The Opposite of Fast is Not Slow, Your Pace of Play

If you find yourself rushing your shots, the solution is not to move slower, but to be deliberate about your movements.

Pace of Play is not about speed but attention to detail

Gave two lessons this week and always, when teaching you learn. I was explaining the slow backstroke and smooth follow-through which reminded myself how that's been lacking in my play recently. Couple with the fact I am working on my next video which is about staying down on the shot. Bringing those things back to my practice table...all of a sudden my cue ball control (or confidence) is better. And reviewing the video showed how much slower I was playing.

How deliberate is your Pace of Play?

Except I was not playing slower. Oh sure, my pace of play or time per shot probably went down by just a bit. Sure. But rather, paying attention to a slow backstroke, a smooth follow-through and staying down, brought DELIBERATION back to my game. Lo and behold, there I was walking the table more, making more firm decisions about where I wanted the cue ball, and performing my shot entry steps more purposefully.

I tell you, what Straight Pool teaches you more than any other game is the mind and body working together. You can get away with limited thinking playing rotation games. But with Straight Pool you have to be fully present. And when you are, a natural, deliberate pace of play automatically surfaces. If you find yourself playing too fast, simply slowing down how fast you are moving around the table is not the answer.

https://youtu.be/NTA1TOQO5BU?si=OuWlci1HACyNNhvK

The Quality Pool Backstroke

The opposite of fast is ... deliberate.

Text Transcript of Slow Backstroke Video

Have you ever heard pool players talk about a slow backstroke? And you're wondering, what are they talking about? Well, that's what this video is all about. The US military originated the saying, Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

But the concept has been around for centuries. The Romans said, Festina lente, or Make haste slowly. Woodworkers strive to measure twice, but cut once. Car racers know that smooth actions produce faster lap times.

Musicians practice a new piece slowly at first to build up accuracy and smoothness. If we practice it slowly, then we can get each little detail perfectly situated. When it comes to delivering your cue stick, the same is true. In pool, our goal isn't fast, we should say slow is smooth, Smooth is quality.

A cue stick delivery is everything that happens after your warmup strokes, from the final pause at the cue ball, during your backstroke, the transition, and then the forward stroke and the follow through. During this video, you're going to see a few thumbnails to longer videos that I've made on my channel that explore these issues in more detail. But this is my top 10 list of reasons why slow backstroke is mandatory for a quality Q-stick delivery. Number 10, quality process brings results.

On the left side of your screen, our player is excited to have four easy shots to win the game. Thoughts of a win cause him to rush his backstroke and land too thin on the seven ball. No problem, he thinks I'll just go across table and then he lands short again. Anticipation of shooting an easy nine ball leads to rushing a now difficult eight ball and a miss.

The player on the right side of your screen is also looking forward to pocketing four easy shots for the win, but he knows that his shots will only look easy when he plays good position. His slow backstroke stroke reinforces, putting his attention on the process of shooting instead of the nine ball, which lives in the future. A slow backstroke helps to avoid rushing and encourages staying in the present. Number nine, the quiet eye.

Rhythmic eye patterns, followed by a slow backstroke, reinforces the quiet eye, which improves accuracy and consistency. Number eight, a quick backstroke encourages clutching or a tight grip, while a slow backstroke helps the wrist and the grip to stay loose. Number seven, the final pause. Knowing your backstroke will be slow supports a patient final pause.

That's the third moment of stillness. you pause your Q-tip at the cue ball before cue stick delivery. Number six, speed control. Our player on the left has no pause and a fast backstroke, making fine speed control difficult.

The player on the right senses the speed required during his warm-up strokes, then his slow backstroke promotes a smooth delivery with precise speed control. Number five, smooth transition. A rough transition from the backstroke to the forward cue stick delivery undermines the work done. A slow backstroke, like a rising pendulum, reinforces the feeling of letting the cue stick stop on its own, and then letting the cue stick naturally begin its forward motion.

Number four, stay down, elbow up. A fast backstroke contributes to elbow and head movement. A slow backstroke helps keep our stance, elbow, and head still, finishing the stroke with our head and Q-tip down. Number three, the throwing motion.

A fast backstroke creates a stabbing motion. A slow backstroke reinforces a smooth, underhanded throwing motion. Number two, smooth acceleration. Compare as these players begin their backstroke at the same time.

Instructor Mark Wilson suggests the optimal cue stick delivery time of 1.2 to 1.8 seconds. Watch again at half speed with a timer. A slow backstroke manifests smooth acceleration. And the number one reason for a slow backstroke is to disengage your forearm.

Your forearm is packed with muscles and tendons for manipulating your forearm and hand in every direction, which is the last thing you need for a straight and smooth pool stroke. A fast backstroke recruits these muscles, making it impossible to stroke your cue stick without them. A slow backstroke ensures only your tricep and bicep muscles rotate the forearm about the elbow joint. For most of my pool career, I didn't know about the benefits of a slow backstroke, don't make that mistake.

The smoothness, accuracy, and fine cue ball control that a slow backstroke will bring to your game will be a revelation.