Advice on how to stay down on the shot more consistently?
- Thread starter newcuer
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How about focus on watching the cue ball travel to and hit the object ball before you move anything but your arm. Gives you something to do and you might learn a little something.
For me, the answer was squaring up my feet more like a snooker stance. It made it easier to get down low on my shot and a bit more awkward to jump up immediately after the stroke. The snooker stance took some time to get use to, but it paid dividends by keeping me from jumping up.
When I switched from object ball last to cueball at impact I eliminated that problem. Focusing on the path of my tip through the cueball eliminated my tendency to get ahead of myself. Following the cueball with my eyes rather than trying to lead the cueball by looking ahead works for me. I get a much better look at the cueball object ball interaction this way also.
Humans are best adept at change when we have to change.
It was told to me one night by a local shortstop to ‘shoot every shot like my life depended on it.’
I liked the idea, but needed to put my own personal, dark, you sick bastard kind of twist on it. I call it my 3/5/7 method.
Imagine a maniac kicks in your front door and puts a 357 to your kids head, looks at you, and said if you do xyz again, just 1 more time, I’m coming back and you won’t like it.
I can promise that xyz will never occur ever again, and you will find a new level of focus and concentration you never realized was possible. You may need some pretty intense counseling afterwards, but you’ll stop dogging it, so there’s at least that.
It was told to me one night by a local shortstop to ‘shoot every shot like my life depended on it.’
I liked the idea, but needed to put my own personal, dark, you sick bastard kind of twist on it. I call it my 3/5/7 method.
Imagine a maniac kicks in your front door and puts a 357 to your kids head, looks at you, and said if you do xyz again, just 1 more time, I’m coming back and you won’t like it.
I can promise that xyz will never occur ever again, and you will find a new level of focus and concentration you never realized was possible. You may need some pretty intense counseling afterwards, but you’ll stop dogging it, so there’s at least that.
Read the post in this forum on quiet eye theory. Quiet eye and staying down on the shot go hand in hand. If you take time to understand and learn how long your final focus on the OB needs to be on your final
Stroke - you will then begin to naturally stay down on each shot.
I have found that awareness of longer final focus or quiet eye duration is the single best cure for jumping off the shot. One simply Cannot jump off the shot if they, in fact, are maximizing final focus duration consistently
Stroke - you will then begin to naturally stay down on each shot.
I have found that awareness of longer final focus or quiet eye duration is the single best cure for jumping off the shot. One simply Cannot jump off the shot if they, in fact, are maximizing final focus duration consistently
dquarasr
Registered
Did you word it this way on purpose? Lol
Do you collapse your shoulder (drop your elbow)? If not, focus on keeping your elbow still rather than keeping your head still. It’s hard to jump up if you are keeping your elbow up.
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
Are you standing or starting to stand before you strike the ball? If not, the shot is over and what you do doesn't matter. Staying down well after the stroke has ended is useful as a training device, but absolutely unnecessary.
Spend time visualizing your stroke away from the table. Watch video of yourself playing (just playing, not concentrating on staying down) to get an image of what you actually do.
Visualize your stroke before you get down on the ball. When you get down, stop consciously thinking and let yourself do what you just imagined.
Read 'the inner game of tennis' and you will start to understand.
It's like walking. You don't consciously tell yourself to lift one heel. You look at a place you want to go, then go there. You don't even really think about obstacles, you just allow yourself to navigate them. The same goes for pool, stop making up reasons to fail (i.e. 'i don't stay down) and allow your second self a chance to succeed.
Spend time visualizing your stroke away from the table. Watch video of yourself playing (just playing, not concentrating on staying down) to get an image of what you actually do.
Visualize your stroke before you get down on the ball. When you get down, stop consciously thinking and let yourself do what you just imagined.
Read 'the inner game of tennis' and you will start to understand.
It's like walking. You don't consciously tell yourself to lift one heel. You look at a place you want to go, then go there. You don't even really think about obstacles, you just allow yourself to navigate them. The same goes for pool, stop making up reasons to fail (i.e. 'i don't stay down) and allow your second self a chance to succeed.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Pick up a used copy of "The Inner Game of Tennis" for $5 and read it. It's real good at describing how to get out of bad habits.
I mean the best advice I can give is to make sure your footing is 100% solid and your bridge hand has some weight so you don't feel the need to jump up. Just stay down and watch the balls on every shot. Jumping up can be "just a habit" but it can also be a symptom of other mechanical issues.
EDIT: I should have read the thread before posting! Good to see @DeeDeeCues also recommends Inner Game. It's a phenomenal book.
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
I've read it at least six times. I've mentioned it before, but it was recommended to me during my stint as a competitive foosball player. The woman who recommended it was the world no. 1 female foosball player, dominate on the level of prime mosconi. The only woman to ever win mixed doubles playing forward, many titles, could place high in men's open. RIP, Moya.
Why stay down?
Slow down everything including breathing. Relax and find a comfortable stance with your chin touching, or close to touching, the cue.
Pause breathing during execution.... I feel is helpful, along with chin almost on the shaft.
But seriously, and it may sound weird, but when I find myself more glitchy with my stroke, I take a wider and more stable stance, I bend my front knee a smidge more, and I concentrate on keeping my base, and especially my pelvis stable.
If the pelvis is stable, everything north of it will be as well. Even shifting a fraction of an inch in your stance when you are determining the contact point will fatigue your vision more than you realize.
If the pelvis is stable, everything north of it will be as well. Even shifting a fraction of an inch in your stance when you are determining the contact point will fatigue your vision more than you realize.
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The spectators were calling him The Jumping Bean. He squeaks his chalk, too.
As for the original question, I'll sort of repeat two comments, both about what you are looking at.
Notice exactly where the cue ball lands on the object ball. This is hard to do if you're moving, and it will be natural to remain still for the observation. Make sure you are focused for half a second on the object ball before you come forward on the final stroke.
On the shot, once you are ready with your alignment, watch the ferrule come straight back and straight through. This should keep you down and might help fix any stroke crookedness issues.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Great ideas, some of which I have tried. They all seem to work. Hard part is weeks/months down the line, when I forgot the good habits. I guess there is no permanent solution besides practicing the good habits now while conscious of them 
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I once considered constructing a lightweight/rolling frame with overhanging nails pointing down, that I might pull in behind me as I got down to shoot. Likely the surest solution though, would be to hire someone big and nasty to stand behind you with a ball peen hammer (instructed to use it if you jumped up).Just a joke but …
One instructor told us if we have a problem jumping up after the shot then take a wire hanger, stretch it out from top to bottom, put the loop around your neck and the hook end under your scrotum.
You’ll stay down!
If I did this, I'd never get to stand up straight again!!!
