Cue /stick aiming.

L

LAMas

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cue Aiming and Contact point on the CB to the contact point on the OB.

Aim your cue at the center of the OB to the pocket/target, touch the OB – this is the contact point on the OB that must be hit by the contact point on the CB. If not perceived easily, then look at the relationship/distance from that point to the edge or the center of the OB and transfer that distant to the CB. Aim the cue while standing at these 2 points.

While holding the cue at the butt of the cue, preferable at arms length, rotate from the arm pit/shoulder to the center of the CB and get down on the shot and shoot. The error from a geometric standpoint will be about 1 degree at most - less for thick shots and more for thin.

Triangle Calculator
Length of Side a: 72"
Length of Side b: 72"
Length of Side c: 1.125" (1/2 OB)
Angle C: .89 degrees
http://www.endmemo.com/geometry/triangle.php

The maximum 1 degree error will create a greater distance away at distance from the intended CB path to the OB and must be compensated for by aiming with a bit of outside english.

This should work for most cut angles except the very thin cuts where you might miss the OB with the CB. To compensate for the 1 degree, use a bit of outside english to allow the CB deflection to send the CB closer to the OB and not miss the OB all together.

Start with the edge of the CB aimed at the edge of the OB and adjust the amount of outside english for the distance between the CB and the OB until you can graze the OB for a very thin cut (< 90 degrees) . The amount of outside english will be less than when the CB and OB are close together to compensate for the 1 degree error.

Good shooting.:thumbup:
 
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LAMas -- If I understand the technique you described, it is to
(1) identify the OB and CB contact points,
(2) extend your arm and point the stick down the line that runs through those two contact points,
(3) pivot the tip to center CB using the shoulder or armpit as the pivot point, and
(4) go down to shooting position on that new line of aim and shoot.
​

This, of course, is a form of contact-point-to-contact-point aiming. I imagine you present it as an alternative because of your previously stated visual difficulty with the stick line normally being different from the line through the two contact points.

I tried what you suggest and found it works pretty well. But I thought it was kind of awkward to handle the stick in that fashion and then get down accurately on the new line for the shot.

But I found a slight modification to your proposal that worked a bit more smoothly for me:
(1) identify the two contact points,
(2) get down into shooting position with the stick on the line that runs through those two points,
(3) pivot the tip to center CB using the back hand as the pivot point, and
(4) shoot​

Note: my step (3) is the same type of movement as is used for front-hand english -- leave the back hand in place and move the front of the stick by slightly deforming or moving the bridge sideways -- only in this instance we are moving from off-center to center CB rather than the other way around.

Since I was pivoting from maybe 50"-55" (depends where you hold the stick) instead of your 72", the error (versus a parallel shift) is a bit greater my way, but not much.

Give that one a try and see what you think. And, of course, you can simply visualize the line or vertical plane running through the two contact points and align the cue stick through CB center, parallel to that plane or line, without initially placing the stick in the cp-to-cp plane. That continues to be my preferred way for cp-to-cp aiming.

Thanks for the clever suggestion. Maybe someone will find what you suggested (or my slight modification) useful.
 
Thanks AtLarge,
You are correct and for thick cuts, I just use front hand english as you suggest. I was being hyperbolic with my 72" example for effect.

What's a couple of 10ths of a degree amongst friends?:wink:

Triangle Calculator
Length of Side a: 55"
Length of Side b: 55"
Length of Side c: 1.125" (1/2 OB)
Angle C: 1.172 degrees
http://www.endmemo.com/geometry/triangle.php
 
AtLarge,
I now pivot the cue using my elbow as the pivot point and rotating the cue with the tip just a bit past the center of the CB and then using a slight BH shift using the bridge as the pivot point to the center of the CB to eliminate at least some of that ~1 degree anglular error.
Thanks.:)
 
LAMas said:
AtLarge,
I now pivot the cue using my elbow as the pivot point and rotating the cue with the tip just a bit past the center of the CB and then using a slight BH shift using the bridge as the pivot point to the center of the CB to eliminate at least some of that ~1 degree anglular error.
Thanks.:)
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're parallel parking.:wink:
 
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