Pro Pool Workout #5
In the last four columns, we took an intense look into the principle of simplicity and how it relates to the fundamentals of pool. If you worked on your game with the distinctions we uncovered, you have undoubtedly increased your ability to hold up under competitive pressure.
There are three other underlying principles that determine the soundness of your fundamentals. They are gravity, alignment, and rhythm. In this column, let’s start our examination of gravity with an excerpt from The Pro Book.
“All pool playing takes place in reality, so the laws of the physical universe take precedence. The most important and least unforgiving of all laws is the law of gravity. All things must fall DOWN, and this includes all parts of your body and your equipment.
The principle of gravity relates directly to simplicity.
If any parts are not falling down, then something is holding them up against the force of
gravity. In the example of stance,
your body and all its parts are held together (and up) by the natural binding
force of your tissue—joints, ligaments, etc.
Anything held up in addition to
that is held with muscle tension.
Ever wonder why you play so well in practice, but it falls apart under the heat of competition? If your stance contains unnecessary muscular tension, you are asking those muscles to remain at a consistent level of contraction despite the presence of different types and quantities of hormones and chemicals.
As soon as there is an increase in pressure, for instance, there is an increase in adrenaline, and muscles start working differently than they did when you were practicing. You can not count on the consistency of muscle tension. You can, however, count on gravity—it is always the same.
Commit some of your practice time to examining all your fundamentals from
the point of view of gravity. Get
your stance and stroke consistent with those demands.
Feel the pull of gravity in your grip and in your bridge.
Focus on feeling the weight of your cue stick.
"Gravity is the key to balance and stability."
Contemplate the information in this excerpt and apply it to your grip, stance, bridge, and stroke. If you do, you will increase the possibility for strength and power to flow through you and into your competitive game.
In the columns to follow, we’ll look at the principle of gravity from several different perspectives, including feel, balance, and stability. We’ll even look at the interesting martial art concepts of grounding and sinking. Until then...good luck and good shootin’!