Pre-Shot Routine

u got to find out for yourself what works best.

ive just started this routine this week. didnt had one too. (my main problem; i dont chalk much and i have a UBER hard tip)

stay down on shot 3seconds,
stand up,
take the chalk from the table,
chalk,
look at where the contact points are,
place my bridge on the table on where i want to be next,
stand up,
chalk,
take a deep breath, (i find this very helpfull)
take on step closer to the table to take my stance,
straighten my arm, shoulder, body so it is perfectly aligned (physically)
while im saying to myself, i can MAKE THIS POT, I SEE THE POT, (mentally)
take 2 adressongstrokes,
pot,
shout !!!!!!!! and win the trophy, take the pricemoney, and get drunk :D
 
Solartje said:
take 2 adressongstrokes,
pot,
shout !!!!!!!! and win the trophy, take the pricemoney, and get drunk :D
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Solly you crack me up!!!

Jason, to find a solid pre-shot routine you might have to do it one of two ways. The best is having someone watch your play and dissect it for a long period of time. (That peroid of time is up to you, but the longer time the more details are included.) They have to note when you are shooting good for a stretch what you do exactly. (Just like Solly broke it down.)

Or you can try and remember exactly what you were doing yourself.

All preshot routines are different but watch a pro play and see if you can find what his/her pre-shot routine is. You'll get the idea and maybe you could help a friend identify his at the same time.
 
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:D sorry renard. i just cant help it :rolleyes:

(i even didnt post the: -scratching your butt line in the post. works for me, it destresses me and takes care of the itches)
 
JasonDevanney said:
I'm looking for a rock solid pre-shot routine.

Any help???
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Tough to say dude. For a lot people it just develops over time I think.

If you can, watch Steve Davis or Stephen Hendry. There is a good 6 minute video of Hendry on www.worldsnooker.com in the interactive section. His 70+ break is magnificent. These guys have a rock solid routine with a constant pace.
 
renard said:
Jason, to find a solid pre-shot routine you might have to do it one of two ways. The best is having someone watch your play and dissect it for a long period of time. (That peroid of time is up to you, but the longer time the more details are included.) They have to note when you are shooting good for a stretch what you do exactly. (Just like Solly broke it down.)

Or you can try and remember exactly what you were doing yourself.

All preshot routines are different but watch a pro play and see if you can find what his/her pre-shot routine is. You'll get the idea and maybe you could help a friend identify his at the same time.
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Another option would be:

1. Buy/borrow/have access to a digiatal camera/camcorder.
2. Buy/borrow/have access to a computer.
3. Create a spreadsheet to help you keep track of your goals.
4. Download the pictures/videos in an organized fashion on your/the computer.
5. From your spreadsheet, set up a column designated for your pictures/videos. Insert a Hyperlink to your stored pictures/videos.
6. Review and discover periodically.

There's a lot of good teachers out there, non better than watching yourself gain a foundation.

I agree with the above posters as well. Read/Watch their recommendations. Get a good mental picture of what you're try to accomplish. Having pictures/videos taken of yourself, helps you see from a different perspective that will help you improve.

Sometimes you may want to work on things alone, other times it's best with a friend or two. Using some sort of camera and tracking yourself with a spreadsheet can wake you up to a few things.
 
Here's a post I wrote in another thread, which was about how fast is too fast to shoot. I tried to point out that with the right pre-shot routine, whatever speed you go is the right speed; the only time you're going too fast is when you're not completing a good pre-shot routine.

Andrew Manning said:
Although you can achieve your best relaxation and focus by hitting your natural "rhythm", slowness in itself is not really the goal, in my opinion. Making sure everything that needs to happen before you shoot happens before you shoot is the goal.

Sounds like you were telling yourself to take your time, but you weren't using that time for anything specific. If you tell yourself "don't just get down on the shot", but you're still just thinking about getting down on the shot, you're not slowing down in a productive way. The point of not shooting too fast is to have a good pre-shot routine.

You need to make sure you're not skipping steps that are required for you to shoot the shot as well as you can, and to make sure you're not skipping those steps, you need to decide what they are. Elements that should be included in everyone's process before they shoot each shot:

1) Wait for all the balls to stop rolling. Duh.

2) Re-read the table. You don't have to change your plan in between every shot, but you need to give yourself the opportunity to re-evaluate in case you need to change your plan.

3) Choose a shot, and choose carefully enough that you aren't second-guessing yourself once you're down.

4) Decide on shot details such as english, speed, compensation for squirt/throw/swerve/transferred english/whatever before getting into stance.

5) Step far enough away from the shot that you can step back into it to truly re-align yourself for the shot. Sometimes when players are fast, they get down on the shot with their feet planted wherever they happened to already be. It sounds dumb, but I've seen it and done it. Re-aligning your whole body is an absolute must for consistency.

You can also do other things in a pre-shot routine to help you focus, or to calm your nerves, or to help you align or aim or whatever, but you have to be doing at least the things I mentioned, or else you're being careless and inviting mistakes. If you're really doing all these things in between shots, there's no such thing as shooting too fast.

-Andrew
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I have a simple routine that works for me.

- approach the shot and make sure I'm aligned
- Visualize the shot and the outcome
- shoot what I visualize
- count to 3 before I stand up

Add too this, plan a run out or a safe strategy if it's the beginning of the rack or the rack has changed a lot since the beginning of the game.
 
Pre-Shot Routine

Step #1: Decision Making. Decisions must be made while surveying the table, not while you are pre-stroking or down in shooting position! If you are making decisions or changing them while getting ready to strike the cue ball, nothing but trouble will follow!


Step #2: The Line Up. Line up the shot while standing away from the table. Look at the ghost ball, contact point, or aiming technique of choice and begin to focus all your concentration. Then visualize the ball going in the pocket.


Step #3: The Walk In. Slowly step into your shot and plant your feet in your stance the same way every time. Then address the cue ball with your arms and cue.


Step #4: Practice Strokes and Eye Movement. Once over the ball, develop a routine of practice strokes, set, pause, finish and freeze. Also eye movement from the cue ball to the object ball before striking the cue ball.




If a pre-shot routine is put into place, consistency and improvement will shortly follow. Whether your goal is to be a champion, or to enjoy mastering the game, keep practicing and striving to be your best! Good results will follow your hard work.
 
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