Work on areas of your game that need improvement, as identified by the BU Exam assessments.  The BU Instructional Video series, the Video Encyclopedia of Pool Shots (VEPS) and the Video Encyclopedia of Pool Practice (VEPP) provide focused and specific learning resources to help you develop skills in each of the exam areas.  These video series (by founding BU professors David Alciatore, Bob Jewett, and Randy Russell, also with Tom Ross) include detailed and well-illustrated instruction, countless game-situation examples, and collections of drills to help you improve your game.

The following tables identify the skills important to each BU Exam drill.  They also list BU-DVD, VEPS, and VEPP disc and section numbers to help you locate relevant learning resources.  You should spend time studying and practicing the techniques, shots, and drills in all of the sections, especially those corresponding to the Exam drills in which you received low scores.

Exam I – Fundamentals

drill
number
drill
topic
required skills
BU Video Section
VEPS Sections
VEPP
Sections
F1
cut
aiming, stroke
I-4,5,6,7; II-F1
I-1
I-2
F2
stop
stop shot control
II-F2
I-2
I-4
F3
follow
follow control
II-F3
I-3
I-5
F4
draw
draw control
II-F4
I-4
I-6
F5
stun
stun control, speed control
II-F5
I-2, II-14
II-8
F6
potting
aiming, stroke
I-4,5,6,7, II-F6
I-1
I-2
F7
wagon
CB direction control
II-F7
II-14
II-9
F8
target
position control
II-F8
II-15, II-16, II-17
II-13

Exam II – Skills

drill
number
drill topic
required skills
BU Video Section
VEPS Sections
VEPP
Sections
S1
line of balls
aiming, position control
I-4,5,6,7; III-S1
II-14, II-15
II-16
S2
rail cuts
aiming, position control
I-4,5,6,7; III-S2
II-13
II-16
S3
9-ball patterns
position control and strategy
II-F7,F8; III-S3
II-15-17, III-27
III-18
S4
8-ball patterns
position control and strategy
II-F7,F8; III-S4
II-15-17, III-26
III-19
S5
safeties
safety strategy, position control
II-F7,F8; III-S5
III-21
III-20
S6
kicks
kick shots
III-S6
IV-31
IV-21
S7
banks
bank shots
III-S7
IV-33
IV-24
S8
elevated cue
elevated cue shots
III-S8
I-4, V-42
IV-25
S9
jumps, masse
jump, swerve, and masse shots
III-S9
V-42, 43
IV-26, 27
S10
break
break shot
III-S10
V-44
V-28

For more information about other BU instructional products, see the product information and purchasing guide. They are all available for purchase on the BU ordering page and at DrDaveBilliards.com.

Additional Resources

The video demonstrations page contains useful advice specifically for the BU Exam drills.

The following links offer a wealth of free online information, instructional articles, and video demonstrations dealing with various important fundamental areas of pool:

And here are some additional useful online resources:

Where to Go for More Help

If you need help with specific areas of your game, or if you have trouble with consistency, you might consider visiting a BU instructor or attending one of our annual BU Boot Camps.