Johnny Henson, Professor Pool
Whether you’re standing behind a firearm or leaning over a pool table, the act of “taking a shot” has more in common than most people realize. Both activities require discipline, alignment, body control, and mental focus. However, the most revealing similarity lies in the reasons people miss their shots. In both firearms and billiards, missed shots typically come down to just two fundamental issues, and in both cases, shooters and players often blame the wrong one.
For firearms, there are only two reasons a shot misses its intended target: the sights or the trigger. In billiards, the same simple principle applies: aim or stroke. While this may seem obvious, the key insight is that most people instinctively blame the first item on each list, when the real problem usually lies with the second.
When a shooter misses, the sights are often the first suspect. They assume their alignment was incorrect, the sights weren’t properly calibrated, or some aspect of the firearm caused the error. In reality, the vast majority of misses result from poor trigger control. Actions such as jerking the trigger, slapping instead of pressing, tightening the grip at the moment of discharge, or anticipating recoil can introduce tiny movements. These slight shifts in the muzzle can send the bullet off target. Even with perfect sight alignment, inadequate trigger management can ruin accuracy.
The same pattern occurs in billiards. When a pool player misses a shot, they usually blame their aim. They may believe they misjudged the angle, chose the wrong contact point, or “didn’t see the line.” However, more often than not, the miss stems from the stroke, not the aim. Issues like steering the cue, jabbing, decelerating, dropping the elbow, poor timing, or tension in the grip can cause the cue to veer off its intended line at the last moment. You can aim perfectly, but if your stroke isn’t straight and repeatable, the cue ball won’t travel where you intended.
This parallel isn’t coincidental. Both shooting a gun and shooting pool follow the same underlying truth: the projectile only travels straight if the delivery motion is straight. Your eyes create the plan; your mechanics execute it.
In both disciplines, it’s easier to question your aim or sight picture than to acknowledge a breakdown in mechanics. Accepting this requires awareness, honesty, and deliberate practice to correct. Developing trigger control and stroke mechanics demands more time and effort than simply blaming a miscalculated aim.
As skill increases in either firearms or billiards, a clear truth emerges: consistent success is built on reliable, repeatable, and tension-free motion.
Feel free to contact me or my partner and fellow PBIA and ACS instructor, Steve Farmer, for more information about our classes and mentorship programs. Email us at shootyourbestpool@gmail.com or call 623-377-0042. Visit our website at BilliardUniversity.com.