Add Power To Your Game In Mere Seconds
A quick tip today on stance to get your body aligned fully to each shot effectively. When you play well, it feels as though your focus and attention with the eyes and body is set to the shot and that distractions to mind or body fall aside with ease.
In the rush to straddle the table with a 45-degree stance, (see related story, this stance is right for most players) your legs may twist off their correct alignment though your feet are pointed in the right direction(s).
Instead, set to the shot with the key thought, “my kneecaps will face forward, straight ahead”. Placing your knees straight forward, it becomes natural as you bend to the table to take the leg opposite your shooting hand and move it one average-length step forward.
Like magic, as your feet adjust to balance your body (pivoting right for a right-handed pool player and left for a left-handed shooter) you find yourself in roughly a 45-degree stance! Yet the legs will be best positioned (for most players) for heightened balance and a near-immobile trunk of the body, both factors adding to heightened shot control and a flowing, powerful stroke with the cue stick.
If injuries to your knees or your body’s dimensions make setting the knees directly forward painful, do not use this stance tip exactly. Pool and billiards should never create added leg or back pain and should rather be a pleasure to play, even during hard and fast strokes.
