Tip Of The Week
Number: 22
Jim Tellier October 2011
TOPIC: The
Pre-Shot Routine *
CATEGORY: All
Skill Levels
INTRODUCTION:
Jeanette
says, You may think that as a recreational player you do not need a pre-shot
routine, but I promise you that the quicker you incorporate it into your game,
the quicker you will develop as a pool player. Having played myself for
quite a long time, I have seen the effect in can have on a players game ---
both my own and others. Its sometimes hard to get used to doing it
especially if youre having trouble developing your fundamentals. However,
you will find that going through the same, exact behavior each time you
approach any shot will do the following things, if you stick with
it:
build
your confidence and maintain focus
provide
a gauge for you to feel how long you are taking for each shot
eliminate
variables in your stance, your bridge, your aim, etc.
allow
you to focus primarily on delivering your stroke to get the job done
TECHNIQUE:
First, when away from the table (ideally
while your opponent is shooting, youre watching carefully and anticipating
what you will do when s/he misses) decide what it is that you want to do.
As a game strategy, decide beforehand how many balls you want to plan
ahead, then stick with that plan no matter what. As a beginner, plan for what
you want to do for only the next shot or two (but know that you will
usually find yourself in trouble if you only focus on the one shot at hand).
If youre more advanced, think farther ahead, but dont be a slave to your
plan! Course corrections are to be expected even Efren Reyes has
Plan B!
Second, walk around the table, even if
its obvious what youre going to shoot at, and what you think the result
should be. This is a good time to chalk up; as you move around, you may get a
new perspective on what your next shot ought to be, and this can make the
difference between wining or losing a close match.
Next, visualize the shot happening exactly as
you intended it. Image the ball going into the pocket. Imagine the cue ball
path after it hits the object ball, and where you intend it to end up.
Visualize the speed of the ball. The more detailed your visualization, the
more likely it is that your mechanics (your body in action) will cause it to
happen. This is the important part: trust your brain: if it will
not imagine something happening, that could be a sign that what you want to do
isnt possible. Your brain knows because you have trained it: all the
previous shots you have made (or failed to make) in the past will be called up
when you try to visualize something to be done.
If you dont feel comfortable with what you are visualizing
for the outcome of the shot, go back to the beginning, and re-think the
shot; maybe choose a different shot, or a different way to shoot this shot.
You cannot question yourself once you are down
on the shot. If you do, you absolutely must get back up and go through the
whole process all over again. If you have decided to hit that ball high right,
hard, with follow and on the last second you see trouble, dont try to adjust
on the spot. Stand up, breathe, and think everything through again. If you
try to change your shot while you are down on it, you will not see the entire
table, you will shoot hastily, and you will kick yourself later for having shot
during a moment of indecision. [Jeannette Lee]
I will add one recommendation to this: watch
some videos of top players (or better yet, go watch some live pro tournaments [the
Mosconi Cup is at the MGM Grand in December!!!]. Watch their pre-shot
routines. I especially like Allison Fisher for an example of that: she does exactly
the same thing on every shot she has taken, match after match, year after year,
win after win. Theres a reason these folks are winners, and we can learn a
lot from watching them!!!
* This weeks Tip Of The Week is excerpted from The Black
Widows Guide To Killer Pool by Jeanette Lee. (Three Rivers Press, 2000). Its
a great little narrative book about Jeanettes journey from beginner to pro in
the WPBA. Lots of good tips!