The Pause | Improve the Timing of Your Stroke

It’s been a busy couple of weeks full of tournaments and playoffs.

My Anjeongri Pool League (ARPL) 8-ball team won first place in the league, and I finished both the regular season and post-season with a perfect 100% win rate.

My Songan-si Pool League (SSPL) team lost in the semi-finals, but we played well in the 3rd-4th place match to lock in 3rd place.

I had a few disappointing performances at the National Korea Billiards Federation (KBF) 9-ball singles and doubles event this past weekend in Yanggu, but I think it serves as a good reminder that I’m still not quite where I want to be and there is still a lot of work to do to reach the pro level.

Because I was competing so much the past few weeks, I haven’t been working on any major changes to my game. But today, I want to share one of the most impactful changes I made about a year ago — a change that has stuck with me ever since.

Last year, former U.S. Open Champion and one of my favorite commentators, Jeremy Jones, came to Korea for small-group coaching sessions. I signed up immediately.

He started with fundamentals and some cue-ball control concepts, but the most valuable moment for me was when he watched each of us shoot the Mighty-X Drill and gave individual stroke feedback.

When it was my turn, I honestly didn’t expect much. I’d already spent years obsessing over foot placement, alignment, stance, grip — all the “classic” fundamentals.

But Jeremy approached things differently.

Within just a few shots, he caught something I had completely overlooked:

My timing was inconsistent.

Some shots, I rushed the backstroke. Other shots, I barely paused at all. My transition into the final stroke was sometimes smooth, sometimes jerky — and it all stemmed from what was happening right before the cue started moving:

The pause.

Jeremy told me I needed to work on two simple things:

He explained that doing those two things would naturally create a smoother transition, a cleaner delivery, and more consistent tip contact.

It sounded almost too simple… but it turned out to be one of the most important changes I’ve ever made to my stroke.

The pause isn’t just a stylistic choice. It’s an accuracy system.

It gives you one final moment of absolute stillness to:

If everything feels perfect, that confidence carries into the stroke.

If anything feels off, the pause gives you one last chance to stand up, reset, and avoid a mistake.

Without a pause, you rush the transition and end up “searching” for the stroke in your practice swings — a trap most league players fall into. They take endless practice strokes and, the moment one feels okay, they fire before the feeling disappears.

But top players don’t work that way.

Watch a pro closely:

That moment of stillness is intentional. It’s what gives their stroke sniper-like precision.

Here’s how to build the pause into your routine:

1. Watch your favorite pro and mimic their rhythm

Not their exact timing — just the structure.

2. Shrink your practice strokes

As you approach the final stroke, each practice stroke should be smaller than the last. Think of it as “dialing in” the feel of the shot.

3. Pause before the final stroke

Count a half second in your head. If it feels too long, you’re probably doing it right. 

Note that you are only counting when initially adding a pause to your stroke. Eventually, it will become natural and not something you need to do consciously.

4. Record yourself under pressure

Play a match against a friend or the ghost.

Pressure makes players rush — reviewing the footage will show whether you’re still pausing when it matters.

5. Practice under pressure

If you find yourself skipping the pause, do drills where the last few shots force you into pressure situations — like the Draw & Cross Drill or the Spot Shot Challenge, where a miss resets your high score.

The Draw & Cross Drill is one I learned from Justin Bergman. He told me it was one of the drills he was assigned while preparing for the Mosconi Cup. It creates real pressure—especially when you’re about to set a new high score for that session—because the only score that counts is your best high-run.

The Spot Shot Challenge also creates similar pressure because it is a high-run dependent score.

If you can train yourself to handle pressure there, you’ll be able to deal with the pressure of a big match.

The pause is small, but it changes everything. 

It makes your stroke more deliberate, your delivery more accurate, and your game more reliable under pressure.

This week, slow things down.

Give yourself that moment of stillness.

Let the cue settle, pause, and experience what a true professional stroke feels like.