Exercise: I see the shot before me. I have gone through the mental planning stages as to how I am going to shoot this shot. I will now get down in my stance.
a) My ears are in line and directly above my shoulders (Head not dropping down)
b) My shoulders are square and even with my Center of Mass
c) Though bent at the waist, my spine keeps a straight line
d) My bridge shoulder is comfortable, and not supporting my entire weight
e) My knees are loose, bent slightly, not locked tightly
f) My feet are a comfortable distance apart acting as a base for my entire stance
That is my 6 point checklist. Now if I find a deficiency, I DO NOT make adjustments while down in my stance. I stand up straight and begin my pre-shot routine all over again. Why is this? Because I am not down there to adjust my stance. I am down there to shoot the shot. Anything that distracts me from shooting the shot is dealt with immediately and appropriately. As you can see, it is vital to a proper stance. You must be rock solid, yet comfortable. While you are down in your stance, I should not be able to push you off balance. You should be locked in your stance, not crouched or slumped over the table lazily. Remember that Relaxed does not mean Lazy! A lazy, weak stance is mainly caused by a lack of confidence or carelessness. The shoulders droop, the neck tilts, the head drops down in discouragement. The spine hunches over and becomes tense, as do the shoulders, which are the base for you shooting and your bridge arm. (If your shoulders are tense, so is your shooting arm). We eventually bunch ourselves in a ball like a bundle of nerves. Having a strong, solid stance will enable you to master Centering techniques much more easily. Master the centering techniques that I will show you can and will enable you to achieve "Dead Stroke" much more easily and with amazing frequency.
Centering not only keeps you focused while you are at the table, it can keep you focused while you are away from the table as well.
Breathing
Nothing can cause your stroke to tighten up more than erratic breathing. Earlier, when discussing the Center of Mass, I referred to what is known as CENTERING. So what is it, and is it fatal? Centering is a breathing technique designed to produce physical balance and mental focus. "Centered" is a confident state that you can achieve immediately before and during competition that lets you know with certainty that you are mentally and physically ready to perform your task. So how does one become "centered"? Achieving "Dead Stroke" means that you are literally playing "out of your head". This means that you have shifted your focus to the external task of pocketing the balls on the table. The internal is in perfect harmony with the external. Shooting the balls into the pockets is an external task, and when you’re in Dead Punch, it stays external.
When we make a position error, or if we make a blunder such as a miscue, we have an internal reaction. This reaction is either anger, frustration, regret, or any combination of the three. When we internalize the task, we tend to cross the wires. Once we have located our Center of Mass, we will notice a change in our breathing pattern as we become balanced. Shooting pool requires that we perform Weight Transfers periodically. . No two shots are the same, but if we concentrate on our center of mass, or become conscious of our center of mass, we can FEEL THE SAME WAY for every shot.
