Squinting & Straight In

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do any of you posters/players ever do this on a straight in shot? It seems like it helps me to determine whether or not I am aligned properly and thus tells me how I need to adjust.

And what do you Instructors think about this? Are there any pro players that squint during an actual match?

r/DCP
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do any of you posters/players ever do this on a straight in shot? It seems like it helps me to determine whether or not I am aligned properly and thus tells me how I need to adjust.

And what do you Instructors think about this? Are there any pro players that squint during an actual match?

r/DCP

Closing one eye is one thing, but squinting implies an eye pathology, like myopia.
 

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My fault. Its actually both. I close my right eye and then squint just a little with my left eye, which is my dominant eye.

I've noticed its almost as if I am aiming just a hair to the left on straight in shots. I worked on this a few shots today, swiveling the cue back to the right a micro-hair and it seemed to work okay on follow and stun shots. I'll work on this again, hopefully tomorrow.

r/DCP
 

Pacecar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Almost the same question raised by the OP in Oct. 2005.
I'm age 66 and play right-handed. I have unidominant vision - my dominant eye switches from day-to-day, etc. - more so as I got older. I use squinting to force a certain eye dominance. During my PSR, I squint my right eye to force left eye dominance. When going down on the shot, I squint my left eye to force right eye dominance. It's a routine that took a long time to develop so I could achieve accurate and consistent shooting.
Before I had this routine, sometimes I would not hit center cue ball resulting in unintended English and a miss. Everyone's vision is different. I envy those players that have natural talent to easily achieve consistent, accurate aiming.
 

BilliardsAbout

BondFanEvents.com
Silver Member
My fault. Its actually both. I close my right eye and then squint just a little with my left eye, which is my dominant eye.

I've noticed its almost as if I am aiming just a hair to the left on straight in shots. I worked on this a few shots today, swiveling the cue back to the right a micro-hair and it seemed to work okay on follow and stun shots. I'll work on this again, hopefully tomorrow.

r/DCP

I encourage you to stop with the voodoo and get a lesson on general aim systems and pro aim systems.
 

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I encourage you to stop with the voodoo and get a lesson on general aim systems and pro aim systems.

I don't have a problem aiming. I make a lot of balls. The only ones that give me problems are straight in shots.

How is one of these aiming systems going to help me with straight in shots?
 

KenRobbins

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do any of you posters/players ever do this on a straight in shot? It seems like it helps me to determine whether or not I am aligned properly and thus tells me how I need to adjust.

And what do you Instructors think about this? Are there any pro players that squint during an actual match?

r/DCP

I'm no instructor. What helps me is putting a pocket reducer in a pocket to practice straight in shots. You have the spring from the reducer in the center of pocket sticking straight up. Focus your follow through with cue tip reaching for that spring. https://youtu.be/khABFFDuI5E
 

Tony_in_MD

You want some of this?
Silver Member
Have you tried ignoring the object ball and focus on shooting the cueball directly into a pocket for a straight shot?

When was the last time you had your eyes checked? I am concerned with all the squinting you are doing that there is something going on there.

I don't have a problem aiming. I make a lot of balls. The only ones that give me problems are straight in shots.

How is one of these aiming systems going to help me with straight in shots?
 

Neil

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My fault. Its actually both. I close my right eye and then squint just a little with my left eye, which is my dominant eye.

I've noticed its almost as if I am aiming just a hair to the left on straight in shots. I worked on this a few shots today, swiveling the cue back to the right a micro-hair and it seemed to work okay on follow and stun shots. I'll work on this again, hopefully tomorrow.

r/DCP

Where are you looking on the ob when you aim straight in shots? Try putting your cue lined up to the lowest part of the cb to the highest part of the ob. Then just raise your cue to the height you want to hit the cb.

Then when you shoot, just act like you are shooting the cue at the highest part of the ob. Forget the cb is even there.
 
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FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've posted something similar to this before.
I had a thorough eye exam from an opthalmologist who happens to be a brit snooker player and can "drill them balls like they were on radar".
Diagnosis: Nothing wrong with my eyes...(I am older than you).
He said this:
"As we get older, it takes the brain a little longer to process the information it is receiving from the hands, eyes, and body...not real long, but enough to cause us to miss. So, slow things down, find yourself a number of precise seconds to stay poised in shooting position before you pull the trigger...I think it will cure your troubles".
I found mine to be exactly 7 seconds....by counting this mentally to myself, everything zeroes in perfectly. Anytime I start getting "cute" (as if I was 21) and varying from this routine...the missing increasing.
I'm sure this will get the "horse laugh" from some, but again.....all a person has to do is try it and work with it for 21 days to see if it's an aid.
Give it a shot...might surprise you.
:thumbup:

7 Seconds to focus?? I hope you don't drive anymore.
 

Low500

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yeah okay, whatever... But seriously... why does it take you 7 seconds to focus? That's a really long time.
Yeah okay, whatever...yourself.
The reason is because a player I knew well and used to bet on, who was one of the best 9-Ball players that ever lived, told me to check that out because that's what an opthalmologist told him to do before he had to finally get his glasses.
We called him Billy Johnson (R.I.P.).
You should be so fortunate to be as good as he was.
 

BilliardsAbout

BondFanEvents.com
Silver Member
I don't have a problem aiming. I make a lot of balls. The only ones that give me problems are straight in shots.

How is one of these aiming systems going to help me with straight in shots?

Then an instructor will help with you alignment, focus, fear of straight shots, etc.

It would also depend on defining "problems". "Make a lot of cuts, miss a lot of straight shots" sounds a little subjective.
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My fault. Its actually both. I close my right eye and then squint just a little with my left eye, which is my dominant eye.

I've noticed its almost as if I am aiming just a hair to the left on straight in shots. I worked on this a few shots today, swiveling the cue back to the right a micro-hair and it seemed to work okay on follow and stun shots. I'll work on this again, hopefully tomorrow.

r/DCP

I probably wasn't clear so I'll say it a different way. I've seen lots of players close one eye to look at a shot, mostly at times when they're trying to determine if the cb is slightly blocked by an ob and if it can pass through.

However, I've never seen any players close one eye as they are getting into their stance or are in their stance --- even beginners who don't know any better.

Squinting, in any instance, with either one or both eyes, is an indication of an eye pathology, like myopia.
 
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