Keeping Still

[tommy_boi]

Had a game of pool today, while playing i was having a mess about with my technique, i was noticing that when i was taking the longer shots i was missing more than i was potting, i dont think it can be anything else to do with my technique as i have discussed quite a bit about that in this forum and changed/tried to rectify some of my errors, but i did notice today and was speaking to a friend about this that i seem to have some movement on my shots, so today i tried my hardest not to move on my shots and did notice a great improvement in potting the long shots, is there a better stance/technique that i can use to try and keep solid/still when queueing up and taking my shots?.

[nrage]

A more stable stance with the right distribution of weight will always be better than the alternative, but in most cases (I suspect) movement on the shot is not the fault of the stance but actually just how the player has learned to cue. I think the best soln is to work on it in practice, on every shot consciously remind yourself to remain still, and after every shot ask yourself if you did. Do that for a while and you will train yourself to do so on all shots without needing the reminder. Alternately you can incorporate a one word reminder into your pre-shot routine.

[cantpotforshíte]

Personally I reckon that people move on the shot a lot of the time because (subconsciously) they know they're not lined up right, or aren't sure if they are lined up right.
You could try making your get-down-on-the-shot slower and more deliberate, and make sure you incorporate a front pause and a back pause. This should make you more confident that you're properly lined up, and if my theory holds any water, it'll make you stay stock still on the shot.

[DeanH]

In addition to nrage's good advice, try to remain exactly how you are after the shot, i.e. don't get up immediately after the shot; often seeing how you are at that point can indicate problems with cue delivery, body movement, head, cue hand, cue forearm, shoulder, bridge hand, etc., so you can often tell if you have remained still for the shot.
If you are moving for these long shots you mentioned in your post, you probably are moving for others shots as well, just not noticed as the affect is less obvious, practise on long shots as nrage suggests but also check your play on other shots as well.

[cuebru]

Also stay down and keep your eye on the cue ball until it hits the object ball, its also fun to watch the pot, you should also take note of how far your follow through is and is your cue still on line. After doing that for a while you will see it all in a flash instead of thinking that is too much to do and takes so long.