Billiard Coach – Mike Fieldhammer

Exercises from the P.A.T. (Playing Ability Test)

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by

Fieldhammer

The Playing Ability Test, better known as PAT, was devised by internationally-recognized coaches in Europe over the past three years. The system has been endorsed by the World Pool-Billiard Association as a credible internationally standardized program for objectively identifying the overall abilities of students so that areas needing improvement may be pinpointed. Students may compare their performance ratings with the other students around the globe through the PAT Website at www.pat-billiard.com.

As an ACS Instructor/Coach and PAT Examiner, I find each of the ten areas tested challenging. I’ve shown diagrams of two classic drills that have been modified for the PAT. In the first diagram, start with ball in hand along the third diamond from the head of the table. You must shoot the 5 ball first. Pocket the ball in the corner and play the cue ball to scratch in the same pocket. It may not hit the 7 ball on the way to the corner pocket. One point is scored for pocketing the object ball and one point for the cue ball scratching. It takes a very accurate stroke to complete both parts of the shot. Shoot the 3 shots on the right side of the diagram then the 3 balls on the left side of the diagram beginning with the 10 ball. Maximum score for the exercise is 12 points.
PAT 1 Example
The second classic drill is shown in the second diagram. Arrange the balls in an ‘L’ and shoot them in order into the corner pocket. Begin with ball in hand, but after your first shot you must play from the position you’ve left yourself for the next shot. Maximum score for this is ten.
PAT Example 2
Test yourself, or contact me if you’d like more information on the PAT.

Schedule a private lesson or group clinic with Mike. He can be reached via www.billiardcoach.com or by phone at 612.802.0519. Billiard Coach, LLC is a member of the Billiard Congress of America. Mike is a certified PAT examiner, a Billiard Congress of America Certified Instructor, and an ACS Certified Coach/Instructor.

Comments

8 responses to “Exercises from the P.A.T. (Playing Ability Test)”

  1. Dan WErner Avatar
    Dan WErner

    Where can I get the other excercises from for PAT 1 and 2??

    dan_werner [at] cox [dot] net

  2. Fieldhammer Avatar
    Fieldhammer

    Dan,

    Thanks for reading my blog and commenting on the PAT books.

    They are really great benchmarking tools and good for diagnosing trouble spots in your skill set so that you know what to practice.

    I’ve got books for sale for $28 each. If you’d like, you could paypal or call me to order.

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  3. Craig Avatar
    Craig

    I assume these need to be done on a 9 ft table.

    Would you bring a set of books to Rugby for me? Also, I would like to schedule an hour or two with you in Rugby.

  4. admin Avatar
    admin

    Craig,

    Yes, the exams must be done on a 9 foot table but the exercises and ungraded practice tests can be done on any table. To keep score comparisons meaningful on a worldwide basis, 9-footers are required. The PAT series is still an excellent personal benchmark for yourself, just don’t get a big head if you beat Hohmann’s score because you’re on a smaller table. 😉

    Of course I’ll make time to meet with you in Rugby and will bring the books. Thanks! Mike

  5. John Biddle Avatar
    John Biddle

    Mike, I agree with you that the IPATs are great. I’ve got detailed reviews at my site. I’m mailing you a scoresheet you may find useful. I put it together because I thought the scoring methodology in the books was hard to understand and overly complicated.

    I precomputed everything and made it all into a look-up table for each exercise. Just find the page for your book (Start, L1, L2, L3), find the column for the exercise you just did, and the intersecting row for the points you made to get your score. Way easier, and much faster. They’re going to include something like this in the next edition of the books.

  6. Steve Strange Avatar
    Steve Strange

    Dan,

    I just recently downloaded the IPAT books 1-3 and am excited to get started on this program. Just as John stated above, the score sheets are extremely difficult to understand. Do you have a better version or a better explenation on how to score this. Or maybe the score sheet that John, from above, sent you. Maybe it is just me, but the bit he gave you in that second paragraph was just as confusing as the book.

  7. Mike Fieldhammer Avatar
    Mike Fieldhammer

    I know what you mean. Send me an email and we’ll discuss it further. Thanks!

  8. Mike Fananselle Avatar
    Mike Fananselle

    Thanks for the diagrams. I think I know what I’m doing wrong now… Playing pool!

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