The New Year is here, and it’s time to rededicate yourself to your 9-ball game. Though it can be fun to practice tricky banks and jumps, a more practical way to polish your skills is to set up the most common shots, and make sure you can nail them every time. That will give you the confidence to play your best game in every rack.

     In Diagram 1, notice the two 8-ball positions, and cue ball positions C-1 through C-9. You can expect to face one or two of these shots in almost every rack of 9-ball. The shot you face could be thinner or flatter. When I say a position is “flatter,” I’m talking about shooting at the 8 ball in position 8-1 from spots like C-4, C-2 and C-7. Thinner positions on that ball would be from C-6, C-3 and C-9, forcing a thin cut on the 8. (If you are shooting at the 8 ball in position 8-2 the thinner positions and flatter positions reverse, with C-4, C-2 and C-7 becoming the thinner position angles.)

     So what is the difference between thinner and flatter shots, and how does it affect you as a shooter? Well, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. The good news first: The thinner angle shots allow you to shoot more softly to get position. And since the object ball is going more slowly toward the pocket, you have more room for error in pocketing the ball.

     Now for the bad news. If your only goal is to pocket the 8 ball (position 8-1), it is easier from C-4 than C-5. You might say, “Wait a minute, you are contradicting yourself!” Not really; the key is that it is never your only goal to pocket the 8 ball — you have to pocket and play position. I’ve added some 9 ball positions to Diagram 2 so that you can weigh your options. It is easier to pocket the 8 ball and play position on the 9 ball (position 9-1) in from position C-5 than from position C-4. The key words here are pocket and play position. Shooting at the same speed it is easier to pocket the 8-ball from C-4, but not to get to that next ball.

     Now let’s recap. What have we learned? It is better to have a thinner shot if you have to come back down table for the 9 ball at position 9-1, but if you just need to pocket the 8 ball you are better to be a little flatter at C-4 or maybe even lower (closer to the long rail). Land too flat on a shot, and you may have to shoot too hard for position. That’s a problem, because you’re much more likely to jar a ball at a hard speed.

    From C-4 you are too flat, but C-5 is a great angle to get position on the 9-ball. You might ask, “How about from C-6?” From C-6 you are a little too thin on the 8 ball. You are faced with two choices. One, shoot a lot easier. If that’s too soft a shot for you to be comfortable with, though, shoot harder and go two rails for position to play the 9 ball into pocket A.

     You are not always going to get the perfect angle. To get better in 9 ball, you have to be able to consistently pocket the shots shown in Diagrams 1 and 2 on the 8 ball (both position 8-1 and position 8-2) from all nine cue ball positions shown. Now, this is where it gets tricky. Not only must you pocket the 8 ball consistently, but you have to be able to play position for the 9 ball at positions 9-1, 9-2, 9-3, 9-4 or, frankly, anywhere else on the table.

     One factor that makes pool so difficult is that you are not free to pocket a shot by contacting the cue ball wherever you like. You need to be able to do it with a stroke to any place on the cue ball. A lot of the positions on the cue ball may make you a little uncomfortable with respect to pocketing the shot. Every player would like to stay perfectly in line so he could always stay to the center of the cue ball. However, many times you will need to contact the cue ball closer to the edge than you like. Position play may make it necessary.

     The nine cue ball positions I’ve shown, plus the two different positions for the 8 ball and four positions for the 9 ball, should keep you busy. Work hard on all these shots, and you will be on your way to improving. If you play a lot of 9 ball, one of these shots will come up almost every rack, sometimes two or three times in the same rack.

     Should you manage to run yourself out of practice shots with the setups I’ve shown, experiment with the position of the 8 ball. Put it slightly closer to the side rail or farther away. Spend some time and you will gain the confidence and ability to execute these shots in a game. Have some fun.