I used to have a consistent 5-board "drift".  Ron Clifton helped me out of it, or at least screwed me up bad enough that I figured out how to fix it. (I appreciate it, Ron!)  What I think I was doing when I developed the problem at its origin was trying to keep the target consistent in my line of sight.  The closer you get to the target, the more inside it appears to the eye.  By stepping out (away from the target), I was keeping the target in the same alignment in my visual space.

Thus, what I had wasn't really a drift; it was more of a step-out on my 3rd step (5-step approach).  My 3rd step was pretty long and 5 boards right (as a lefty).  Ron moved me up on the approach to the 2nd row of dots.  The result was that I now take shorter steps.  Shorter steps wouldn't allow me to take a big step right, bringing my 5-board drift down to just 1 or 2 boards.  A little practice and I eliminated those 1-2 boards all together.

Those who say, "drift doesn't matter as long as you do it consistently" have obviously never tried to play the twig on Cheetah pattern.

To get rid of your drift:
1 - Get a video of yourself.
2 - determine whether the drift occurs over several steps or in just one step
3 - work with a qualified coach who can help you fix the source of the problem
4 - practice, practice, practice
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Scolaí

)O(

I'm Not Fluent In Idiot So Please Speak Slowly & Clearly