Method for feeding a material strip to the machining zone of a machine tool, in particular of an automatic punching machine, wherein the material strip is clamped between at least one pair of feed rollers and is advanced at intervals by rotating the feed rollers at intervals, and wherein the following steps are carried out after each advance of the material strip and before the next advance of the material strip in an advance pause with the material strip stationary and clamped between the feed rollers: a) holding the material strip by fixing the feed rollers with a certain holding torque; b) temporarily reduce or cancel the holding torque of the feed rolls; c) positioning the material strip with the holding torque of the feed rollers reduced or removed by inserting one or more pilot pins into associated pilot openings in the material strip, the material strip being displaced by the pilot pin or pins and the feed rollers being rotated by the material strip clamped between them as it is displaced, if applicable by overcoming the reduced holding torque; and d) retracting the pilot pin(s) from the pilot holes of the material strip, wherein the feed rolls are driven by a servo motor, wherein the servomotor or the feed rollers per feed interval is/are controlled by a control system according to a predetermined target movement and standstill profile, wherein the actual movement and standstill profile of the servomotor or of the feed rollers is monitored and the target movement and standstill profile of a subsequent feed interval, in particular of the next feed interval, is shifted in such a way that the target position of the servomotor or of the feed rollers at the beginning of this shifted target movement and standstill profile corresponds to the actual position of the servomotor or of the feed rollers after the positioning of the material strip with the pilot pin or pins, wherein the machine tool is a punch press and wherein the target motion and standstill profile of the servo motor or the feed rollers is synchronized with the motion profile of the press ram. a) holding the material strip by fixing the feed rollers with a certain holding torque; b) temporarily reduce or cancel the holding torque of the feed rolls; c) positioning the material strip with the holding torque of the feed rollers reduced or removed by inserting one or more pilot pins into associated pilot openings in the material strip, the material strip being displaced by the pilot pin or pins and the feed rollers being rotated by the material strip clamped between them as it is displaced, if applicable by overcoming the reduced holding torque; and d) retracting the pilot pin(s) from the pilot holes of the material strip, wherein the feed rolls are driven by a servo motor, wherein the servomotor or the feed rollers per feed interval is/are controlled by a control system according to a predetermined target movement and standstill profile, wherein the actual movement and standstill profile of the servomotor or of the feed rollers is monitored and the target movement and standstill profile of a subsequent feed interval, in particular of the next feed interval, is shifted in such a way that the target position of the servomotor or of the feed rollers at the beginning of this shifted target movement and standstill profile corresponds to the actual position of the servomotor or of the feed rollers after the positioning of the material strip with the pilot pin or pins, wherein the machine tool is a punch press and wherein the target motion and standstill profile of the servo motor or the feed rollers is synchronized with the motion profile of the press ram.