Greatest Elixir For Aiming Problems

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BasementDweller

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Greatest Elixir For Aiming Problems:

I was on the fence about aiming systems from the get go. I always felt like something was missing from my game. Going back a few years, I can even recall having actual issues with it. I would constantly say to myself, “Well, you hit that one right where you were aiming”, as the ball smashed into the rail and the pocket just laughed at me. I just didn’t feel comfortable while I was over the cue ball on so many shots it seemed. Surely, I just wasn’t good at aiming I often thought.

So, I read all about the latest and greatest aiming systems. I would try this system or that one and after a while it seemed like I would still just get down on so many shots and just murder them – looking like an absolute banger in the process.

So being frustrated, I put all the aiming stuff on the shelf. Instead, I turned my focus to my cueing. I basically started from scratch and took the road less traveled by most pool players and I went with the snooker stance. It took quite some time to feel comfortable shooting this way. I’m a very inflexible guy, so switching to a snooker stance took quite a bit of effort. But I got there eventually, albeit I still don’t have a perfect textbook snooker stance. I imagine switching over so late and having a lifetime of bad posture has probably limited my potential a bit.

Once my new stance was in place, I just kept drilling shots that tested my straight cueing ability and to this day that’s my main focus during the limited practice time that I have. Once I got to the point where I was actually cueing fairly straight something started to click – all of a sudden I would get down on a shot and I could just feel that I wasn’t properly aligned on the ball. After a while, one of the things I would do is I would purposely get down on a shot aimed (or more accurately aligned) for a miss. I would be aimed about a half a diamond from the pocket. Then I would force myself to cue straight and miss the ball. This reinforced the idea that cueing straight was EVEN MORE important than pocketing the ball.

Getting this sort of feedback from your misses is critical to clearing up your aiming issues. At least it was for me. Prior to revamping my stroke, my misses would just leave me shaking my head not knowing if I had just missed because of my stroke or because of my aim. But now that I’m cueing about as well as a serious 10 year old snooker player – my aiming issues are disappearing. When I miss now more times than not, it’s because my stroke has let me down.

This forum in particular, has put the cart before the horse. Aiming has become too important. Straight cueing should be infinitely more important than aiming. So, if you are frustrated with your game like I have been and you are questioning your ability to aim, try this -- stop worrying about it! Instead turn your focus to your cueing. When you get down on the shot line DO NOT DEVIATE from it, NO MATTER WHAT! You might even miss more balls in the meantime, but this is important. You have to be totally committed to straight cueing, even at the risk of missing more shots. If you start doing this you will begin getting the feedback you should have gotten long ago about aiming.

I’ve now gotten to the point where I actually KNOW why I miss. Do you? The greatest elixer for aiming problems is straight cueing. Work on your cueing and see if your aiming issues fade away. Mine sure did.
 
You've just hit a milestone. I've mentioned before that aiming is easy....getting the CB to the right spot ....consistently......is a lot harder.

I've noticed when I start missing, it's because of sloppy mechanics,,,, ie not following a consistent PSR.

And yes....I know exactly why is miss and I even go further. I always aim for a specific spot for the OB and CB to go. If they both do not go to those spots, its a miss, even tho where they end up is ok for the game. This gives me constant feedback of how I am playing, where I need to consider adjusting for the next shot.

I noticed a had issues stroking straight jacked up over a ball. I knew where I wanted the CB, I just could not stroke correctly to get it there. It took a bit to find out what it was in my stance, but once I did, that weakness is now a strength. Aiming wasn't the issue. Getting the ball there was.

For me to stroke straight, it all starts with the grip. Getting the grip in the right place in the stance was key for me. I don't mean where I grip the cue, but where the grip is in relation to my body. One other thing I've found for me is that it's more important to keep the distance between my bridge and grip as constant as possible on all shots.

Keep up the good practice.....it only gets better.
 
BasementDweller said:
Greatest Elixir For Aiming Problems:

I was on the fence about aiming systems from the get go. I always felt like something was missing from my game. Going back a few years, I can even recall having actual issues with it. I would constantly say to myself, “Well, you hit that one right where you were aiming”, as the ball smashed into the rail and the pocket just laughed at me. I just didn’t feel comfortable while I was over the cue ball on so many shots it seemed. Surely, I just wasn’t good at aiming I often thought.

So, I read all about the latest and greatest aiming systems. I would try this system or that one and after a while it seemed like I would still just get down on so many shots and just murder them – looking like an absolute banger in the process.

So being frustrated, I put all the aiming stuff on the shelf. Instead, I turned my focus to my cueing. I basically started from scratch and took the road less traveled by most pool players and I went with the snooker stance. It took quite some time to feel comfortable shooting this way. I’m a very inflexible guy, so switching to a snooker stance took quite a bit of effort. But I got there eventually, albeit I still don’t have a perfect textbook snooker stance. I imagine switching over so late and having a lifetime of bad posture has probably limited my potential a bit.

