- Category
- Cue-ball speed control
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Duration
- 10 min
Lag to the Rail
Lag the cue ball back to the head rail.
View drillFree practice planner
How long until your next level?
Tell us where you are, where you want to be and how much time you have. You'll get an estimated timeline, the ideal split of your practice time and a session plan you can use tonight.
Estimated time to Competitive
9 months
About 120 hours of focused practice, at 5 h/week with your current approach.
With structured, measured practice: 6 months — roughly 3 months sooner for the same hours.
Same hours, different results
How the way you practise changes the timeline.
Mostly playing racks / games16 months
Some drills, some games (you)9 months
Planned drills with scores6 months
Assumes 35%, 65% and 100% of time counts as focused practice.
Your ideal time split
| Area | Share | Per session |
|---|---|---|
| Cue-ball speed control | 25% | 25 min |
| Stroke & cue delivery | 20% | 20 min |
| Straight-in potting | 20% | 20 min |
| Position play | 20% | 20 min |
| Pattern play | 10% | 10 min |
| Defensive decisions | 5% | 5 min |
Start with these drills
One for each of your three biggest areas, matched to your level.
- Category
- Stroke & cue delivery
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Duration
- 10 min
Bottle-Neck Stroke
Stroke the cue through a narrow gap without touching the sides.
View drill- Category
- Straight-in potting
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Duration
- 15 min
Circle of Balls
Pot short shots at every angle into one pocket.
View drillTurn the estimate into a plan
Log your scores free to see real progress, or let a coach build the plan around your game — starting with a free 30-minute session.
These figures are estimates based on typical focused-practice hours per level, not a guarantee. Real progress depends on consistency, feedback and table time.