Aiming Systems • THE COMPLETE TRUTH

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
AS EXPERIENCED BY JOEYA:

Aiming systems in my opinion have evolved over the years and I believe this evolution is a great thing. Many aiming systems like “ghost ball” are simple to express in a diagram but far too difficult for most people to make effective on the pool table without huge amounts of investment in time on the table. I’m not saying that learning any aiming system requires little effort. I’m not saying that at all. I think that aiming systems like ghost ball are just too simple and require far more visual imagination than most of us possess.

Other evolving aiming systems like CTE/Pro1 incorporate many other physical and visual pieces of information to help the player obtain the perfect sight picture. I’ve used most of the aiming systems out there and plan on using others as they are brought to the market place. I can talk a little about CTE/Pro1 because I have used it to a very high level.

Some people believe that aiming systems are a bunch of hooey and that if you use an aiming system the sky is going to fall down on you. Lol. But that’s ok too. I am not in this world to convince those who don’t want to be convinced that aiming systems are GREAT for your pool game. For the rest of you, keep in mind that I am speaking from my own personal experience: CTE/Pro1 has given me much, much more than an aiming system. It is a total shooting system, in my opinion. This particular aiming system involves body alignment, head alignment, eye movement, body movement, and complete visual perspective necessary to help you develop the perfect sight picture. It is not the easiest aiming system to learn as it involves lots of “new” terminology that can be easily misconstrued. Also, like anything worthwhile, it takes dedication and time to master.

I’m kind of glutton for punishment, if you have ever seen me practicing or if you were in boot camp with me in the Corps. :D I don’t mind spending countless hours learning to do something perfectly well. In fact, I marvel at those who say if I practiced like you I could be a world champion. (And it’s been said to me on more than one occasion, I might add). But this isn’t really about the dedication it takes to excel at this sport or the dedication that it takes to learn CTE/Pro1.

CTE/Pro1 has helped me grow as a player by not only helping me to recognize what a perfect sight picture looks like but many other things that are probably just as important, and collectively, probably more important. In no particular order, CTE/Pro1 has helped me to:
1. It has helped me to align my body to the shot better.
2. It has helped me to improve my focus. My ability to focus has gone from a traditional one button, one bulb, flashlight to an LED flashlight with zoom lens. I believe it is the finite points on the cue ball and the object ball that does this but I can’t be positive at this time.
3. It has helped me to find the center of the cue ball better. (This should not be under-valued) Just a word to the wise.
4. It has helped me to learn what a perfect sight picture is supposed to look like.
5. It has helped me to improve my confidence in taking the shot.
6. It has helped me to trust my visual intelligence.
7. By using the finite aiming coordinates of CTE/Pro1, I feel like am fine-tuning my aiming while still standing erect, making the transition to bridge hand placement automatic. It didn’t start out automatic and I practiced with the manual CTE/Pro1 pivoting for a very long time before migrating over to the auto pilot of Pro1.
8. It has helped me to work on the rest of my fundamentals without hindrance and with a confidence that I never had before.

In all of this, I have come full circle, I can now aim with superior effectiveness, all automatically, without thinking without manually pivoting and I believe it is CTE/Pro1 that has helped me to do this. This is THE TRUTH.

Another thing that has helped me is Gene Albrecht’s Perfect Aim as I have mentioned in other threads and this too, is THE TRUTH.

The bottom line is that I am seeing the shot better than ever and I am having more fun than ever and I am playing better against better players. I genuinely believe that my journey through ALL aiming systems has helped me to become a better player. I have even recently used Shane Van Boening’s ferrule aiming system much to my amazement with great success. Maybe, it is more about noticing that on some shots different portions of my ferrule line up with the edge of the object ball. The easily seen finite points on an object ball and cue ball make aiming better.

Sometimes, I believe that the mechanical aspects of aiming systems do all of these great things but at the highest level, they train you to do what some do automatically and that is to see the perfect sight picture simply by doing.

I’m not a great player by any stretch of the imagination but I am a better player because of aiming systems. If you already know how to shoot well, you probably don’t need to learn an aiming system. But if you still need improvement in your shooting, don’t listen to those fools who tell you that aiming systems are snake oil and that if you use them, the sky will fall on your head. Just try it out for yourself and you be the judge. Like with most things in life, results will vary from one individual to the next.

Oh yes, one more thing, when I start to miss balls, I will go back to the manual pivoting of CTE/Pro1 in a heartbeat. When my game starts to flounder, I find going through the manual pivoting and the visual coordinates and the body movements satisfying and it helps me to get back on automatic pilot.

For what it’s worth, a post by CJ Wiley in Facebook inspired this thread and I agree with him. When pool is played at its highest played level, the competitors don’t think about aiming systems, they just visualize and execute. That happens when you have developed your visual perspective and your fundamentals to the point where you can operate at that level without thinking. CJ Wiley has a good aiming system in his video and I think he invented it as a way of expressing what he did automatically. The forward thinkers like CJ Wiley, Stan Shuffett and Gene Albrecht have simply described how they aim, nothing more. Putting how you aim into words in no easy task but I have all of them to thank for their contributions to my game.

