What are you looking at?

[acousticsguru]

Can't vote because it depends on the type of shot.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

 

[Okie]

Can't vote because it depends on the type of shot.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

As I read more responses I am not sure how anyone was able to vote. I wish I could reword those a bit but at least the discussion is helping me see things a bit clearer.

Would you care to expand on your statement?

Thanks for your post!

Ken

 

[ronscuba]

When you stroke the cue back you look at the cue ball, as you stroke forward you look at the object ball. This makes the object ball the last thing you look at before impact.

My eyes do not focus as fast as they used to. On long shots, looking at the CB and then the OB, it takes a long time for my eyes to focus on the OB. Long enough that it ruins my rhythm. The OB is just a blurry mess. Because of this issue, I focus on the aim line approx. 1-2 feet in front of the CB.

 

[acousticsguru]

As I read more responses I am not sure how anyone was able to vote. I wish I could reword those a bit but at least the discussion is helping me see things a bit clearer.

Would you care to expand on your statement?

Thanks for your post!

Ken

Allow me to quote myself on something I invariably point out instructing:

"We miss most shots not because we aim off target (long distance, i.e. the object ball) - we miss the majority of shots because the cue tip doesn't contact the cue ball where we intend to hit. Believe me, the scattering effects caused by not hitting the cue ball precisely where we mean to are such that it hardly matters if we aim right or wrong. Literally, without a straight, preferably smooth stroke, we're not going to hit that target no matter what. Let alone do that plus get perfect timing so we can make the cue ball go places."

Apart from the above, there are types of shots where comparatively speaking, there's not much to see "long-distance", i.e. on jump and other elevation shots (where the cue ball is bound to curve unless contacted by the cue tip dead-center on the vertical axis). Speed and amount of side spin are more crucial than the exact contact point on the cushion for many types of kick shots (not all!). Etc. & etc.

Even for shots where a top player, e.g. shooting a long straight-in shot from a rail with no English, tends to look at the object ball last, it's not what a beginner should concentrate on - although in theory, it should be particularly easy to hit dead-center on the vertical axis on this type of shot, it's nonetheless what beginners tend to have problems with.

Ideally, however, our setup should be so perfect that once we reach the stop & check (see here: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=3735848#post3735848), we should be able to execute back swing and stroke blindfolded.

Hope this helps?

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

 

[backplaying]

What about looking at the cueball and ob at the same time?

 

[tom mcgonagle]

I'm with backplaying. I look at both balls.


___________________________________________

http://tommcgonaglerightoncue.com

 

[TheThaiger]

What about looking at the cueball and ob at the same time?

How?


...............

 

[PGHteacher]

I thought #2 was referring to the tip not "smallest point on the OB"; IMHO you have gotten tainted results in the poll, I chose #1 as it (as I read it; I now realize my error) read as being the only one that referenced looking at the OB at all, maybe some have done this to.

 

[CreeDo]

I look at the OB contact point about 90% of the time, but there are times it helps to look at the CB... during breaking, when jacked over a ball, sometimes on a long straight in.

 

[naji]

It seem that it does not matter where you look when you fire with nice follow through, once your aim is locked in, close eye and shoot.

 

[scsuxci]

It seem that it does not matter where you look when you fire with nice follow through, once your aim is locked in, close eye and shoot.

I wish all the guys just shut there eyes and shot.
I would be a pool-god...........I hope!

 

[Okie]

I thought #2 was referring to the tip not "smallest point on the OB"; IMHO you have gotten tainted results in the poll, I chose #1 as it (as I read it; I now realize my error) read as being the only one that referenced looking at the OB at all, maybe some have done this to.

Thanks for the post.

I agree. I addressed that in an earlier post.

There has been good discussion on it however. Even if I cannot word a poll correctly.

Thanks again,

Ken

 

[Okie]

Allow me to quote myself on something I invariably point out instructing:

"We miss most shots not because we aim off target (long distance, i.e. the object ball) - we miss the majority of shots because the cue tip doesn't contact the cue ball where we intend to hit. Believe me, the scattering effects caused by not hitting the cue ball precisely where we mean to are such that it hardly matters if we aim right or wrong. Literally, without a straight, preferably smooth stroke, we're not going to hit that target no matter what. Let alone do that plus get perfect timing so we can make the cue ball go places."

