The Importance of Hitting Center Pocket

D

duckie

GregH
Silver Member
By always striving for hitting center pocket, this helps establish a standard for what can be considered a "good" shot. If going for center pocket and miss to one side, this is an indicator something was wrong in the execution of the shot and needs attention to what it was so this error doesn't creep in as playing continues.

The source of these possible errors can from the players execution of the shot and the playing conditions.

Also, becoming proficient in hitting the center of the pocket, cheating the pocket becomes easier and is a very valuable skill to learn when you need to make a angle for a shot, need to squeeze a ball by a ball blocking a pocket and so on.

The ability to hit center pocket applies to banks as well. How the table is banking can be ascertained by how well the center of the pocket is being hit.

In addition, how the table felt is playing can be ascertained when not hitting center pocket on cut shots when that was the goal.

Basically, having a set point to hit or roll over on the table with an OB gives a known starting point to make needed adjustments or that you are hitting the OB well.

This level of precision may not seem necessary for cut shots, but when banking, combos, and caroms shots become part of your skill sets, this level of precision is necessary. The best place to start learning this precision is with the cut shot and hitting center pocket.

Pool really is a precision sport when played at the highest level. It is amazing how 1 mm can kill a run.
 
duckie said:
...becoming proficient in hitting the center of the pocket, cheating the pocket becomes easier and is a very valuable skill to learn...
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For practice, I like aiming at the pocket facings rather than center pocket. For each shot I try to hit the facing (or brush the point if the facing isn't visible) on the side that's a thinner cut (makes it a little harder). This is better for me because I can't always tell if the ball hits exactly center pocket, but I can always tell if I hit the facing or the point - and it reminds me on every shot to aim at a specific part of the pocket (which, of course, in a game is usually the center).

This is especially useful for practicing on big pockets. After doing this for awhile center pocket (and smaller pockets) seems much easier.

pj
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
For practice, I like aiming at the pocket facings rather than center pocket. For each shot I try to hit the facing (or brush the point if the facing isn't visible) on the side that's a thinner cut (makes it a little harder). This is better for me because I can't always tell if the ball hits exactly center pocket, but I can always tell if I hit the facing or the point - and it reminds me on every shot to aim at a specific part of the pocket (which, of course, in a game is usually the center).

This is especially useful for practicing on big pockets. After doing this for awhile center pocket (and smaller pockets) seems much easier.

pj
chgo
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PJ that's called hedging your bets... And I bet a wee bit of spin is involved.... You aim at the center you have 2 sides to miss it on..... You aim thinner and turn it loose... Well Duckie will need the 5 out.........
 
It's not important where you hit the pocket. It's important to hit it where you are aiming, be that center or toward an edge. Many have no idea whether they do this or not as they don't track the ball with their eyes after hitting it to know.

JC
 
It is also important to be able to identify where the center of the pocket is.

On some shots if you don't know where the center is, you have no chance.
 
I've never worried about center pocket just so long as the ball disappears.:D
 
8pack said:
I've never worried about center pocket just so long as the ball disappears.:D
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That's right, Anthony! "Center pocket" is merely a marketing catch-phrase. In reality, you do what you need to do to pocket the ball, and get position. If that means cheating the pocket, or not caring about what "part" of the "inner guts" of the pocket you're hitting because you're more focused on the cue ball, so be it.

-Sean
 
8pack said:
I've never worried about center pocket just so long as the ball disappears.:D
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if you ever seen that lil joes videos, he splits the pocket into 3 parts i believe, its been a while since i seen it. He does that to manipulate the tangent line i think he says.
 
champ2107 said:
if you ever seen that lil joes videos, he splits the pocket into 3 parts i believe, its been a while since i seen it. He does that to manipulate the tangent line i think he says.
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Correct. Just take an object and place it an inch or two from the pocket.now look at cutting the ball in thick, thin or anywhere in between . Look at the infinite possibilities of Tangen lines. Joe Tucker also talks of this in his position drills.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
sfleinen said:
That's right, Anthony! "Center pocket" is merely a marketing catch-phrase. In reality, you do what you need to do to pocket the ball, and get position. If that means cheating the pocket, or not caring about what "part" of the "inner guts" of the pocket you're hitting because you're more focused on the cue ball, so be it.