If at some point, I make different directional changes as far as aiming systems are concerned, I will share them but for now, I am hoping to move on to that next level. The funny thing is that at my advanced age, I still actually believe that can be done.
 

Houstoer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Joey - couldn't agree more. I'm in the infancy stages of CTE/Pro 1 and Perfect aim but I agree that they have really helped me. I now have a solid preshot routine; line up right on the shot and have the confidence to execute that I didn't have before. I agree with you that a person should give it a chance and if doesn't work for them no big deal. When we stop trying to learn in life we are bound to be stuck were we are and to ultimately digress. I'm try anything one or two times. :grin:
 

lee brett

www.leebrettpool.com
Silver Member
Look out for my aiming system on my new DVD out soon.

Have you talking more Joey :)
 

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
I've always liked you're enthusiasm for the game of pool.:)

Thanks! :)

Joey - couldn't agree more. I'm in the infancy stages of CTE/Pro 1 and Perfect aim but I agree that they have really helped me. I now have a solid preshot routine; line up right on the shot and have the confidence to execute that I didn't have before. I agree with you that a person should give it a chance and if doesn't work for them no big deal. When we stop trying to learn in life we are bound to be stuck were we are and to ultimately digress. I'm try anything one or two times. :grin:

It only gets better with time.

Look out for my aiming system on my new DVD out soon.

Have you talking more Joey :)

I'm tired of talking. I'm ready for some deeds. :D
 

scottjen26

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Agree wholeheartedly with your points on CTE/Pro1, all of those apply to me as well. I'm working with someone now, they asked about it and are adopting CTE/Pro1 as well and are taking to it quickly, especially since I'm able to help and shortcut some of the learning I did the hard way.

May not be for everyone, but for me the benefits and confidence I have in shotmaking now outweighs anything I did before.

Scott
 

brophog

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Oh yes, one more thing, when I start to miss balls, I will go back to the manual pivoting of CTE/Pro1 in a heartbeat. When my game starts to flounder, I find going through the manual pivoting and the visual coordinates and the body movements satisfying and it helps me to get back on automatic pilot.

Faith.

That's a direct benefit of discrete systems. It's something outside of ones own self to fall back on when one feels they aren't performing as they are capable of doing.
 
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JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
Faith.

That's a direct benefit of discreet systems. It's something outside of ones own self to fall back on when one feels they aren't performing as they are capable of doing.

Faith is fine and it might have something to do with "discreet" systems but I think the manual, conscious, reference of the coordinates and the CTE/Pro1 system in general, produces increased Focus, not faith.
 

brophog

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Faith is fine and it might have something to do with "discreet" systems but I think the manual, conscious, reference of the coordinates and the CTE/Pro1 system in general, produces increased Focus, not faith.

That's a good definition what it means to be a discrete system.The fact one can fall back on such a system as a means for generating a specific outcome is faith. Discrete aiming systems are very comforting in that they give the user a process.

One resultant of that process could indeed be an increase in focus.
 
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JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
My PM to you couldn't be sent.... so.......

That's a good definition what it means to be a discrete system.The fact one can fall back on such a system as a means for generating a specific outcome is faith. Discrete aiming systems are very comforting in that they give the user a process.

One resultant of that process could indeed be an increase in focus.

No problem. Thanks for the clarification. Sometimes of the naysayers refer to aiming systems with the secondary definition of faith which is belief without proof, instead of the primary definition of faith which is, trust or confidence in a person, thing or entity.

It's all good. I was inclined to respond to your last post with a bit more understanding but didn't want to dissuade others from posting.

Best Regards,
JoeyA
 

pablocruz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Nice post Joey!! Strange how things come along! I was playing with a friend on Monday night that i would play even with last year. He can't touch me now! After we played a few sets he packs up and leaves.. so I thought! He comes back in and asks me what my secret was. In his words and I quote
"is it CTE?" And I politely said yes and he smiled and said good shooting and see ya Wednesday!! Thank you Stan!!
 

Mikjary

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Nice post Joey!! Strange how things come along! I was playing with a friend on Monday night that i would play even with last year. He can't touch me now! After we played a few sets he packs up and leaves.. so I thought! He comes back in and asks me what my secret was. In his words and I quote
"is it CTE?" And I politely said yes and he smiled and said good shooting and see ya Wednesday!! Thank you Stan!!

Nice, Paul! Sometimes it's hard to gauge your progress, but this is definitely the way to do it.

I'm still working on those 90/90 diagrams. Switched computers and lost the file!

Best,
Mike
 

abie10

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
the whole "left is left, right is right" system (if you want to call it one) is by far the best thing that i have learned in pool...other than getting a straight stroke that is. it has made me SOO much better at my shot making that i can't even begin to describe it.

i have taken my kids, and lower rated players on my team and taught them this and it has had an immediate impact on their game...hell, it's even surprised some higher rated players when I show them this. It's so simple that it's stupid. everyone that picks up a pool stick and wants to be even somewhat competitive should learn 2 things immediately:

1. The mechanics to a straight stroke/alignment
2. "Left is left, Right is right."

i really don't think it's an "aiming system," but then again what do i know?
 

