STRESS IS SELF TAUGHT: Anxiety can only enter your game plan when you allow it. If you entertain fear of loss, looking foolish, or getting degraded, stress will need to be dealt with quickly. Your brain sees these threats and causes chemical makeup change. The best way to deal with this state is breathing. setting your rythem and taking self control.

A STANDING DECISION: Decide how hard you will stroke the cue before bending over the table. Make it while you can see the entire table and the layout.

The practice strokes aren't used to figure out how hard to hit the cue ball. You should already know that before you bend down to hit the cue ball. Also, since the speed used will affect the position play, it should be decided before bending down to the shot

CHALK YOUR CUE AND: This Monk billiard tip will set up your routine. Chalk your cue well before taking any shot. Make it part of your pre-shot routine. The act of locating the chalk, walking to it ad applying it to the tip gives you the time you need to set your shot in your mind.

Check the line your cue ball must take to pot the object ball; determine the aim point and contact point to achieve that line and determine your stance position. This is very important because the chalk actually helps with your shot. With a good amount of chalk on the end of your cue-tip your will get more action because the tip won't slide off the ball as fast. This will allow you to push more spin on the cue ball.

LOOK AROUND, YOU MAY NOT BE ALONE: Make sure that there isn't anyone behind you when you are about to take your shot. Most Pool halls have to place their tables pretty close together. I've actually been in places where the back end of my cue was always hovering over someone else's table.

For this reason it is always a good idea to take a quick look behind you to make sure that there is no one standing/walking behind you. Also try not to put a shadow over the table behind you when the player on the other table is shooting near a pocket you might be standing near.

PREPARE FOR THE STROKE: Decide how hard you will stroke the cue before bending over the table. It will help your speed control skills.

Take between 2 and 5 practice swings; kind of like a jab, jab, jab, punch. Just like in golf, double check and triple check that you are aiming correctly with these warm up swings of the cue. Get your arm moving fluidly, back and forth, and back and forth.

Then when it feels natural, and your aim is consistently getting to the right part of the cue ball on each practice stroke; swing through.

The practice strokes aren't used to figure out how hard to hit the cue ball. You should already know that before you bend down to hit the cue ball. Also, since the speed in which you hit the cue ball will effect the position play, it should be decided before bending down to the shot.

STAY DOWN; WAIT FOR SOUND: Stay down after the shot, you can admire your work just as well staying down as standing up.

So many of us bring the cue to a jarring halt after the hit. Like any other sport, follow through is important to accuracy. It encourages accelerating through the ball, whereas a quick stop brings on the opposite, an acutal slowdown at impact.

Most people tend to jump up to early after taking their shots. If you are starting to move your body up before the shot is finished your aiming will be off and it could also effect the contact you make on the cue ball.

Stay down until you hear the sound of the cue ball hitting the object, hold this position until you hear the ball drop in the pocket.

STAY IN THE GAME: After you miss a shot, don't get into conversation with friends or be destracted by the TV sets all around, stay focused.

Don't just sit down and go to sleep waiting for your next turn. Watch and learn from your opponent. Pretend that you are at the table and compare what you would do with what your opponent actually does. If what he does gets the job done, you've learned something.

Don’t be heard asking, “are we stripes or solids?”

DEALING WITH THE DING THING: So your cue slid down the counter, and caught the edge of a stool. Now, every time it slides through your closed grip, you feel it...it bugs you. Do something about it, if it is small, this ought to work:

You should be able to remove it by placing the corner of a damp cloth over the ding and placing a hot steam iron over the cloth for a couple of seconds. This will raise the grain. Once the grain is raised, burnish the shaft with a piece of leather.

After burnishing the shaft, you shouldn't be able to find that the ding.