recognizing cut angles

kwoshunli

kwoshunli

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
hello all,

I am working on my fundamentals and I believe I'm now shooting and aiming straight.. I'm only a c player.. I run racks some times.. But most of my misses are due to cut angles such as
slightly less or more than a half ball hit, like 35 or 25 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a quarter ball hit, 40 or 55 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a 3/4 ball overlap 10 or 20 degrees..

There are the angles giving me most inconsistencies..

Can anymore please share insights on how to recognize specific angles and some tips?

Even if I aim and stroke perfectly, if I don't assess correct angle measurement, I will surely miss a shot.
 
I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's the way it is. Shoot shots and after a while, you feel the ball being pocketed as well as the path of the CB.

Loosen up that stroke, oil up that arm and LET it happen instead of trying to make it happen.
 
kwoshunli said:
hello all,

I am working on my fundamentals and I believe I'm now shooting and aiming straight.. I'm only a c player.. I run racks some times.. But most of my misses are due to cut angles such as
slightly less or more than a half ball hit, like 35 or 25 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a quarter ball hit, 40 or 55 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a 3/4 ball overlap 10 or 20 degrees..

There are the angles giving me most inconsistencies..

Can anymore please share insights on how to recognize specific angles and some tips?

Even if I aim and stroke perfectly, if I don't assess correct angle measurement, I will surely miss a shot.
Click to expand...

Be sure to check out the aiming sub-forum.

You may want to try getting some self adhesive notebook hole re-enforcers and set up a series of shots in the angle range you have difficulty with.

Mark several object ball locations for one cue ball location and practice making the ball and playing shape that way it helps you recognize the angle needed to make the ball but also helps you play shape and see what a slight adjustment in angle can do for playing position. This method will also serve to show you to what degree your aim points change.

I hope this is helpful.
 
kwoshunli said:
hello all,

I am working on my fundamentals and I believe I'm now shooting and aiming straight.. I'm only a c player.. I run racks some times.. But most of my misses are due to cut angles such as
slightly less or more than a half ball hit, like 35 or 25 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a quarter ball hit, 40 or 55 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a 3/4 ball overlap 10 or 20 degrees..

There are the angles giving me most inconsistencies..

Can anymore please share insights on how to recognize specific angles and some tips?

Even if I aim and stroke perfectly, if I don't assess correct angle measurement, I will surely miss a shot.
Click to expand...

Watch Bert Kinister's long straight shots video. It may help to know that some cuts are not actually cut shots at all. Are you missing on the long rail?
 
kwoshunli said:
.... Can anymore please share insights on how to recognize specific angles and some tips? ...
Click to expand...
I think you will learn them faster if you practice cut shots in an organized manner. Do you have any drills that you use now?
 
The tangent on a center ball hit is about thirty-five degrees, there or there about. Making a peace sign with the fingers is also about thirty-five degrees.
I was using a peace sign the other night, playing One Pocket, in order to ascertain the correct angle on a pesky little cross rail bank.
I must have been taking too much time to shoot because my opponent was sitting across the way giving me half a peace sign. :)
 
It sounds like you aim based on your "guestimation" of the angle. If this is the case, then I would adopt a different aiming approach which doesn't rely on your assessment of an angle but rather some other more predictable benchmark to establish alignment.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I think you will learn them faster if you practice cut shots in an organized manner. Do you have any drills that you use now?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of time.. I only get to play 3 hours a week bec of my busy sschedule.

Do u recommend any for me?
 
rrick33 said:
It sounds like you aim based on your "guestimation" of the angle. If this is the case, then I would adopt a different aiming approach which doesn't rely on your assessment of an angle but rather some other more predictable benchmark to establish alignment.
Click to expand...


Can u pls describe how?
 
Tramp Steamer said:
The tangent on a center ball hit is about thirty-five degrees, there or there about. Making a peace sign with the fingers is also about thirty-five degrees.
I was using a peace sign the other night, playing One Pocket, in order to ascertain the correct angle on a pesky little cross rail bank.
I must have been taking too much time to shoot because my opponent was sitting across the way giving me half a peace sign. :)
Click to expand...

