dominant eye

point to an object with both eye open, wink with on eye then the other. the one that is in line with the object you are pointing at more is your dominant eye. there will be a considerable difference.
 
Better accomplished if you were to use something centered as your "pointer". Either arm used to point will obviously be biased towards that side. Hold your cue center of your body (perhaps with both hands, or otherwise propped up)to do that test, or some other object, not your finger.

There are much more involved tests. I'm still trying to get to the bottom of it for myself, as well. (And yes, I'd like to suck it up and buy the dvd on the subject, and will when funds are available for it.)

I expect you'll get much more detail from the experts, shortly.
 
But don t forget that this is not the ultimate description- for sure it helps you to find out which eye is *more dominant*- but you re watching always with *both* eyes.
I for myself usualy use one eye--me right eye is more a cosmetical part of me *rofl*. I blind like a rhino on my right eye- but not able to aim perfectly and unconsiously with my right eye if it s closed! Sounds funny- but it s true :)


Matthias: i don t say that it s wrong- but some guys take it a bit too easy with this *dominant-eye* story. Some things Geno for example is showing up is really interesting-but it is not *god s word* for sure. Super if it works for some guys- but it s sure not the magic-key for everyone.
Some guys have to take a totally different way to align perfectly. There are many things comin together at this point (healthy issues, body alignment etc. )
lg
Ingo
 
I have been told and read that you are to have your dominant eye over the cue while in your stance. No one has told me exactly why. Is this true? Or is it something that works for some people and not others? I don't know.... I haven't been playing long and just trying to figure some things out.
 
bubbashooter...Whatever you have read, and whoever told you that nonsense, is full of bull. You should align your cue under wherever you perceive a straight line...which may or may not be under your 'dominant eye'. As an example, I worked with a student last weekend, who is left eye dominant, but "sees" a straight line with the cue almost under his right eye. Some people see a straight line with the cue directly under their chin...some see one under their dominant eye (although up of 20% of us have no dominant eye)...and others see it somewhere in between. Some pros actually see outside of their line of sight (almost peripheral vision). As Ratta correctly stated, there is no firm argument that the cue should necessarily be under your dominant eye. If that's where you perceive a straight line, put your cue there. If not, put it where YOU perceive a straight, and quit worrying about the 'dominant eye' baloney that some would have you believe. What is obviously far more important, is are you able to deliver your cue into the straight line you perceive, regardless of where you line the cue up.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

bubbashooter said:
I have been told and read that you are to have your dominant eye over the cue while in your stance. No one has told me exactly why. Is this true? Or is it something that works for some people and not others? I don't know.... I haven't been playing long and just trying to figure some things out.
Click to expand...
 
Scott has just given you the definitive answer to your question.
It is an unfortunate fact of life that not everything you hear in a pool room, or even what you read in a pool book is accurate.
Instructors like Scott, Randy, myself, and others make it our business to study these things, and verify them for ourselves before we teach them to others. Not only that, but we encourage our students to actually do the same thing in our classes.

Trust.....but verify!

Steve
 
So the question becomes, how does the shooter know that what they perceive is accurate and that their eyes are in the correct position for them?

A method that has worked well for almost all of my students that have used it, is to lay the cue accurately on the long string with the butt touching the cushion. The student verifies the accuracy by looking at it from both ends using one or both eyes. Once the student knows that the cue is accurately aligned, have them take their set position over the cue being careful to not move the cue. They then slowly move their head left and right. When they are too far left or right, the cue will look misaligned. Once they find the position where they see the cue is aligned accurately to the far diamond, they then note where the cue is positioned below their chin. That's the position where what they perceive is accurate.
 
Mark Avlon said:
So the question becomes, how does the shooter know that what they perceive is accurate and that their eyes are in the correct position for them?

