It's The CB

Status
Not open for further replies.
Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I believe a lot on here would do better practicing position and how to control the CB than spending endless hours talking about aiming systems that are only going to get you in the ballpark. Better position=closer shots=make more balls=make more balls and you will get the feel of all the angles. Johnnyt

PS:I should have said practice position after you can run a few balls. I didin't mean to start on the first week of your pool playing days.
 
Last edited:
if you are a bad shotmaker you probably lack confidence on every shot. I know I'm a pretty bad shotmaker and I cinch more shot than I should...
I think before thinking about perfect position you should reach a pretty decent level of shotmaking.
 
I'm with you Johnny. Don't give up, we need you.

I frequently miss shots that I am sure were not due completely to bad aim and I ask myself, why did I miss that shot and why by such a large margin? The answer I believe is that while I thought I was hitting the cb on the vertical center I was missing that center by some small amount.

It's easier to see your opponents mistakes than your own. I watch my opponents like a hawk and try to predict how their shot will come out. My predictions frequently prove correct and missing your spot on the cb is frequently the cause, in my eyes at least.

There you have it. Invaluable advice from a guy who can't run 10 balls. But who should know more about missing than a guy who misses a lot?

Dave Nelson
 
I think you need both. Usually if I miss the shot, I didn't get the position either. Of course at that point, it doesn't matter too much. :)
 
Yes. all these factors overlap. The good player masters them all but the poor player, I think, needs to work on them one at a time and what could be more fundamental than how you address the cb?

In a match yesterday my opponent was lining up for a rather delicate shot. He wanted to pocket an almost straight in shot into the side pocket and draw the cb about 2 or 3 inches. If he didn't get the draw he was going to stop in a position that blocked him from almost the entire table. I could see that he was not going to get the draw. He was hitting the cb nearly on the horizontal center when he should have been at least a tip low. I was correct. I'm sure every one recognizes this. From looking down on the cb it's an illusion that needs too be recognized and compensated for.

Dave Nelson
 
Johnnyt said:
I believe a lot on here would do better practicing position and how to control the CB than spending endless hours talking about aiming systems that are only going to get you in the ballpark. Better position=closer shots=make more balls=make more balls and you will get the feel of all the angles. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

I agree speed control and table knowledge is how I lose the majority of the time now. Shot making and cue ball control go hand in hand when you start playing an advanced game, probably around a high 'C' level of play. IMHO
 
Johnnyt said:
Why do I bother?:( Johnnyt
Click to expand...

You stated your point and I stated my experience. Was your point supposed to be not discussed?

Let me try again with a little longer explanation.

I shot pool for 15 years using the hit a million balls method. Working on cue ball control. I got to the point where I knew how to spin the cue ball, stun the cue ball, draw the cue ball, and place it on a piece of paper from just about anywhere.

Only in play I would often miss the shot but get perfect shape or make the shot and miss the shape.

When I learned to aim better I noticed that my shape improved dramatically.

The reason is because when I felt 100% confident that I was on the right line I could focus then on the cue ball 100% and I could see the path much better. Now I am no longer afraid or unsure where the cue ball is going and I can move it into much tighter areas much more consistently.

Is that better?
 
Sort of on topic? I can't count how many times I have missed a duck because at the last second, I got the bright idea that I wanted to get a little better position. I totally forgot that you have to make the ball first. :(
This usually happens when I'm in the "zone" I took the shot for granted.
 
Last edited:
JB Cases said:
You stated your point and I stated my experience. Was your point supposed to be not discussed?

Let me try again with a little longer explanation.

I shot pool for 15 years using the hit a million balls method. Working on cue ball control. I got to the point where I knew how to spin the cue ball, stun the cue ball, draw the cue ball, and place it on a piece of paper from just about anywhere.

Only in play I would often miss the shot but get perfect shape or make the shot and miss the shape.

When I learned to aim better I noticed that my shape improved dramatically.

The reason is because when I felt 100% confident that I was on the right line I could focus then on the cue ball 100% and I could see the path much better. Now I am no longer afraid or unsure where the cue ball is going and I can move it into much tighter areas much more consistently.

Is that better?
Click to expand...

Playing good pool all comes back to fundamentals. Good fundamentals requires you to address each shot with a consistent properly aligned stance. IMO this relates to proper aim.

I also believe there are many shots that present some type of optical illusion with respect to angles. The angle of the CB on its path to the OB, and the OB on its path to the pocket.

Our minds can envision these angles of the moving balls oddly on many shots as we prepare to shoot them and cause subconscious adjustments. Adjustments that actually end up being incorrect.

Proper repeatable approach, alignment, and stance with the CONFIDENCE to stroke through on a straight line to the correct point of aim, regardless of these impeding optical illusions we can subconsciously envision and attempt to correct for in the last seconds of forward stroke is what produces consistent accuracy.

ONLY after you have mastered a repeatable approach, and stance and subsequently DELIVERY, can you move on to controlling the CB.

