My Scoreboard

Below I have established dashboards to monitor progress as I improve my pool playing skills.

Break Shot Speed Development
I am now working on my break shot. The guage below monitors my current average breaking speed. I have been told that the average pool player normally breaks at around 17 mph, most professionals break at around 24 mph. Of course, speed is not the only factor which contributes to the success of a break shot. More on that later.

My Current Average Breaking Speed

Straight Pool Skills (a.k.a. 14.1 Continuous)
I just started working on straight pool. Several good players I know have recommended that I learn this game to help develop my short range cue ball control, cluster breaking, and combination skills. I’ve played a few times in the last couple weeks, AND I’M HOOKED! I’ve noticed that my stroke is truer and I’m developing a much better “feel” for shots…especially shots that require tight quarters control of the cue ball. Here’s a guage for my high runs in this game.

My high run in Straight Pool (14.1)

Overall Skills Development
I periodically assess strengths and weaknesses in my game to determine where I should focus improvement efforts. Here, I consider my shot making skills and cueball control skills. In a perfect world, I would be equally proficient at both, and thus the needle would be straight down. However, in reality, my shot making skills are much better than my cueball control skills. I’m guessing this is the case with most players. I am now working primarily on drills to enhance my ability to control of the cue ball. The meter below shows how imbalanced my game is today.