Aiming training aid?

poolchic said:

I am sure you have had this on here before, but i am new here. Forgive me if i aggravate anyone with this question again.
What aiming devices are out that really work?
If not devices maybe practice methods that seem to work for you.
Thanks again=))

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I wouldn't waste your time with aiming aids. Concern yourself more with perfecting your fundamentals.

If you're having trouble with a paticular shot, set it up and shoot it 100 times every time you practice. This is the best and quickest way to get comfortable shooting a variety of different shots.

OK. here is one that does not require any gizmos and allows you to aim cut shots by aiming the center of the cue ball to a point on the object ball. It works for cut shots of 0 to 30 degrees. Any more than that, and you are aiming at a point off the object ball.

For a given shot, estimate the cut angle, which is the angle between the path line of the OB going into the pocket, and the line between the cue and object balls. Use your stick to help visualize these.

Look directly at the object ball from the cue ball. For each five degrees of "cut" aim the center of the cueball at an imaginary clockface on the edge of object ball as follows, for a cut where you want the OB to go left:

0 deg cut (straight in) aim at 6 o'clock on the object ball.
5 deg cut aim at 5:30 on the OB
10 aim at 5:00
15 aim at 4:30
20 aim at 4:00 on the OB
30 deg cut aim at 3:00 on the OB (edge of the ball)

for a right handed cut the aiming points would be over 6:00 - 9:00.
If you need work on estimating cut angle, take a protractor with you for a while.

I do not use any training aids, it takes practice.

I tell people to get their contact point by sighting straight through the object ball to the pocket, and then hit it. It really is that simple.

If I am teaching someone and they still don't have a clue where to aim to cut a ball, I place another ball frozen to the object ball so that the center of the two are in line with the pocket and explain that you want to make your cue ball go here... Then I let them go down on the shot, and I roll the extra ball away.

poolchic said:

I am sure you have had this on here before, but i am new here. Forgive me if i aggravate anyone with this question again.
What aiming devices are out that really work?
If not devices maybe practice methods that seem to work for you.
Thanks again=))

Click to expand...

Poolchic,

I will NEVER recommend training-devices for a rather simple reason - Not a single professional player can tell me they credit their pocketing skills to any of them.

The fact is, if there is one thing a professional player represents, it's that their method of learning allowed them to reach their level so no matter what your goals are, the actual way they learned how to play the game should be noted.

Now, I will admit, many of these devices ARE new and in 20 years, one may produce a great player but to date, the vast majority of players will tell you, they just went to the poolroom and hit balls until they started to find the pockets.

When I first met Mika Immonen several years ago, I asked him if there were any drills he did or ANYTHING that helped him learn to play since he grew-up in Finland which is not exactly Pool-Mecca. He said, "I would throw all the balls on the table and pocket them. I hate drills. They're boring. I just want to pocket balls." He had a rather simple approach and maintains this simplicity to-date.



What I do

The best way to learn to pocket better is to go to the poolroom with an open mind yet a desire for perfection. Instead of getting frustrated every time you miss, view it as feedback. Most people have a missing-pattern - They always tend to miss the exact same way. The next time you go to work on your game, take note of how you're missing (overcut when cutting left, undercut when cutting left). See if you develop a pattern and perhaps you can diagnose what the problem might be.

When I did this, I was amazed to find out that I over-cut the vast-majority of my misses. It turns out, I was making a calculated adjustment whenever I had to cut the ball instead of using my instincts. As a result, I stopped making any calculations, went entirely with feel and have seen marked improvement.

you can have this one for free...

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=44853

this will help you recognize 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 ball aims. Let me know if this helps you out at all.

Jon

Whilst taking Tom Simpson's clinic a bit over a week ago, we used this one training aid he'd come up with, that he called the "ghostball aim trainer". Pretty simple thing - just a bit of stiff paper the width of one ball, the length of two balls. Put the card on the table, pointing right in the pocket, then position a ball on the card, the half closer to the pocket. The other end of the card is where the ghostball would be.

We used this thing for a few hours, off and on doing different bits, and it seemed to work pretty well.

Here's a pic of the packaging, with an illustration to give you an idea:



There's a second card included, but cut off halfway through the object ball end - so's you can just slide it up to an ball already on the table, without having to pick it up, lay the card down, and put the ball back.

Tom doesn't seem to sell it via his site - but you can hit his site, and find his email addy and inquire. http://www.poolclinics.com/

Edit: Derrr, check the back of the package for the website, idjit. http://www.elephantballs.com/elephantballs/products_training.asp#BB

Oh, I forgot to mention...

It is my theory that most people don't actually have trouble aiming. They just think they do. Hear me out - try this:

set up a straight in shot with the OB on the footstring and the CB on the headstring. Shoot this 15 times (one rack) and sequester all the missed balls to see what your percentage is.

now set up an OB on the spot with ball in hand behind the head string. Shoot 15 of these and see how many you make/miss.

For me its about the same number of misses. I can't possibly have trouble knowing where to aim a straight in shot - that much I know - just hit it straight. So why the misses? its all about a smooth straight centerball stroke. When you miss a cut shot most people automatically think its because they didn't know how to aim it right. My guess is that its that exact same stroke problem in the first place.

Anyone else notice this?

Jon

I disagree that aiming or training aids are a waste of time for everyone. Yes some people do fine learning by themselves, hitting balls and letting the brain soak it all up but you really have to understand that it's not that easy for everyone and unless you've been through it with hundreds of players that might be hard for you to understand. I've been through it teaching without a method of aim and with the method and having the method speeds up the process as well as puts the whole issue to rest so the players can focus on other aspects of the game.
My method of aim is not for everyone and I'm not just trying to make a sale here, I more worried about respected people and posters telling other that acquiring knowledge is a waste of time because I do know for a fact my method has helped improve many players perception,confidence and consistency and it can be a lot faster and lasting than telling someone just go hit a million balls.

jondrums said:

Oh, I forgot to mention...

