19/03/2026
Address each shot the same. Respect and consistency go hand-in-hand
The Trap of the “Easy Shot”
You walk around the table and see a shot that looks ‘simple’. The angle is friendly. The distance is short. It’s a shot you’ve made hundreds of times before. Somewhere in your mind the decision is already made. Of course… this ball is going in.
That assumption is where the wheels fell off.
Because the moment a player labels a shot as ‘easy’ the focus that normally accompanies a ‘difficult’ shot begins to fade. The routine shortens or is thrown out completely. The eyes don’t stay on the line quite as long. The body bends down into the stance with less intention because the brain has already decided the outcome.
The shot starts getting taken lightly before it’s ever taken seriously.
Ironically, the shots players fear the most often receive the greatest respect. When a shot looks difficult, players slow down. They check the line carefully. They commit to their routine. They deliver the stroke with attention and care. The focus rises to meet the challenge of the moment.
But when the shot looks simple, the opposite can happen.
The mind drifts ahead to the next ball. The player begins thinking about the position they want or the pattern they are about to run. The current shot becomes just a step in the process instead of the full moment that deserves complete attention.
The ball catches the jaw of the pocket. The cue ball drifts slightly off line. The shot that should have been routine suddenly becomes the turning point of the rack. The player walks back to their chair shaking their head because they know they make that shot almost every time.
The problem was never the difficulty of the shot.
The problem was the respect given to it.
Great players understand that there are no easy shots in competition. There are only shots that deserve full attention and shots that don’t get it. Every ball on the table requires the same level of commitment, the same routine, and the same clear focus.
When a player learns to approach all shots with the same discipline they use on ‘difficult’ ones, the game becomes far more consistent. The ‘simple’ shots stop being traps because they are no longer taken for granted.
In pool, the table doesn’t care which shots look easy.
It only responds to the ones you truly respect. PS – There are no ‘easy’ and no ‘hard’ shots.
