OK, we all know some of the time-proven methods for improving your pool game. These include taking lessons from a recognized pool instructor, quitting your job and getting a divorce (just kidding here folks, calm down!), increasing your time on the table to at least 8 hours a day, gambling at pool and always playing high enough so that it really hurts if you lose, buying and reading all those Phil Capelle pool books, buying all those Accu-Stats videos and watching them over and over, getting the latest high-tech pool cue shaft and then send it to Varney to be upgraded, and others that don’t come to mind at the moment. But a few days ago I asked AZBers to single out the ONE idea that would most improve your pool game and they came up with a couple of dozen candidates. I narrowed those suggestions down to the eight you see below.
1. BE STILL over the shot, with as little movement of the head and body as possible.
2. STAY DOWN on the shot – Jimmy Reid once said he could tell who the good players were in a pool hall within a few minutes of entering the room. He said all he had to do was watch to see which players stayed down on their shots. Watching the cue ball contact the object ball is a good way to work on staying down on the shot as you stay down to watch the cue ball on its path to the object ball. This one is similar to #1, but deserves its own slot.
3. Treat EVERY SHOT with the same respect. "I quit missing those shots when I came to the realization that there is no such thing as an easy shot." (Luther “Wimpy” Lassiter)
4. Have a PRE-SHOT ROUTINE and follow it!
5. While standing up, decide on the shot (offense/defense, speed, English), then make a COMMITMENT to shoot the shot as you have decided to shoot it. Most shots are missed because of indecision. Another way to say this is to have a plan before every shot.
6. Do the highest percentage thing that YOU KNOW HOW to do (not what Efren would do).
7. Don’t let DISTRACTIONS cause you to lose focus on the shot. If something distracts you, stand up and go through your pre-shot routine from the beginning.
8. HAVE FUN! – Your game may improve dramatically after reminding yourself that you are playing pool primarily to have fun.
Then we had a voting poll to see which of the above suggestions had the most support. An idea that didn't make the poll (I should have waited a few more days) but that I think is worthy of inclusion is; 9. Spend time around better players. There was also a late, strong endorsement of number 6 in the above list.
The poll is still going on, but here’s a suggestion for you. Take a small card, like a business card or part of an index card, and write a short version of the above suggestions on the card. Maybe the short versions would read something like this.
1) Be still
2) Stay down
3) Respect every shot
4) Follow the pre-shot routine
5) Commit to the shot
6) Play within your abilities
7) Defeat distractions, reset if necessary
8) Have fun!
9) Spend time around better players
Of course you may want to OMIT any of the 8 that really don’t relate to your game. And you may want to ADD a few that are especially important for your game. Maybe you would add reminders to grip the cue lightly, pause at the end of your last back stroke, check your stance alignment, snug up your bridge, or whatever you have learned is useful for your game. If you carry that little card around with you, it will be handy to read over when you’re shooting poorly or in a slump.
1. BE STILL over the shot, with as little movement of the head and body as possible.
2. STAY DOWN on the shot – Jimmy Reid once said he could tell who the good players were in a pool hall within a few minutes of entering the room. He said all he had to do was watch to see which players stayed down on their shots. Watching the cue ball contact the object ball is a good way to work on staying down on the shot as you stay down to watch the cue ball on its path to the object ball. This one is similar to #1, but deserves its own slot.
3. Treat EVERY SHOT with the same respect. "I quit missing those shots when I came to the realization that there is no such thing as an easy shot." (Luther “Wimpy” Lassiter)
4. Have a PRE-SHOT ROUTINE and follow it!
5. While standing up, decide on the shot (offense/defense, speed, English), then make a COMMITMENT to shoot the shot as you have decided to shoot it. Most shots are missed because of indecision. Another way to say this is to have a plan before every shot.
6. Do the highest percentage thing that YOU KNOW HOW to do (not what Efren would do).
7. Don’t let DISTRACTIONS cause you to lose focus on the shot. If something distracts you, stand up and go through your pre-shot routine from the beginning.
8. HAVE FUN! – Your game may improve dramatically after reminding yourself that you are playing pool primarily to have fun.
Then we had a voting poll to see which of the above suggestions had the most support. An idea that didn't make the poll (I should have waited a few more days) but that I think is worthy of inclusion is; 9. Spend time around better players. There was also a late, strong endorsement of number 6 in the above list.
The poll is still going on, but here’s a suggestion for you. Take a small card, like a business card or part of an index card, and write a short version of the above suggestions on the card. Maybe the short versions would read something like this.
1) Be still
2) Stay down
3) Respect every shot
4) Follow the pre-shot routine
5) Commit to the shot
6) Play within your abilities
7) Defeat distractions, reset if necessary
8) Have fun!
9) Spend time around better players
Of course you may want to OMIT any of the 8 that really don’t relate to your game. And you may want to ADD a few that are especially important for your game. Maybe you would add reminders to grip the cue lightly, pause at the end of your last back stroke, check your stance alignment, snug up your bridge, or whatever you have learned is useful for your game. If you carry that little card around with you, it will be handy to read over when you’re shooting poorly or in a slump.
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