Pro Pre-shot routine

[ShaunTanYK]

Stroke... Stroke... Stroke...

This term just got pinned down in my mind. A repeatable stroke would allow you to concentrate on other things because you know your stroke is consistent!

I have learnt that, by having a repeatable stroke, we achieve consistency (no rocket science), if we are having troubles i.e. playing badly, we can take a step back, breathe and get into the steps for the stroke. This allows us to identify what's wrong with our game.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[peter_gunn]

Share those 11 with us....please.
randyg

1st Step Point of Aim

The first step towards the performing of a shot is to move yourself into a position where you are in perfect line with intended ball, and intended pocket.

2nd Step Lining up for the shot

After having determined where the intended ball needs to be hit, you should now keep your eyes on the hitting point while moving over behind the CB. It is of great importance that you will position your body as exact as possible on the line of shooting, i.e. the line between the center of CB and the hitting point for the intended ball.
In doing so you should be just 2-3 steps away from the position where you will be in order to perform the shot.

3rd Step Walking into the shot

This means that you will now close the gap that you before allowed yourself compared to where you will be performing the shot.

4th Step Bridge-arm and Bridge

There are many types of bridges, depending on where and how the CB is located.
Straight bridge-arm is important, but there are some situations that force you to slightly bend bridge arm.

5th Step Stance

A triangle, or a tripod, should be formed between your bridge arm and your two feet.

6th Step Grip

You will be performing the stroke with your right (or left ) arm and in order to make sure that you are going to be able to do so properly, there are few details that will need your attention.

* Your left arm should now be stretched and in position for the shot.
* The cue tip should be positioned very close to the CB.
* Move your right hand along the butt of the cue until you have close to
90-degree angle between your upper arm and the forearm as a
result.
* Make sure that you hold your cue without squeezing. For the
straight and smooth stroke, you will have to be fairly relaxed in
your arm and hand.

7th Step Practice Strokes

8th Step Pause

After few practice strokes, and if everything feels correct, you will
now make a short pause with cue tip close to CB. This short pause will give you opportunity to make:

* A final control of your aiming at the intended ball.
* A last control of the chosen hitting point on the CB.

9th Step Backswing

If your aiming is still correct, you will now move your cue backwards
at a slightly slower pace than you before using for the practice
strokes.

10th Step Follow through

Again there are few things that you will need to pay attention to:

* At the instance of hitting the CB your eyes should be on object ball.
* Do not stop forward movement of the cue after hitting the CB.
Allow for the movement of your forearm to be stopped by your
shoulder ( except when CB and OB are too close, or for low speed
shot etc)
* Follow the OB with your eyes untill it has disappered into
the pocket

11th Step Body motion

Stay down with your head and body until the intended ball fall into the pocket. If you allow yourself to move your body in the middle of the shot,
it is very likely that you will miss in the spite of all preparations you have made.

 

[randyg]

1st Step Point of Aim

The first step towards the performing of a shot is to move yourself into a position where you are in perfect line with intended ball, and intended pocket.

2nd Step Lining up for the shot

After having determined where the intended ball needs to be hit, you should now keep your eyes on the hitting point while moving over behind the CB. It is of great importance that you will position your body as exact as possible on the line of shooting, i.e. the line between the center of CB and the hitting point for the intended ball.
In doing so you should be just 2-3 steps away from the position where you will be in order to perform the shot.

3rd Step Walking into the shot

This means that you will now close the gap that you before allowed yourself compared to where you will be performing the shot.

4th Step Bridge-arm and Bridge

There are many types of bridges, depending on where and how the CB is located.
Straight bridge-arm is important, but there are some situations that force you to slightly bend bridge arm.

5th Step Stance

A triangle, or a tripod, should be formed between your bridge arm and your two feet.

6th Step Grip

You will be performing the stroke with your right (or left ) arm and in order to make sure that you are going to be able to do so properly, there are few details that will need your attention.

* Your left arm should now be stretched and in position for the shot.
* The cue tip should be positioned very close to the CB.
* Move your right hand along the butt of the cue until you have close to
90-degree angle between your upper arm and the forearm as a
result.
* Make sure that you hold your cue without squeezing. For the
straight and smooth stroke, you will have to be fairly relaxed in
your arm and hand.

7th Step Practice Strokes

8th Step Pause

After few practice strokes, and if everything feels correct, you will
now make a short pause with cue tip close to CB. This short pause will give you opportunity to make:

* A final control of your aiming at the intended ball.
* A last control of the chosen hitting point on the CB.

