Stepping Into The Shot, Freeze, & Trust

D

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
recently it seems like i have been trying to "Step Into The Shot" and freezing at that point, trusting myself that i am aligned correctly and then going ahead with the shot. it seems to be working pretty good.

Tom Rossman told me "Proper Alignment + Straight Stroke = Shot Success" and coupled with what Mark Wilson has done to my mechanics, this seems to be bringing me around a little bit.

i used to always wonder when i was over a shot if i was aligned properly, and not 1/8" of an inch off one way or another. now i just trust myself that i stepped into the shot properly and therefore aligned correctly, and from that point on just concentrate on the straight stroke and follow through. again, it currently seems to be working good for me.

was wondering if any of you other posters do something like this, just trusting your setup/alignment and not trying to move 1/8" of an inch when your over the shot?

DCP
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
recently it seems like i have been trying to "Step Into The Shot" and freezing at that point, trusting myself that i am aligned correctly and then going ahead with the shot. it seems to be working pretty good.

Tom Rossman told me "Proper Alignment + Straight Stroke = Shot Success" and coupled with what Mark Wilson has done to my mechanics, this seems to be bringing me around a little bit.

i used to always wonder when i was over a shot if i was aligned properly, and not 1/8" of an inch off one way or another. now i just trust myself that i stepped into the shot properly and therefore aligned correctly, and from that point on just concentrate on the straight stroke and follow through. again, it currently seems to be working good for me.

was wondering if any of you other posters do something like this, just trusting your setup/alignment and not trying to move 1/8" of an inch when your over the shot?

DCP
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if you haven't seen jimmy reid's videos i would recomend you do so. IMO he explains how to "address the cue ball" perfectly. in his videos he suggests you do a drill somewhat like what you described. you swing down on the cue, and without any warmup strokes you shoot. assuming that all your mechanics are right and you hit the cue where you intended this will let you know if your "alignment" or "addressing the cue ball" is correct. which is great for confidence.....if your mechanics are sound and you miss a shot its simply because you addressed the cue ball wrong.
i would however if i were you be careful......this is only a drill, during regular playing conditions you need to keep your pre shot routine i.e. practice strokes. also be careful, if you practice this drill too much you will find yourself trying to one stroke the cue in a game.

i spent a weekend with jimmy down in tennessee for lessons. worked on his diamond and kicking systems (which are excellent by the way) and addressing the cue ball. if he hadn't have shown me anything else for the entire 3 days, the lesson on addressing the cue ball would have well been worth the money i spent. he also showed me how to "trust" myself when a shot didn't look right, as some shots just look weird after you address them, but they will go in the pocket and you will get the desired results if you just trust yourself.


hope this helps
 
Dr Cues Protege here is 4 steps to remember for your 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 your 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 you put in your practice sessions.
Hope this helps!
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
recently it seems like i have been trying to "Step Into The Shot" and freezing at that point, trusting myself that i am aligned correctly and then going ahead with the shot. it seems to be working pretty good.

Tom Rossman told me "Proper Alignment + Straight Stroke = Shot Success" and coupled with what Mark Wilson has done to my mechanics, this seems to be bringing me around a little bit.

i used to always wonder when i was over a shot if i was aligned properly, and not 1/8" of an inch off one way or another. now i just trust myself that i stepped into the shot properly and therefore aligned correctly, and from that point on just concentrate on the straight stroke and follow through. again, it currently seems to be working good for me.

was wondering if any of you other posters do something like this, just trusting your setup/alignment and not trying to move 1/8" of an inch when your over the shot?

DCP
Click to expand...


This is exactly what I do. I get my eyes aligned with the shot and allow my body to fall into place. Once I'm down, I give a few practice strokes, pause then a confident hit. Alignment is everything.


Jude M. Rosenstock
 
DennyS said:
Dr Cues Protege here is 4 steps to remember for your 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 your 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 you put in your practice sessions.
Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
TAP! TAP! TAP!

Zim
 
my game really turned around and i became much more consistent when I started paying more attention addressing the shot. It actually happened when i ordered 2 of buddy halls vids and got his stroketrainer that came with it. I was messing around with it on my kitchentable (no pooltable at home) and i started paying alot more attention to how i set up in regards to the trainer so i could stroke through it (like stroking thru a drinkbottle). Well this helped me naildown my current address technique and its done wonders for my overall consistency.
Basically I look over the shot, lining up the cue straight out with the shot and putting it into my bridge while i pivot on my back foot and swing down into the shot. This way im sure my arm clears my hip and i got a nice straight stroke. I practiced this at home alot.......first time i thought to try the exercise where you shoot the cueball downtable and wait for it to come back and hit your cuetip to see how your stroke is, it hit my cue deadcenter. Once you KNOW your stroke and address and line up is correct, it really frees you up to play your game and get better.
 
I think one of the biggest problems people have when trying to develop a consistent stance, is focusing more on the position of their body than their cue.

A friend of mine, who is now a professional player in Sweden, (believe me, this guy can play) told me that he lines up by 'talking to his cue'. He makes his decision for the shot, and then he just kind of lets his cue line up to whatever feels right, then he lines up his body around the cue. Lining up your body first, and then the cue, chances are the cue is going to have some interference, and you won't stroke straight. So try putting your cue in place first, put it in a spot that 'feels' right, then get into your normal stance. Line up your body around your cue, not your cue around your body.
 
yeah thats what im talkin about lasttwo......i used to get down in my stance and just kinda shoot........now im lining up the stick and moving my body around it, huge difference in my game.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
recently it seems like i have been trying to "Step Into The Shot" and freezing at that point, trusting myself that i am aligned correctly and then going ahead with the shot. it seems to be working pretty good.


You need to trust something. Experiment, yes but start having some trust. If you always have doubts, it's definately going to be a long up hill struggle.



i used to always wonder when i was over a shot if i was aligned properly, and not 1/8" of an inch off one way or another.

Believe me, 1/8" is so minute, hell pro's are running racks out of those specs. A decent player is well out of that specification. Take your time, yes, but don't try to be perfect. That shear factor alone won't let you relax enough to "play your game". Your tension, spelled with a big T.
Click to expand...
 
JoeyInCali said:
Great tip LT. Thnx.
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No problem man :D

My biggest problem, is that I know alot of great little tidbits of information that can fix problems in my game, but I know so many that once I try one thing, I forget another thing. It's an endless cycle. As long as my game keeps improving with it, I guess it's ok.
 
I know that perhaps 95% of the aiming is done while standing in back of the shot but there is still some fine tuning to do once I'm down on the shot. I think that I used to do this fine tuning by rolling my wrist closer to or away from my body or by twisting my bridge hand a little in one direction or the other.....both of these methods were mostly unconscious on my part and totally bad ideas.

Now that I have been working on being much more careful to aim while standing and then have my stance dictate most of my aim I still have to fine tune the aim while down but I've found that leaning my whole body just a hair to the right or left provides much better shot results keeping everything more alinged.

Any comments on this? Is this also a poor practice to get habituated to? How else can final-fine-tune aiming be done?
 
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LastTwo,

Doesn't Parica use his cue a lot to line up shots and kicks? I've done this too from time to time. Like you, I have an arsenal of little tricks to enhance my game when I start shooting poorly. I just wish I could get the right combination down and use them consistently!
 
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