Billiards Digest — House Pro Tony Robles

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BD House Pro
Tony Robles

A longtime teaching pro at Amsterdam Billiard Club in New York City, Tony has dozens of regional and national titles to his name, including the 2004 BCA Open Championships.

Instruction Articles:

• September 2010
Through & Through

• August 2010
Along the Rail

• July 2010
The Small Stuff

• June 2010
Three in One

• May 2010
One Ball At a Time

• April 2010
Going Thin to Win

• March 2010
Know Your Game

• February 2010
14.1 For 8-Ballers

• January 2010
Setting It Straight

• December 2009
Hanging Out, Part II

• November 2009
Hanging Out

• October 2009
Control Your Speed

• September 2009
Busting Out of a Slump

• August 2009
Easy Errors, Part III

• July 2009
Easy Errors, Part II

• June 2009
Easy Errors, Part I

• May 2009
Body Language & Breaking

• April 2009
The Break: Body Language

• March 2009
Must-Reads from Robles

• February 2009
Position: Four Square

• January 2009
Romancing the Stance

• October 2008
Look Out for Boingy Rails

• September 2008
Build a Better Break

• August 2008
Q&A: Ask the Pro

• July 2008
‘Buzz’ Kill: Stay Down

• June 2008
Stop Shots Safeties III

• May 2008
Stop Shots Part II

• April 2008
STOP-SHOT Safeties

• February 2008
The Dreaded Straight-In Shot

• January 2008
Trying the Soft Break

• December 2007
The Hard Way Makes It Easier

• November 2007
How to Sight the Cue

• October 2007
Win from Your Chair

How to Keep Winning

March 2008

IT doesn’t matter if you’re the best player in the world or just the best player on your league team. Once you start taking your talent and work ethic for granted, you’re going to start slipping.

A lot of players, when they’re playing the best pool of their lives, get in a comfort zone. The next thing you know, they’re wondering why they can’t make two balls in a row.

Luckily, there are some simple answers. The most common problems are lack of practice and competition. The reason why Shane Van Boening is playing so great right now is that he works on his game and plays in any and every tournament he can get to. If he was to stop for a while, even for three or four months, he wouldn’t play at the level he’s playing now.

That’s why they say it’s harder to stay at the top than it is getting there. You have to work even harder to maintain your current level or even get to the next plateau.

Fundamentals are key. Even great players can get nonchalant when at the table, and when the balls stop dropping, their subconscious minds panic. They focus on the outcome of the shot instead of the technique. They start jumping up on their shots. They twist their wrists or try to steer the ball. They grip their stick too tightly.

I have a drill that helps get my mind and body back in synch. I throw 15 balls out on the table, like in Diagram 1. Then I make sure I do two things:

Follow through on a dead-straight line.
Stay down until the balls have come to a complete stop, no matter the outcome.

After a couple of racks like that, I get back in a groove right away.

If you come to me and say you’re getting out of stroke, I’ll check your fundamentals. I’ll see if your stroke is timid at all, and I’ll ask about your thought process. When you’re shooting, forget about the outcome and only focus on technique: grip your cue lightly, follow through on a straight line, and stay down until the balls stop rolling.

Featured Video: Harriman's Drawing
(courtesy Accu-Stats)