I was watching the Matchroom European Open final between Moritz Neuhausen and Mario He, and one detail kept catching my attention. Not a shot, not a result, but a small habit Moritz repeats before important or difficult shots. At first it’s easy to overlook, but once you notice it, it becomes impossible to ignore.
Before he gets down on the shot, he lowers himself slightly and studies the line between cue ball and object ball. Then there’s this subtle movement where he shifts his head a little to the left and right until he settles. It’s not exaggerated and it doesn’t take long, but it’s very deliberate. It’s a way of actively checking what he sees instead of just accepting the first impression.
What’s interesting is not just that he does it, but what’s actually happening in that phase before he commits. This is where the shot is effectively decided. He’s not just looking at the line, he’s refining it, bringing his visual perception in line with the exact path he wants to send the cue ball on. That small movement helps him eliminate uncertainty, so that by the time he goes down into the shot, there is no need for adjustment anymore.
Most players rush through this part.
They take a quick look, assume they’ve got it, and rely on their stroke to take care of the rest. But the stroke can only execute what has already been decided. If that decision is even slightly off, it will show up in the result. What Moritz is doing is extending that decision phase just enough to turn a rough idea into something precise and trustworthy.
This stood out to me immediately because I use a very similar approach myself when it comes to kick shots. There, you don’t have the luxury of guessing, so you naturally spend more time verifying the exact line before committing. Seeing him apply that same level of care to regular shots, especially under pressure, is what makes this so valuable.
I wasn’t fully sure if I was interpreting it correctly, so I reached out to Moritz directly and asked him about it. He confirmed what I suspected, which made it even more interesting.
In the video, I break this down in detail, what he’s doing in that moment, why it works, and how you can use the same idea in your own game without overcomplicating your routine.