[dquarasr]

Do any of you use a mental checklist?

Some years ago when I was an avid bowler, when I was off my game, I’d break out my mental checklist for things to review. Over the years I had developed a list of common reasons I was not on-target. On nights when I was dialed in, the checklist stayed put away. When I was off, I usually found the reason somewhere in my list. (Warning: overt bragging: I managed to get good enough to win a county tournament with a 245-259-300 = 804 three-game series.)

During Covid-19 furlough, I’ve had plenty of time at the table. With the help of some of you here, I’ve been able to correct some fundamental issues. But I’m still experiencing days when I get to the table and I miss quite often and feel a bit lost. But now, having played enough, I know what the sources of my problems are likely to be, hence my checklist.

Here are items on my list and their usual effect:
• Are you stepping into your stance with your feet positioned correctly? I have a tendency to step too far left or forward with my left foot, so I start missing CB left of intended path.
• Is your elbow quiet? I miss both left and right when I don’t keep my elbow very still, both horizontally and vertically.
• Is your backstroke too long? I tend to miss CB right when my backstroke is unusually long. This is likely masking some other problem in my stance / stroke, but I do try to keep my backstroke in the 6-8” range.
• Is your bridge too long? This contributes to backstroke too long.
• Are you shooting too hard? This contributes to missing but more often to not obtaining desired CB position.
• Are your right arm and hand relaxed? I tend to start squeezing the cue, resulting in misses left and right, and miscues when attempting draw. Also squeezing contributes to shooting too hard.
• Are you holding the cue with your right hand correctly? I tend to have my wrist bent to the right if I don’t pay attention to it. This usually results in CB right of intended line.

As I play more and become more familiar with my own game, I’m sure I’ll have other things to add, but I was curious: do you have such checklists, or did you as you were going through your development before your game became more “automatic” and unconscious? Since I’ve been putting in time at the table, many things are becoming unconscious, but there are times when a review of the list is warranted.

[FranCrimi]

Yes absolutely. I have a troubleshooting checklist that addresses my tendencies. When things start to go south, it's usually one of the items on that list. That's why it's important to learn who you are at the table -- both the good and the bad stuff.