Learning to hit the cueball straight and smooth

(The Stroke)The next essential element after you learn to stand, is developing a good stroke. Bad stroke is the biggest reason for unpredictability in a persons game. Ever had days when you can make difficult shots, and other days when you cant even make easy shots? Or find that the cue ball isnt going where it should? Bad stroke is usually the culprit.The bottle drill is probably the easiest way to fix a persons stroke and can teach a beginner in minutes what some players with years of experience dont realize.This includes not moving their head during the shot, holding the cue stick gently, and a good clean follow through with no jerkiness in the cue action.For a detailed explanation, you can read my article on the essential elements of of a good billiards stroke where I go over each of these elements in detail.Simple Advice? Hold the cue softly. Dont move any part of the body other than the forearm while shooting. Follow through. And get up only after the cue ball has stopped moving. Check out this video for a quick explanation. When I am teaching, I have the student practice hitting a cue ball from one side of the table into the opposite corner pocket to improve their confidence. If you can hit the cue ball into the opposite corner consistently (the longest possible shot on the table), then your stroke is steady enough.