Too often we have the tendency to over-analyze our shortcomings at the pool table, and we overlook the simple, basic helpful hints that can help us enjoy playing the game on a more consistent basis, and to avoid playing the game out of control.

Here are some critical hints, as simple as they are, that still bear repeating:

1. Decide on how the shot should be made, and stick to your decision. Shots are often missed because an alternative method or technique is still in the mind, and this can interrupt or cloud your concentration on the shot ahead.
   
2. Fix your eyes (most likely your dominant eye) on the point of the object ball (the numbered ball you are trying to hit with the cue ball, and address only that spot. Some players have the habit of moving the cue in some other line, and then shifting at the time they deliver the stroke. With this habit, you can only increase your chances of failure, because you are allowing too many variables to come into play. Your cue should move forward and back in a straight line.
   
3. Don’t stroke the shot any harder than is really necessary to produce the desired result, hitting the object ball where desired in order to pocket it, and to bring the cue ball and other object balls into your desired position for the next shot. Generally, hard stroking is sometimes followed by good position, but it is too often a matter of luck. Remember that it is much more difficult to strike the cue ball accurately when you use a hard stroke.
4. Always chalk the cue tip before attempting any shot. Since the tip has the curvature of a nickel, and the surface of the cue ball is also curved, it is only logical that you use some kind of abrasive dust (chalk) to create a little more friction to help you avoid costly miscues. It also helps tremendously to keep your cue’s tip rounded so that you will have more consistent play and better control.
   
5. Keep your bridge hand perfectly rigid and hold the cue lightly in the fingers of your power hand (your gripping hand), slightly back of the balance point. Close the forefinger loop around the cue (this would be your bridge hand) so that it rubs only slightly, in order that the cue ball may be hit without the danger of the cue slipping and causing a miscue or a miss. If you can reduce as many variables as possible in your bridge, as well as other facets of the fundamentals, you will not only increase your skill level, but also your own enjoyment through better, more consistent play.
   
6. Let the weight of the cue do the work, and don’t forget to “follow through” on your stroke. A forced, rigid poke at the ball only adds to the number of variables, and can frustrate you before you can see your successes.