bubbashooter
Registered
How can you determine your dominant eye? I think it is my right eye but i want to be sure.
How can you determine your dominant eye? I think it is my right eye but i want to be sure.
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.
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.
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.
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:
I think the whole eye placement thing is overrated to an extent .. there is no "right" way to place your eyes..
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