I suspect that is the case.:thumbup:
Experiments in looking at the cueball while delivering the stroke.
- Thread starter gregcantrall
- Start date
I suspect that is the case.:thumbup:
I saw a big improvement on my accuracy and cuball control when I changed my eye pattern. Before my main focus was OB before and after my final back stroke. Now is a mix.
After making sure I am align correctly,
* I focus CB contact point and the line the CB will tavel to the OB taking me to the fraction of the OB I want to hit.
* As I pull my cue back my eyes are moving on the line the cue ball will travel and I am getting a feel how streight my cue is while pulling back.
* I make a pause on the back while focusing on OB contact point.
* Then my eyes come back down the line CB will tavel to the cointact point on the CB.
* Then my focuse is back on CB contact point and I pause close to it so my brain can register where I want it.
I repeat this during my warm up storkes and on my final storke I change it. I do either one of two, depending on whats working for my titming and rythym on that particular day:
* I do the same but this time as I pull my cue back I keep my eyes focused on the CB contact point instead of moving along the CB travel line. I feel this helps keep my cue streight with the CB contact point as I move it back.
then depending on how I feel that day:
A) Long pause on the back swing and shift my eyes and focus on the OB contact point moving eyes along the line the CB will travel. Not this is not a back and forth movement, once I get to the OB my eyes stay quetly focused there as I delvier the shot.
B) Or sometimes on my final back stroke right before the pause I start traveling my eyes along the CB traveling line. By the time I reach my puse on the back swing, my eyes are already focused on the OB contact point. I time this very well I think, and I use itwhen too long of a pause on the back swing before the shot is throwing my timitng off.
Then I accelerate foward keeping my arm and grip relaxed.
I wonder what is other people opnion about this and if the have a similar routine. You might be surprise of your own pattern once you really pay attention to it.
After making sure I am align correctly,
* I focus CB contact point and the line the CB will tavel to the OB taking me to the fraction of the OB I want to hit.
* As I pull my cue back my eyes are moving on the line the cue ball will travel and I am getting a feel how streight my cue is while pulling back.
* I make a pause on the back while focusing on OB contact point.
* Then my eyes come back down the line CB will tavel to the cointact point on the CB.
* Then my focuse is back on CB contact point and I pause close to it so my brain can register where I want it.
I repeat this during my warm up storkes and on my final storke I change it. I do either one of two, depending on whats working for my titming and rythym on that particular day:
* I do the same but this time as I pull my cue back I keep my eyes focused on the CB contact point instead of moving along the CB travel line. I feel this helps keep my cue streight with the CB contact point as I move it back.
then depending on how I feel that day:
A) Long pause on the back swing and shift my eyes and focus on the OB contact point moving eyes along the line the CB will travel. Not this is not a back and forth movement, once I get to the OB my eyes stay quetly focused there as I delvier the shot.
B) Or sometimes on my final back stroke right before the pause I start traveling my eyes along the CB traveling line. By the time I reach my puse on the back swing, my eyes are already focused on the OB contact point. I time this very well I think, and I use itwhen too long of a pause on the back swing before the shot is throwing my timitng off.
Then I accelerate foward keeping my arm and grip relaxed.
I wonder what is other people opnion about this and if the have a similar routine. You might be surprise of your own pattern once you really pay attention to it.
I go back and forth on what I look at last depending on length and side spin. I try to aim and look along the cue balls path. Say it's a thin cut to the left. I look at the center path the cue ball will take. I know where I want the contact point to be but I am not looking at it. Otherwise I would be shooting straight but looking left. It's a guessing game really.
I'm a Man of the Cloth
There is an easy method to ensure you are delivering a straight stroke and also look at the cue ball at the same time. It is like a "one-foot focus" zone. Maybe I should call it OFF!
I use it all the time when I break and lots of times when I have long straight-in or difficult shots. I will pick my line and contact points while I'm still standing and then I will look from the contact point on the object ball all the way back to the cue ball. I look for any chalk spots, lint, etc. that are on the table on the SAME line. I then look for the closest imperfection in the cloth that is closest to the cue ball on the same line.
THAT becomes my line. I can get up, go to the bathroom, drink a cup of beverage, or whatever, but when I come back (unless I regroup and start over) that is my aiming point.
