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CUEING ACADEMY · PRACTICE SHEET

Nine-Ball Line-Up

Pattern play · Advanced · 30 min

Nine balls along the centre line between the spots. Cue ball in hand to start.

Cue ballObject

Objective: Run a line of nine balls in any order using short, controlled position.

Setup: Place nine object balls in a straight line along the table's centre line, between the head spot and the foot spot, about a ball-width apart. Take cue ball in hand for the first shot.

Scoring: Record balls potted per rack. Add the five racks for a total out of 45.

Success standard: Average of 7 or more balls per rack across five racks.

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Category
Pattern play
Difficulty
Advanced
Duration
30 min

Nine-Ball Line-Up

A classic consistency test. The balls are easy individually; the challenge is keeping the cue ball close and never leaving a straight-in stop that kills the next angle.

Nine balls along the centre line between the spots. Cue ball in hand to start.

Cue ballObject

Setup

  1. Place nine object balls in a straight line along the table's centre line, between the head spot and the foot spot, about a ball-width apart.
  2. Take cue ball in hand for the first shot.

Execution

  1. Pot balls in any order, but a ball that touches another ball in the line before being potted ends the rack.
  2. Prefer short cue-ball movements and natural angles.
  3. Count the balls potted before a miss or position error that forces a difficult shot.
  4. Re-rack and repeat five times.

Scoring

Record balls potted per rack. Add the five racks for a total out of 45.

Common mistakes

  • Playing too much cue-ball movement on easy shots.
  • Leaving the cue ball straight in, with no angle to move it to the next ball.
  • Breaking the line early with the cue ball and creating clusters.

Progression

Extend to 15 balls, or require balls to be potted in alternating corner pockets.

Terms this drill trains

Easier variation

Use six balls with ball in hand after the first miss.

Harder variation

Ban all rails for the cue ball.

Drill objectives describe what the exercise trains. Results depend on the player, the table and the quality of practice; no drill guarantees a specific improvement.

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