The first one is the ready position . The ready position is one of the most important aspects of a player's game and probably the most neglected. Every stroke must have a starting and ending point.
Most people start their next shot from the point where they finished their last shot.
This is not a good policy given that one wants to hit every stroke with the same motion including the start and finishing point which brings me to the second point. Finishing every shot. Finishing every shot provides more control and power over your stroke. It gives you more control because you do not have to muscle the ball because your stroke is longer when you finish. This tends to give you more of a relaxed motion as opposed to a rigorous muscled motion.