Stepping into the shot - slow or fast?

Oikawa

Oikawa

Well-known member
There are many speeds at which different players step into the shot. As an example, Wiktor Zielinski would be a fast one, Fedor Gorst would be a pretty slow one. They both are clearly consistent in their alignment, so what causes the difference in speed?

Do you find it beneficial to do it at a certain speed? What is your own style, and what benefits do you see from it? Or do you find it irrelevant, as long as it isn't in either extreme?

I personally find that going slow like Gorst, especially towards the end, sometimes has the risk of giving time for my conscious mind to think it knows better and interrupt the way my body aligns to the line that I'm stepping on, causng slight errors that would steer my body away from it's natural alignment process.

However, I don't see much difference or issues between medium and fast speed, it seems like an especially fast dropdown like Zielinski's still works well, as long as you settle down once down on the shot and let your body stay completely still before shooting.

A perhaps related topic is, what "leads" the alignment for you while going down - the body, the cue or the eyes? or all or them simultaneously? or something else?

There's also a point to be made about muscle tension in either extreme, either going way too fast or way too slow could start involving some sort of tension to achieve that speed, which might cause issues in consistent alignment too, those limits perhaps depending on the person.
 
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I am surprised at the lack of responses to this question, given the importance of this part of the pre shot routine.

In my view the important thing is to properly prepare for the shot when standing up and then step into position without your head moving laterally. If you just step naturally, your head will move from one side to the other in order to maintain balance. So you have to find another way of doing it.

As the OP states, different players have different ways of doing this; and most of them have probably not consciously thought about it. Just consciously focusing on the shot you intend to play as you get down should in time result in a method that works for you - to quote CJW, "the game is the teacher".

In some of these approaches, the player will have developed a movement that is fluid and quick. Others will take what appears to be a more measured approach, perhaps pausing somewhat when the fingers of the bridge hand touch the cloth. But my recommendation is to focus on what you want to do and not on how you should do it. If your focus is good and unbroken throughout the process, from assessing the potting angle while standing behind the shot to arresting the cue after the shot, then your body will do whatever it needs to do.

Think of something like a cat stalking its prey and ask yourself this: is it thinking about how it should be moving?
 
Ok. I'll play. I don't do the automatic Terminator windmill step in. Nor the set the butt to your hip alignment. After all the hours (across years) of contact alignment, I just stand where my stance goes. If it's off when I get down - readily observable with a few test strokes, I reset.
 
Oikawa said:
There are many speeds at which different players step into the shot. As an example, Wiktor Zielinski would be a fast one, Fedor Gorst would be a pretty slow one. They both are clearly consistent in their alignment, so what causes the difference in speed?

Do you find it beneficial to do it at a certain speed? What is your own style, and what benefits do you see from it? Or do you find it irrelevant, as long as it isn't in either extreme?

I personally find that going slow like Gorst, especially towards the end, sometimes has the risk of giving time for my conscious mind to think it knows better and interrupt the way my body aligns to the line that I'm stepping on, causng slight errors that would steer my body away from it's natural alignment process.

However, I don't see much difference or issues between medium and fast speed, it seems like an especially fast dropdown like Zielinski's still works well, as long as you settle down once down on the shot and let your body stay completely still before shooting.

A perhaps related topic is, what "leads" the alignment for you while going down - the body, the cue or the eyes? or all or them simultaneously? or something else?

There's also a point to be made about muscle tension in either extreme, either going way too fast or way too slow could start involving some sort of tension to achieve that speed, which might cause issues in consistent alignment too, those limits perhaps depending on the person.
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Setting my right foot in the correct spot straddling the shot line is what starts my getting down on the shot.
 
Oikawa said:
so what causes the difference in speed?
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Ronnie gives a surprising answer regarding speed when asked about his 5 minutes 8 seconds maximum. The 147 discussion starts at 21 minutes and the answer comes at 22:54
Spoiler Alert..........It was done out of Fear! Not confidence. Hmmmmm
 
I've been wondering this as well and curious about the different approaches to alignment and dropping down to the table. My number one flaw is likely alignment due to inconsistency with stepping into shots and dropping down to the table; I seem to somehow forget the importance of doing so. Occasionally I'll find myself dropping down to the table without paying attention to the shot line at all and attempt to line everything up while already down; on shorter shots I can somewhat get away with this laziness though always bites me eventually.

I've tried stepping in quick and dropping down on the table like Wiktor though seems like a slow step in with a careful drop works best for me. I really like the way John Schmidt drops down on a shot with care and precision. I hope to make a habit of doing the same in the near future.
 
It seems to me that how fast you get down on a shot will be very similar to your pace of play. It is your personality. If you try to force faster or slower than your playing style it will probably never feel right.
 
I've wondered how consistently a top level player positions his body to shots.

2 hands, 2 feets, eyes and elbow....do they keep the same orientations for the same shots or is there variance?

I almost wanna know.
 
Speed depends on player temperament.

If you, like the OP, find yourself overthinking in your PSR, speed up your PSR by about 10%--it's a great way to move toward feeling pool and getting "in the zone".
 
Oikawa said:
There are many speeds at which different players step into the shot. As an example, Wiktor Zielinski would be a fast one, Fedor Gorst would be a pretty slow one. They both are clearly consistent in their alignment, so what causes the difference in speed?

Do you find it beneficial to do it at a certain speed? What is your own style, and what benefits do you see from it? Or do you find it irrelevant, as long as it isn't in either extreme?

I personally find that going slow like Gorst, especially towards the end, sometimes has the risk of giving time for my conscious mind to think it knows better and interrupt the way my body aligns to the line that I'm stepping on, causng slight errors that would steer my body away from it's natural alignment process.

However, I don't see much difference or issues between medium and fast speed, it seems like an especially fast dropdown like Zielinski's still works well, as long as you settle down once down on the shot and let your body stay completely still before shooting.

A perhaps related topic is, what "leads" the alignment for you while going down - the body, the cue or the eyes? or all or them simultaneously? or something else?

There's also a point to be made about muscle tension in either extreme, either going way too fast or way too slow could start involving some sort of tension to achieve that speed, which might cause issues in consistent alignment too, those limits perhaps depending on the person.
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doesn't fedor have scoliosis? either way, ergonomy and body type is a factor. i was pretty fast until i busted my back working in forestry. sometimes you have to slow down and the getting down on the shot is one of those things i had to adjust
 
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