-Sean
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I'm not sure what it is Sean but its new to me.I know i dont like the balls going in the whole sloppy but other then that i wouldn't think twice about finding center pocket.I'm just thankful the ball falls when it does.
 
champ2107 said:
if you ever seen that lil joes videos, he splits the pocket into 3 parts i believe, its been a while since i seen it. He does that to manipulate the tangent line i think he says.
Click to expand...

I have his videos i will watch them again .
 
Here is a interesting thread about tight pockets. I can see where those that hope a ball goes in a pocket would not like tight pockets versus someone who can place the OB anywhere in the pocket they want making the pocket size unimportant.

Pocket size does not matter when you go beyond hoping the ball goes in.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=274189
 
Pro Side

Surprised nobody has mentioned the benefit of aiming at the pro side of the pocket rather than the center.
 
oneballeddie said:
Surprised nobody has mentioned the benefit of aiming at the pro side of the pocket rather than the center.
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Tony_in_MD said:
If you mean the center of what you see, then yes, that is not the same as the center of the pocket.
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I think what oneballeddie's referring to, is rotation-based (oneballeddie's showing his colors ;) ). In short-rack rotation (e.g. 9-/10-ball), there's a such thing as the "pro side" of the pocket -- meaning, if you miss, the object ball and the cue ball are going in such a direction that the opponent won't be left with an easy shot at that same ball. This is either intentionally overcutting or undercutting the pocket, depending on the angle.

Of course, there's "no such thing as missing when using an aiming system," :p ;) so the need to contingency plan like this is short-circuited.

(For those with HD [humor dystrophy], I was kidding with that last statement.)

-Sean
 
I wondered that too, and thought like you, that he wasn't describing the the best way to miss either.

It is usually called missing on the pro side.

sfleinen said:
I think what oneballeddie's referring to, is rotation-based (oneballeddie's showing his colors ;) ). In short-rack rotation (e.g. 9-/10-ball), there's a such thing as the "pro side" of the pocket -- meaning, if you miss, the object ball and the cue ball are going in such a direction that the opponent won't be left with an easy shot at that same ball. This is either intentionally overcutting or undercutting the pocket, depending on the angle.

Of course, there's "no such thing as missing when using an aiming system," :p ;) so the need to contingency plan like this is short-circuited.

(For those with HD [humor dystrophy], I was kidding with that last statement.)

-Sean
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Kind of

Tony_in_MD said:
If you mean the center of what you see, then yes, that is not the same as the center of the pocket.
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Yes, but margin of error from that aim line is not symmetric - greater allowance for error if aiming more to pro side (the one whose facing is most visible).
 
Contingency for missing

Tony_in_MD said:
I wondered that too, and thought like you, that he wasn't describing the the best way to miss either.

It is usually called missing on the pro side.
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I think "missing to the pro side" means overcutting a thin cut shot a little in case you miss which may be a better leave than missing to the other side, which is more likely to sell out. But if my visualization of this is right then this still means aiming at pro side from the view point of the object ball, not necessarily the same side as the shooter's view of the "pro side".
 
oneballeddie said:
Yes, but margin of error from that aim line is not symmetric - greater allowance for error if aiming more to pro side (the one whose facing is most visible).
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The side with the visible facing isn't the side with the greatest margin for error on all shots. For shots down the rail into the corner, the greatest margin for error is the side toward the rail - because you can hit the rail and still make the shot.

Here's a drawing I posted a few years ago illustrating what I mean:

rail%20cut.jpg
The "effective" pocket opening is the actual pocket opening plus the mirror image of part of the actual opening, and the best target to shoot at isn't the center of the actual pocket opening but the center of this "effective" pocket opening, which is closer to the rail (where the "mirror" is: 1/2 ball's width off the rail).

When you aim at the pocket facing you're "cheating" the "effective" pocket opening, making it more likely that you'll hit the point on that side. For the best chance of pocketing the ball, you should aim to just graze the right side point with the edge of the ball. That way you have the same margin for error on both sides.

The difference between the center of the actual opening and the center of the "effective" opening isn't huge (especially with tight pockets), but it's real.

pj
chgo

P.S. The "effective" opening isn't twice the size of the actual opening because the mirror isn't located right at the rail's edge, but at the "gutter", 1/2 ball's width off the rail's edge. This means that only part of the actual opening is "reflected".
Click to expand...
pj
chgo
 
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