Practice Drill

The Ladder Drill

Foundational

The Drill

Pure stop-shot drill at increasing distances. The OB starts one diamond in front of the cue ball; you pocket it with a stop shot, move the OB back one diamond, and repeat until the OB reaches the foot rail. Miss anywhere and you start over from rung one.

Setup

Cue ball on the head spot (2 diamonds from the head rail, centerline)
Object ball one diamond in front of the cue ball, aligned to the foot-corner pocket
After each made ball, move the OB one diamond further toward the foot rail
Continue until the OB sits on or past the foot spot

Technique

Dead-center hit, smooth medium pace, no follow or draw. Same tip strike every rep — only the distance changes.

Goals & Scoring

Recalibrate stop-shot speed for every distance
Pure center-ball contact at every rung — any unintended draw or follow shows immediately
Score yourself on the highest rung reached without a miss