The secret to a high level of consistency

[One Pocket John]

I have been playing for about 25 years now and only found this secret a few days ago. I suspect it is a secret because many others do it without thinking and perhaps some others do not know how to articulate the concept. It is the kind of thing that I have only heard others speak of in a tangential sort of way. It is not emphasized in the instructional literature that I have read though it may have been there and I just passed over it without really understanding or appreciating the concept.

In some instructional materials the student is told to “freeze” when they are ready to shoot. But what does that mean? When we are setting up for a shot we need to be stable and flexible. You have to have a good platform from which to shoot but you also have to be able to move the cue a little bit to get the exact line for your aim. That is you have to be flexible so you can line up the shot perfectly.

A few days ago I found that when you are ready to shoot you have to literally freeze all other parts of your body that you had been using to make adjustments for the shot. There needs to be a little tension across your neck and shoulders, in your hips and especially your legs. It is difficult to put into words but what it comes down to is the idea that your whole body, except for your swing arm and elbow, have to be held rigid. That is you have to literally freeze in position.

I have found it best to move my body back just a little because this helps me to stay down on a shot. After two warm up strokes I freeze (make rigid) everything else for the third and last warm up stroke. In this context “freeze” means to make everything else tight, or locked in place. If everything looks and feels right my next stroke is used to strike the cue ball and nothing moves until the cue ball strikes the object ball.

I wonder how many others have been playing like this for years and simply figured that everybody else does the same. I remember that a friend told me several years ago to lock my legs but I only half listened as it seemed that such things made the game uncomfortable. Now I find that once learned "freezing" becomes a natural way to play. It is somewhat like setting your hips when shooting a pistol or a rifle.

I think the freeze is important because for many shots the margin of error is small and any slight movement contributes to a miss. While there is a larger margin of error for easy shots one must have the freeze as part of every shot for long term consistency.

Have other highly consistent shooters found other ways to use this idea? I have started writing a book on the mental aspects of the game and would like any other ideas along this line that others might have. Perhaps there are better ways to explain this idea.

Joe, I agree with all that you say. There comes a time when in your mind time stops for just a second (freeze) and then you pull the trigger. Its a relaxing pause.

Thanks for the post. It is a friendly reminder.

John :wink:

 

[Neil]

One of the things I have found with this idea is that when the body is "braced" for the shot and the lower arm is swinging practice swings the arm feels more relaxed, loose, and flexible in the swing. It is almost as if you can feel that the arm is on a straight line relative to the body. It leads to more confidence in one's shot making.

This whole thing is difficult to discuss because we simply don't have the words to convey this type of differential bracing and relaxing.

You are exactly right, the proper words are hard to find to relay what one is thinking. But, as you stated, the point is, the arm and body should be separated from each other. (to some, no, I don't mean cut your arm off)

 

[Quesports]

Keeping the head perfectly still sounds great and looks good on paper. The reality is very few actually do this AFTER THEY CONTACT THE CUE BALL - I've watched Efren when he's playing his best raise up on practically every shot. It seems like the better he plays the more he does it, and I think it's pretty common to allow the head to come up with the body after contact.

Well you got to move eventually!

 

[SmoothStroke]

Freezing,,, I think a good way to movement

I not a fan of freeze or any other relation to freeze.
I like relaxed as possible,stay calm , on balance.....NO TENSION
The distance you drop down on the shot dictates everything.
How you adjust once you have dropped down is the difference to relaxed or tension. You don't have to freeze to stay still. (Stance Dictates)
Stand over a shot from 6 ft away from the table. Now walk into the shot and drop down. If you drop down and your bridge is too short or too long to the cueball you have to use cat steps.( small, suttle steps ) sometimes moving them in,out,left,right 1/6 inch or more to put yourself on perfect alignment, balance and bridge distance. That is all it takes to stay down.
There will be no tension in your legs,knees,back,neck,bridge hand,forearm, eyes..... (YOU CANT FOOL YOUR BRAIN) it knows when it's off balance, even by an eyelash.
Deliver the stroke and remain as relaxed as possible. You are relaxed
Why fight muscle tension by freezing? You will be relaxed completely from beginning to end.....Relaxed is my version of freezing
P.S. A loose wrist is a must. Learn the dust stroke

 

[CJ Wiley]

"immediately".

Well you got to move eventually!

More like "immediately".

 

[ENGLISH!]

Is it good to hold your breath?

I don't make a conscius effort to do so but I am farily sure that I do.

To be honest, I don't see how one can continue to breath in what we're talking about.

I think the two go hand in hand. I would think that if you are breathing normally then you're not fully 'braced'.

Just my humble guess.

 

[TATE]

Keeping the head perfectly still sounds great and looks good on paper. The reality is very few actually do this AFTER THEY CONTACT THE CUE BALL - I've watched Efren when he's playing his best raise up on practically every shot. It seems like the better he plays the more he does it, and I think it's pretty common to allow the head to come up with the body after contact.

