I had the same problem, found out I was right eye dominant, look up the test, it's easy and you will know as soon as you take the test, I now cue with my right eye over the cue shaft as opposed to my nose, I wish words could explain what a difference it has made in my shot making ability, the cruelest thing is that my aim looks the same to me whether I line up with my nose or my right eye over the shaft but I get right english when sighting with my nose over the shaft and I shoot center ball when my right eye is over the shaft, try it for yourself, one of guys on my pool team is left eye dominant even though he is right handed, he has to shoot with his cue stick just left of his nose, stance, stroke ect. could still be a problem but if your eye is telling your brain center is to the right it will be harder to fix those other things, hope this helps you in your pool journey, wished I learned this sooner.
Right english results on the oldest pool drill
- Thread starter newcuer
- Start date
The weirdest part of all of this is like I have said, I have done this drill over the years and never had a problem with it. And I am not just hitting slightly right english, but a decent amount. And not just sporadically but every time. And on different tables (in case you might think its an equipment issue).
It's almost like I got hit in the head or suffered some sort of freak accident all of sudden I can't perceive center ball after being able to do for years. Very weird, at least to me.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Are you sore? Have you done some type of physical activity you usually don't? Old injuries flaring up, need to stretch etc? Stretch them hammies (ham strings) if you're not already doing so.
The reason I ask is it entirely can cause this type of thing. It might be something as simple as putting your left foot an inch farther out/in than you are currently. Sometimes if we are sore/tight/stiff etc we're not standing how we think we are, and soreness can make it hard to have body awareness when more focus than we'd like to admit goes into just avoiding hurting or tuning it out.
Feather the cue and watch what it's doing while down on the ball. If it's wavering figure out how to adjust, get up, reset and feather again until that is dead straight and unwavering. Once that's the case you can eliminate a lot of mechanical issues. Feathering the cue and watching it can tell you a ton of info. On a good alignment while stroking the cue travels directly in a straight line and feels much better than if something is causing you to steer it.
If you're practicing cueing straight, that feathering is more useful than one would first think. Most pros at some point feather the cue, if they have to confirm, it makes sense that us mere mortals should too.
I mean, that can work but I'd imagine it would be better to get to the root of the issue.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
This is similar to many things already said, but figure out your dominant eye/vision center. Figure out if you are center over the cue. Most of the time, like when driving a car, we are following/aligning with lines that we are not centered with so we may be less precise when so do need perfect alignment over a cue. I have a Z shaped piece of paper that I use. A couple of golf tees can also work but it must be something that clearly shows any misalignment. For checking the straightness of my stroke, I prefer stroking over a tape measure. The 1" wide tape showing on both sides of the shaft is very visible to me. Finally, I was often getting some left spin. I'm right handed/left eyed. I have moved my right foot so the very back of my heel is is outside the centerline of my cue, previously the centerline was over the middle of my foot.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Don't sleep on that little piece of paper, it's a damn fine instrument. Looks can be deceiving and this is one of those cases. That paper tells all.
Not sure if you are trying to be humorous
, but if not, that would solve nothing more than this executing this specific drill.
It’s not tough to fix. Go see a reputable instructor that utilizes video taping you as part of evaluating your game. You will then be able to see for yourself the glitches in your mechanics that cause this issue and receive instruction as to how to correct it. Will you be able to apply it beyond that? Well that depends upon you and whether you desire to play better and apply the correction received in instruction.
I was taught to stroke into the neck of the tall beer bottle to touch the bottom but never at the entrance. Trying it starts with drinking the beer to have a target.
My guess is that you compensated for the english you were using and could do the drill but couldn't understand why you missed long shots or when adding english you would miss shots, that's what lead me to learning MY vision center, I wanted to eliminate that as a possibility, turns out it was the problem, I still have more work to go but the difference is like night and day .
WobblyStroke
Well-known member
You need to get looked at by an instructor. I've had this issue twice for two different reasons. One time I was just misperceiving center with a straight stroke. Easy fix (even if you don't mess with vision center stuff)... hit the CB along headstring and intentionally apply a little left, then a little right. Then less. Less still. Then you arrive at center and can recognize what that looks like for you.
The second time, I put on weight which affected my setup so I stroked on a slight arc. Felt dead straight and solid, but was not.
An instructor, esp with aid of video, will spot stroke flaws that you may not be able to see/feel. If just a perception issue, good for you. Either way, infinitely easier to tackle this rather common issue with some assistance.
The second time, I put on weight which affected my setup so I stroked on a slight arc. Felt dead straight and solid, but was not.
An instructor, esp with aid of video, will spot stroke flaws that you may not be able to see/feel. If just a perception issue, good for you. Either way, infinitely easier to tackle this rather common issue with some assistance.
Sounds like a vision center issue. You think you are cueing at center ball but actually you are cueing right of center.
One of our best players here has struggled with this issue for years and seems to have eventually overcome it. If I can remember, I’ll try to ask him how he solved this.
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tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I saw the sight right and realized the value. I think they have some accompanying instructional material. I need to make a more durable version. We recognize when things are in line even when we're not dead center, dropping down on this thing like I drop down on a shot is very illuminating. My tolerances are tighter now.
OP was looking to cure hitting too far right (had the same problem). I cured by hitting farther left (DUH!)Not sure if you are trying to be humorous
More interest in cause than solution? I just assumed my aiming point drift was due to myriad physiological changes (aging), too complex to bother analyzing.
WobblyStroke
Well-known member
Im actually a fan of this approach. Kinda like 'playing your shape' on the golf course. There is a time to overhaul things, knowing it will take time and effort, and there is a time to adjust to what you got. The nice thing about the 'finding center' drill I mentioned above is that it will give you a quick bandaid for perception issues as well as a consistent stroke arc. Many pros play less than straight strokes. The key is that what they have repeats every time and is predictable. If you are lucky enough to have a very consistent error, like the forever fader of the golf ball, you can spend quite a bit of time fixing everything or very little time making what you have playable.
Not everyone is interested in peak efficiency or perfect mechanics, nor are they willing to devote the time and energy to develop those. For those just out to have some fun and not worry too much about every little detail, your approach of 'just hit a little left to avoid hitting right' will work just fine as a bandaid. Lower ceiling for sure compared to the actual fix, but you can raise your floor fairly quickly. The caveat is that the error needs to be fairly consistent and not everyone is so lucky.