Pool Myths Explained

[Neil]

myth- If someone mentions aiming systems, it must have a pivot or it is not a system.

myth- Because someone has extensively posted to help others with two aiming systems in particular, it must be assumed that any time they mention the word "system", they are talking about those two systems and no others.

myth- if you only play pool, and not snooker, you know nothing about how to play any billiard games.

myth- it's beneficial to try and get a point across on this forum.

 

[Ron Swanson]

Myth: deleting your entire posting history in a fit of pique will show em.

 

[sfleinen]

myth- If someone mentions aiming systems, it must have a pivot or it is not a system.

myth- Because someone has extensively posted to help others with two aiming systems in particular, it must be assumed that any time they mention the word "system", they are talking about those two systems and no others.

myth- if you only play pool, and not snooker, you know nothing about how to play any billiard games.

myth- it's beneficial to try and get a point across on this forum.

Somehow I'm reminded of that scene in the The Deer Hunter (warning, graphic!):

https://youtube.com/watch?v=OuGSXflBoWU#t=2m0s

-Sean <-- "Neil!! Nooooo!!"

 

[buddha162]

Myth: deleting your entire posting history in a fit of pique will show em.

lol so that's what happened

 

[Pushout]

Doesn't everyone who aims use an aiming system. Just some of their aiming systems suck.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Yes, some of them have used it so long they've forgot that they use it and call it "feel".
Everyone aims, one way or another, including Snooker players.

 

[dr_dave]

Well, I finally finished my list. I've included brief explanations for each myth along with links to resources (info, videos, and instructional articles) that provide supporting proof. I've also categorized the myths and listed them in what I think are priority order (in order of importance) within each category.

I managed to come up with a total of 100! Some people might consider some of them a little weak as "myths," but all of them are certainly claims or opinions I have heard (often numerous times) over the years.

Here it is:

Top 100 Pool and Billiards Myths ... Debunked, Busted and Explained

Great thread,
Dave

PS: I'm not sure all of the myths offered in this thread are on my list, but I think many of them are (along with many more). Enjoy!

Anybody check these out yet? Any disagreements, suggestions, or questions? Are there any really important ones that are missing? if so, which should I remove to make room (because I plan to keep the list at 100 total).

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Dunnn51]

Wow ! soooo many Myths. (I stopped at page 11)

I don't even know which one(s) to comment on,........ what'd you start here Joey A ???
Gonna enjoy seeing Dr. Dave's analysis when its done. Edit: he beats me by minutes ,.... sheesh !

here's one:

Natural female red-heads are really the devil in disguise!! :groucho:

 

[mbvl]

Anybody check these out yet? Any disagreements, suggestions, or questions? Are there any really important ones that are missing? if so, which should I remove to make room (because I plan to keep the list at 100 total).

Thanks,
Dave

I've checked them out. I agree 100%. Can't think of any changes.

 

[trinacria]

First of all, hi JoeyA.

Ok the biggest myth of all time, and this is my opinion.

you keep hearing that you must stand in a specific position and hold your cue in a specific way to be good at the game, I think this is a myth, you can stand however you want, hold your cue however you want, align your cue under you however you want, as long as you feel comfortable, then once you established comfortability, then comes repetitiveness.

You repeat, and repeat, and repeat, every shot repeat that thousands of times until your muscle memory takes over, with a slight focus, you made the shot exact shot a thousand times in that stance, of how you are holding your cue, then you will become a good player no matter what, just keep repeating.

Which is why a player who plays 12 hrs a day will be better than a player who plays 3 hrs a week. Simple as that

SVB didn't become good because pool is in his nature, he practice for 10+ hours every day.

also this is another myth in my opinion, of having one person says "That guy is good because he is gifted and was born to play pool"

I disagree 100 percent. people like earl strickland, efren reyes, SVB, luther lassiter, willie mosconi, ronnie O'sollivan, wimpy lassiter and many others who have become legend are born to play their sport, they were gifted with hand eye coorditnation, touch, imagination and the ability to yes, practice 10 hours a day. not everyone has it in them to practice all day and match up all night. if it were all about practice, than me and you both would be pros, but were not. same goes for all other sports, jordan, maradona, tiger woods, wayne greatzky, they were out of thousands the absolute best because they were gifted with something extra, hence, they were born to play the game. its why we look up to them, we envy them and we so often with miserable failure try to emulate them.

 

[mantis99]

Huge amount of players? Like who? There was a recent thread in the aiming forum asking who used them, and the answer was hardly anyone, and nobody any good at that.

Not a single snooker player in the history of the game has ever used an aiming system. Not one. What does that tell you?