3andstop

Focus
Silver Member
I have even recently used Shane Van Boening’s ferrule aiming system much to my amazement with great success. Maybe, it is more about noticing that on some shots different portions of my ferrule line up with the edge of the object ball. The easily seen finite points on an object ball and cue ball make aiming better.

While I still believe everyone sees shots differently and all systems don't work for all people, the system Shane uses is the one I've preached for a long time. For those that see it ... it is precise, ( not a guestimate like an imaginary 2 1/4 inch ghost ball with a secondary imagined 1 1/8 center point, or an estimate on a quarter hit, half hit etc...) It is a definite aim point, with a definite aim line.

Not to mention, tough to deny a system that Shane has so much success with. :thumbup:
 

dr_dave

Instructional Author
Gold Member
Silver Member
CTE/Pro1 has helped me to:
1. It has helped me to align my body to the shot better.
2. It has helped me to improve my focus. My ability to focus has gone from a traditional one button, one bulb, flashlight to an LED flashlight with zoom lens. I believe it is the finite points on the cue ball and the object ball that does this but I can’t be positive at this time.
3. It has helped me to find the center of the cue ball better. (This should not be under-valued) Just a word to the wise.
4. It has helped me to learn what a perfect sight picture is supposed to look like.
5. It has helped me to improve my confidence in taking the shot.
6. It has helped me to trust my visual intelligence.
7. By using the finite aiming coordinates of CTE/Pro1, I feel like am fine-tuning my aiming while still standing erect, making the transition to bridge hand placement automatic. It didn’t start out automatic and I practiced with the manual CTE/Pro1 pivoting for a very long time before migrating over to the auto pilot of Pro1.
8. It has helped me to work on the rest of my fundamentals without hindrance and with a confidence that I never had before.
Joey,

That's a good list. Many benefits of "aiming systems," including CTE/Pro1, come from the pre-shot routine elements they encourage. Many systems also promote consistent and purposeful visual alignment and sighting, which are extremely important fundamentals. Regardless of how a person actually aims, paying attention to and focusing on all of this stuff can obviously be very helpful.

Regards,
Dave
 

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
While I still believe everyone sees shots differently and all systems don't work for all people, the system Shane uses is the one I've preached for a long time. For those that see it ... it is precise, ( not a guestimate like an imaginary 2 1/4 inch ghost ball with a secondary imagined 1 1/8 center point, or an estimate on a quarter hit, half hit etc...) It is a definite aim point, with a definite aim line.

Not to mention, tough to deny a system that Shane has so much success with. :thumbup:

I find myself looking at the ferrule after I have put my bridge hand into position and have already locked onto the shot, comparing which portion of the ferrule is aimed at the edge of the object ball. I like the finite point but aiming a particular portion of the ferrule at the object ball AND obtaining the PERFECT SIGHT picture is not something I can do all of the time. Like some aiming systems, I believe it helps improve your focus, because it gives you something finite to reference.

I really haven't spent that much time with Shane's aiming method but I do know it makes me smile when I am locked onto the shot and I can see the edge of my ferrule lined up PERFECTLY with the edge of the object ball.

I agree with you that one aiming system may not work the best for one particular person and that is why I recommend for people to try out various aiming systems and find out what works for them.

Another thing that I failed to mention about CTE/Pro1 is that while it isn't super easy to learn (because of the "new" terminology, once you learn it, you can utilize it consciously by mechanically pivoting or automatically by pivoting (in the air) in a matter of a couple of seconds. The "mechanics" or "coordinates" of the aiming system become second nature and do not require any more thought or effort than any other aiming system that I have tried.
 

3andstop

Focus
Silver Member
I like to extend the sides of the ferrule to include the entire side of the cue stick, right out to the contact point on the OB. See the line and approach your stance seeing that line, then stroke your cue so that the side of your cue runs along that line. Left side for cuts to the left, and right side for cuts to the right.

One of the most important aspects of this system is to remember to apply any english when you align and not afterwords.
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
Joey,

That's a good list. Many benefits of "aiming systems," including CTE/Pro1, come from the pre-shot routine elements they encourage. Many systems also promote consistent and purposeful visual alignment and sighting, which are extremely important fundamentals. Regardless of how a person actually aims, paying attention to and focusing on all of this stuff can obviously be very helpful.

Regards,
Dave
For me, at its very basic, the aiming systems I use allow me to actually aim at something I can see ... something on the object ball. Since I"m an advocate of a finite number of aim combos, if I happen to miss (which we all do) and I feel like I hit it exactly where I was aiming (we've all done this too), then I just click to the next aim point. In my opinion, that's where it helps the most.

I'm not discounting PSR and focus, but for me, the strength of these ball-to-ball aiming systems are less about PSR and focus than you might be suggesting.



Freddie
 
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