One thing I’ve been going over a lot with my students is impressing on them the importance of having a checklist that you look over at least once a month to see whether or not you are becoming more consistent — eliminating the things that don’t work for you and keeping the things that do. This is something I did for years, making notes every time I played. The checklist is more for fundamentals. Am I really taking the time to step into every shot? Or do I sometimes find myself missing easy shots because I’ve rushed into them? You need to give yourself the opportunity to get properly lined up.

Also, am I staying down? Or am I moving on the shot?

Every time I don’t play well or I’m struggling, it always comes back to an issue of fundamentals.

You also have to make sure you always keep the same rhythm and pace. You don’t want to shoot some shots fast and others more deliberately.

One of the most important things to continually check is whether or not you are managing your emotions. The time to manage your emotions is when you are in the chair, never while you’re at the table. If you are angry, you are going to lose focus. Top players let it go immediately and get their focus back. Many amateur players let the anger linger on and it will continue to have an adverse effect on their game. You can’t have that shot back, so move on. Even if it is just bad position, you must clear your head and think, “Okay, where do I go from here? What’s the best I can do from here, even if it means I have to give up an inning by playing safe.”

If you make a checklist part of your normal routine, checking it both before and after a match, it will eventually become incorporated into your game to the point where you learn to trust your ability and play without thinking. At the beginning, though, when you’re learning the game, you have to make a more conscious effort to check these things before they become ingrained in your mind. The checklist before and after you play is very revealing. It helps you identify the holes in your game.

As you continue and you adhere to the checklist, you will be able to identify other areas of your game that need work. At some point you will have the ultimate checklist.

Also, always keep the checklist positive. Don’t write, “Never get up.” Write, “Always stay down.” The difference may seem subtle, but it is a big deal.

Buddy Hall once told me, “The more comfortable you become, the more you practice. The more you practice, the better you play. The better you play, the more comfortable you become.” It’s a cycle.