Now that we’ve laid the groundwork for a proper stroke, it’s time to get on and hit a few. First, let’s reacquaint ourselves with our library pony. Here he is.

There are several things to notice about this sequence. It is continuous, as your play should be. And it’s simple and repeatable. Pay attention especially to how the ball pops off the mallet: that’s acceleration, produced by imparting angular momentum to the shot. This is the pearl of great price, and what your sports journey has been seeking. You need only a small effort to achieve an outsize result. This is the beginning of skillful play.

Next, the same exercise from the back of Easy, a real, live horse. This is really starting to get good!