These articles are put together and credited to Mr. Steven Brownstone
Enjoy!
Contact via email: [email protected]
About:
Steven Brownstone Billiardist is a Professional Coach/Master Trainer and Certified by the Billiard Congress of America, the American Cue Sports Alliance and the Professional Billiard Instructors Association to teach Pocket Billiards at all Levels and All Ages. He is Background Certified/Qualified to teach children. As a Faculty member he instructs the Pocket Billiards Course at the Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland and also at the National Parks and Planning Commission Camp Springs Community Center, Camp Springs Maryland. He’s played and taught world-wide, gaining hundreds of excellent testimonials.
He is committed to your success, and bolsters your self-esteem so that you have a winner’s attitude. You will develop the ability to be competitive, join a league, win trophies, be success driven, and goal oriented. You play better with confidence.
Learn to Play the Right Way, Skills that will last from now on, into the future.
He is dedicated, to provide you with Maximum Motivation, for your success.
Good Pool Playing is a Journey that you will embark upon to learn more about the Sport and Yourself.
The Journey to Billiards Enlightenment begins with seeking knowledge and concepts from an Instructor with the dedication and passion whose main purpose is to assist you to become a better player.
If your goals are to increase your present skills, enhance what you already know or to learn something new then today is your time…pick a topic, think about the concept, close your eyes and see yourself succeeding, being successful.
Thousands of players located worldwide have studied the techniques included within this site, and now you have the capability to learn what many have learned. One Shot at a Time!
Stroke Smooth,
Brownstone,
Affiliations:
United States Professional Pool Players Association – Touring Professional
American Billiard University, Fort Collins Colorado – Graduate B.A., with Honors
Billiard Congress of America, Certified Instructor – A Charter Member since 1992
Professional Billiards Instructors Association - Certified Instructor
American Cue Sports Alliance - Certified Instructor/Referee
BCA Pool League – Referee
American Pool Players Association – Team Captain
Notary Public
Articles:
-Key Characteristics of Successful Shot makers
-Mental Strength Training Program
Aside from all the fundamentals, strategies, and stories, the one thing that affects every pool player, no matter their level, is the mental game.
What I thought I would do is give you a training program for developing your pool mind. Starting on a mental training program takes time and effort, but if you are willing to do the work, the rewards will amaze you!
1st step to getting your pool mind right is improving your self-talk. Pool is an extremely demanding game and you will make mistakes. No one is perfect! But how you look at your errors and what you say to yourself is critical to learning from your errors and improving or just staying where you are.
Get a small note book and write down everything you say to yourself for a week! Write it all down. Put it away for a week and then read it. If you discover that you are saying negative things to yourself, why? So step one in your mental training program is to stop saying bad things to yourself. When you miss ask yourself if it was a cueing error, an aiming error or a table error. With the answer you have learned something. Getting mad, feeling like you are going to miss the shot and calling yourself an idiot teaches you nothing and it defeats your skills.
2nd Step is breathing. It's very difficult to be nervous and tense if you are breathing deeply. Breathing deeply will eliminate anxiety and tension. Breathing is something you can practice. Here is one practice routine to develop breathing skills. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 6, and then breathe out for a count of 8. When you breathe out, release the tension in your shoulders. You will find you start to feel calmer and more relaxed. The idea here is to do this breathing exercise ten or more times a day so it becomes a habit. Then when you are faced with a must make key shot, you can take a calming breathe and settle yourself down. It works and it makes you feel better and focused.
The 3rd step is your eyes. Your mind follows what your body does. If your eyes are darting back and forth on a shot, you are overwhelming your mind with data. Your brain gets overloaded stressed out and you will not perform at your best. Control your eyes calmly so that they have specific targets and make sure that you give them the time they need to focus back/forth from the pocket, from the object ball and back to the cue ball. A practical way to do this is to not take your eyes off the table when you are in competition! This is hard! Doing this will develop iron/steel concentration! Keep your eyes on the table at all times. When your opponent is shooting, see yourself shooting the shot.
Monitor your self-talk, think positive thoughts only, learn to breathe and keep your eyes calm, steady, focused and zeroed in on the target.
Once you are ready to stroke the cue ball, stay focused, don’t blink and slide the cue back for your Best Stroke and look/feel good.
