Ralph Eckert - The Sport of Pool Billiards 1

Chapter 2

Scoring: Do this exercise three times. Note down how many of the four speeds you achieved in each attempt. None, one, two, three or four? Add up the three results and divide the sum through the 3 attempts. This is your average for this first part of the test. At Level 1 your average should be 3.0 to 3.5 if you want to fulfill the prerequisites to move up to the next level. An average of 3.0 or higher is already advanced! So you now know where you stand and what your medium-term aim should be! The targets always add up to 100%. You need 80% to pass a PAT test. In the official training manuals you will find the exact target values and the factor by which you have to multiply your average in order work out your percentage. So keep on training until you achieve satisfactory results. On the next page there are some additional exercises so that you don‘t have to keep practicing the same thing again and again. That could get tedious!

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Training program

Recommended target scores are also given.

Alternative:

Play all 4 balls in sequence into the marked area (Speed 0.5).

Play all 4 balls one after the other into the Speed 1.5 field.

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Chapter 2

Play all 4 balls one after the other into the Speed 2.5 field.

Play all 4 balls one after the other into the Speed 3.5 area.

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Training program

Lead-up:

Here are a few exercises that will help you prepare for the PAT 1 exercises or quite simply help you to develop a good feeling for speed, which is what we are trying to do at the moment.

As you can see there are different „cross speeds“ as well! Be-cause of the loss of momentum caused by friction on contact with the cushion, these speeds are not as fast as the speeds we have been practicing lengthways, but they come quite close! But you‘ve got to master this, too, anyway. Practice these shots for a change, first trying to hit each ball one after the other into the marked area, and then in sequence with no mistakes. If you miss one you have to start at the beginning again.

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Chapter 2

This is a three-rail shot. Here too, play the ball at each speed. First one after the other (Level 1) and then in sequence as above (Level 2).

Lead-up but a bit more interesting:

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Training program

Billiard Curling:

Practicing alone: How many of the ten balls can you place in the marked triangle after hitting at least one rail (the long rail first)?

Two players: One player plays the solids and the other the stripes. In turn each player hits one of his balls. Which player placed the most balls in the marked triangle after 5 balls?

Before each shot the balls may only be placed within the player‘s own head field, (i.e. behind the marked line or the second diamond).

This game is really good fun. I can‘t remember exactly but I think I saw it for the first time (or something similar) at a youth training session in Fulda/Germany run by the successful coach Michael Wahl.

The next steps:

The official PAT exercises for each section are explained to-gether with a training target so that you can test yourself and see where you stand. If you‘re doing everything right, then you could take a look at the alternative exercises. If you are still making mistakes, read the explanations again and stick to the lead-up exercises. To follow the PAT system properly, you should repeat these exercises every week, noting down the results from 3 or 5 innings. But only once a week – not as often as it takes to get the right score! You are given the chance to test yourself once a week. If you get a good score 2 – 3 times in a row (i.e. after 2 – 3 weeks), then you can tick off this exercise and go on to the next.

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Chapter 2

Approaching the PAT system like this means that the player is regularly confronted with competitive situations during the training sessions. And a fundamental feature of competitive situations is that they cannot be repeated! This is the moment it counts! I have always designed my training sessions like this. Depending on the time each individual person can devote to the sport, one may just practice one exercise per week while another practices 3 or 4 exercises every week. But, however often you train, you will still be dealing with the same problem, practicing the skills you need to become a good pool player. You can do this by playing through the lead-up or alternative exercises described here or by inventing your own exercises. You can even repeat the original PAT drills. But the scores are only recorded once a week!

There are lots of different exercises to practice different skills. Your club trainer is sure to know lots of alternatives! There are the lead-up exercises (easier than the official PAT exercise) and the alternative exercises which are more varied and designed for more advanced players.

In the official PAT training manual you can find all the score sheets you need to start training. And on the official PAT DVDs 1-3 you can see the exercises being played.

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Training program