Once my new stance was in place, I just kept drilling shots that tested my straight cueing ability and to this day that’s my main focus during the limited practice time that I have. Once I got to the point where I was actually cueing fairly straight something started to click – all of a sudden I would get down on a shot and I could just feel that I wasn’t properly aligned on the ball. After a while, one of the things I would do is I would purposely get down on a shot aimed (or more accurately aligned) for a miss. I would be aimed about a half a diamond from the pocket. Then I would force myself to cue straight and miss the ball. This reinforced the idea that cueing straight was EVEN MORE important than pocketing the ball.

Getting this sort of feedback from your misses is critical to clearing up your aiming issues. At least it was for me. Prior to revamping my stroke, my misses would just leave me shaking my head not knowing if I had just missed because of my stroke or because of my aim. But now that I’m cueing about as well as a serious 10 year old snooker player – my aiming issues are disappearing. When I miss now more times than not, it’s because my stroke has let me down.

This forum in particular, has put the cart before the horse. Aiming has become too important. Straight cueing should be infinitely more important than aiming. So, if you are frustrated with your game like I have been and you are questioning your ability to aim, try this -- stop worrying about it! Instead turn your focus to your cueing. When you get down on the shot line DO NOT DEVIATE from it, NO MATTER WHAT! You might even miss more balls in the meantime, but this is important. You have to be totally committed to straight cueing, even at the risk of missing more shots. If you start doing this you will begin getting the feedback you should have gotten long ago about aiming.

I’ve now gotten to the point where I actually KNOW why I miss. Do you? The greatest elixer for aiming problems is straight cueing. Work on your cueing and see if your aiming issues fade away. Mine sure did.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on focusing on cueing but if you don't teach your mind how to adjust on shots your straight cueing will only get you so far. A straight stroke does not solve all the answers. What your saying is the number one ingredient for a great start. The problem with aiming systems ,there not set up right for all the adjustments. It seems to me to much talk about aiming systems and not enough talk about adjustments.
 
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I totally agree with stroke. I would guess that my shots missed are close to 85% stroke, 5% confidence, 5% aim and 5% focus. How many times do we miss balls because we take them for granted. Thinking of position rather than the shot. Someone told me to shoot every shot with the same respect. I play much better when I am focused on every shot.
 
duckie said:
There is a method that can help with determining need adjustments. It's all based on Ghostball, (but is not Ghostball aiming), using center pocket and understanding the variables that determine the margin of error of a shot.

No matter what aiming visualization method used, there is only one spot on the table that will make the OB to go where you want.

I suggest to follow the drawing in my avatar.

Other users of Ghostball use the contact point on the OB. I do not. I use what I call Ghost Ball Contact Patch. This is where area of the CB that touches the table. Both are on the same direction of travel line of the OB.

A line has a start and end point. In this case, the end point is the center of the pocket and the start is the Ghostball contact patch. The OB contact patch is the pivot point for any changes of the Ghostball contact along the aiming arc.

So , if you miss to the right of center pocket, the Ghostball contact patch needs to move left on the aiming arc to get center pocket.

How much is another question. This is where understanding the variables that determine the margin of error of a shot.

Margin of error is that area of a OB that the CB can contact and the OB go anywhere in the pocket. This area changes with distance from the pocket and angle into the pocket.

How much of this area can be used by the CB is determined by angle to the OB.

Understanding these concepts can help in determining needed adjustments. My always striving for a certain spot to place the OB, you can see what adjustments need to be made based all on the factors tat can change during a game.
Click to expand...


Are you sure about that?
 
I think he had a brain fart........also a line does not have a start and end point. He must have meant a line segment.
 
Duckie, your posts remind of a friend of mine who is a physicist.
He loves pool and can explain and write out formulas to show the effects of friction and ball contact and just about anything else that happens on the pool table.
But he can't run a rack to save his life.
 
jburkm002 said:
I totally agree with stroke. I would guess that my shots missed are close to 85% stroke, 5% confidence, 5% aim and 5% focus. How many times do we miss balls because we take them for granted. Thinking of position rather than the shot. Someone told me to shoot every shot with the same respect. I play much better when I am focused on every shot.
Click to expand...

I'm glad someone sort of agrees with me.:thumbup:

I just think we can all get bogged down in worrying about things that are really outside of our control -- like the balls. What? That's heretical you say. I used to think I could focus my way into playing better pool. I would walk over and pinpoint the spot I need to hit on the object ball (similar to how Duckie is describing). I then would walk back to the cue ball and stare at it intensely, telling myself this was the spot I was going to hit. During this whole process I would stare down that spot of the pocket that I wanted to hit. All of this was down with an intense focus. I would touch the spot on the table where I wanted the cue ball to end up. These sorts of things.

