8 and Shape

14 in the side, stop shot, 13 in the side, roll it forward an inch, 10 in the corner, top left spin to get shape on the 12 ball, perfect! 12 in the corner, bottom left draw for shooting the 9 in the same corner, 9 in the corner, bottom left draw for shape on the 11 ball laying on the opposite rail. Make the 11 in the corner drawing back 6 inches to have a thin but makeable 8 ball in the side pocket. Once again perfectly executed. Now all that needs doing is to make the 8-ball. This is the one. Just make the ball. C’mon, you’ve made this shot a hundred times. Make the ball. Hit - - - - - - - - - - -MISS.

What happened? You were hitting them so good on the run out. Didn’t you play two great shape shots to get on the 8-ball? How could you miss that shot?

Isn’t the human mind interesting. Pool is one of the few games where the mind is trained to see the shot, figure the shape, play the english, and the subconscious mind adjusts for the throw. Mentally, the whole shot (making the ball and playing the shape) has been played out in the head. Physically, the muscles are trained, relaxed and because the mental is correct a good stroke is the result. So what happened in the above scenario? Actually, there were two errors leading to the missed 8-ball.

The first one was the amount of pressure the shooter was putting on themselves. “Gotta make it, have to make it, just make it.” This only led to a higher stress level, muscle tenseness and as a result, probably a poorer stroke. The shooter needed to back off the shot and relieve the tension. Walk around the table, do handsprings, make faces at the onlookers, drink some of your drink, fix your tip, wipe down your shaft, do anything to get rid of the tension.

The second error was in not completing a whole shot. Through the entire run-out the player was thinking of two ideas, 1) make the shot, 2) make the shape. As I explained earlier the mind gets trained just like the muscles get trained to deliver a good stroke. To deliver a complete shot it is important to first think of making the shot and then how to play shape. Once that is done your mind is focused on playing the shape and making the ball is already a foregone conclusion. That is how the mind is trained for the more advanced player. The shooter was just thinking about making the 8-ball instead of the shape they wanted play and how to get there. Don’t make it a difficult shape but hopefully somewhere on the table that gives the incoming player some trouble.

If you are a player that is known as the one who misses when the money is one the line, try these techniques. It is one of the easiest corrections in pool. Relieve the tension and play shape off every ball you shoot at. Remember, you don’t have to like the shot, just make it and get shape.

By Jay Wegener