9th Step Backswing

If your aiming is still correct, you will now move your cue backwards
at a slightly slower pace than you before using for the practice
strokes.

10th Step Follow through

Again there are few things that you will need to pay attention to:

* At the instance of hitting the CB your eyes should be on object ball.
* Do not stop forward movement of the cue after hitting the CB.
Allow for the movement of your forearm to be stopped by your
shoulder ( except when CB and OB are too close, or for low speed
shot etc)
* Follow the OB with your eyes untill it has disappered into
the pocket

11th Step Body motion

Stay down with your head and body until the intended ball fall into the pocket. If you allow yourself to move your body in the middle of the shot,
it is very likely that you will miss in the spite of all preparations you have made.

That's 11 steps for sure.
randyg

 

[PGHteacher]

I don't consider you rude at all. My question was asked because you used "SPF" in your post. I just asked if you knew what SPF meant.
SET PAUSEFINISH

And I thought that question either 1) Bait to try to get me to say something; or 2) A question of the methods used by the specific family of instructors of which I am not one. I didn’t consider that you might actually be asking me if I actually knew what SPF meant seriously. Kind of like me asking you if you knew what rail dribble is or some absurd question like that. That was where my confusion was. My bad.

All pool strokes have the same three ingredients no matter whose got ahold of the cue stick. SPF are specific words that we coined to describe each of those three non-movements. SPF is used by our Family of Instructors to grade our students strokes (or anyone's for that matter). By breaking your stroke down into three non-movements one knows what is good or poor in their stroke. Then they are able to correct what needs to be corrected. SPF is nothing more than a diagnostic tool used to evaluate a stroke.

Thanks
Randyg

So can you define what SET and PAUSE are in thorough detail, the reason I am asking this is that I am not an advocate of doing a PAUSE. I am an advocate of doing “what works best” for an individual. A PAUSE does not work well for me depending on what your definition of a pause is. Now if you say “well everybody has a pause because in order for the stick to go forward after going backwards it has to stop” well then your definition of PAUSE is different than mine, and there are instructors that agree with me.

So my basic questions are something like this. (To me) an address and a set are not the same thing; are they to you? Is the pause a conscious part of a pre-shot routine? Or is it a physics reality of motion?

 

[PGHteacher]

So he said

How many Pre-shot Routines would a great player have?

randyg

and you said

in my book 11

and you said

1st Step Point of Aim

The first step towards the performing of a shot is to move yourself into a position where you are in perfect line with intended ball, and intended pocket.

2nd Step Lining up for the shot

After having determined where the intended ball needs to be hit, you should now keep your eyes on the hitting point while moving over behind the CB. It is of great importance that you will position your body as exact as possible on the line of shooting, i.e. the line between the center of CB and the hitting point for the intended ball.
In doing so you should be just 2-3 steps away from the position where you will be in order to perform the shot.

3rd Step Walking into the shot

This means that you will now close the gap that you before allowed yourself compared to where you will be performing the shot.

4th Step Bridge-arm and Bridge

There are many types of bridges, depending on where and how the CB is located.
Straight bridge-arm is important, but there are some situations that force you to slightly bend bridge arm.

5th Step Stance

A triangle, or a tripod, should be formed between your bridge arm and your two feet.

6th Step Grip

You will be performing the stroke with your right (or left ) arm and in order to make sure that you are going to be able to do so properly, there are few details that will need your attention.

* Your left arm should now be stretched and in position for the shot.
* The cue tip should be positioned very close to the CB.
* Move your right hand along the butt of the cue until you have close to
90-degree angle between your upper arm and the forearm as a
result.
* Make sure that you hold your cue without squeezing. For the
straight and smooth stroke, you will have to be fairly relaxed in
your arm and hand.

7th Step Practice Strokes

8th Step Pause

After few practice strokes, and if everything feels correct, you will
now make a short pause with cue tip close to CB. This short pause will give you opportunity to make:

* A final control of your aiming at the intended ball.
* A last control of the chosen hitting point on the CB.

9th Step Backswing

If your aiming is still correct, you will now move your cue backwards
at a slightly slower pace than you before using for the practice
strokes.

