Not all players follow this sequence. I have a student who is a master of self. She speaks five languages, has two Masters’ degrees, and is very successful in her chosen field. She is in the second stage and will not take long to reach world class. I have another student who has mastered the first three stages and is working o­n the fourth. She may take longer than others as she faces a monumental struggle with self. I had a student who never really went through the first stage. She began her training with the four strokes of pool and then moved o­n to position play. She had mastery of self to begin with. She is a world-class player today. If left with a tough shot, however, she used to be lost; because she was trained in the four strokes of pool, she never really became a shot-maker. I offer a chapter o­n shot-making in my book, “The Lesson,” that was designed just for her. It was necessary for me to take her back to the first stage in order to complete the training.

Most of my advanced students come to me with the second stage missing from their game. They have all the rest of the steps but have never really mastered the four strokes of pool and how they work. It usually takes three hours to go through this stage. They often tell me the first three hours of the workshop was more than worth the $700 they paid for this special training. Mastering the four strokes was a breakthrough for these advanced players. The journey to pocket billiards excellence is a smooth journey o­nce you pass through each stage. o­ne of my students from New York was missing a clear understanding of the second stage. After three hours, he was able to break and run racks of 9-ball. In o­ne stretch, he broke and ran 10 racks out of12. He owns a construction company, has a fine family, and simply wants to master the game of pool. You will hear from him in the pocket billiards world, but not so much o­n the pro tour.

In the second stage you must master the four strokes:  Punch, follow, draw, and spin. The stroke determines the track line of the cue ball. The stroke determines the speed of the cue ball.  You can move the cue ball to two different locations with the exact same tip location simply by changing the stroke. You can control the cue ball speed simply by using o­ne stroke over the other. In my clinics I demonstrate how the stroke affects the track line and the speed of the cue ball. I can draw the cue ball back with o­ne half cue tip low. I can stop the cue ball dead in its tracks with o­ne half cue tip low. I can follow the object ball with o­ne half cue tip low. I can move the cue ball to three different locations with the exact same cue tip location. The stroke is the vital ingredient for a great game. Master the four strokes of pool and increase your cue ball control. There are four different draw strokes:  The follow-through draw, the snap-back draw, the snip draw, and the bounce-back draw. Each stroke moves the cue ball to a different location. There will be times when you win or lose depending o­n which draw stroke you use. You must master each of these draw strokes. If you have not successfully completed Stage Two of your journey, you should see your house pro and get some help with the four strokes of pool. Make sure you acquire all the tools necessary to assure a safe and peaceful journey towards pocket billiards excellence. Pass through The Monk's four stages of pocket billiards and meet me in the finals.