I am a cue ball control maven.

The importance of the following drill was hammered home to me during a recent private session with a player wanting to improve. The many hours we worked together would be useless without this drill as below for penultimate cue ball control.

Mastering cue ball movement is fairly simple, and leads to much better shotmaking, if you follow this simple method:

1. Recognize that if you can get your shooting arm and stance exactly the same for every shot, your pocketing success rate will climb through the roof.

2. For most shots, where the cue ball is easily reached, (not close by a rail or cushion) measure your entire body and cue stick to the shot.

3. Measure to the shot but getting your shooting hand where you want it on the cue, and hooking a thumb into your pants pocket, bringing the cue tip in line with the shot and quite close to the cue ball. Bend to the table without altering your cue tip distance from the table. Do not forcibly hold the stick in place but rather relax down into your stance.

4. Regard your setup well, because this is how you'll be looking at the cue ball for every stroke you take from now on.

And if you a) correct your stance overall as per the many articles here at About.com, and b) don't fiddle with your aim while down in the stance but maintain the line of play you chose before bending to your stance, you'll soon be pocketing twice as many balls as before if not more.

I welcome you to the sweet land of cue ball control.