Why would you forget to use your pre-shot routine.

CaptainJR

CaptainJR

Shiver me timbers.
Silver Member
I don't think it is old age. My teacher has stressed this over and over, so why would I forget to use it.

The answer I've come up with is this. I don't think I forget it all at once. I think it happens gradually over several shots. Sort of like it sneaks up on me.

I have analyzed the table. Made all my decisions while standing up. (including aiming) Taken my alignment. One move down to shooting position. A couple practice stokes. Confirm tip position. Shoot the ball. I get to the next shot, [here it comes] my decisions had already been made so I skip this part except for aiming and go right to taking my alignment then continue through the rest of pre-shot. I get to the next shot, [ut oh] my decisions had been made. It is an easier shot so I find my aiming point on the way down not bothering so much with alignment. I get to the next shot, [it's all over but the crying now] I know what I have to do on this shot but it is not as easy so I concentrate more on my aiming point and not using much of my pre-shot at all but manage to make the shot.

There are two situations this can lead me to.

a. I have made the shot but I'm out of position and in trouble because I lost track of the plan.

or (and this is the one that kills me)

b. Some time in the next shot or so I move to the next shot (maybe without even standing up completely, not using pre-shot at all) take a couple practice strokes (probably don't even confirm my tip position) and shoot at a 19 out of 20 shot and wonder why the F I missed it. Because my pre-shot disappeared so gradually I can't even figure out what went wrong.

Of course when this happens it wakes me the hell up so on the next shot I'm doing my pre-shot again. It's to late though. In the mean time my opponent won that game and ran the next table or two. Now I'm behind and frustrated that I missed a shot that I shouldn't have. I don't think this happens all the time but once or twice in a match and your in the losers bracket struggling to stay alive.

My solution? I going to give an A effort at not skipping the first step. No matter how automatic the out seems it only should take a couple seconds to stand behind the shot and review the plan and reinforce the decisions. Hopefully this will lead me into the rest of my pre-shot routine.
 
I know exactly what you're saying. One solution I can think of is getting in the habit of surveying the table on EVERY shot. I usually do that by going for the piece of chalk furthest from where I shot my last shot. Once I walk around a bit, it's easier to get in the groove of my pre-shot routine.

Sometimes it will be redudant, and in those cases it will help with consistency. In some other cases, you might even find something that escaped you at first, no matter how simple the layout.

But, seriously, I think shooting before it's time is in every player's resume. It's a matter of who does it less.
 
you forget your pre-shot routine because you don't practice it enough.

once you practice it enough, it becomes second nature.


VAP
 
vapoolplayer said:
you forget your pre-shot routine because you don't practice it enough.

once you practice it enough, it becomes second nature.


VAP
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Somehow, I knew this was coming. :)

Since practicing enough just isn't in the cards, see above solution. LOL

VAP, what you got on your schedual in two weeks?
 
CaptainJR said:
Somehow, I knew this was coming. :)

Since practicing enough just isn't in the cards, see above solution. LOL

VAP, what you got on your schedual in two weeks?
Click to expand...


you don't have to practice long hours all the time. if you're forgetting your routine, then, the next few times you have an hour or so to practice, just focus on that alone. really think about it the entire time, till you actually feel mentally tired from thinking about it.

as far as the next two weeks, there's no telling, my schedule is always changing.

VAP
 
HAVING knowledge is one thing; USING it effectively is another.

We all gather knowledge here on AZ, for example. But what to do with it all? How can you organize it effectively and then have it available right now on this shot when you need to use it? And then, how do you actually use it right now on this shot?

Find the answer to those questions and your problem is solved.

Jeff Livingston
 
vapoolplayer said:
you forget your pre-shot routine because you don't practice it enough.

once you practice it enough, it becomes second nature.


VAP
Click to expand...

TAP TAP TAP.
 
vapoolplayer said:
you don't have to practice long hours all the time. if you're forgetting your routine, then, the next few times you have an hour or so to practice, just focus on that alone. really think about it the entire time, till you actually feel mentally tired from thinking about it.

as far as the next two weeks, there's no telling, my schedule is always changing.

VAP
Click to expand...

I believe your right on. I think I'll try to put together an hour like this tonight after my family and I get back from the movies.

VAP, I know you've got good knowledge about this game. Some time ago I was harassing you a little bit about your constant 'Practice, Practice, Practice' replies. Your above two posts are a perfect example of what I was talking about. I had to coax the second one out of you. The practice thing is true enough every time you say it. I've seen on here that you have more to offer than just that.

I was mentioning 'in two weeks' because of the PP event coming up then. As you mentioned though, for me to say I'll be there for sure, is tough.
 