Freeze after stroking the cue ball. Do not move! Remain dead still until all of the balls stop rolling. Stay consistent and you will make more shots
Roll the cue ball to the target, watch it roll and shoot softly to pocket more balls.
You will enjoy pool more, improve faster, and win more games!
Be a Mentally Strong Shot maker. Stay Strong!
-One Shot of the Moment
First Class Shot makers intimately work hard on One Shot at a Time.
Make All of your Efforts on the One Shot of the Moment.
Maintaining the One Shot of the Moment requires Joy, Dedication, Sharp Focus, Deep Breathing, and Rhythm.
Stroke Your Smoothest Straight Stroke on Every Shot.
Master the Skills of One Shot of the Moment
Pocket Ball after Ball, with a Focused Concentrated Mind.
Be Positive, Rock Solid, Focused to See and Think Only about the Shot in Front of You.
Breathe Deep, Focus Precisely, Feel the Shot and Stroke One Shot at a Time.
On the Final Stroke
-Pocketing Rolling Balls Smoothly
A Solid Stance with Good Balance and Alignment Along with a Straight Stroke equal Consistent Success at Pocketing Balls that Roll Smoothly.
-Pop Stroke to Tap and Roll
-Stance Stabilization
-Resilient Shot makers
Resilient Shot makers Adapt to Come Right Back to Execute
Control the shot by controlling You
Own the table, Own the Aim Line and Own the shot
Opportunity is always there
Let your body settle down for the successful shot
Stay Cool at the Table
Fear Nothing at the Table, Eliminate Fear
Overcome Negativity, WITH POSITIVE SELF TALK
Creative Good Shots with a Positive Mental Picture
Uniformity is essential for your Pre-shot Routine
Sight the Shot, See the Ball Roll and Stay down on the shot
FOCUS
-On The Final Smooth Stroke Maintain a Continuous Winning Attitude
You are never beaten, unless you give up!
Ensure eyes focus on object ball contact aligned with cue ball razor edges on all shots
As you descend into stance and aligning your cue, focus on the center of cue ball and the spot it’s resting on the table. This will assist in ensuring that you are aimed at the center of the cue ball.
Decide mentally that you will continue to PUSH FORWARD no matter what the conditions are
Continue to PUSH to the top to avoid the congestion at the bottom
Have Super Alignment and Balance over the Cue
See the sighting line while standing and then descend while centering your eyes and body over the sighting line
Drop weight over sighting line between the object ball and cue ball
Align your body and stance around the sighting line
Zoom in on the object ball contact on the final stroke for pin point accuracy
Feel the cue sliding through the Bridge. Grip the Pinky, Ring, Middle and Index Fingers to table
Feel the sensation of Grip Thumb connected to the index finger and cue stick
Feel the Grip Thumb back sliding the cue stick over the Bridge Thumb SMOOTHLY
Balance your weight and the cue over your pinky and ring fingers 1st and then expand to the rest of the fingers
Stroke using Grip Thumb to Bridge Thumb Stroking and Feeling Confident and Strong
Sight your Ghost Ball Contact Aligned with Cue Ball Edge before EVERY SHOT (the same as you would check your blind spot every time you change lanes in a vehicle)
Does the Sight Picture look good? If Yes, Stroke Thumb to Thumb Smoothly, listen to TAP
Tournament Toughness:
The best way to overcome an obstacle or coming from behind is to tighten stomach muscles and
Dig Deeper into your persona…The best way out is through.
Practice DEEP BREATHING for PERFECT PEACE while going through a tough layout
-To Perform Well in a Tournament a Shot maker must have
Brownstone says:
Breathe Deep and Focus Clearly
Slide Your Best Stroke
Stroke Smooth Always
Enjoy!
Contact via email: [email protected]
About:
Steven Brownstone Billiardist is a Professional Coach/Master Trainer and Certified by the Billiard Congress of America, the American Cue Sports Alliance and the Professional Billiard Instructors Association to teach Pocket Billiards at all Levels and All Ages. He is Background Certified/Qualified to teach children. As a Faculty member he instructs the Pocket Billiards Course at the Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland and also at the National Parks and Planning Commission Camp Springs Community Center, Camp Springs Maryland. He’s played and taught world-wide, gaining hundreds of excellent testimonials.
He is committed to your success, and bolsters your self-esteem so that you have a winner’s attitude. You will develop the ability to be competitive, join a league, win trophies, be success driven, and goal oriented. You play better with confidence.
