ Letting one bad shot affect the next three.

The mistake already happened. Carrying frustration into your next opportunity only makes it more expensive. Learn to reset before you approach the table again.

6️⃣ Confusing playing time with quality practice.

Playing for five hours doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve improved for five hours. Thirty focused minutes addressing a specific weakness can accomplish more than hours of mindlessly hitting balls.

7️⃣ Blaming the table, equipment, or rolls before examining your decisions.

Conditions absolutely matter. But if every loss has an excuse, there’s very little room left for improvement. Players who take responsibility for what they CAN control improve faster.

🎯 HERE’S THE PART MOST PLAYERS NEED TO HEAR:

You don’t necessarily need a new cue.

You don’t always need a different aiming system.

And you definitely don’t need to rebuild your entire stroke after every bad match.

Sometimes the biggest improvement in your game comes from correcting habits you’ve stopped noticing.

The hardest part about getting better isn’t always learning something new.

It’s being willing to recognize what you’ve been doing wrong for years.

📌 SAVE THIS and revisit it when your game feels stuck.

🔄 SHARE IT with someone who’s serious about improving.

👇 LET’S HEAR IT: Which of these 7 mistakes do you see MOST often in pool players and which one took YOU the longest to overcome?

10/14/2026

08/08/2026

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DboeaPIDScW/?igsh=MW55eXIwdnJ3ZXNuZg==

08/06/2026

04/19/2026

Cancer Walk by the

Kappa Youth & Community Foundation

At ROC Financial Solutions, we love to see our family of investors giving back to their communities! Please help in this very importatnt fundraising drive against cancer!

The Gaithersburg-Rockville (MD) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi - Kappa Youth & Community Foundation is raising funds to help cure cancer. Funds will support donations made to the Bladder Cancer Awareness Network, the Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation, and to support community outreach in Montgomery County.



Date: Saturday, May 9 @ 9:30 am



Location: Black Hill Regional Park - Boyds, MD

The Gaithersburg-Rockville (MD) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi - Kappa Youth & Community Foundation is raising funds to help cure cancer. Funds will support donations made to the Bladder Cancer Awareness Network, the Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation, and to support community outreach....