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Dec 26, 2004 :: The Monk's Monday Lesson #3

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You know you’re a D Player when…

12. You place your beer in the pocket while you’re shooting.
13. The first thing you look for in a house cue is whether or not it rolls straight on the table.
14. You shoot a jump shot by scooping the cue ball.



Here is your opportunity to demonstrate a soft punch stroke. Note the track line when you use the punch stroke. The cue ball will gently walk to the desired area.

You will need to work on your soft punch stroke. Shoot stop shots by going low on the cue ball at a very gentle speed. Do not draw the ball back. Stop it dead in its tracks. Make sure the cue ball goes in a direct straight line in this lesson. If you get a slight curve here, you are allowing draw to creep into your punch stroke.

Try some long full table stop shots. Note how low you need to go on the cue ball to stop it dead in its tracks. Work on long stop shots until you can shoot them with a nice soft click. You will be surprised by how important it is for you to develop the ability to deliver the punch stroke at a variety of speeds.

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