Now when I get down, I may take one last look down the line to see if I'm in alignment. If I am, then my total focus is on that "one-foot focus" zone where I can see the last foot of my bridge, the tip, and contact point on the cue ball, and the piece of "lint/imperfection/etc." that I'm trying to extend my tip through.
After a few practice strokes, I try to go "through" the cue ball and watch my tip as it goes for the "spot" on the table I am reaching my tip out for.
It is kind of like using the arrows and boards on the lane when bowling. If my ball is going in a straight line and over the spot I am aiming at, I have no control of what happens next.
Aloha.
There is an easy method to ensure you are delivering a straight stroke and also look at the cue ball at the same time. It is like a "one-foot focus" zone. Maybe I should call it OFF!
I use it all the time when I break and lots of times when I have long straight-in or difficult shots. I will pick my line and contact points while I'm still standing and then I will look from the contact point on the object ball all the way back to the cue ball. I look for any chalk spots, lint, etc. that are on the table on the SAME line. I then look for the closest imperfection in the cloth that is closest to the cue ball on the same line.
THAT becomes my line. I can get up, go to the bathroom, drink a cup of beverage, or whatever, but when I come back (unless I regroup and start over) that is my aiming point.
Now when I get down, I may take one last look down the line to see if I'm in alignment. If I am, then my total focus is on that "one-foot focus" zone where I can see the last foot of my bridge, the tip, and contact point on the cue ball, and the piece of "lint/imperfection/etc." that I'm trying to extend my tip through.
After a few practice strokes, I try to go "through" the cue ball and watch my tip as it goes for the "spot" on the table I am reaching my tip out for.
It is kind of like using the arrows and boards on the lane when bowling. If my ball is going in a straight line and over the spot I am aiming at, I have no control of what happens next.
Aloha.
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This is how I do it too. However, partly because of this thread and partly because of some miscues in the last few months when going for significant draw, I've tried doing it sometimes with my draw shots now and it has helped. I plan to try doing cue ball last more now and see how it works for me. Traditionally though, except for shooting off the rail or over top of a ball I have always looked at OB last, so it's taking conscious thought to change it and so far I've only tried it in practice sessions.
I've always naturally played by looking at the CB last. I tried switching to looking at the OB before shooting but it feels unnatural to me.
The people who tried to get me to switch said that if you're lined up properly then you don't need to think about the CB anymore. I think the same notion applies for the OB, if you're lined up to that ghost ball contact point then you really don't need to look at it anymore.
Sent from my X501_USA_Cricket using Tapatalk 2
The people who tried to get me to switch said that if you're lined up properly then you don't need to think about the CB anymore. I think the same notion applies for the OB, if you're lined up to that ghost ball contact point then you really don't need to look at it anymore.
Sent from my X501_USA_Cricket using Tapatalk 2
Without going into the CTE/Pro 1 debate I will say that since starting my use of the system I have gone to looking at the cue ball last and it has made a world of difference in my accuracy and cue ball control. I attribute the improved accuracy to both but I would say that my improved cue ball control definitely comes from looking at the cue ball last.
Once I have found my perception and decided on where I want to leave the cue ball I can then focus 100% of my attention on my stroke and contact point while no longer having to be concerned with the aim line because I know I am already on it.
Once I have found my perception and decided on where I want to leave the cue ball I can then focus 100% of my attention on my stroke and contact point while no longer having to be concerned with the aim line because I know I am already on it.
This is how I see it, as long as you are on the correct aiming line and you hit it with the right speed and a straight stroke it should not matter where you look.
From my experience, if a player focuses too much on the object ball, they will steer, or actually accelerate to early in their stroke.
Good post. I suffer from this tendancy, too. :angry:
I like what you say about aiming AT the cue ball. When down the vast majority of my focus is on the cue ball. All the time looking at it, feathering the cue just pinpointing where I'm going to hit the cue ball. Then whilst looking at the cue ball I pause at it, then pull back, pause again and its a simultaneous movement of my eyes flicking up towards where my cue is pointing in the object balls direction and my cue starts moving forward to strike the white ball. The last flick up is simply to make sure the OB is there pretty much. If you have faith in your alignment then I believe there is no need to keep flicking between cue ball and object ball too much. My eye pattern doesn't allow me time to steer towards any contact points and gives me more time checking my accuracy on the white ball.