That is a CTE thread. I did not say CTE exclusively, I said aiming systems in response to zphix' statement that aiming systems are myths. Many pool players use one system or another for aiming. Of course some just aim by rxperience and feel, but enough use aiming systems to suggest that they are not a myth. That quite simply is my
Point

 

[buddha162]

That is a CTE thread. I did not say CTE exclusively, I said aiming systems in response to zphix' statement that aiming systems are myths. Many pool players use one system or another for aiming. Of course some just aim by rxperience and feel, but enough use aiming systems to suggest that they are not a myth. That quite simply is my
Point

The myth is that aiming systems actually help you aim.

The fallacy among many, many azb members is that aiming, and not fundamentals, is their primary problem.

 

[Hits 'em Hard]

[/COLOR][/SIZE]
I disagree 100 percent. people like earl strickland, efren reyes, SVB, luther lassiter, willie mosconi, ronnie O'sollivan, wimpy lassiter and many others who have become legend are born to play their sport, they were gifted with hand eye coorditnation, touch, imagination and the ability to yes, practice 10 hours a day. not everyone has it in them to practice all day and match up all night. if it were all about practice, than me and you both would be pros, but were not. same goes for all other sports, jordan, maradona, tiger woods, wayne greatzky, they were out of thousands the absolute best because they were gifted with something extra, hence, they were born to play the game. its why we look up to them, we envy them and we so often with miserable failure try to emulate them.

What an asinine comment to make. Born to play the game. Nobody, anywhere is born to compete in a game. They are born with the innate ability to excel. Not born to play a sport, but to excel. Being born with the ability to excel opens up lots of options in life that most people are oblivious too. Nobody you mentioned will say themselves that they were born to play the game. They took their ability to excel, coupled with the passion for the game lead to who they are. You have the passion, but not the ability to excel. It's why you've never made it big.

 

[Banks]

What an asinine comment to make. Born to play the game. Nobody, anywhere is born to compete in a game. They are born with the innate ability to excel. Not born to play a sport, but to excel. Being born with the ability to excel opens up lots of options in life that most people are oblivious too. Nobody you mentioned will say themselves that they were born to play the game. They took their ability to excel, coupled with the passion for the game lead to who they are. You have the passion, but not the ability to excel. It's why you've never made it big.

Meh. People are born with and develop different abilities and personalities. It just so happens that some are well suited for games and sports.

Who needs to be told how to play well?

Born to excel? Yeah, I'll be in the NBA in no time.

 

[Hits 'em Hard]

Meh. People are born with and develop different abilities and personalities. It just so happens that some are well suited for games and sports.

Who needs to be told how to play well?

Born to excel? Yeah, I'll be in the NBA in no time.

Do you even read that article? It says exactly what I said. Without a passion greatness cannot be achieved. Do you have a passion to play basketball and be in the. NBA? Oh, you don't? So no matter how well you can excel at other facets, passion creates winners.

 

[Lonestar_jim]

The myth is that aiming systems actually help you aim.

The fallacy among many, many azb members is that aiming, and not fundamentals, is their primary problem.

Another phallicy is that a bigger stick is needed for tight pockets.

 

[Neil]

Anybody check these out yet? Any disagreements, suggestions, or questions? Are there any really important ones that are missing? if so, which should I remove to make room (because I plan to keep the list at 100 total).

Thanks,
Dave

I fear most will not even bother reading them, let alone the links provided with them.

#47- Agree and disagree with it. Your reasoning behind your statement is faulty. I would say that a little english is required often because most tend to get out of line a little. Just because the pros use english a lot, doesn't equate to not being able to play without english.

#34- Maybe word the myth, or the definition better. Your reply agrees with the actual statement of the "myth", because the myth as stated is true. The cb does always go in the direction of the tangent line. However, it can be changed to later go forward or backwards from that line.

#32- Actually, most of the aiming system founders/sellers make actual claims. (not all, one in particular ....won't go there....
Most of the outrageous claims are actually started by misquotes and false statements by those against aiming systems.

#31- Your reply is just not true for ALL aiming systems, but is true for SOME aiming systems.

#30- not true. You yet fail to understand the "why" of why you are wrong. Maybe this link will help you understand why different bridge lengths don't matter like you think they do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPo177PNq1Q

#29- I feel your statement is a little misleading. If you look for center pocket using the points as your reference, you will always find center pocket. However, that does not equate to center pocket remains the same for all shot angles. Using the points for reference, you will always see center pocket, but that center may be the right facing, to the back of the pocket, all the way to the left facing. And, the closer you are to a side rail, the smaller the pocket opening actually is.

#27- Not really true. Just because a pro can't describe exactly how he aims, does not mean he doesn't have a consistent way of how he sees the shot. The mere fact that one does something in a consistent way means that it is a system. So, all pros actually use some type of system to aim. They just don't know what it is called, or it doesn't yet have a name for the way they do it.