So he was saying you're #1?
 
kwoshunli said:
hello all,

I am working on my fundamentals and I believe I'm now shooting and aiming straight.. I'm only a c player.. I run racks some times.. But most of my misses are due to cut angles such as
slightly less or more than a half ball hit, like 35 or 25 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a quarter ball hit, 40 or 55 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a 3/4 ball overlap 10 or 20 degrees..

There are the angles giving me most inconsistencies..

Can anymore please share insights on how to recognize specific angles and some tips?

Even if I aim and stroke perfectly, if I don't assess correct angle measurement, I will surely miss a shot.
Click to expand...

I struggled with this at the start when I was learning the see-it aiming system. Dr. Dave has a template (posted by oldschool1478 in AZB post) that can be useful to estimate cut angles and required aim points when practicing. There's a printable PDF version at:

http://billiards.colostate.edu/resources/oldschool_cut-angle_template.pdf

Dr. Dave also writes of a "simple way to visualize and estimate cut angles is to imagine an analog clock face (or use one on your wrist). If noon (12) is straight (0 degrees), 11 and 1 are at 30 degrees (1/2-ball hit), 10 and 2 are at 60 degrees (about an 1/8-ball hit), and each minute is 6 degrees. For example, halfway between 12 and 1 ( at 2 1/2 minutes) is 15 degrees (about a 3/4-ball hit), and halfway between 1 and 2 is 45 degrees (about a 1/4-ball hit)."
 
Hi,

I would like to suggest that you should practice your angle shots as much as possible. There is no hard and fast rule as such, even the best of players struggle with this initially. Only practice can make you perfect.:smile:
All the best!
 
I brekky believe that there is a systemic way of learning things..
If I just learn by playing often, I don't think I can learn properly because I don't gave much hours on the pool table..

That's why I'm starting this thread, to know how to learn the best way possible, with the least time required.. With the best results..

I know that it'll never be easy, and it takes years, but i would rather take 1 year to learn something than 2 years..

Keep them coming! Thanks everyone who replied!
 
Find a set of the Elephant training balls. One is half white and red. Set it up per the booklet and have at it.

It's helped me a ton with cut shots. The other ball helps with straight shots and helped me visualize English.

These coupled with an Aramith measle ball has really helped me a lot.
 
The info is available.......

kwoshunli said:
hello all,

I am working on my fundamentals and I believe I'm now shooting and aiming straight.. I'm only a c player.. I run racks some times.. But most of my misses are due to cut angles such as
slightly less or more than a half ball hit, like 35 or 25 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a quarter ball hit, 40 or 55 degrees..
Slightly less or more than a 3/4 ball overlap 10 or 20 degrees..

There are the angles giving me most inconsistencies..

Can anymore please share insights on how to recognize specific angles and some tips?

Even if I aim and stroke perfectly, if I don't assess correct angle measurement, I will surely miss a shot.
Click to expand...

First you need the dominant eye in the correct position. If this is not right you cannot hit the amount you want correctly because your natural sight is off.

I teach this with Perfect aim.

Then once you learn how to keep the eyes in the correct position you do need to know exactly how much of the CB is hitting the OB.

I also teach this at the end of my video. With a quick 5 second measurement with the cue stick you will know almost exactly how much of the object ball to hit. As far as I know this is one of the best kept secrets of Perfect Aim. Many of the players that have the video don't work on this because they look at it and think it is too difficult to do but it is actually so easy a first grader can do it.

With the eyes in the right position so you can hit where you want to and knowing the right amount of the ball to hit, you can cut this hitting a million balls to play good pool down immensely.

the results can be almost unbelievable but you will see it with your own eyes. Seeing is believing.

After learning these 2 things it would be hard to keep a C status in any league. The other players would soon be complaining that your handicap is too high. And they would be right.