CaptainJR said:
I believe your right on. I think I'll try to put together an hour like this tonight after my family and I get back from the movies.

VAP, I know you've got good knowledge about this game. Some time ago I was harassing you a little bit about your constant 'Practice, Practice, Practice' replies. Your above two posts are a perfect example of what I was talking about. I had to coax the second one out of you. The practice thing is true enough every time you say it. I've seen on here that you have more to offer than just that.

I was mentioning 'in two weeks' because of the PP event coming up then. As you mentioned though, for me to say I'll be there for sure, is tough.
Click to expand...
Oh, oh. Is that when the big stroke match up is going to happen? Keep us posted guys... DM gets on my case everytime about that $10 bet! :D :D :D
 
CaptainJR said:
I don't think it is old age. My teacher has stressed this over and over, so why would I forget to use it.

The answer I've come up with is this. I don't think I forget it all at once. I think it happens gradually over several shots. Sort of like it sneaks up on me.

I have analyzed the table. Made all my decisions while standing up. (including aiming) Taken my alignment. One move down to shooting position. A couple practice stokes. Confirm tip position. Shoot the ball. I get to the next shot, [here it comes] my decisions had already been made so I skip this part except for aiming and go right to taking my alignment then continue through the rest of pre-shot. I get to the next shot, [ut oh] my decisions had been made. It is an easier shot so I find my aiming point on the way down not bothering so much with alignment. I get to the next shot, [it's all over but the crying now] I know what I have to do on this shot but it is not as easy so I concentrate more on my aiming point and not using much of my pre-shot at all but manage to make the shot.

There are two situations this can lead me to.

a. I have made the shot but I'm out of position and in trouble because I lost track of the plan.

or (and this is the one that kills me)

b. Some time in the next shot or so I move to the next shot (maybe without even standing up completely, not using pre-shot at all) take a couple practice strokes (probably don't even confirm my tip position) and shoot at a 19 out of 20 shot and wonder why the F I missed it. Because my pre-shot disappeared so gradually I can't even figure out what went wrong.

Of course when this happens it wakes me the hell up so on the next shot I'm doing my pre-shot again. It's to late though. In the mean time my opponent won that game and ran the next table or two. Now I'm behind and frustrated that I missed a shot that I shouldn't have. I don't think this happens all the time but once or twice in a match and your in the losers bracket struggling to stay alive.

My solution? I going to give an A effort at not skipping the first step. No matter how automatic the out seems it only should take a couple seconds to stand behind the shot and review the plan and reinforce the decisions. Hopefully this will lead me into the rest of my pre-shot routine.
Click to expand...

Back when I was still playing in a league, I would drink a few beers and have to pee every few minutes. Problem was, it would always wait until the crucial stages of my matches to come a knockin'. There is nothing like a bloated bladder to take you off your pace and make you rush through the rack. I lost games because of my refusal to take a washroom time-out.

Also affects my dad when he hasn't had a smoke in a while, he gets anxious and absent minded. He goes out for a smoke and comes back to the pool table a new man. I imagine the same thing would affect caffiene and alcohol addicts as well. I'm not implying you are any of the above.
 
Pre-Shot?

OK...for a long time I called the; Looking at the table, chalking etc...my 'Pre-Shot Routine'...and like The Capt., I sometimes forgot it...you know, the layouts good, your in the zone...or the opposite, tables laying hard, your hooked etc...the way I make it happen for me with every shot is to make it part of my 'Shot Making Routine'. Sounds like babble right?...works for me though. When I'm sitting I hold my cue in my bridge hand with one of those clip to your bag hand towels, this forces me to wipe my shaft and hands before I leave the chair, then I address the table, create my pattern, chalk my cue and take my shot. Sounds tedious I know, but I've done this so long that it really flows and makes sure that I don't rush, and/or am not prepared once I get down on the shot.

and like VAP, you gotta practice, practice, practice until you do it even when your not consciously thinking about it...
 
Jersey said:
OK...for a long time I called the; Looking at the table, chalking etc...my 'Pre-Shot Routine'...and like The Capt., I sometimes forgot it...you know, the layouts good, your in the zone...or the opposite, tables laying hard, your hooked etc...the way I make it happen for me with every shot is to make it part of my 'Shot Making Routine'. Sounds like babble right?...works for me though. When I'm sitting I hold my cue in my bridge hand with one of those clip to your bag hand towels, this forces me to wipe my shaft and hands before I leave the chair, then I address the table, create my pattern, chalk my cue and take my shot. Sounds tedious I know, but I've done this so long that it really flows and makes sure that I don't rush, and/or am not prepared once I get down on the shot.

and like VAP, you gotta practice, practice, practice until you do it even when your not consciously thinking about it...
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That's a great point. When I'm in the hot seat I watch where my opponent is on the table and where he's planning on rolling the cueball to. I say to myself, "If he misses this shot, where will the cueball be and what can I shoot next". I usually know my next shot before I get to the table because of this anticipation. I chalk up, address the cueball in air, warm up stroke in mid-air before I even get down on the table.