The key word is after contact. Most players do let the head rise on the follow through, but the better player only rise a small amount.

 

[nobcitypool]

Very nice post Joe, thanks! I like the word quiet versus freeze or brace. The latter two words bring to mind muscle tension which I don't think is the desired situation. Keeping everything "quiet", except your arm, sounds right to me.

 

[CJ Wiley]

Check out this link of Efren Reyes - watch his head after contact

The key word is after contact. Most players do let the head rise on the follow through, but the better player only rise a small amount.

Check out this link of Efren Reyes - watch his head after contact and also the "Inside" he chooses to use. I saw this "up close and personal".

EFREN REYES SHOOTING AN INSIDE INFO SHOT

 

[ChazL]

A very good post, Joe. You made me realize that I had not focused on staying absolutely still in my stance for quite a while. I hit a few balls on my home table tonight with this as my objective.

I was long ago taught the "relaxed muscle" approach to keeping still that Neil advocates. When I focused on staying perfectly "quiet" I found that my stance had gotten a bit out of balance. I wound up shifting my hips back a hair, and bending forward a bit more from the waist. I was instantly reminded of some of my early pool instruction, when I was told to form a stance like a tripod, with weight balanced between the front foot, back foot, and bridge hand.

The adaptations that I made were subtle. There was no deliberate intention to do anything differently. The adjustments were subconscious, as I once again found a way to stay comfortably stable. I have to say that my stroking and shooting improved a good bit by the end of this brief session.

Joe, I always find your posts interesting and thoughtful. Thanks for reminding us of this important fundamental.

 

[naji]

In some instructional materials the student is told to “freeze”

Have other highly consistent shooters found other ways to use this idea?

The only benefit of freezing is to reset the muscles involved in the arm during shot making, i call it priming the muscles for the next action.

Margin of errors in pool are either Additive, subtractive or combination of the two. It is a science trying to figure the best way to cancel all errors to pocket a ball, or use known errors in your favor.

So bottom line where you aim and focus is the most critical of all and is the one that have the highest error rate contribution that other error corrections cannot offset it, if you starting the aim wrong.

Freezing will have a + or - error correction such that balls will be pocketed but at different parts of pocket, but say a long shot from up table , or OB have almost a ball and 1/4 width pocket freezing will correct yet again everything else such as throw, english, stun, roll, stroke, follow through, squirt, cloth, ball condition, type of CB, weather, you name it should be accounted for too, lucky for us, some error contribution of some of these cancel each other when some conditions are right.

Perfecting error correction science will only be accomplished by heavy and i mean heavy dose of practice daily, 4-8 hours a day and that will take care of most issues, but other errors that depends on equipment (table, balls, cloth,..) will have to be worked on during the action.

When players say i played great yesterday and sucked the next day, is the fact he or she forgot to adjust for one of these error contributing factors, and we are talking in a race to 11, 9 ball, all it takes 3 or 4 errors to be doomed, provided your opponent make no mistakes.

Oh! forgot one of most important error factors, luck luck luck,

"Efren said one day, i'd rather be lucky than gooood"

 

[West Point 1987]

Is it good to hold your breath?

No...just like in shooting, you pull the trigger at the resting/exhale point, slack lungs. Holding you breath increases your heart rate and causes other unwanted reactions/movements, like micro muscle tremor and a tendancy to want to rush things.

 

[West Point 1987]

I line up over the shot with my cue locked into my right hip, lined up over the line. I've connected CB to OB to pocket. Then I step into the shot, concentrating on my right big toe staying anchored on that line (the foot may rotate a little clockwise as I step in) and my forward left foot pointed parallel to the stroke line. I take two practice/measuring strokes while my head is still about 18 inches above the shot (conscious that I'm not moving anything else), then I lower all the way down, hold at CB, (set) pull back, (pause) at the rear point and stroke/accelerate straight through the CB. I don't tense up, but I do put A LOT of pressure downward through my bridge hand through the slate...the bridge hand needs to be anchored. I only want movement below the elbow in the stroke hand and I stay down until the CB stops moving--unless I've got to get out of the way. I'm anal about that part. I've been doing this PSR for about a year now with great results.

 

[CJ Wiley]

I always liked a bit of "nervous tension," it makes me feel more alive.

I line up over the shot with my cue locked into my right hip, lined up over the line. I've connected CB to OB to pocket. Then I step into the shot, concentrating on my right big toe staying anchored on that line (the foot may rotate a little clockwise as I step in) and my forward left foot pointed parallel to the stroke line. I take two practice/measuring strokes while my head is still about 18 inches above the shot (conscious that I'm not moving anything else), then I lower all the way down, hold at CB, (set) pull back, (pause) at the rear point and stroke/accelerate straight through the CB. I don't tense up, but I do put A LOT of pressure downward through my bridge hand through the slate...the bridge hand needs to be anchored. I only want movement below the elbow in the stroke hand and I stay down until the CB stops moving--unless I've got to get out of the way. I'm anal about that part. I've been doing this PSR for about a year now with great results.