A method that has worked well for almost all of my students that have used it, is to lay the cue accurately on the long string with the butt touching the cushion. The student verifies the accuracy by looking at it from both ends using one or both eyes. Once the student knows that the cue is accurately aligned, have them take their set position over the cue being careful to not move the cue. They then slowly move their head left and right. When they are too far left or right, the cue will look misaligned. Once they find the position where they see the cue is aligned accurately to the far diamond, they then note where the cue is positioned below their chin. That's the position where what they perceive is accurate.
Click to expand...

I like it! Simple, and makes a lot of sense.
 
great info!

This discussion is especially intriguing to me. When I was barely out of HS and started playing I never sought out or received any instruction until one night my friend's father helped me get better alignment over the cue. From there I went on to become a pretty fair player as I moved around with the Navy.

Fast forward to college at the U of Montana. I decided that I would like to teach the game, so I rebuilt from the ground up using proper fundamentals. The primary exception is that I didn't give much thought to alignment. I generally taught beginning students to center their chins over their cues.

At some point a very good, young player asked if I was blind in my left eye. I was a lil stunned. He watched how I lined up and noticed that I favored my right eye. I've always had poor vision in the left eye and better than 20/20 in the right.

Eventually I started wearing glasses (again) but found that the left eye could not be corrected to 20/20. I'm sure I continued to favor the right eye as I am right eye dominant. I also lost some interest in the game had quite a long hiatus until just recently. During that hiatus I had taken to wearing glasses fulltime.

Just before coming back to the game I had cataract surgery (at 42!). After my eyes healed I found that I can correct the left eye and that it is far better than it has ever been. I also found that I can have some vertical imbalance as the left now competes for or confuses my brain. It seems that my misses are more from being ligned up incorrectly than from stroking poorly. I've noticed it seems easier to be certain of my alignment before I bend over to get into my stance. It's also not easy to maintain that line of sight as I get into my stance.

If you've read this far, I'd love to read any advice you all have.

Yes, lessons are part of the plan, as I intend to study and learn the game this go round. I've been buying books and DVDs in attempt to help with consistency before connecting with an instructor.

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi rack_em,

problems with eyes is not a nice thing. I for myself have the problem that i usualy just use my left eye- the right eye is terrible bad-and since i was a kid no glasses were able to *make it see*(sorry for the vocabulary, dunno how i should say it correctly).

There are several Top-Notch players with just *one eye*, like Nils Fejien, or Jaspers- it s just a matter of training to make it work. But in your case, when something came time after time or over night it s hard to compensate yourself. In your case i would contact really a very qualified Instructor- i m sure just a short session with him would help you finding out how to align perfectly again.
Earlier i thought i just watch with my left eye....but even if my right eye is totally stupid (lol) i need it somehow to adjust for the *straight line*.
Do yourself a favor and visit someone like Stan Shuffet, Randy or whoever from the professional instructors. I am sure in your case they can help you faster than you think.

Just my opinion and from my experience,
keep shootin,

lg from overseas,

ingo
 
Karl...Playing pool well has always been largely about "feel". Aiming is perceptual, so that will always subjective to the individual. When you had the eye problem, your brain found a way to compensate. Once you had the surgery, you had a 'different' way of "seeing" things, that was definitely different than what you did as a young man. I guess I'd reiterate what Mark Avlon mentioned...which is to lay your cue down on the center line of the table, and find where your head needs to be, over the cue, when you perceive a straight line. Then, when you have the cue in your hand, you should line up the same way. Like you said, it would appear to be an alignment issue, rather than a stroke issue (of course you never know, until you get your stroke video analyzed). Hope this helps.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

rack_em said:
This discussion is especially intriguing to me. When I was barely out of HS and started playing I never sought out or received any instruction until one night my friend's father helped me get better alignment over the cue. From there I went on to become a pretty fair player as I moved around with the Navy.

Fast forward to college at the U of Montana. I decided that I would like to teach the game, so I rebuilt from the ground up using proper fundamentals. The primary exception is that I didn't give much thought to alignment. I generally taught beginning students to center their chins over their cues.

