Sometimes I hear students confess that they want to become a professional player. I admire that kind of ambition. It's great to have lofty goals in this game. You will find that through out my entire course, I am directing you to become a professional player. Keep in mind, there is a difference between a professional player, and one who travels on the tour. You can become a professional without joining the tour. Being a professional is simply going about this game in a professional manner. When my student steps to the table, they are a professional in every sense of the world.
Monk Billiard Academy students go through the same professional routine on every single shot. A good stance comes from a good rhythm. Break up the rhythm, and you break up the stance. Break up the stance, and your game breaks down. You are no longer a professional if you are constantly out of rhythm. Here are the following steps taken by a Monk Billiard Academy student.
Stand up and observe the shot
Decide on the stroke you are going to use on this shot
Chalk up your tip
Visualize your shot
Step forward and get into your stance
Rock back and fourth
Visualize the shot again
Come to a stop on your final practice stroke
Visualize the shot with this stroke
Draw back, pause, and hit the cue ball
Stay down until all the balls have stopped rolling
When the shot has been delivered, get a feeling about the shot. Try to feel if it was done the way you planned to do it. Take a moment to feel the hit of the cue ball. Feel it for a moment. Then let it go. Proceed to the next shot and repeat the same routine. Do not ever attempt another shot while the previous one is still in your mind. If you shoot a spectacular shot, let the excitement die down before shooting the next one. If you get out of line, clear the shot from your head and begin all over again. Often times in my visualization, I see the position I desire for my next shot, and when things do not work out the way I expected them to, I have a hard time shooting the next shot because I still have the vision of the way things were suppose to be. I must clear the entire previous shot from my mind before moving on. When I get the wrong position, I do not beat myself up. I stop and ask myself if this would be a good shot if my opponent had left it for me. And often times, the shot is fine. It just wasn't what I expected. If I am a professional, I will deal with the shot as it presents itself. I will go through my professional routine and deliver a confident clear stroke. Most of the time, the results are favorable. May All The Rolls Go Your Way.
