With Sticks and Stones, I take a simple approach to the game, but from time to time I’ll find an ‘out of the box’ technique that is well worth passing on. Employing the power of visualization is one of those techniques.

Here are a few examples in action:
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Strive to be a careful, focused, and quiet shooter.  Don’t bang the balls around, click them.  Learn to appreciate the soft roll of a ball into the pocket.  Use no more force than necessary to achieve your desired result, and minimize the distance your cue ball travels.
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Many times we will see inexperienced players practicing absurdly difficult trick shots that might never come up in a game. This is the opposite of what a player ought to be doing! The reason to learn a new shot is to make the game easier.
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The greatest obstacle to overcome in pool is yourself — you are the unpredictable party.  The table will not move, the balls will only move where you make them, and your opponent is not going to tackle you.
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Pool at a high level is a thinking game, and compared to other sports, mental fortitude is a highly valuable asset. Far too often, players miss shots as a result of a lack of focus, lack of planning, lack of confidence, or just plain goofy thinking.

The mental aspects common to all games of pool that a player must strive to master:

FOCUS – ATTITUDE – CONFIDENCE – PRESSURE

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Your body and its actions determine the outcome of every pool shot you attempt. Parts of your body – including your mind — can easily sabotage your expectations at the pool table. I’ll save the mental dimension for another post, and examine the physical/mechanical aspects of executing a pool shot here.

DEVELOP A STROKE AND A STANCE YOU CAN RELY ON

The ultimate goal of evaluating the mechanics of the game is to produce a sound shooting routine that you can rely on in any situation. Different players will have different routines, but all successful routines share a proper implementation of the following elements:

BODY – STANCE – SIGHT – BRIDGE – GRIP – STROKE

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