10th Step Follow through

Again there are few things that you will need to pay attention to:

* At the instance of hitting the CB your eyes should be on object ball.
* Do not stop forward movement of the cue after hitting the CB.
Allow for the movement of your forearm to be stopped by your
shoulder ( except when CB and OB are too close, or for low speed
shot etc)
* Follow the OB with your eyes untill it has disappered into
the pocket

11th Step Body motion

Stay down with your head and body until the intended ball fall into the pocket. If you allow yourself to move your body in the middle of the shot,
it is very likely that you will miss in the spite of all preparations you have made.

But that’s 11 steps to one pre-shot routine, not 11 pre-shot routines.

 

[randyg]

And I thought that question either 1) Bait to try to get me to say something; or 2) A question of the methods used by the specific family of instructors of which I am not one. I didn’t consider that you might actually be asking me if I actually knew what SPF meant seriously. Kind of like me asking you if you knew what rail dribble is or some absurd question like that. That was where my confusion was. My bad.




So can you define what SET and PAUSE are in thorough detail, the reason I am asking this is that I am not an advocate of doing a PAUSE. I am an advocate of doing “what works best” for an individual. A PAUSE does not work well for me depending on what your definition of a pause is. Now if you say “well everybody has a pause because in order for the stick to go forward after going backwards it has to stop” well then your definition of PAUSE is different than mine, and there are instructors that agree with me.

So my basic questions are something like this. (To me) an address and a set are not the same thing; are they to you? No. An ADDRESS is usually done in the standing position commonly referred to as, Ball Address. Finding the aiming line.

The SET is a non motion of our cue stick. After we settle in and with our cue tip very close to the cue ball, we re-check our aim. If the cue stick is moving at this time it's very difficult to check our aim, that's why we SET the cue stick for a brief moment.

Is the pause a conscious part of a pre-shot routine?
Yes, but only during Training routines. The Pause is in the third pre-shot routine. Once the player's proper transfer becomes a habit, he no longer thinks about it.

]Or is it a physics reality of motion? Yes. The PAUSE could be as short as .0003 of a second or as long a 3 seconds.


This is a quote straight out of our Student's handbook:

"PAUSE means Transfer (or change of direction & energy). At the end of our back stroke, control is transferred from one group of muscles to another. The Triceps are used for the back stroke and the Biceps are used for the forward stroke. In school we use the label PAUSE to help identify & grade how well the Transfer is completed during our Training Routines (video really helps). It's not how long you PAUSE but how well you Transfer."

randyg

 

[Majic]

Just wondering from other AZers.....Which Professional new or old would you say has the best pre-shot routine?


Thanks for responses.

Patrick

Ralph Souquet

 

[dr9ball]

Do you think about each of these during every shot that you shoot?

1st Step Point of Aim

The first step towards the performing of a shot is to move yourself into a position where you are in perfect line with intended ball, and intended pocket.

2nd Step Lining up for the shot

After having determined where the intended ball needs to be hit, you should now keep your eyes on the hitting point while moving over behind the CB. It is of great importance that you will position your body as exact as possible on the line of shooting, i.e. the line between the center of CB and the hitting point for the intended ball.
In doing so you should be just 2-3 steps away from the position where you will be in order to perform the shot.

3rd Step Walking into the shot

This means that you will now close the gap that you before allowed yourself compared to where you will be performing the shot.

4th Step Bridge-arm and Bridge

There are many types of bridges, depending on where and how the CB is located.
Straight bridge-arm is important, but there are some situations that force you to slightly bend bridge arm.

5th Step Stance

A triangle, or a tripod, should be formed between your bridge arm and your two feet.

6th Step Grip

You will be performing the stroke with your right (or left ) arm and in order to make sure that you are going to be able to do so properly, there are few details that will need your attention.

* Your left arm should now be stretched and in position for the shot.
* The cue tip should be positioned very close to the CB.
* Move your right hand along the butt of the cue until you have close to
90-degree angle between your upper arm and the forearm as a
result.
* Make sure that you hold your cue without squeezing. For the
straight and smooth stroke, you will have to be fairly relaxed in
your arm and hand.

7th Step Practice Strokes

8th Step Pause

After few practice strokes, and if everything feels correct, you will
now make a short pause with cue tip close to CB. This short pause will give you opportunity to make:

* A final control of your aiming at the intended ball.
* A last control of the chosen hitting point on the CB.

9th Step Backswing

If your aiming is still correct, you will now move your cue backwards
at a slightly slower pace than you before using for the practice
strokes.

