Fall is just around the corner, and that means it’s almost time for a lot of amateur pool players to start getting in shape for the upcoming pool season.

So, how do you get yourself back into playing shape? For starters, you don’t just throw balls out on the table and jump into match play. Your game likely needs a tune-up, and that goes for your mental game as well as your physical game. You probably don’t even remember how you were playing — what you were doing right and what you were doing wrong — before you put your cue away for the summer.

Back when I was competing on tour, I used to keep notes from every tournament and every match I played. Some of the notes make me laugh, but they served a great purpose when I was gearing up to play again. There were always little recollections that would make me think about things I don’t normally think about, like losing focus because I was worrying about the score, and so on.

Some of my notes were about the technical side of my game and some were on the mental part of the game. In the end, all those little notes were reminders of things I need to do to be better prepared and to play better.

I’m not suggesting that you log every match like I did. Even I admit that I was a little over the top with my approach. I would suggest, however, that you create a basic checklist that you can print out, laminate and keep in your cue case. It’s something you can pull out an take a quick look at before you begin playing, or even before you begin practicing. When you look at it, ask yourself if you’re sticking to that list or if you’ve gotten away from some of the things on the list.

Of course, the top priority on your checklist should be fundamentals. That list should remind you to make every decision you need to make about the upcoming shot before you get down over the cue. Once you’ve picked your aiming point, decided how you’re going to play the shot and have picked the proper position for the next shot, you can get over the shot. At that point, your checklist should remind you not to alter your decision once you’re down. Eliminating that process should allow you to focus on your physical technique. Your mind should no longer be part of the shot. It’s all physical execution at this point.

Your checklist should include your pre-shot routine — stepping into the shot, staying down on the follow through, taking the proper number of practice strokes and slowing your stroke on the last backswing to generate the proper power in the final stroke.

Trust me, any kind of checklist you can develop will help. It will keep you in touch with the little things that keep your game tuned up. The little things that we too often forget.