#18- I don't buy the theory that most misses are due to faulty alignment and not the stroke. Your own response even states it. The stroke is being able to accurately deliver the cue on the intended line of aim. Very few people actually hit the cb exactly where they intend to hit it. Thereby applying the unintentional english, squirt and swerve you mentioned. Therefore, their stroke is faulty.

#11- This one puzzles me. I have yet to find a single instructor that states that. The only ones I ever hear say that are the ones that are against getting instruction and almost always use that as a catch phrase to make some kind of point.

 

[StraightPoolIU]

Myth: Discussion of aiming systems makes me want to come back and keep reading this thread.

 

[mantis99]

The myth is that aiming systems actually help you aim.

The fallacy among many, many azb members is that aiming, and not fundamentals, is their primary problem.[/

While that may be its own point, it is far from my point. Any decent pool player understands the need for rock solid fundamentals, but even with them, correct aiming is still a very necessary part of the game. Some shots are easier than others to aim, and this probably varies from player to player, but a good aiming system can help get you in line for any shot, and the application of your fundamentals continues from there.

You can have the best fundamentals in the world, but if you aim wrong, the ball will not go in. Aiming systems simply help some overcome that part of the game, especially with shots where the pocket is not in good view when you are in line for the shot.
Again, my point is simply that aiming systems are not a myth, and hold validity in the pool world. You can debate which ones are the best, and where they should fit in your routine, but they are still a valid part of pool.

Regarding the idea that aiming systems don't actually help you aim. In hearing that, I can only ascertain that you are bias against aiming systems and have not really tried many with any real effort, or you would not make that statement. I don't want to turn this into an aiming argument thread, so I am going to drop this here. Anyone who reads my posts should get my original point out of what I have said already, and those that continue to argue them as a myth aren't going to change their minds no matter what is said anyways.

 

[Banks]

Do you even read that article? It says exactly what I said. Without a passion greatness cannot be achieved. Do you have a passion to play basketball and be in the. NBA? Oh, you don't? So no matter how well you can excel at other facets, passion creates winners.

Actually, i was into sports as a kid, but i realized that i didn't have the ability for certain things. Have you watched people fail and get shot down trying to do the things they've loved for years? Some people excel at the oddest things. They may not realize it early on, though once in it things may come naturally to them. Acting, music, art, sports, running a business.. they all require more than a passion. Passionate people fail all the time. The difference is in who keeps trying until they find their niche.

 

[Ron Swanson]

I fear most will not even bother reading them, let alone the links provided with them.

#47- Agree and disagree with it. Your reasoning behind your statement is faulty. I would say that a little english is required often because most tend to get out of line a little. Just because the pros use english a lot, doesn't equate to not being able to play without english.

#34- Maybe word the myth, or the definition better. Your reply agrees with the actual statement of the "myth", because the myth as stated is true. The cb does always go in the direction of the tangent line. However, it can be changed to later go forward or backwards from that line.

#32- Actually, most of the aiming system founders/sellers make actual claims. (not all, one in particular ....won't go there....
Most of the outrageous claims are actually started by misquotes and false statements by those against aiming systems.

#31- Your reply is just not true for ALL aiming systems, but is true for SOME aiming systems.

#30- not true. You yet fail to understand the "why" of why you are wrong. Maybe this link will help you understand why different bridge lengths don't matter like you think they do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPo177PNq1Q

#29- I feel your statement is a little misleading. If you look for center pocket using the points as your reference, you will always find center pocket. However, that does not equate to center pocket remains the same for all shot angles. Using the points for reference, you will always see center pocket, but that center may be the right facing, to the back of the pocket, all the way to the left facing. And, the closer you are to a side rail, the smaller the pocket opening actually is.

#27- Not really true. Just because a pro can't describe exactly how he aims, does not mean he doesn't have a consistent way of how he sees the shot. The mere fact that one does something in a consistent way means that it is a system. So, all pros actually use some type of system to aim. They just don't know what it is called, or it doesn't yet have a name for the way they do it.

#18- I don't buy the theory that most misses are due to faulty alignment and not the stroke. Your own response even states it. The stroke is being able to accurately deliver the cue on the intended line of aim. Very few people actually hit the cb exactly where they intend to hit it. Thereby applying the unintentional english, squirt and swerve you mentioned. Therefore, their stroke is faulty.

#11- This one puzzles me. I have yet to find a single instructor that states that. The only ones I ever hear say that are the ones that are against getting instruction and almost always use that as a catch phrase to make some kind of point.

Good to see you don't concentrate virtually entirely on aiming systems...:wink: