Understanding Why

As it is important to understand why we may miss a shot, it is just as important to understand why we miss position. Obviously, if we miss the shot and we stroked the ball as we intended, we should not achieve the perfect position. And likewise, when we get perfect position and miss the pocket by a diamond, it’s safe to assume that the cue ball would not be there had we made the shot we were shooting at. However, there are times when we pocket the ball and the cue ball did not go where we thought it would. It is very important to understand what happened to create this outcome. Here are some possible things that could have happened:

1. You did not stroke the ball the way you intended. If the tangent line brought the cue ball straight into the cluster for a perfect break out shot but you put a bit of draw in your stroke or you let up on your stroke, you probably will not achieve the intended outcome.
2. You had no idea what was going to happen after you made the ball. Part of the commonly referred to term, the “poke and hope,” where you just hope to have a shot at another ball if you just make the one in front of you.
3. You were not committed to where you wanted the cue ball to be. In order to play precision pool, you must decide and commit to a specific location you want the cue ball to be. If you are not specific, you can not expect specific results. Therefore, if you only wanted the cue ball to be “over there some where” then that’s where it will go. Walk over to your next shot, pick a spot on the table where you want the cue ball to land, and commit to getting it there.
4. You “cheated the pocket” or did not shoot the object ball into the center of the pocket. This is a common error that many players take for granted. Sometimes it is necessary to play the object ball into a specific part of the pocket in order to get better position. When the object ball is sitting very close to the pocket, there are so many ways to still pocket that ball while achieving various positions with the cue ball. Make sure you pick the spot on the object ball and hit it exactly where you intend to if you expect to get precision results.
5. Lastly, if you believe you hit the ball as you intended and broke up the cluster you were aiming for but still did not have a good shot afterwards, then there is a good possibility that you just got a "bad roll." We can't always come out smellin' like roses. Sometimes breakouts just don't work out the way we plan. Things happen that are out of our control. Instead of focusing on them, focus on the things we can control, like our stroke.

So, the next time you make a great shot but do not achieve the position you intended, don’t just throw your hands in the air and gasp, “I can’t believe it!” Instead, run through the above list and see if any of those applied. Understand why you didn’t get the position you wanted so you can make the adjustments for next time.