Star Wars Get to billiards with the new laser markers that make many household tasks easier. The laser beam is housed in a device that looks like a tape measure or a flat can-shaped container. Both project a perfectly straight line on any surface without leaving a mark.

They’re useful for hanging pictures and laying tiles, but wait until you see what you can do with one on a pool table!

Fix a faulty center ball hit

Knowing that you are hitting the exact center of the cue ball is imperative to a good shot and accurately hitting your object ball. Even if you have to rely on English for a specific shot, you need to know that you hit your exact target on the cue ball.

Most of us know that when we miss a shot and it bounces off the pocket horn, it’s because we missed the point we were aiming with the cue ball or object ball slightly.

This is the last place you have control over to make the shot you are planning.

So how do you know you’re aiming for a dot and not a dime-sized dot on the cue ball?

Let the laser show you.

Set up the laser this time on the end rail to point down the table from diamond to diamond. You should probably use a stool to get your laser up to rail height without the possibility of knocking it to the ground because you were sitting on the rail. You will shoot from the other end of the table towards the laser.

In either case, you will have a thin red line running the length of the table.

That is your target line for a cue ball shot. Also notice that the laser goes down the line to the top of your cue ball. When you line up the shot, make sure your cue lines up with the red line.

A double check on your aim is to quickly look up from the point of the cue ball. If your shooting eye is directly over your cue which is aligned along the target line, you will get a red flash when looking directly at the laser.

When you pull the trigger, you should see the cue ball roll down the red line, bounce off the end rail, and come back down the red line to hit the end of your cue.

Just because you marked it red doesn’t mean you have to hit the ball hard, just accurately.

Straighten your cut shots with a laser

Following the little red line also works well with slice shots and getting that laser behind a corner pocket can give you plenty of practice opportunities.

To get started, set up the laser so that it points directly from the center of the pocket at a 45 degree angle and directly into the side pocket. Now, take a mirror that you can place in your side pocket and aim it so that the line of the reflected laser lines up with the original of the laser.

Center an object ball on that line.

The line will fade past the object ball, but you can imagine the position of the line on the object side of the ball. But with the mirror, the reflected line will go directly to your object ball and reflect the line up the contact side of the ball. Use that line to establish the point of contact for your cutting shot in the corner pocket.

This is where you need to be careful. See the line in your mind. Its location is something you will want to memorize. It is your point of contact.

Now try a shot.

Once you achieve this so that you can shoot the object ball into the center of the pocket, move the laser and mirror to change the angle to 30 degrees.

The possibilities are endless; try as many angles as you can, move the ball along the line to change the distance. Try a cut shot across the entire length of the table. Try the same shooting angles with a side pocket.

Just follow the red line, you’ll be surprised how good you can get.

Over time, you’ll find yourself searching for the exact spot of your target and not just a general location. If you set this drill up correctly, you’ll find that center ball shots become much easier, and you’ll resist cutting too much or under your slice shots.