Sometimes our subconscious programming is so strong we have to "shock it,"
Deceleration is from "aiming" at the object ball in many cases. I know this from hundreds of hours of teaching, and it's difficult to see.....I can hear it at contact, however, it's too fast to see in many cases.
Very well described, I have several drills to get someone out of the habit of "hitting the object ball," ironically, most of the drills involved actually hitting the object ball.....like it is a cue ball. Sometimes our subconscious programming is so strong we have to "shock it," another way I do this is running the 9 Ball rack backwards.
Deceleration is from "aiming" at the object ball in many cases. I know this from hundreds of hours of teaching, and it's difficult to see.....I can hear it at contact, however, it's too fast to see in many cases.
+1
I just got home from playing and found that getting a good shot line and focusing on just the CB gave me good results.
I was a bit surprised.
Thanks for this thread,, great information for me.
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I found the episode;Episode 2 at 6:20
Question; "When you're, um, when you're down on this shot.... Are you, is the last the last ball you look at the cue ball? Or the object ball?"
Ronnie; "Uh I don't even know, to be honest with you."
Question; "No?"
Ronnie; "No, I don't even know. I suppose, it's meant to be the object ball, but I sometimes I find myself looking at the white."
My point in starting the thread was to show that an open mind can lead to surprising results. And oh yea, the advice of the Billiards Digest player of the century might be worth looking into.
I find that the better players do not speak in absolutes. Ronnie proves that out in episode one where he states, "I am not saying that one is right and one is wrong..... but this is what actually works for me......and I haven't done too bad."
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CJ,
I assume you learn to calibrate for both distance (between CB and OB) as well as cut angle?
On thinner cuts, do you reference the CTE instead of CTC as your starting aim?
Colin
If you have specific questions I'll be happy to address them later today.
Yes, the closer the balls are together the more likely you'll use "Center/Edge" in your alignment - The further the balls are apart the more likely you can use "Center/Center".
These are for alignment, not for "aiming," so on long, thin, cuts I can align Center/Center and still cut the ball as thin as possible.
Please don't confuse the line of alignment and the aiming, they're only the same on straight in shots and "half ball" angles. There's more to this, however, it's too difficult to explain, I've had a long day of meetings. If you have specific questions I'll be happy to address them later today.
Play Well.
Yes, the closer the balls are together the more likely you'll use "Center/Edge" in your alignment - The further the balls are apart the more likely you can use "Center/Center".
These are for alignment, not for "aiming," so on long, thin, cuts I can align Center/Center and still cut the ball as thin as possible.
Please don't confuse the line of alignment and the aiming, they're only the same on straight in shots and "half ball" angles. There's more to this, however, it's too difficult to explain, I've had a long day of meetings. If you have specific questions I'll be happy to address them later today.
Play Well.
No worries... makes sense CJ.
Sounds like it aligns you in the ball park and you have some other methods/ adjustments to determine the aim.
I've experimented with some similar off center aligning in the past and found it is a pretty decent way to get to ball park alignment.
Colin
I move the tip to the left, the more I cut the object ball to the left.
After you get aligned to a consistent line between the cue ball and object ball you'll be surprised how naturally you can create the correct angle (to pocket the ball). There's a really small adjustment that has to be made to cut the ball more. When using TOI, you can just move slightly over and the angle will increase.
The cue-ball is the immediate target anyway, so what I do is create the angle AT the cue-ball with my tip. The more I move the tip to the left, the more I cut the object ball to the left.....it's pretty simple and very effective. 'TOI is the Teacher'
After you get aligned to a consistent line between the cue ball and object ball you'll be surprised how naturally you can create the correct angle (to pocket the ball). There's a really small adjustment that has to be made to cut the ball more. When using TOI, you can just move slightly over and the angle will increase.
The cue-ball is the immediate target anyway, so what I do is create the angle AT the cue-ball with my tip. The more I move the tip to the left, the more I cut the object ball to the left.....it's pretty simple and very effective. 'TOI is the Teacher'