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A week ago I wrote about the fact that the fundamental techniques are always crucial for success. Beginners understand this quickly – they can hardly do anything and want to learn the basic techniques. It’s much more difficult for advanced players: they can still perform well with poor fundamentals. In really difficult situations, however, the technique is lacking. By the way, technique does not only mean stance and stroke, but also the pre-shot routine and the entire rhythm of the player.
The student I trained with the day before yesterday is technically very advanced. We played the straightness exercise from the PAT3, the cue ball with speed 4 through the gap. A very demanding shot. In my opinion, this exercise is only recommended for players who manage the exercise with Speed 3 regularly (1 of 3). From then on, however, the exercise for me is not only a question of the right technique, but also of consistency and the ability to let the body do what it can.
Straight exercise from PAT 3
In yesterday’s training session I noticed that after the point of no return, i. e. during the actual shot, the student had to take a long break at the back after swinging back. I could really watch him turn his brain on again and ask if everything was right. Too late and fatal! At this point, nothing should be deliberately controlled. We have checked everything before, we have put ourselves in the right position, made practice strokes and so on. Then we were sure we were ready to go, so why ask again?
After I had pointed this out to the student, he managed the shot straight away – after about 20 failed attempts before. He skipped the break in the back, played the shot with full determination and was successful. So: After the point of no return, it’s time to go – without hesitation.