Shoot without diamonds?

Mr. Bond

Mr. Bond

Orbis Non Sufficit
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How much do you depend on the aiming sites? (diamonds etc)
If they were removed or covered, how well would you play?

below is an interesting article from 1928, at which time several pros were considering a 'no-diamond' match...

it could be interesting to see this done today..

1928 play without diamonds.JPG
 
I don't use diamonds but for checking the actual location of a ball that I'm kicking at.. I kept eyeballing it and getting it wrong. :o Maybe I could get by without it and find another reference for checking the location, but who knows.
 
I definitely use them in both pool and 3 cushion, know dozens of banking and kicking systems that make use of them.

Could I play without them? Sure. Probably would affect my game much less in pool than in 3 cushion, banking/kicking is rare and often the diamonds are not necessary to make a good hit. In 3 cushion a lot of the shots can still be made by a general feel for the angles involved, but certainly having those reference points even for the sake of breaking up the table into definable sections is useful.

Interesting article...
 
That's a great article. It was interesting to see the author talking about the old days when it was easier to match up.

I don't play three cushion but I use the diamonds once in a while.
 
interesting that jake jr (son of the great wizard) is the one to suggest that relying on the diamonds makes you a mechanical player - but not a true billiard player - ouch!
 
I use them as reference for kicks. Not so much for banks. I think my offensive game would be ok, but my defense would suffer a bit.
 
I use them quite a bit in all facets of pool, but could live without them. The diamonds seem near indispensable in three cushion.
 
The artical is about 3 cushion. As far as pool most players use the diamonds a lot. I use them for kicks, 3-5 rail position, and for a spot to play position to. Johnnyt
 
Sounds like the "old school" was tired of getting beat by the players who figured out the diamonds. Replace the word diamonds with jump cue and you have the same arguments happening today.

I like Willie Hoppe's response. 'Sure, but only if you BET something' - that's a sentiment I can respect 100%.
 
JB Cases said:
Sounds like the "old school" was tired of getting beat by the players who figured out the diamonds. Replace the word diamonds with jump cue and you have the same arguments happening today.

I like Willie Hoppe's response. 'Sure, but only if you BET something' - that's a sentiment I can respect 100%.
Click to expand...

Excellent analogy. The diamonds are here to stay, jump cues I hope not.

I wonder if tables at one time did not have diamonds.
 
alstl said:
Excellent analogy. The diamonds are here to stay, jump cues I hope not.

I wonder if tables at one time did not have diamonds.
Click to expand...

I find the the jump cue part of this response humorous in light of JB's original comment that it is in response to =)
 
JB Cases said:
Sounds like the "old school" was tired of getting beat by the players who figured out the diamonds. Replace the word diamonds with jump cue and you have the same arguments happening today.

I like Willie Hoppe's response. 'Sure, but only if you BET something' - that's a sentiment I can respect 100%.
Click to expand...

Of course you realize that Hoppe did NOT use any diamond systems - he played by feel.
 
On a 4.5 x 9.0 table the diamond system is not "on" and can only be used as a reference......general direction.

John
 
I play mostly one hole. I use the diamond system quite a lot. Each table banks differently, so you just need to see if the particular table is banking short, long, or right on the money. The system has gotten me out of trouble a lot when trapped. It's nice to have some confidence when you are trapped and attempting a 2 or 3 rail kick with the cue ball to get safe, or just not sell the world. The system works better than just an outright guess over the long run. Is it perfect? No, but once you figure out how the table banks, it is very, very close.
 
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