Then it dawned on me that all of this focus was misguided and actually was just wasting a lot of energy. So while I was exerting all this energy on the balls and the table, the thing that I actually was in total control of was being relegated to 2nd fiddle -- my body, and by extension my stroke.

At that point, I flipped everything around. I stopped worrying about aiming so much and instead I just started focusing on my stroke. I totally simplified the game. Cue straight. That was my only focus. It helped A LOT! I started getting better again and I really started to enjoy the game much more.

Anyway, I made all of these changes a few years ago and my game has improved a lot. Actually, a lot more than most guys my age (38). I actually don't know too many people that are still improving at this age. I'm clearly doing something right. I really think the reason I'm still improving is because I worry mainly about my stroke and I let the other stuff take care of itself.

Now I just have to get my mental game under control and I’ll be ready to take on the world….or at least my state…..or how about my county? Yeah, I’ll start there.
 
I agree with you too... :)

I did something similar last summer, refocused on my fundamentals and stroke after 20 years of playing, most at a pretty decent level. I also though have been playing with aiming systems for the past few years, and those things in conjunction with some others helped me, at 46, to elevate my game even more. For me:

- Aiming systems have helped me, personally, no doubt. Not that it was necessary, but just saying it helped me. I now KNOW where to hit the ball, and have thousands of reps to prove the x alignment and x movement results in the ball going in the hole. Really helpful especially for tougher or longer shots

- Side benefit of aiming systems - helped refine and solidify my rhythm, preshot routine, and analysis of misses. Also got me more centered on center ball, unlike before where I abused spin just a bit too much...

- KEY POINT: Along with above, I ALSO worked on stroke, fundamentals, etc. I too adopted more of a snooker stance - in doing so, I got rid of an annoying stroke issue. I also shortened up my stroke - not bridge, just actual stroke, and learned to move the ball around the table more efficiently

- Worked on mental side, still a work in progress. Walking around the table a bit more when needed, aiming systems/stroke changes led to increased confidence, giving each shot it's due respect, etc.


So, I do agree that you can work on aiming systems all day long and without solid fundamentals it will only get you so far. IMO explains why a lot of proponents doing videos etc. are decent players. I have an APA 4/5 I taught SEE to, he knows it well and can make incredible shots for his skill level, but I can also see on many shots that he's lined up perfectly but then his stroke let's him down. His gains will be maximized as we continue to work on those fundamental issues.

Scott
 
I remember I enjoyed our meeting at Indy tourny......

I wish I would have given you the whole Perfect Aim lesson while I was there.

Your game is right on the edge of playing at the highest level.

This would have gotten you where you want to go.

If I remember we didn't have time. I think I showed you some of it but without the whole package it can get a little confusing.

Would of could of and should of for sure. :rolleyes:

Good Luck my friend..........

PS Give me a call and I'll run you through the phone lesson. It works for everyone and it is aiming on the simplest level. Just the way the eyes naturally work. 715-563-8712 Talk to you soon.

Looking forward to it.

I still remember how you came up with your AZ name.:grin:
 
Gene,

Thanks for chiming in here.

I too enjoyed meeting you last year. I really enjoyed watching you play. You were really hitting them good while I was watching. I think I was good luck.

As far aiming goes -- it's just really not something that I'm struggling with currently. For me, I just need to work on my stroke some more and figure out my mental game. I'm confident I can get my mental game sorted out if I can find more time to play but that might not happen.

Good luck to Gene and maybe our paths will cross again someday.

genomachino said:
I wish I would have given you the whole Perfect Aim lesson while I was there.

Your game is right on the edge of playing at the highest level.

This would have gotten you where you want to go.

If I remember we didn't have time. I think I showed you some of it but without the whole package it can get a little confusing.

Would of could of and should of for sure. :rolleyes:

Good Luck my friend..........

PS Give me a call and I'll run you through the phone lesson. It works for everyone and it is aiming on the simplest level. Just the way the eyes naturally work. 715-563-8712 Talk to you soon.

Looking forward to it.

I still remember how you came up with your AZ name.:grin:
Click to expand...
 
Missing is contextual for the level of player. A lot of people use a correct geometric aim system but fail to compensate for throw, making their geometry right but their physics not right, for one example.
 
Even when considering the affects of spin and other variables, there is only one spot on the table to make the OB go center pocket. It will not be the same spot as a shot where spin and the other variables do not come into play. Yes there are shots like this.

Understanding that the distance from the pocket the OB is will effect how much adjust is needed. The further away from the pocket the OB is, the less adjustment is needed.