At some point a very good, young player asked if I was blind in my left eye. I was a lil stunned. He watched how I lined up and noticed that I favored my right eye. I've always had poor vision in the left eye and better than 20/20 in the right.

Eventually I started wearing glasses (again) but found that the left eye could not be corrected to 20/20. I'm sure I continued to favor the right eye as I am right eye dominant. I also lost some interest in the game had quite a long hiatus until just recently. During that hiatus I had taken to wearing glasses fulltime.

Just before coming back to the game I had cataract surgery (at 42!). After my eyes healed I found that I can correct the left eye and that it is far better than it has ever been. I also found that I can have some vertical imbalance as the left now competes for or confuses my brain. It seems that my misses are more from being ligned up incorrectly than from stroking poorly. I've noticed it seems easier to be certain of my alignment before I bend over to get into my stance. It's also not easy to maintain that line of sight as I get into my stance.

If you've read this far, I'd love to read any advice you all have.

Yes, lessons are part of the plan, as I intend to study and learn the game this go round. I've been buying books and DVDs in attempt to help with consistency before connecting with an instructor.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
 
I think the whole eye placement thing is overrated to an extent .. there is no "right" way to place your eyes..

the only way you will see improvement is if you keep putting your eyes in the same place in relation to the cue .. and I don't think it much matters where that place is as long as it's the same from shot to shot..

thats why I believe the "Dominant Eye" and the "Perfect Aim", and "the Pro One" help people.

they all help because they all give you a frame of reference for each shot. and your brain can more easily relate one shot to another and your improvement rate increases..

so in effect the only "right" place for your eyes is the same place you put them last time..:grin-square:
 
Here is a way that you can find out for yourself.

http://www.sunburstselect.com/PBReview/HowToUseYourEyes.htm

After several years of trying various things I came up with this way to determine for yourself where your head should be placed.

My ideas have changed a little. First your brain has learned to accomodate to your eye dominence. Therefore it adjusts as need from the mid line of your body. The best place for your eyes is probably with your chin on the cue stick and let your brain figure out the rest. The most important thing, to me, is consistency, that is why I like the chin directly over the cue. It is "always" in the same place.

My studies of professional players leads to the idea that there is a place for the one eyed shooting during a long thin cut shots and some pros do, at times, use this technique. For the most part a consistent two eyed approach is prefered because you are shooting in three dimensions simultaneously. Your brain knows how to do that with your current equipment so let it do its job.

The url referenced above will help you find your best eye placement.
 
softshot said:
I think the whole eye placement thing is overrated to an extent .. there is no "right" way to place your eyes..

the only way you will see improvement is if you keep putting your eyes in the same place in relation to the cue .. and I don't think it much matters where that place is as long as it's the same from shot to shot..

thats why I believe the "Dominant Eye" and the "Perfect Aim", and "the Pro One" help people.

they all help because they all give you a frame of reference for each shot. and your brain can more easily relate one shot to another and your improvement rate increases..

so in effect the only "right" place for your eyes is the same place you put them last time..:grin-square:
Click to expand...

I think perfect aim doesn't teach your eyes to be at the same place for all shots. Different alignment for different shots.
 
softshot said:
I think the whole eye placement thing is overrated to an extent .. there is no "right" way to place your eyes..

:
Click to expand...

I think I know what you meant, but I don't agree with the way you said it. There is no "one size fits all" way to position your eyes to the shot. There is, however, one "right way" for each individual.

We all see things a little differently, so the proper head position for you may be different from mine, but we each have that one place where we can most accurately see where we are aiming the cue. So, there is a right way...it's just different for different people.

Steve
 
Thx god...

and thx Steve,too :p was fighting and searching how to write this down that it makes sense without the vocabulary i was looking for....
Glad you posted it, lol^^

lg
Ingo
 
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