So, I agree with JB ... you can't put the cart before the horse on this one.
 
First off, let me say that I have nothing against aiming systems, as I believe all poolplayers with decent skills use one whether they know it or not.

I am a decent shotmaker. I don't need a lot of time to know where to make the proper portion of the cueball strike the proper portion of the object ball to make a shot. I would venture a guess that the majority of MY missed shots are due to one or more of these reasons, but NOT aiming:

1.) Using english and mis-reading the amount of deflection (easily my #1 reason).
2.) Many lo-o-o-ng straight shots.
3.) A wobbly stroke (also in conjunction with reason #2)
4.) Slow-rolling medium-to-long shots (roll-off).
5.) Simply rushing the shot (or lack of proper PSR).
6.) Bad eyesight (edges of balls become semi-fuzzy).
7.) Stupidity (i.e. trying to cheat a pocket too much, etc.).

Those stated, I'm not even going to mention miscues or jacking-up over balls, etc. as these things are bound to happen to anyone of any skill level. I am not trying to say that I never mis-aim, because I'm sure that I have misread the proper contact point-to-point more than a few times in my life. But I would argue with anyone that my aiming is not what causes me to miss shots, for the most part. I don't know how to explain how I aim, I just have something in my head that got there many years ago and has always worked. I couldn't teach it, I can't explain it. It's just there.

If people who have no problems with aiming can master the positioning of the cueball for pinpoint accuracy, they are going to be a formidable foe on the green cloth. My game got better by leaps and bounds when I started learning 2, 3, and 4-rail positioning combined with proper speed control. I'm not where I want to be yet (and may never be), but I'm slowly improving with endless practice. There is something to be said for shooting simpler shots, to be sure.

Once again, I'm not so much siding with anybody on this thread so much as I am saying that different things work best for different individuals. I won't knock anyones style if it is what works best for them!

Shoot straight, my friends!!!

Maniac
 
after awhile you either do none or both

Shaky1 said:
I think you need both. Usually if I miss the shot, I didn't get the position either. Of course at that point, it doesn't matter too much. :)
Click to expand...

Not talking about the hangers with the object ball almost impossible to miss but more typical shots, you reach a point where you either make the shot and get the shape you wanted or you miss and the cue ball doesn't go where you wanted it to either. You can't miss half the shot, you miss all or none. That is of course unless you planned to miss the object ball and the cue ball goes exactly where you wanted it to!

Johnny ol' buddy, I've been saying since I came here that it is all about the cue ball. A few people realize that, most know better than to try to explain what they mean to other people. One small consolation, one of the better players on this forum and least recognized told me that both Keith and Buddy told him the same thing. That puts you'uns and me'uns in pretty elite company!(Also raised my respect for Keith a few notches, I had thought he was just a wild child shot maker)

Hu
 
3andstop said:
Playing good pool all comes back to fundamentals. Good fundamentals requires you to address each shot with a consistent properly aligned stance. IMO this relates to proper aim.

I also believe there are many shots that present some type of optical illusion with respect to angles. The angle of the CB on its path to the OB, and the OB on its path to the pocket.

Our minds can envision these angles of the moving balls oddly on many shots as we prepare to shoot them and cause subconscious adjustments. Adjustments that actually end up being incorrect.

Proper repeatable approach, alignment, and stance with the CONFIDENCE to stroke through on a straight line to the correct point of aim, regardless of these impeding optical illusions we can subconsciously envision and attempt to correct for in the last seconds of forward stroke is what produces consistent accuracy.

ONLY after you have mastered a repeatable approach, and stance and subsequently DELIVERY, can you move on to controlling the CB.

So, I agree with JB ... you can't put the cart before the horse on this one.
Click to expand...

Good post!!! Would've been part II of my previous post if I hadn't tired of typing :o!!!

Maniac
 
Slh said:
if you are a bad shotmaker you probably lack confidence on every shot. I know I'm a pretty bad shotmaker and I cinch more shot than I should...
I think before thinking about perfect position you should reach a pretty decent level of shotmaking.
Click to expand...

I agree. If you can run 6 balls in any order you're ready to take on position play w/o too much spin. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
I believe a lot on here would do better practicing position and how to control the CB than spending endless hours talking about aiming systems that are only going to get you in the ballpark. Better position=closer shots=make more balls=make more balls and you will get the feel of all the angles. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

I totally agree with you 100%. Anytime I hear the word system I automatically think of it as a reference point and the adjustments the player makes is what makes it a successful system. If there was ever a true secret to pool it was that a large percentage of shots can be perceived as half-ball hits or aiming center of cue ball at object ball edge as long as you consistently get the right angle on the shot. Bert Kinister's 60 Minute Workout for 8-Ball and 9-Ball will make tremendous strides in ones game as long as they stay dedicated and put the work in. Also, I have seen a few comments on here about Kim Davenport's game but I have never checked into it, but it sounds similar to Bert's workout. With this being said, at the end of the day,pool is about heart and having the stroke to back it up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top