Understanding which way to adjust to change where the OB directional of travel line ends. If hitting left of center pocket, you adjust right, and the distance from the pocket dictates how much you can adjust and still hit center pocket.

How can there be video pool games without understanding the geometry of a shot. How do these games factor in spin and so on?
 
scottjen26 said:
I agree with you too... :)

I did something similar last summer, refocused on my fundamentals and stroke after 20 years of playing, most at a pretty decent level. I also though have been playing with aiming systems for the past few years, and those things in conjunction with some others helped me, at 46, to elevate my game even more. For me:

- Aiming systems have helped me, personally, no doubt. Not that it was necessary, but just saying it helped me. I now KNOW where to hit the ball, and have thousands of reps to prove the x alignment and x movement results in the ball going in the hole. Really helpful especially for tougher or longer shots

- Side benefit of aiming systems - helped refine and solidify my rhythm, preshot routine, and analysis of misses. Also got me more centered on center ball, unlike before where I abused spin just a bit too much...

- KEY POINT: Along with above, I ALSO worked on stroke, fundamentals, etc. I too adopted more of a snooker stance - in doing so, I got rid of an annoying stroke issue. I also shortened up my stroke - not bridge, just actual stroke, and learned to move the ball around the table more efficiently

- Worked on mental side, still a work in progress. Walking around the table a bit more when needed, aiming systems/stroke changes led to increased confidence, giving each shot it's due respect, etc.


So, I do agree that you can work on aiming systems all day long and without solid fundamentals it will only get you so far. IMO explains why a lot of proponents doing videos etc. are decent players. I have an APA 4/5 I taught SEE to, he knows it well and can make incredible shots for his skill level, but I can also see on many shots that he's lined up perfectly but then his stroke let's him down. His gains will be maximized as we continue to work on those fundamental issues.

Scott
Click to expand...
When people in these threads say "decent level" what sort of player are they talking about? Lets relate to NAPA rating scale... 75? 85? 100+?
 
another aiming question

I am relatively new to playing somewhat serious pool. I have been playing for a while but recently, within the last year have really tried to step up my game. I was reading about fractional aiming where i think there were seven ball hits if i'm not mistaken (which i probably am). I was wondering if it would be possible to make every shot on the table using only 7 object ball hits and using cueball spin for the rest. It seems like this would be much easier than trying to hit a precise point on the object ball every single shot. After all, it's much easier to hit 7 spots consistently and also easier to his the cue ball with the stick in a certain place. Is this a bad way to aim and make shots? I guess it would make positional play more difficult, because your essentially throwing every shot into a pocket with where you hit the cueball and not using where you hit the cueball to play for the next shot. Do experts do both at the same time? Is this method completely random and nonsensical? It seems like it would simplify things quite a bit. Any thoughts?
 
ChrisWoj said:
When people in these threads say "decent level" what sort of player are they talking about? Lets relate to NAPA rating scale... 75? 85? 100+?
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with NAPA really, but most decent pool players can be found at the top of all the different leagues.

So in APA for instance, it tops out at 7. Honestly when considering all of pool, to even be considered a decent player you have to be a 7. I imagine it's the same with the other leagues.

For many of us, the journey doesn't even really begin until you reach that level of play. That's when it gets harder to improve and only those that are really passionate about the game continue up the mountain.
 
skunkfunk9 said:
I am relatively new to playing somewhat serious pool. I have been playing for a while but recently, within the last year have really tried to step up my game. I was reading about fractional aiming where i think there were seven ball hits if i'm not mistaken (which i probably am). I was wondering if it would be possible to make every shot on the table using only 7 object ball hits and using cueball spin for the rest. It seems like this would be much easier than trying to hit a precise point on the object ball every single shot. After all, it's much easier to hit 7 spots consistently and also easier to his the cue ball with the stick in a certain place. Is this a bad way to aim and make shots? I guess it would make positional play more difficult, because your essentially throwing every shot into a pocket with where you hit the cueball and not using where you hit the cueball to play for the next shot. Do experts do both at the same time? Is this method completely random and nonsensical? It seems like it would simplify things quite a bit. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

That doesn't sound practical in the long term since eventually the table will dictate which type of spin you need to hit on the cue ball.

Aiming can be as complicated as you want it to be. Some people struggle with it more than others. I would try to keep it as simple as possible.

How about just trying to memorize the feel of the half ball hit and go from there? That's where you aim the center of the cue ball at the edge of the object ball. Do this from many different positions until you have a good feel for that shot. After a while, you will be able to tell if the half ball hit is too thick or too thin and you can adjust from there.

The point I was trying to make in this thread was to be sure that you stay down on that shot line regardless of whether or not you aimed perfectly. Cue straight and allow yourself to get the proper feedback on your alignment. After a while you will start seeing the shots better.
 
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