Just give me a call. I do these free phone lessons and you will learn how this works. Just be by the table when you call.

After 3:00 to 6:00 any day is usually a good time.

It won't cost you a cent and it will help you more than you could ever imagine.

this also helps B , A , AA, Masters and even the pros.

But if they don't think something will help them they don't even look.

When you call me you will look at the shots very differently from then on and you will also see why everyone needs to know this.

You can keep guessing or you can learn these 2 simple things.

715-563-8712 Talk to you soon. gene
 
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finding angles

some good geometry might help, the diagonal on a square is 45 degrees, the table is made up essentially of 32 squares,if you divide them up using imaginary lines going across and up and down the table,then it becomes like a piece of graph paper, you can use a piece of graph paper and a protractor to figure approximate angles,then if you know what a 30,45,and 60 degree angle looks like by figuring how many segments up and over it is on graph paper,you can figure what it is on the table and if you know a half ball hit is 30 degrees, it should put you close,but still not perfect,your mind still has to make the final adjustment for aiming perfect. I figured this out years ago thinking it would help me and although sometimes it can be usefull, in the end your mind has to make the adjustment, because what happens when you are 33 degrees from your target,you cant aim a halfball or quarter ball and be right. it probably depends on how far away from the pocket you are also. if you were close it might work ok ,but 3 feet away it probably wouldnt work. Just my 2 cents. There is no magic system,just lots of good ole practice until your mind gets trained at making the adjustment for you. ;P
 
My measurements are almost Perfect.

Lucky_Lew66 said:
some good geometry might help, the diagonal on a square is 45 degrees, the table is made up essentially of 32 squares,if you divide them up using imaginary lines going across and up and down the table,then it becomes like a piece of graph paper, you can use a piece of graph paper and a protractor to figure approximate angles,then if you know what a 30,45,and 60 degree angle looks like by figuring how many segments up and over it is on graph paper,you can figure what it is on the table and if you know a half ball hit is 30 degrees, it should put you close,but still not perfect,your mind still has to make the final adjustment for aiming perfect. I figured this out years ago thinking it would help me and although sometimes it can be usefull, in the end your mind has to make the adjustment, because what happens when you are 33 degrees from your target,you cant aim a halfball or quarter ball and be right. it probably depends on how far away from the pocket you are also. if you were close it might work ok ,but 3 feet away it probably wouldnt work. Just my 2 cents. There is no magic system,just lots of good ole practice until your mind gets trained at making the adjustment for you. ;P
Click to expand...

Plus i had a player one day show me how someone showed him what you are talking about. he was counting over this way and that way and then had to subtract something and it still wasn't right. it was quite a mess.

Knowing exactly how much to hit is huge.

And you need to have the eyes in the right position to envision the shot as good as humanly possible.

Now we're really close, so the natural fine tuning that is left is very minor.

It really makes this aiming thing that can be so tough for so many players so much easier.

The info is there for anyone that wants to look and get better.

Also sour grapes....

Now that's another story. The fox and the sour grapes.
 
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how to determine the angle of a pool shot

I have uploaded a pdf in which I explain in Detail how to determine the angle of a pool shot.

Click on the link and it will lead you to the document. There you can eather read the document online (scroll down) or download it. EDIT: in case the document does not open to read it online, please click on download-then just click on the
button to go back (in Windows up at the left upper Corner of your Screen) and click again on "read online"


http://pdfcast.org/pdf/angles-of-pool-shots-and-what-you-have-to-know-about-it

Hope that this will help people!

Ekkes
www.see-system.com
 
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I like to estimate the cut angle of a shot too, but it's really more of a pre-shot-routine habit than a useful piece of information. My mind just kind of jumps to "Oh, that's a 40-degree angle" but I don't use the information to determine my aim. (I'm kind of geometry-oriented).

This sheet describes the way I aim. Kind of an Equal Offset system:

equaldistanceaimingdiag.jpg
 
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