Learn to Play the Right Way, Skills that will last from now on, into the future.
He is dedicated, to provide you with Maximum Motivation, for your success.
Good Pool Playing is a Journey that you will embark upon to learn more about the Sport and Yourself.
The Journey to Billiards Enlightenment begins with seeking knowledge and concepts from an Instructor with the dedication and passion whose main purpose is to assist you to become a better player.
If your goals are to increase your present skills, enhance what you already know or to learn something new then today is your time…pick a topic, think about the concept, close your eyes and see yourself succeeding, being successful.
Thousands of players located worldwide have studied the techniques included within this site, and now you have the capability to learn what many have learned. One Shot at a Time!
Stroke Smooth,
Brownstone,
Affiliations:
United States Professional Pool Players Association – Touring Professional
American Billiard University, Fort Collins Colorado – Graduate B.A., with Honors
Billiard Congress of America, Certified Instructor – A Charter Member since 1992
Professional Billiards Instructors Association - Certified Instructor
American Cue Sports Alliance - Certified Instructor/Referee
BCA Pool League – Referee
American Pool Players Association – Team Captain
Notary Public
Articles:
-Key Characteristics of Successful Shot makers
- Shot makers Make the RIGHT CHOICES
- Posture Themselves to Win…Always Thinking Positive
- Listen to the RIGHT VOICES…Hear the RIGHT THOUGHTS
- Be Obedient to the Good Thoughts
- JUST STROKE IT…Stroke your Best Stroke Smoothly
-Mental Strength Training Program
Aside from all the fundamentals, strategies, and stories, the one thing that affects every pool player, no matter their level, is the mental game.
What I thought I would do is give you a training program for developing your pool mind. Starting on a mental training program takes time and effort, but if you are willing to do the work, the rewards will amaze you!
1st step to getting your pool mind right is improving your self-talk. Pool is an extremely demanding game and you will make mistakes. No one is perfect! But how you look at your errors and what you say to yourself is critical to learning from your errors and improving or just staying where you are.
Get a small note book and write down everything you say to yourself for a week! Write it all down. Put it away for a week and then read it. If you discover that you are saying negative things to yourself, why? So step one in your mental training program is to stop saying bad things to yourself. When you miss ask yourself if it was a cueing error, an aiming error or a table error. With the answer you have learned something. Getting mad, feeling like you are going to miss the shot and calling yourself an idiot teaches you nothing and it defeats your skills.
2nd Step is breathing. It's very difficult to be nervous and tense if you are breathing deeply. Breathing deeply will eliminate anxiety and tension. Breathing is something you can practice. Here is one practice routine to develop breathing skills. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 6, and then breathe out for a count of 8. When you breathe out, release the tension in your shoulders. You will find you start to feel calmer and more relaxed. The idea here is to do this breathing exercise ten or more times a day so it becomes a habit. Then when you are faced with a must make key shot, you can take a calming breathe and settle yourself down. It works and it makes you feel better and focused.
The 3rd step is your eyes. Your mind follows what your body does. If your eyes are darting back and forth on a shot, you are overwhelming your mind with data. Your brain gets overloaded stressed out and you will not perform at your best. Control your eyes calmly so that they have specific targets and make sure that you give them the time they need to focus back/forth from the pocket, from the object ball and back to the cue ball. A practical way to do this is to not take your eyes off the table when you are in competition! This is hard! Doing this will develop iron/steel concentration! Keep your eyes on the table at all times. When your opponent is shooting, see yourself shooting the shot.
Monitor your self-talk, think positive thoughts only, learn to breathe and keep your eyes calm, steady, focused and zeroed in on the target.
Once you are ready to stroke the cue ball, stay focused, don’t blink and slide the cue back for your Best Stroke and look/feel good.
Freeze after stroking the cue ball. Do not move! Remain dead still until all of the balls stop rolling. Stay consistent and you will make more shots
Roll the cue ball to the target, watch it roll and shoot softly to pocket more balls.
You will enjoy pool more, improve faster, and win more games!
Be a Mentally Strong Shot maker. Stay Strong!
-One Shot of the Moment
First Class Shot makers intimately work hard on One Shot at a Time.
Make All of your Efforts on the One Shot of the Moment.