It is my theory that most people don't actually have trouble aiming. They just think they do. Hear me out - try this:

set up a straight in shot with the OB on the footstring and the CB on the headstring. Shoot this 15 times (one rack) and sequester all the missed balls to see what your percentage is.

now set up an OB on the spot with ball in hand behind the head string. Shoot 15 of these and see how many you make/miss.

For me its about the same number of misses. I can't possibly have trouble knowing where to aim a straight in shot - that much I know - just hit it straight. So why the misses? its all about a smooth straight centerball stroke. When you miss a cut shot most people automatically think its because they didn't know how to aim it right. My guess is that its that exact same stroke problem in the first place.

Anyone else notice this?

Jon

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I'm sure of that, now, but as a beginner it can't be. You will not know where to aim, we've all been there.

Once you get it down, all of the cuts should be thought of as the same difficulty, you're aiming at the same little contact point each time afterall...

Hi Joe;

I've used your aiming sytem, including the balls, and it is a great place to start, or as in my case, a great refresher after not playing for a long time. Its simple and after time gives your brain the right information to shoot "instinctively". After awhile, you see the contact point, know the aim point and line, and shoot the shot. The numbers go away, at least consiously. Also your material is well thought out and presented so its easy to understand. This is not a sales pitch, it is an endorsement of a tool that someone may use to help them along to a better game.

Mike

you know a great aiming training aid can actually be you, if you are teaching someone how to shoot. My girlfriend is a bit on the small side, so when a shot comes up where she has to reach, as i don't have a mechanical bridge i use myself. I place my hand down as the bridge for her and set up the shot to where i can see it and know its going to be made and she never misses. It did teach her certain shots, plus helped with using english and pocketing the ball.

This is something I made myself from one of the discs on an old cost wheel I kept from my days in the rag business. I've since colored in the outside segments with a sharpie, but it remains basically the same. There's a hole in the center where the rivet was. The ball sits there perfectly. I moisten the back (actually, I spit on it) then set it so the center line aims straight at the pocket. It helps me see angle shots better. I also sharpen my eye by lining up coins with imaginary pockets whenever I find myself killing time, like in Dr's offices. Some people think I'm weird.

Anyway, I go into my aiming device a little in an old blog entry: http://aceswebworld.blogspot.com/2005/03/pool-thing-homemade-aiming-device.html

thats something similiar to what i used for a training aid AceDotCom, then i found the drill that shows all six shots. The SightRight site with the line on the paper is a great drill to use when also using a aiming training aid also, personally speaking.

The Straight Pool Bible by Babe Cranfield has an aiming helper in it that you can copy. Maybe you can find it at your local library (I did).

And Jude, I'm going to have to disagree with you. Babe talks about how when he had trouble with aiming he would go back to the device he included in the book, so that is at least 1 pro.

ScottW said:

Whilst taking Tom Simpson's clinic a bit over a week ago, we used this one training aid he'd come up with, that he called the "ghostball aim trainer". Pretty simple thing - just a bit of stiff paper the width of one ball, the length of two balls. Put the card on the table, pointing right in the pocket, then position a ball on the card, the half closer to the pocket. The other end of the card is where the ghostball would be.

We used this thing for a few hours, off and on doing different bits, and it seemed to work pretty well.

Here's a pic of the packaging, with an illustration to give you an idea:

There's a second card included, but cut off halfway through the object ball end - so's you can just slide it up to an ball already on the table, without having to pick it up, lay the card down, and put the ball back.

Tom doesn't seem to sell it via his site - but you can hit his site, and find his email addy and inquire. http://www.poolclinics.com/

Edit: Derrr, check the back of the package for the website, idjit. http://www.elephantballs.com/elephantballs/products_training.asp#BB

Click to expand...

If somebody didn't offer this idea I was going to be all over it. For a new player there is nothing better. My little thai girlfriend who has never held a pool stick played for her first time and could actually make any straight on shot but when aiming for cut shots she would be about a foot off every time. Just horrible. The second time we played I brought out this ghost ball aimer. On every shot she shoots she sets it next to the object ball, aims the arrow at the pocket and shoots straight for that dot in the center of the ghost ball and pockets 20 xs more balls.

This is a good tool for new players to understand where in the ballpark to start aiming. I made a copy of one and sent it to my sister and she loves it. Can't recommend it enough. As you get better and start using english to throw balls in then all bets are off. After you look at the aiming spot on the ghost ball try to take a mental picture of the shot and remember that this is about where you would aim on a shot with this degree of cut angle.

Enjoy

............

There are many aspects to consider in aiming: pocket, object ball, cue ball, and cue. Slight variations in lining up all of these make aiming difficult but the most important variable isn't the aim but the stroke. Why? Because if you don't stroke consistently you will never know if your aim is correct or not. I think the best practice to develop aim and stroke is a long straight in shot. Set the object ball 4' from the corner and the cue ball 4' from the object ball and all lined up straight in the corner. When you are good at this shot then try the same shot using side English. You should be able to make the object ball and have the cue ball stop and spin in place. If you have a "Measles Cue Ball" shoot it hard enough so the spots seem to disappear. After you are good at this, try it at various distances. Now your aim is good. Start shooting angles.

poolchic said:

I am sure you have had this on here before, but i am new here. Forgive me if i aggravate anyone with this question again.
What aiming devices are out that really work?
If not devices maybe practice methods that seem to work for you.
Thanks again=))

Click to expand...

i just visualize they OB path and the path of the cue as intersecting boxes.
i then match up the boxes til the intersection looks right and then i hit the cue on that path