How often have you seen a player dedicate himself with unyielding focus to reaching the top, but once he gets there his game starts to slide?

Often times, that loss of edge comes with taking your game for granted. And while it can take years to reach a top level of play, it can all disappear in a matter of weeks. Once a player starts to have doubt and falls out of the comfort zone that he felt when he was on top, the simplest shots can feel like impossible situations.

Maintain your edge at the table means staying at the table and staying hungry. Obviously, practice plays a huge role, because it allows you to keep your fundamentals sharp. But competition is critical, too. Nothing will keep you sharp like a tournament match or matching up with another player at your poolroom.

If you find yourself missing more often than normal, however, you can almost always trace the mistakes back to fundamentals. Players who get on a bad streak, missing balls that they normally make, will go into panic mode. And panic mode simply compounds the problem because the player starts focusing on the outcome of the shot instead of on their technique. Common mistakes include gripping the butt end of the cue too tight and trying to guide the object ball into the pocket by twisting your wrist.

When a player comes to me saying he’s out of stroke, the first thing I check is his fundamentals. Is his stroke timid? Is his thought process sound? Again, forget the outcome and focus on technique.

When my mind and body are out of synch at the table, I have a simple drill that helps get me back on track. I throw 15 balls out on the table, as in the diagram. Then I focus on two things, and two things alone:

First, I make sure I follow through on a perfectly straight line.

Second, I stay down until the balls have come to a complete stop, regardless of the outcome of the shot.

It only takes a few racks of this before I can tell I’m getting my groove back.