Practice method for stopping this stroke flaw/Part 4

Watch Roger Federer hit a forehand in slow motion.
I get twitchy if I don't stay down on the ball, a real problem in my stroke. Thanks, Ron.

Great point Ron. I always watch both the object ball and the cue ball… I’ll be trying out your advice today

Let us not forget raising up and hitting the light over the table. We call that ringing the bell! LOL.

Unfortunately for me, when I played golf I got hung up playing golf stroke instead of golf, it’s starting to happen with my pool stroke….any advice before it starts to get real ugly!

This has been a great series of stroke videos you've been doing recently. Such sage advice for players on the lower end of the learning curve. You mention the eyes in this video. This is the hidden stroke flaw because it's so subtle a player won't even realize it, yet it's so important.

You're the best. I close my eyes for practicing but haven't tried cut shots. I close them at the address of the cue ball. Thanks for the videos

I have used the "eyes closed" technique on straight shot practice. On cut shot practice I concentrate on the cue ball only and making sure I am contacting the cue ball where I want to
and completing a good follow through. My last thought prior to the shot is "cue the ball straight". I also borrowed some from one of your previous videos in which your shooting partner
would say to himself, "push the cue". They are all very helpful. Thanks again for all the work you put in.

I just watched some of mine back, not as still as I would like, but no jump. I have been trying to avoid watching the cue ball travel(darting eyes). My new focus is 100% on the contact. If your contact was not at planned point, everything about the result is null and void. Not saying you can't learn from it, just distance and direction are not the expected outcome. People saying "I got perfect shape", after missing the ball are fooling themselves. Thanks again Ron.

This is the one bit of advice that absolutely does not click in my head. I get following through and focusing on the contact point, but after I finish my stroke me being down or watching the aftermath doesn't change the path of any balls. I'll still try it for a couple weeks simply bc I'm way less experienced, but I'm guessing it's something I'll need to slightly tweak over time like the "get as low as possible" advice others give.

"It's good to know that I'm going to try it."

Why not just simply keep your eyes on the exact spot that you looked at last when the tip hit the cue ball, looking at the empty cloth at that exact place until a few seconds after the balls stop moving or the ball goes in the pocket, with the cue tip staying at the finish position of the follow through?

Love this one Ron ❤️👍🎱🎱

I'm going to push back a bit. For me, I've found that once I've done my pre-strokes and confirmed I'm on the cue ball where I want, I look at the object ball. I think you used a driving analogy in that you steer/drive to where you're looking. I'll add that most people don't look far enough down the road. No sense in looking 10' ahead, at speed there's nothing you can do at that distance. You're committed. For me, the same applies to where to look. Perhaps the lesson is to have a fixed gaze, which very opposite from good driving technique.

So much for analogies. 😅

I have been working very much on staying down. I had made a lot of,progress I thought, but recently in a tournament after about four hours in, it was very hot in the place, sweating, and I was getting tired…and then after I lost (I actually got third place, could have won) my opponent, very nicely and wanting to help me and mentioned I ought to work on it standing up after the shot. I didn’t realize, because I was hot , tired, and that is when all the old bad habits can come back I think. So one thing I’m going to remember is when I feel fatigued, getting tired just be aware not to get sloppy. Maybe a good pre shot routine idea for me on each shot is just as I set up, actually think “stay DOWN”.

I watched a video recently with Strickland where he was not playing at his best, and amazed to see even he was very clearly not staying down. He was irritated with himself, and the more irritated the more he rose up while shooting. I thought at his level they had coaches or something, but nobody mentioned it to him. I kept waiting for him to realize and correct but he didn’t. So even at his level..stress, irritation, things like that can I guess make us revert to bad habits even though he certainly had thousands of hours doing it all correctly, not rising up. Maybe the best cure when things aren’t working is a mental checklist of fundamentals, and checking in with our bodies to make ourselves aware that we are getting sloppy.