I always keep my brain busy when I'm not shooting so there is no room for doubts or negative thoughts to creep in. When I'm thinking..... I'm contributing to my own success, when I'm feeling sorry for myself...... I'm contributing to my failure. When I'm down for the shot is my brains time to relax and focus on the shot, becuase I got all the big thinking out of the way earlier.
 
This can happen when you get good!

Counter-intuitive as it sounds I have personally experienced this problem as a result of improving my game. When I first started trying to learn to play properly I read a lot of books and articles and made a lot of improvements to my mechanics. One of the most basic ones was staying down on every shot.

I know I have improved from my start point. (consistently beating players who used to beat me, running consecutive racks, have had my handicap raised several times in the local handicapped tournement etc.) However despite playing better overall I found myself missing easy shots recently and finally fingured out I was not staying down on the shots. When I finally realized this I could not believe I was missing such an elemental step in my shooting routine. But then I realized it was BECAUSE the shot was now easy that I was mentally and physically relaxing. I had made that shot so many times my brain was getting lazy and just assumed it would go in and was ready to move on the something more challenging.

The solution? For me personally what I find works well is to focus inwards on the physical sensations of playing. The feel of the shaft in your bridge, your hand on the butt, the swing of your arm. Focus on how they feel just before you shoot. (This is one reason a pause in the backswing works for a lot of players) If anything does not feel correct, if you feel tension or strain or imbalance get up and setup the shot again and that forces you to concentrate on going through your pre-shot routine properly.
 
AuntyDan said:
.........The solution? For me personally what I find works well is to focus inwards on the physical sensations of playing. The feel of the shaft in your bridge, your hand on the butt, the swing of your arm. Focus on how they feel just before you shoot. (This is one reason a pause in the backswing works for a lot of players) If anything does not feel correct, if you feel tension or strain or imbalance get up and setup the shot again and that forces you to concentrate on going through your pre-shot routine properly.
Click to expand...
I hear what you're saying. Muscle Memory is the hardest thing to learn, and the longest thing to learn. It takes many years of doing something correctly before the muscles automatically "know" what to do. I recently tinkered my game into the toilet and then back again, so I know what you're talking about.

Once I've been incorporating these new changes into my game for years, the muscle memory will be there like a trusty old friend. I don't expect to naturally fall into each shot after changing my fundamentals/stroke mechanics so dramatically.
 
lewdo26 said:
Oh, oh. Is that when the big stroke match up is going to happen? Keep us posted guys... DM gets on my case everytime about that $10 bet! :D :D :D
Click to expand...


Shouldn't interest or a cost of living increase have accrued on that by now? ;) :D
 
Do you have a 'trigger' for your per-shot routine ? I mean something that starts the routine each and every time ? I suggest a move that occurs every shot regardless of the specifics (open, bridge over a ball, ball on rails etc). When you do the trigger move, and you've practiced a reasonable amount, you should fall into your routine quite easily and without forgetting.

Dave
 
DaveK said:
Do you have a 'trigger' for your per-shot routine ? I mean something that starts the routine each and every time ? I suggest a move that occurs every shot regardless of the specifics (open, bridge over a ball, ball on rails etc). When you do the trigger move, and you've practiced a reasonable amount, you should fall into your routine quite easily and without forgetting.

Dave
Click to expand...

Very excellent point!. When it's my shot, the pre-shot routine starts when I walk up to the table, (I also work on it while in the electric chair too).

First I chalk up and think about what I need/want to do. Then I lean down on the rail and look at the shot from the cue balls perspective. I may walk around the table and look at it from the other side if it's a very difficualt shot.

This process never changes and is kind of like my warm comfort blanket.
 
Great Thread! I can agree on everything you said about how you get lost and not do your preshot routine everytime. For me is because i Rush my shots, so what i do is practice it this day then the other day i practice position, then drills, etc.... But i also take my time to look at each shot, walk around the table, as to when Johnny Archer takes the balls out of the pockets to teach himself to slow down. I remember someone that taught me to slow down, he use to call me The Cueball Chaser, cause as soon as the cueball stopped rolling i would be right there down on the next shot shooting already, especially the easy shots i catch myself not doing my preshot routine everytime. Cole 'TheConArtist'
 
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