Pool Consistency – Pre-Shot Routine: Get to Stroke Line

In keeping with the CONSISTENCY theme and the Pre-Shot routine, here is a very important aspect to be managed.

I’ve first covered how to set up your feet and chalk the cleat as part of your routine.

OK, let’s back up a bit first. Before you can place your feet or your back foot on the stroke line, you must find and put your eyes directly on the stroke line “ON”. That step should become the foundation for all your shots and all the elements of your pre-shot routine, at least once you enter the setup phase.

The step of laying eyes on the line of shots first (before going down to position) sounds so obvious, but all too often I see players NOT finding the line first, so the whole process of shooting starts with little hope of success. Luck and the ability / talent to compensate become your crutch or your best hope.

You need to organize every posture setting for every shot, AROUND VISUAL CONFIRMATION DIFFERENT FROM THE LINE OF HITS. Let me repeat, you need to organize every shot / posture setup, AROUND THE VISUAL CONFIRMATION DIFFERENT FROM THE STROKING LINE. What does that really mean? Don’t crouch down to shoot until you stop and see the line you want to shoot down.

So the key element of your pre-shot routine is finding and looking down the line of strokes. If you can add this to your game, almost any sequence of events after that will produce a much greater measure of CONSISTENT success for you at the pool table, for years to come.

Don’t start “landing” until you are in line with the runway. So simple yet so powerful. Organize your posture around this line while concentrating on it.

Well, try to prove me wrong by NOT getting in the line of strokes before you get into your pose, and let me know how that turned out for you.

Basically stand behind the cue ball looking in the direction you want to shoot, and then refine the precision so that you can crouch down and hit a successful shot.

The more you play, the faster you can get to the line and then get into position, to the point where everything seems natural and without appearance. Or it can still be very deliberate if you like.

See you soon …

Max eberle