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I've created an acronym for myself, OSSBAPS, which I've started to use as a sort of mantra or ritual - in fact I'm trying to go through it in my head on every shot. Why? Because I'm trying to improve concentration, take things more slowly, and make every step count. It's pretty basic stuff but if you're like me you sometimes forget the basics. The acronym stands for:
Options
Stand
Stitch
Ball
Address
Pace
Strike
OPTIONS - Am I the only one to have selected a shot, missed, stood up and noticed a better option? Or gone down on a shot and had a nagging thought in the back of my head that there was another option that I hadn't properly considered, then thought 'what the hell' and missed the shot on just because of that nagging doubt? OPTIONS means check out the options on every shot as a first step.
STAND - A reminder to stand back and assess the line of aim, every time.
STITCH - Perhaps a strange one, but it's my alternative to Pocket. At this point I'm trying to focus on a particular stitch or two on the net cover of the pocket so that I look right into the pocket gap, not the pesky jaws.
BALL - Means the object ball. Checking the line between the ball and the stitch/pocket. For me, this works best when I see it as an imaginary broad line, like a ribbon rather than a string, with the object ball sitting on the line.
ADDRESS - Through STITCH and BALL I'm still standing back. Now I go down to make the address on the cue ball, informed by my imagined 'ribbon' through the object ball, extending the line through the cue. Tip centre, up or down (occasionally to the side) depending on the choice of shot I'm going to make.
PACE - Focusing on object ball, two or three waggles as I visualise where the cue ball is going, assessing the pace I need for the strike, then, slight pause and:
STRIKE - In my head I'm saying this to the object ball as I strike through the cue ball. Perhaps an odd thing to do, but it's my way of keeping my attention on the object ball and emptying my head of anything else at the moment of strike.
This description may make it sound as if the execution of any shot takes ages, but it can all be done in a few seconds though, as I said, one of my objectives is to slow down a little, stop rushing my shots.
As I also said, pretty basic stuff, but I'm not a good player and I need to be constantly reminding myself to do things right. It's early days using the mantra but so far it's been good for my rhythm and accuracy.
Anybody else got mantras or rituals they go through?
Options
Stand
Stitch
Ball
Address
Pace
Strike
OPTIONS - Am I the only one to have selected a shot, missed, stood up and noticed a better option? Or gone down on a shot and had a nagging thought in the back of my head that there was another option that I hadn't properly considered, then thought 'what the hell' and missed the shot on just because of that nagging doubt? OPTIONS means check out the options on every shot as a first step.
STAND - A reminder to stand back and assess the line of aim, every time.
STITCH - Perhaps a strange one, but it's my alternative to Pocket. At this point I'm trying to focus on a particular stitch or two on the net cover of the pocket so that I look right into the pocket gap, not the pesky jaws.
BALL - Means the object ball. Checking the line between the ball and the stitch/pocket. For me, this works best when I see it as an imaginary broad line, like a ribbon rather than a string, with the object ball sitting on the line.
ADDRESS - Through STITCH and BALL I'm still standing back. Now I go down to make the address on the cue ball, informed by my imagined 'ribbon' through the object ball, extending the line through the cue. Tip centre, up or down (occasionally to the side) depending on the choice of shot I'm going to make.
PACE - Focusing on object ball, two or three waggles as I visualise where the cue ball is going, assessing the pace I need for the strike, then, slight pause and:
STRIKE - In my head I'm saying this to the object ball as I strike through the cue ball. Perhaps an odd thing to do, but it's my way of keeping my attention on the object ball and emptying my head of anything else at the moment of strike.
This description may make it sound as if the execution of any shot takes ages, but it can all be done in a few seconds though, as I said, one of my objectives is to slow down a little, stop rushing my shots.
As I also said, pretty basic stuff, but I'm not a good player and I need to be constantly reminding myself to do things right. It's early days using the mantra but so far it's been good for my rhythm and accuracy.
Anybody else got mantras or rituals they go through?
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