Here's a question for the players that aim by looking at the contact point. How is your mind compensating for the ball curvature? Since you will undercut the ball after so many degrees, how is your mind actually compensating? Is it using fractional aiming without you knowing it? How about ghost ball aiming?
If ever there was a head scratcher about the mental part of pool, this is it. Your mind doesn't just guess and cut the ball thinner. It's a biological computer that takes in visual information and figures out which direction you need to send the cue ball. All without you even being aware it's doing this. What system is it using?
Best,
Mike
Since getting back to the game after 20 some years. I can say that this is where I am stuck at and trying to find out a way. I can aim and hit the shot so very close to 65-70 degree from the CP. That means the OB is barely moving when I cut it! However the term aiming at CP is uncertain in my mind still
When I play for fun, I can pocket OB easier since my mind popped the objective (aiming at the CP), I don’t really look at the cue stick or the tip, or which side of the tip is pointing where. I guess it is all my kind guessing work based on the balls stance. I said the balls stance because the triangular trajectories of pocket-OB and pocket-Cueball created the stance. My body just take a stance by itself, and I look directly at the CP. Then it just goes in
However, here is the problem, when approaching a 5-15 degree cut differences. The OB can miss a 1/4 of a Diamond or so. Especially when approaching from a corner pocket to a corner pocket. From all the videos I have seen. It was caused by the balls stance being the same, but the margin of errors are different. I figured that it is the distances between the Cueball - OB that make the shot different. So, the assumption that I have here without specific calculation is that any slight variant of a cut from 10-15 degree. I have problem with overcutting or under cutting it.
Now, when I try to use the ghost ball system, I have a very hard time to adapt. I don’t think the pro use the ghost ball system at all. Because it complicates many things due to the differences, and one of it is the balls curvatures and the “offset” distances between the OB-CB. I said the offset is because if at 0 degree references or a dead on CP, or straight shot, the offset is 0 between CB-OB. Now, if the 30 degree shot, which if using ghost ball is a 1/2 ball in reference to also combining fractional system, the OB contact point will be at 1/4 of it. Ghost ball is for aiming toward it, cue tip pointing at the edge of the OB .
Carrying this onto the center to edge system, this 1/4 is actually 1/2. Because we can only count center to the edges of the OB.
So then, if the offset between the OB and CB is at precisely 1 ghost ball a part, the undercutting or over cutting don’t happen. This is why the infinite variations between the Cueball - Object ball offset Plus the Balls stance can cause confusion
Combining these 2 systems together, a 30 degree cut is almost impossible to miss if the shot has an Object ball anywhere from half the table toward the pocket. Because using the cue stick aiming, it is always aimed at the edges of the OB. I now understand that the ghost ball can “Create a Ghost Balls stance”. Because the distance from the CB to the OB can infinitely varied, together with the distance from the Pocket to the OB can also be infinitely varied. The offset and balls stances can also generate an infinite “ghost balls stances” where the “ghost balls hitting the CP at”.
Now, we have just generated an extra infinitely variation into the game. So, in order for me to figure out the “Exact ghost ball stance” in this system. I have to throw in one more variation, and that is the References Plane. I call it a references Plane because it is always perpendicular to the 0 center dead on hit between CB-OB. Now, in order for me to spot and see all the variations of what I just generated, “Ghostball-Contact point balls stance”, it needs References plane which is looking perpendicular toward the center of the CB, and reconfirming the CP lines, I have to walk like 3/4 of the table with all the calculations, memorizations and cue stick preparation before I can take a shooting stance
See how complicated everything gets already at this point ? This is where I have problem currently, especially playing with wager and bet. My friends said that is caused by “weak mentality”. It can only be improved upon millions of games before I can get a stronger mentality….or joking with … paying a few hundred K as tuition and I will get better!!!! I refuse these ideas. After all, I have some fundamentals with me and I also know how to use English or straight shot and so on
Then again, what exactly am I aiming at ? When my eyes are looking at the CP and the pocket target is a short distance, I don’t miss much, because at short distance. My sights, my mind, can clearly see all the variations at once. Eliminating the walking over 3/4 tables with 5-6 seconds delayed in between. We all knows that human short term memories if precisely constructed mathematically and imaginaries can only last for a couple seconds. Together with the fact that the longer the distance toward the ghost ball, the center of the ghost ball is smaller. The spaces between the edge of the OB and the cue Stick tip relation is also shorter by the according size of the OB visualized. Now, this is not to taken into account all the other physical variations such as Speed, and Throw, squirt, or the stroke marginal errors. I know for a fact that at medium soft hit, I have no problem with my stroke, after practicing a straight stroke over the longest rail over and over. But if anything harder than that, I will have problem.
Now, in order for all of this complexities to be less complex is to basically try to eliminate the “ghost ball” out of the equation. This is exactly what all the “pros” do. They don’t just walk over 3/4 of the table when the OB is at the long distance call. They actually preparing their pre stroke standing, either by stroking their stick, or standing with their center of vision and cue stick lining up , and then lower into the shot itself.
So then, my questions popped again, what exactly is it that they are aiming at ?
It turns out that they actually is using “fractional system” By clearly visualizing the slices of the object ball, and the cut angles, they get the contact point figured. Then they overlap the CB shadow right onto that CP by the edge of the CB overlapping the exact point of the CP. They don’t pay attention to their cue stick, whether it is left side of the stick or right side of the stick or the center of it or where it is “Pointing at”. They only do this when they need to do a Kick shot. Other pros player also compensate for the cut stances variations by slightly using English. This will minimize the misses an additional margin.
Finally, puzzled all of this together, it comes down to a point that, I do really, need to hit, a million balls in order to improve. Because with all the understanding of all the aiming systems, I can practice solo, by reconfirming my shot using all of them. Executing a shot can be as long as 5 minute preparation. But at least with all of those, I know exactly what I am doing, and I can say for sure is that when someone say “Aiming at the CP”, they literally meant “Eyeing at the CP” and let their body, brains, working out the rest of it. Where as, “the rest of it” can only come after hitting a million balls….lol
oke:aim at the cue ball
once you make it less complicated