I like the sensation of digging my {bridge hand} fingers into the slate. If that hand moves it doesn't matter what else you've done correctly, you are in jeopardy of missing the shot.

It's asking too much to "stay relaxed" when you play under strenuous pressure, I always liked a bit of "nervous tension," it makes me feel more alive. 'The Pressure is the Teacher'

 

[SmoothStroke]

The Feet

It's all in the feet, everything else follows the feet.
For a right handed player,,, left handed will be opposite.
If you are too close to the shot you will have unwarranted muscle pressure in your bridge hand,forearm,shoulders,back,neck,knees, most likely your knees are bent too much, you are sitting in your stance. It's a great recipe to jump up and all sorts of movement.
If you are too far off the shot you you are lunging in...Extreme pressure on the left knee, thigh, foot,hips,etc.etc.etc. Stroke delivery becomes a disaster and you are ready to fall on your face.
These positions can be so small that we think its ok and we can complete our mission, and sometimes we can. (usually not on a consistent basis )
We are not smarter than our brain. Don't fight the brain.
The brain wants to correct unbalance at any level and it wants to do it instantly. If you are walking and step on something and lose your balance, think about how fast you correct it. It's an instant reaction to get on balance.
I believe in remaining still. Just remind yourself to keep still until the ball drops, then raise your eyes and send the cue ball to position. This will keep you still.

 

[elvicash]

Is it good to hold your breath?

I think exhale into the set position no breathing during the stroke then pull the trigger at end of shot freeze watch and then check tip

CJ knows about breathing

 

[naji]

It's all in the feet, everything else follows the feet.
For a right handed player,,, left handed will be opposite.
If you are too close to the shot you will have unwarranted muscle pressure in your bridge hand,forearm,shoulders,back,neck,knees, most likely your knees are bent too much, you are sitting in your stance. It's a great recipe to jump up and all sorts of movement.
If you are too far off the shot you you are lunging in...Extreme pressure on the left knee, thigh, foot,hips,etc.etc.etc. Stroke delivery becomes a disaster and you are ready to fall on your face.
These positions can be so small that we think its ok and we can complete our mission, and sometimes we can. (usually not on a consistent basis )
We are not smarter than our brain. Don't fight the brain.
The brain wants to correct unbalance at any level and it wants to do it instantly. If you are walking and step on something and lose your balance, think about how fast you correct it. It's an instant reaction to get on balance.
I believe in remaining still. Just remind yourself to keep still until the ball drops, then raise your eyes and send the cue ball to position. This will keep you still.

I used to think that myself and argue with others, until i was asked by another player, do you see the missed OB first, or your brain reacted before you finished the shot? it took me a while to figure out that follow through is the most important aspect, if you follow through completely there is no way to raise your head or move. It is the fact we some times do not follow through properly, or we punch the shot we miss and force the CB to slide to OB and causes the throw, and our brain catches that and we move our head.

 

[SmoothStroke]

I used to think that myself and argue with others, until i was asked by another player, do you see the missed OB first, or your brain reacted before you finished the shot? it took me a while to figure out that follow through is the most important aspect, if you follow through completely there is no way to raise your head or move. It is the fact we some times do not follow through properly, or we punch the shot we miss and force the CB to slide to OB and causes the throw, and our brain catches that and we move our head.

I believe if you practice stroke technique and not shot drills it makes a huge difference. Muscle memory in stroke is an entity of its own.
Put it all together and there may be something to the entire package.
Respectfully, SS

 

[JoeW]

I like the sensation of digging my {bridge hand} fingers into the slate. If that hand moves it doesn't matter what else you've done correctly, you are in jeopardy of missing the shot.

It's asking too much to "stay relaxed" when you play under strenuous pressure, I always liked a bit of "nervous tension," it makes me feel more alive. 'The Pressure is the Teacher'

I have used the digging in your hand idea for improving stability. I think that it might be a good trigger for bracing the whole body (including the head). I also find that shifting my weight to the rear by a few inches improves the sight picture but more importantly contributes to the "bracing" effect. I suppose that any trigger that reminded the subconscious to stay perfectly still while the lower arm swings the cue stick would work.

In whatever way it is said or accomplished there is a need to intentionally (subconsciously) hold the who body perfectly still during execution.

 

[JoeyA]

No...just like in shooting, you pull the trigger at the resting/exhale point, slack lungs. Holding you breath increases your heart rate and causes other unwanted reactions/movements, like micro muscle tremor and a tendancy to want to rush things.

On more than an occasion or two, I have seen one of the best players in the world, inhale deeply and exhale, just before getting down to shoot a shot (no holding breath). I'm sure the deep breath is to help him relax, nothing more.