How to Develop More Feel in Your Aiming

CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
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I used to do a drill that helped me with me "feel for aiming" more than anything and I've started back into this phase of my personal "re" development.

The best way to increase feel is to decrease your vision. Suddenly turn out the lights and you'll immediately get a "surge of feel/touch" and start feeling for a wall, the light switch or just feeling for something that you may potentially fall over.

The way that I so this in pool is to deliberately stand a foot taller than usual in my stance. This takes away from your ability to "see" the shot and makes it essential to feel the shot.....I suggest doing this for an hour straight, and just accept where the balls go in a learning mode. DO NOT get frustrated if you don't "make" the shot, it's not about playing well, it's about feeling better.

Some days are meant to NOT play well, and to learn to NOT make balls better. If you don't allow yourself these type days you will limit your progression. When we DON'T make shot we learn MORE than when we do make shots. Remember this, it's an often overlooked "Secret" to jumping into that next level of performance. 'Let Your Game be the Teacher'
 
Okay Ill go for it

CJ Wiley said:
I used to do a drill that helped me with me "feel for aiming" more than anything and I've started back into this phase of my personal "re" development.

The best way to increase feel is to decrease your vision. Suddenly turn out the lights and you'll immediately get a "surge of feel/touch" and start feeling for a wall, the light switch or just feeling for something that you may potentially fall over.

The way that I so this in pool is to deliberately stand a foot taller than usual in my stance. This takes away from your ability to "see" the shot and makes it essential to feel the shot.....I suggest doing this for an hour straight, and just accept where the balls go in a learning mode. DO NOT get frustrated if you don't "make" the shot, it's not about playing well, it's about feeling better.

Some days are meant to NOT play well, and to learn to NOT make balls better. If you don't allow yourself these type days you will limit your progression. When we DON'T make shot we learn MORE than when we do make shots. Remember this, it's an often overlooked "Secret" to jumping into that next level of performance. 'Let Your Game be the Teacher'
Click to expand...

Interesting Post CJ and I'll go for it,

If I were a true died the wool smart ass I would start my next sentence with......One day I decided to walk out into the wilderness to discover the essence of how to play pool.....or maybe..... I was needing an operation so I decided to drive over to the hospital parking lot and just look up at the OR and feel the healing....but Im not going to do that....lol...but I do understand what you mean.

I like to play pool sometimes with the lights off. It allows me to not focus so hard on what Im doing and just use "the edges of everything." It gives you a new perspective. I love to bank with the lights off and play totally off feel and nothing else. It will show you just how close your feel really is and kind of lets you know if need to refocus the feel some.

There are 2 things I think have connected me to a special place in pool like no other. One of them was playing Bank Pool with friend of mine who I can rarely get to play he just has a schedule and never deviates it for anyone and mine runs the opposite but this guy is one of those super bankers. Playing this guy is like playing Freddy the Beard. He knows banks like the back of his hand and when you play with him you have to let it all out or you don't even stand a chance. What happens is that it all starts coming together after awhile and you touch on a game that you know....but you didn't know you had.....that feeling is awesome...that's about all I can say about it.

The other thing was I was playing 9 ball with a friend of mine and we were getting bored with the game and I looked up at him and said....Speed Pool....he said okay and he racked them and we played 26 racks in an hour as hard as we could go. It was awesome because you knew you had one chance to stroke in the balls maybe two strokes and we both ran out some racks after we got adjusted and you could feel automatic kick in.

Yeah well...... I don't know about Turkey Neck 9-ball....sorry I just couldn't resist.
 
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I enjoy your insights CJ. Feel is such an important part of the game and I think over time we tend to become a little more mechanical in our approach without really knowing it.

It's hard to define feel but it's part of the overall connection the being in zone.

You nailed it on your statement about some days not being about making balls, once in awhile I just start experimenting with all sorts of things on the table to see what happens.

I've discovered many wonderful things over the years by doing this.
 
i like to do this to get the feel set all 15 balls out on the table and walk into the shot go down on the shot no adjusting just pull back and fire
 
those days turn back into "I can make anything" days.

bigshooter said:
I enjoy your insights CJ. Feel is such an important part of the game and I think over time we tend to become a little more mechanical in our approach without really knowing it.

It's hard to define feel but it's part of the overall connection the being in zone.

You nailed it on your statement about some days not being about making balls, once in awhile I just start experimenting with all sorts of things on the table to see what happens.

I've discovered many wonderful things over the years by doing this.
Click to expand...

Yes, sometimes we have to "practice missing," because it's part of the game and if we don't learn to do it "well," it can come back to haunt us.

When I missed a shot in competition it was always essential to register NO internal emotion......this stops the otherwise potential negativity in it's tracks.

My goal, if I didn't make a shot was to subconsciously communicate that actually tried to miss the shot. The only way to reach this state is to understand and accept your "off days" and even embrace them as "practice missing days".....this may seem very strange, however, with that attitude it's amazing how quickly those days turn back into "I can make anything" days. 'The Game is the Teacher'
 
Vary interesting post! I do like also shooting by only walking to the shot, getting down , and fire. It really works to get you in to some type of zone bc you start pocketing more balls wihtout really aiming or aiming very effortesly. But i never feel confident enough to play like that for money or in tournements. May be is because lack of practice.
 
icucybe said:
Vary interesting post! I do like also shooting by only walking to the shot, getting down , and fire. It really works to get you in to some type of zone bc you start pocketing more balls wihtout really aiming or aiming very effortesly. But i never feel confident enough to play like that for money or in tournements. May be is because lack of practice.
Click to expand...

When it matters the most, you have to play like it matters the least.
 
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