[Diagram at Bottom]

What holds my interest in pool and has for so many years is that I am always learning, often from my students. Last spring I saw that one of them was not performing consistently at her skill level and asked her if we could work on that not really knowing at the time how we would. When we met for the lesson I asked her permission to experiment a bit to solve her problem with consistency. The result is this month’s exercise, which I now share with everyone I teach. For me as a teacher, the “experiment” caused a breakthrough as I learned from it and my pupil how to convey control over a part of the game that I could barely discuss beforehand.

What you will do is set up a shot that is not too difficult but one that you might miss under a little pressure, marking the balls’ positions so it is the same exact shot every time. The shot in the diagram is only a suggestion but one that works for most players. Now line up nine more balls on the other side of the table on the rail. Here are the rules for the exercise and you must follow them strictly. Brush your tip with the chalk and set the chalk down carefully on the rail top up. Look at the object ball before you get down until it looks like a ball that you know you will pocket. Get into your stance and go through your normal routine before focusing on the object ball knowing that you will pocket it. If you are not absolutely certain that you will make the shot, stand up and repeat the above steps starting with the chalk. Shoot the shot with follow through tracking the object ball’s path to the pocket with your eyes meanwhile keeping your body and tip in place (no pulling back or picking up) until the cue ball stops rolling. You may not touch a ball that is rolling; would you do this in a game? Then walk around the table to where your nine balls are lined up and pick up your next ball so you can repeat everything above pocketing the same shot ten times in a row, following all of the rules for every shot.

This exercise offers a lot of freedom and has many applications. I use it to work on a particular shot that is giving me trouble at the time so I am always changing the shot I use. You can practice it with a friend, competing to see who gets through it more often successfully. In this context you will begin to transcend competition to immerse yourself in playing. While working with a partner you can have that person talk, while you shoot, about the things that most often distract you when you compete. Let the person talk and talk until the talking dissolves around you while you engage yourself in shooting amid the noise.

From this exercise you will get a handle on many critical elements of shot making. One, you will learn how it feels to know when you will pocket a ball and the distinction from shooting at one without that knowledge. Two, you will learn to make every shot matter; often a shot is missed when the shooter takes it for granted and shoots without focus. Three, you will learn that each shot is only that, a shot. Many players do fine with this exercise until they miss the tenth ball because they were thinking that it was the tenth ball thus giving meaning to the shot and causing a distraction. You will learn to shoot the last (game?) ball with the same focus and intensity as the others but without giving it any meaning unrelated to the shot itself.

The ultimate and most important result is that you will find your tempo as you go through the routine of the exercise; pool is routine and repetitive. You will find your tempo and begin to lose yourself in it, enjoying your time at the table. Here lies consistency. Consistent play is the result of consistent behavior. Watch the top players now with an eye for tempo. Champions never vary whether they are behind or ahead, playing well or poorly. With your new eye for tempo see if you can tell when a player is about to miss. You may sense a disruption, albeit very slight, to the routine of his behavior. Pay attention to yourself. Do you speed up when you’re playing well? Do you drag a little when things aren’t going your way? If you ignore these influences and keep your tempo, in practice as well as play, you will see the variations in your performance shrink as you play your best game more often.