Maintaining the One Shot of the Moment requires Joy, Dedication, Sharp Focus, Deep Breathing, and Rhythm.
Stroke Your Smoothest Straight Stroke on Every Shot.
Master the Skills of One Shot of the Moment
Pocket Ball after Ball, with a Focused Concentrated Mind.
Be Positive, Rock Solid, Focused to See and Think Only about the Shot in Front of You.
Breathe Deep, Focus Precisely, Feel the Shot and Stroke One Shot at a Time.
On the Final Stroke
- See the Entire Shot to the Pocket,
- Aim the Cue Tip,
- Focus Precise on Cue Ball to Ghost Ball Aiming Points,
- Be Motionless,
- Don’t Blink,
- Think Your Best Stroke,
- Be Steady/Solid,
- Feel the Cue Slide,
- Smoothly Stroke Your Best Stroke
-Pocketing Rolling Balls Smoothly
A Solid Stance with Good Balance and Alignment Along with a Straight Stroke equal Consistent Success at Pocketing Balls that Roll Smoothly.
-Pop Stroke to Tap and Roll
- A short tap or pop stroke can increase the accuracy of your shot
- The tap or pop stroke will roll the cue ball
- Use a short smooth back stroke
- Slide the cue forward to allow the cue tip to tap or pop the cue ball
-Stance Stabilization
- Press toes to the floor and curl toes for Maximum Stability
- Bring the chin to the cue stick
- Press down with the chin on the cue to lock the cue to the bridge
- Feel the cue slide across your chest to lock the rear of the cue
-Resilient Shot makers
- Have a Good Positive Attitude about their Game
- Believe that they will Make the shot
- Have Professional Behavior
Resilient Shot makers Adapt to Come Right Back to Execute
Control the shot by controlling You
Own the table, Own the Aim Line and Own the shot
Opportunity is always there
Let your body settle down for the successful shot
Stay Cool at the Table
Fear Nothing at the Table, Eliminate Fear
Overcome Negativity, WITH POSITIVE SELF TALK
Creative Good Shots with a Positive Mental Picture
Uniformity is essential for your Pre-shot Routine
Sight the Shot, See the Ball Roll and Stay down on the shot
FOCUS
-On The Final Smooth Stroke Maintain a Continuous Winning Attitude
You are never beaten, unless you give up!
Ensure eyes focus on object ball contact aligned with cue ball razor edges on all shots
As you descend into stance and aligning your cue, focus on the center of cue ball and the spot it’s resting on the table. This will assist in ensuring that you are aimed at the center of the cue ball.
Decide mentally that you will continue to PUSH FORWARD no matter what the conditions are
Continue to PUSH to the top to avoid the congestion at the bottom
Have Super Alignment and Balance over the Cue
See the sighting line while standing and then descend while centering your eyes and body over the sighting line
Drop weight over sighting line between the object ball and cue ball
Align your body and stance around the sighting line
Zoom in on the object ball contact on the final stroke for pin point accuracy
Feel the cue sliding through the Bridge. Grip the Pinky, Ring, Middle and Index Fingers to table
Feel the sensation of Grip Thumb connected to the index finger and cue stick
Feel the Grip Thumb back sliding the cue stick over the Bridge Thumb SMOOTHLY
Balance your weight and the cue over your pinky and ring fingers 1st and then expand to the rest of the fingers
Stroke using Grip Thumb to Bridge Thumb Stroking and Feeling Confident and Strong
Sight your Ghost Ball Contact Aligned with Cue Ball Edge before EVERY SHOT (the same as you would check your blind spot every time you change lanes in a vehicle)
Does the Sight Picture look good? If Yes, Stroke Thumb to Thumb Smoothly, listen to TAP
Tournament Toughness:
The best way to overcome an obstacle or coming from behind is to tighten stomach muscles and
Dig Deeper into your persona…The best way out is through.
Practice DEEP BREATHING for PERFECT PEACE while going through a tough layout
-To Perform Well in a Tournament a Shot maker must have
- Good Pace, Deep Breathing and Composed Rhythm ….Steve Mizerak, Buddy Hall
- A Smooth Stroke…Shane Van Boening, Alex Pagulayan, Dennis Orcullo
- Be Mentally Tough…Nick Varner, Mika Immonen
Brownstone says:
Breathe Deep and Focus Clearly
Slide Your Best Stroke
Stroke Smooth Always
