Been away for awhile, just thought i'd ask a question that i've heard several answers to ...
What's the last thing you see?
- Thread starter Cannonball55
- Start date
this would be my answer also.
NO IDEA! Never really thought about it, so, I guess I close my eyes, and hit and hope. ???? 
the last thing I saw at the pool room tonight was me paying off
me too Eric! I played my teacher yesterday and had him 12 to 11 with balll in hand on the 8, going to 13 and LOST the set!
gotta love this game!
G.
Glad to see "desired pocket" has 0 votes.
I know this has probably been covered 1000 times, but why look at the object ball last? When you pull the trigger, your stroke, aim and stance should be a lock. The most important thing at that point is stroking into and through that perfect spot on the cue ball, right. That is really the only fine adjustment which can be made on the final stroke. Even that would be minimal.
Almost everyone coaches and advises object ball last. In reality it's often the cue ball, if only for a fraction of a second. Even those that claim they look at the object ball last (and even think they're doing it), often don't. The truth is, you can be world class with either method.
the last thing I saw at the pool room tonight was me paying off
that's never good
There are two answers to this question. The right one and the wrong one. PERIOD.
The object ball is the only answer.
Does a sharpshooter look at the muzzle of his gun last? No, he looks though the sites to the target.
Does an archer look at his arrow last? No, he looks at the apple on your head last.
Does a basketball player look at the basketball last? No, he looks at the hoop.
Does a baseball pitcher look at the baseball last? No, he looks at the catchers mitt.
Does a bowler look at the bowling ball last? No, he looks at the pins
When you throw a stinking piece of paper into the waste basket, do you look at the paper last? No, you look at the target... same as any other thing you shoot at.
Geez ... every time I see this question it bewilders me how it can even be debatable.
You should set up your stance, aim, PAUSE at the CUE BALL with your tip. Your tip and the cue ball are ONE. You look at your TARGET and shoot THROUGH IT. :shrug:
The object ball is the only answer.
Does a sharpshooter look at the muzzle of his gun last? No, he looks though the sites to the target.
Does an archer look at his arrow last? No, he looks at the apple on your head last.
Does a basketball player look at the basketball last? No, he looks at the hoop.
Does a baseball pitcher look at the baseball last? No, he looks at the catchers mitt.
Does a bowler look at the bowling ball last? No, he looks at the pins
When you throw a stinking piece of paper into the waste basket, do you look at the paper last? No, you look at the target... same as any other thing you shoot at.
Geez ... every time I see this question it bewilders me how it can even be debatable.
You should set up your stance, aim, PAUSE at the CUE BALL with your tip. Your tip and the cue ball are ONE. You look at your TARGET and shoot THROUGH IT. :shrug:
right on all counts
Many people who say that they look at the object ball last do indeed shift their vision at the last instant. As you say, cue ball or object ball last can work equally well and either has some advantages and disadvantages.
I usually bend to current convention and look at the object ball last but I occasionally look at the cue ball last or nothing at all. Once I am committed to my shot it doesn't matter what I am looking at. It may be more comfortable for me to look at a point between the cue ball and object ball, well past the object ball inline with the cue ball's path when I hit it, or simply use a thousand yard stare focused on nothing. I don't turn my head away to shoot because that changes body position and stroke but I could close my eyes and do about as well I suspect.
Hu
Many people who say that they look at the object ball last do indeed shift their vision at the last instant. As you say, cue ball or object ball last can work equally well and either has some advantages and disadvantages.
I usually bend to current convention and look at the object ball last but I occasionally look at the cue ball last or nothing at all. Once I am committed to my shot it doesn't matter what I am looking at. It may be more comfortable for me to look at a point between the cue ball and object ball, well past the object ball inline with the cue ball's path when I hit it, or simply use a thousand yard stare focused on nothing. I don't turn my head away to shoot because that changes body position and stroke but I could close my eyes and do about as well I suspect.
Hu
When I ask myself, after a miss, "what did I do wrong?", I find the answer is very often "I took my eye off the object ball".
If your setup (bridge hand location + body alignment) is literally perfect, it doesn't matter. However, nobody sets up perfectly every time. For your subconscious to compensate correctly for any imperfection in your setup and achieve perfect aim, you have to be looking at the target. No other way.