Apart from the above, there are types of shots where comparatively speaking, there's not much to see "long-distance", i.e. on jump and other elevation shots (where the cue ball is bound to curve unless contacted by the cue tip dead-center on the vertical axis). Speed and amount of side spin are more crucial than the exact contact point on the cushion for many types of kick shots (not all!). Etc. & etc.

Even for shots where a top player, e.g. shooting a long straight-in shot from a rail with no English, tends to look at the object ball last, it's not what a beginner should concentrate on - although in theory, it should be particularly easy to hit dead-center on the vertical axis on this type of shot, it's nonetheless what beginners tend to have problems with.

Ideally, however, our setup should be so perfect that once we reach the stop & check (see here: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=3735848#post3735848), we should be able to execute back swing and stroke blindfolded.

Hope this helps?

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

Thank you for expanding on your original post!

I agree about miscuing. It is a primary reason for the post. I wandered if there were many who saw the cue ball last during a normal shot. Seems this is not the case.

Thanks again,

Ken

 

[Okie]

My eyes do not focus as fast as they used to. On long shots, looking at the CB and then the OB, it takes a long time for my eyes to focus on the OB. Long enough that it ruins my rhythm. The OB is just a blurry mess. Because of this issue, I focus on the aim line approx. 1-2 feet in front of the CB.

I have a few friends tell me this same thing.

Thanks for posting!

Ken

 

[Okie]

What about looking at the cueball and ob at the same time?

I asked a friend while playing today and he said this is pretty much what he does using his peripheral vision.

Thanks for posting!

Ken

 

[Okie]

I look at the OB contact point about 90% of the time, but there are times it helps to look at the CB... during breaking, when jacked over a ball, sometimes on a long straight in.

This is how I currently go at it. I find looking at the cue ball really helps me stay down and through on the break. Might just be a placebo but I like doing it.

Thanks for posting!

Ken

 

[Okie]

It seem that it does not matter where you look when you fire with nice follow through, once your aim is locked in, close eye and shoot.

This is what I am wondering. If you are aimed properly it will work. The problem as I see it is that your subconscious can never bail you out of a poorly aligned position, but that is a whole other discussion.

Thanks for posting!

Ken

 

[acousticsguru]

My eyes do not focus as fast as they used to. On long shots, looking at the CB and then the OB, it takes a long time for my eyes to focus on the OB. Long enough that it ruins my rhythm. The OB is just a blurry mess. Because of this issue, I focus on the aim line approx. 1-2 feet in front of the CB.

You're not alone in this. I have the same problem, and so do many senior or not so young players.

The quality of my own shooting used to be less sensitive to how slow exactly my back swing was for exactly this reason.

Judge for yourself if you think my back swing slow enough for your eyes to re-focus on the following clip (not an example I'm necessarily proud of, really one where I'm showing a student something else):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rD4UON51Rw&feature=plcp

Since during the "stop & check" (my term for what comes after practice strokes – the moment of no return, so to speak), the focus tends to be on the cue ball last, the back swing is roughly equivalent to the time frame within which the focus swaps from cue ball to object ball.

At my age, I can barely do this anymore unless my back swing is slower than on the clip - needless to say, for one's stroke timing, this may become a problem.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

 

[peteypooldude]

I look at the OB at the time of tip contact UNLESS I am breaking. Then I look at the CB during tip contact. I get much better results this way

 

[naji]

This is what I am wondering. If you are aimed properly it will work. The problem as I see it is that your subconscious can never bail you out of a poorly aligned position, but that is a whole other discussion.

Thanks for posting!

Ken

Thanks. I add it is like looking at a 3d puzzle you stare at it until you see 3d if you blink or lost focus 3d is gone. Similarly in pool we focus on a Imaginary sweet spot, if you look at it for long or lost focus you will default to the point on OB less the ghost ball and end up under cutting the shot. Some aiming uses the tip to aim such as 1/4-1/2 ball in that you must look at OB last in my opinion because no ghost ball involved, but when cuts larger than 1/2 ball no more area on OB to look at so Ghost ball is used then.
Lastly, i find helpful, once sweet spot is found while warming up, push your final forward stroke into it, and when tip just about an inch from CB move your eye from OB to CB and align tip and never look back again at OB and slow pull and follow through. I have a table at home, i found out that finding sweet spot is much faster in the morning, than in the evening. I wish we have the luxury to sleep an hour or two before a match!!!!