10th Step Follow through

Again there are few things that you will need to pay attention to:

* At the instance of hitting the CB your eyes should be on object ball.
* Do not stop forward movement of the cue after hitting the CB.
Allow for the movement of your forearm to be stopped by your
shoulder ( except when CB and OB are too close, or for low speed
shot etc)
* Follow the OB with your eyes untill it has disappered into
the pocket

11th Step Body motion

Stay down with your head and body until the intended ball fall into the pocket. If you allow yourself to move your body in the middle of the shot,
it is very likely that you will miss in the spite of all preparations you have made.

 

[Ratta]

Rufus
don t be so *rude* with Peter - he s a great guy. And in my opinion he really tried to make his thoughts here. The steps he shown up are *real* things where he s going through. He s a great lover of the game, and a strong shooter, too.
But to *put it together* and make it much easier-well, here professional help is needed.

And to response to Randy or even trying to describe something about billiards to Randy....well, this can be difficult without running from one rhetorical question into the next one

As usual, great postings Randy

 

[peter_gunn]

Do you think about each of these during every shot that you shoot?

OFC not. It is in my nature now... after 20 y of playing :grin:

 

[PGHteacher]

Thanks Randy that all makes perfect sense, I was under the false impression (because of the name SPF) that students were taught an obligatory and conscious “pause” in their psr. I did not realize that it is about a smooth transition from back to forward motion. Thanks for clearing me up on that one.

 

[randyg]

Thanks Randy that all makes perfect sense, I was under the false impression (because of the name SPF) that students were taught an obligatory and conscious “pause” in their psr. I did not realize that it is about a smooth transition from back to forward motion. Thanks for clearing me up on that one.

That was the purpose of this post.
So, how's your Pause?
randyg

 

[PGHteacher]

That was the purpose of this post.
So, how's your Pause?
randyg

My pause is not a conscious one; that doesn’t work for me. I know this because I tried it; sort of the length of say Allison Fisher, I tried it because I thought to myself years ago “if there is a whole family of instructors that teach this I should give it a try.”

What keeps the transition from back to forward motion in my self talk (you refer to this as personal mantra and I like that BTW) is a “pull” I have the image in my mind much like an archer drawing back an arrow. I also (when I am in my own practice sessions) think “freeze” not finish, freeze is monosyllabic and therefore IMO an easier word to transmit to my subconscious. At least for me it does a better job of getting my body to do what I want.

So the really funny thing is that I do SPF it is just that these words mean different things because I do do a “set”. However it is SET-PULL-FREEZE.

 

[Scott Lee]

PGHteacher...It doesn't matter what the words are. They represent a set of consistent actions, that lead to an unconscious repeatable process. BTW, the 'freeze' in SPF happens at the conclusion of the 'finish', and is how we evaluate what we did, and how we did it. The 'pause' is not supposed to 'conscious' in playing...only in training. If it's conscious in training and practice, it will become unconscious under pressure in competition.

IMO, part of Okie's problems stem from trying to 'fix' things while he's playing or competing...which doesn't work. Just like you cannot think and shoot, you cannot learn and play at the same time. Specific training...even mental training...is separate from playing or competing.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

My pause is not a conscious one; that doesn’t work for me. I know this because I tried it; sort of the length of say Allison Fisher, I tried it because I thought to myself years ago “if there is a whole family of instructors that teach this I should give it a try.”

What keeps the transition from back to forward motion in my self talk (you refer to this as personal mantra and I like that BTW) is a “pull” I have the image in my mind much like an archer drawing back an arrow. I also (when I am in my own practice sessions) think “freeze” not finish, freeze is monosyllabic and therefore IMO an easier word to transmit to my subconscious. At least for me it does a better job of getting my body to do what I want.

So the really funny thing is that I do SPF it is just that these words mean different things because I do do a “set”. However it is SET-PULL-FREEZE.

 

[PGHteacher]

PGHteacher...It doesn't matter what the words are. They represent a set of consistent actions, that lead to an unconscious repeatable process. BTW, the 'freeze' in SPF happens at the conclusion of the 'finish', and is how we evaluate what we did, and how we did it. The 'pause' is not supposed to 'conscious' in playing...only in training. If it's conscious in training and practice, it will become unconscious under pressure in competition.

IMO, part of Okie's problems stem from trying to 'fix' things while he's playing or competing...which doesn't work. Just like you cannot think and shoot, you cannot learn and play at the same time. Specific training...even mental training...is separate from playing or competing.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I know that now as Randy has explained it to me, I was just answering Randy's question. Thanks though it has been cleared up for me.