-Andrew
If your setup (bridge hand location + body alignment) is literally perfect, it doesn't matter. However, nobody sets up perfectly every time. For your subconscious to compensate correctly for any imperfection in your setup and achieve perfect aim, you have to be looking at the target. No other way.
-Andrew
speaking in absolutes is always risky
Actually a shooter looks at his front sight. Looking through a scope reduces things to a two dimensional image but when using iron sights nothing good happens unless you focus on the front sight for precision shooting. You have two targets shooting pool unlike hurling something, the spot on the cue ball you want to hit and the spot on the object ball you want to hit. If you miss the spot(target) on the cue ball your shot will fail. If you miss the spot(target) on the object ball your shot will fail.
It could easily be argued that the spot on the cue ball is the closest thing to your front sight on a firearm and it should be focused on last. This argument is bolstered by the fact that very possibly the best pool shooter in the world, Ralf Souquet, says he looks at the cue ball last.
There are very few absolutes in the pool world.
Hu
PS: In archery, I look at the front of my arrow last shooting without sights.
Actually a shooter looks at his front sight. Looking through a scope reduces things to a two dimensional image but when using iron sights nothing good happens unless you focus on the front sight for precision shooting. You have two targets shooting pool unlike hurling something, the spot on the cue ball you want to hit and the spot on the object ball you want to hit. If you miss the spot(target) on the cue ball your shot will fail. If you miss the spot(target) on the object ball your shot will fail.
It could easily be argued that the spot on the cue ball is the closest thing to your front sight on a firearm and it should be focused on last. This argument is bolstered by the fact that very possibly the best pool shooter in the world, Ralf Souquet, says he looks at the cue ball last.
There are very few absolutes in the pool world.
Hu
PS: In archery, I look at the front of my arrow last shooting without sights.
Yes you are right and the real answer is no one knows...
What I've started doing is this. I'll look solely at the CB during my two warm up strokes and then look at the OB on the final stroke.
If you know where you're aiming at on the CB and you have a consistent stroke. Looking at the CB last shouldn't be necessary and I've found that looking at the OB last improves my consistency (the slightest bit).
It's really going to be a personal preference thing.
If you're lined up correctly and you stroke correctly, you shouldn't have to look at the OB last or the CB last for the best results, it's just what works best for you.
Jaden
What I've started doing is this. I'll look solely at the CB during my two warm up strokes and then look at the OB on the final stroke.
If you know where you're aiming at on the CB and you have a consistent stroke. Looking at the CB last shouldn't be necessary and I've found that looking at the OB last improves my consistency (the slightest bit).
It's really going to be a personal preference thing.
If you're lined up correctly and you stroke correctly, you shouldn't have to look at the OB last or the CB last for the best results, it's just what works best for you.
Jaden
A big bright light, and my beloved grandmother extending her hand to me ....
there is a difference
There is a difference here you know. We are talking about hand-eye coordination. In pool our cues are essentially extensions of our hands and with the cue sticks, we are hitting a ball (cue ball) not the object ball. The cue ball is actually the only thing that we hit; it is the cue ball that strikes the object ball.
Pitching, bowling, archery, etc are equivalent to striking the cue ball, not the object ball.
So, just to finish off the illustration, when you are playing combos, do you last look at the cue ball, the interceding object ball, or the resultant object ball? In all cases, I look at the interceding ball, as I would the object ball under normal situations, but isn't looking at the interceding ball equivalent to looking at the cue ball last?
There may be something to the argument of looking at the cue ball last. I know that it works a thousand times better for me when I am breaking. Just something to think about.
There is a difference here you know. We are talking about hand-eye coordination. In pool our cues are essentially extensions of our hands and with the cue sticks, we are hitting a ball (cue ball) not the object ball. The cue ball is actually the only thing that we hit; it is the cue ball that strikes the object ball.
Pitching, bowling, archery, etc are equivalent to striking the cue ball, not the object ball.
So, just to finish off the illustration, when you are playing combos, do you last look at the cue ball, the interceding object ball, or the resultant object ball? In all cases, I look at the interceding ball, as I would the object ball under normal situations, but isn't looking at the interceding ball equivalent to looking at the cue ball last?
There may be something to the argument of looking at the cue ball last. I know that it works a thousand times better for me when I am breaking. Just something to think about.