Fundamentals - Last Glance

Pidge

Pidge

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I want to discuss eye patterns, but in particular what and where to look at last. Where I choose to look at last will be different to the next guy - does that mean one of us is doing it wrong? No. Little eye patterns are incredibly hard to learn, especially if it goes against what you naturally do. It can take months of conscious effort to correct a bad eye pattern, but it is worth it in the long run.

So, what are eye patterns? They are the little movements or flicks of the eyes between CB, OB or in some cases the pocket when down on a shot. These movements become extremely repeatable and consistent over time, so your eyes always follow the same 'pattern'.

I will start by describing the best I can what my eyes are doing when I'm down;

- once down, my tips stays stationary at the CB until I've checked everything looks 'on'. So, I look at the CB/tip relationship. Make sure I'm aiming at the CB where I want to hit. Then my eyes flick between CB and OB to make sure the shot looks aimed correctly.

- next my focus returns solely to the CB. As I do some short fluent feathers upto the CB my eyes are fixed on where I'm to strike it.

- then I pause at the CB, flick my eyes from CB to OB as a final check.

- as I start my back swing, my eyes look down my cue, then to the top of the CB in relation to where my tip is aimed. For a centre ball strike it will be 12 o'clock, but if you are playing with right hand side it could be 1 o'clock and so on.

- by this time I've reached the back of my back swing and I now pause. My eyes move from the top of the CB, straight up, to see what part im aiming at on the OB. Once I find where my stick is pointing on the OB I strike the CB, all the time looking at this point on the OB.

*for thinner cuts my stick may be pointing outside the OB. In this case I will pick a point on the rail, a part of the OB shadow. Anything that I can fixate on that my stick is pointing to.

The eyes lead, and the body very much follows in pool, so I found it massively helped me when I started looking at where my stick was pointing last, instead of looking at centre OB. My grip hand would steer towards where I was looking so I had a tendency to apply a little, or sometimes a lot of unintentional inside onto the CB.

If you don't ever steer, don't try changing your eye pattern. If you do steer or you are having problems with unintentional side, then try looking at where your stick is pointing as you start your forward swing on the CB.

Some players just prefer to glance up and see the OB as a whole, rather than focusing on a specific part. Others like Stephen Hendry flicked between OB and pocket which I wouldn't recommend unless you already do that. Other prefer to look at the CB last. Either way, if you don't steer when shooting don't try changing things. If you do steer, likelihood is you're looking at the wrong place and your grip gets drawn in.
 
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I'd like to add something with regards to a conversation I had with another player today. We were playing and I noticed his eyes moved incredibly fast when flicking between what he was looking at. Eye movements should be slow. The reason being this player was a 'pocket flicker' like Hendry. He looked from CB-OB-Pocket. He did this about 3 times each shot he was down on. Because his eyes moved so fast between the 3, his head turned slightly, more noticeable on thin cuts. The old saying of the eyes lead, the body follows came into play. Because his head turned slightly towards the pocket, his entire body then followed and he hit a lot of shots thick because it threw his alignment off. I suggested he slowed the eye movements down, he did, and his head stopped turning.

So, slow eye movements are the way forward. :-)
 
I think the key as you stated is to develop a consistent approach. Many instructors teach, when you are practice stroking you are looking at the CB when you aren't you are looking at the OB. The final stroke you look at the OB, at minimum until the cue ball contacts your aiming point.
 
Cool thread. I'll try to describe mine as best as I can below...

-When I first get down my cue is still, and my eyes flit briefly between the CB and OB, making sure things look on and that I've sighted the shot correctly - if things look wrong I stand up, step back and start again (or at least I try to, in reality I still miss too many balls by trying to adjust too much on the shot).

-During my short practice strokes my eyes are on the CB only, at the point I want my cue to hit it.

-When I pause at the CB again I will flick between the CB and object ball, and continue this as I start my backswing.

-As I reach the back of my backswing I pause again, and my eyes move from the cueball to the point I am trying to hit on the object ball (this is by far the most deliberate of my eye movements), once my eyes lock on this point, I keep them there until my cue is through the ball.


It seems kind of similar to how you do things, although I get the feeling yours is a bit more deliberate than mine. I'm definitely guilty of just hitting the bloody thing on occasion.

I have never liked the idea of looking at the pocket as well as the CB and OB. The two balls are what make up your shot line, and if like you say the eyes lead and the body follows (something I agree with), you're definitely prone to turning towards the pocket and off the line of the shot. I suppose it worked for Hendry, though, lol.
 
SakuJack said:
Cool thread. I'll try to describe mine as best as I can below...

-When I first get down my cue is still, and my eyes flit briefly between the CB and OB, making sure things look on and that I've sighted the shot correctly - if things look wrong I stand up, step back and start again (or at least I try to, in reality I still miss too many balls by trying to adjust too much on the shot).

-During my short practice strokes my eyes are on the CB only, at the point I want my cue to hit it.

-When I pause at the CB again I will flick between the CB and object ball, and continue this as I start my backswing.

-As I reach the back of my backswing I pause again, and my eyes move from the cueball to the point I am trying to hit on the object ball (this is by far the most deliberate of my eye movements), once my eyes lock on this point, I keep them there until my cue is through the ball.


It seems kind of similar to how you do things, although I get the feeling yours is a bit more deliberate than mine. I'm definitely guilty of just hitting the bloody thing on occasion.

I have never liked the idea of looking at the pocket as well as the CB and OB. The two balls are what make up your shot line, and if like you say the eyes lead and the body follows (something I agree with), you're definitely prone to turning towards the pocket and off the line of the shot. I suppose it worked for Hendry, though, lol.
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When you say you look at the point on the OB you want to hit, is that a contact point or where your cue is pointing to? The vast majority look at where they think the contact point is. I've tried that but I tend to miss. I'm in the minority I think when I look outside of the CB last when its thinner than a half ball contact. I also tried the Hendry eye pattern. Worked out shocking for me. How he managed to be the best player ever whilst looking at the pocket when down I do not know.
 
Pidge said:
When you say you look at the point on the OB you want to hit, is that a contact point or where your cue is pointing to? The vast majority look at where they think the contact point is. I've tried that but I tend to miss. I'm in the minority I think when I look outside of the CB last when its thinner than a half ball contact. I also tried the Hendry eye pattern. Worked out shocking for me. How he managed to be the best player ever whilst looking at the pocket when down I do not know.
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Where I think the contact point is.

I've played around with the OB, pocket, thing once or twice and I can't see how people can make it work, lol.
 
The "quiet eye" technique is pretty well established, at least more than any alternative. Research has found that novice players' eyes tend to dart around, whereas accomplished players tend to leave their eyes in one place for longer, maybe around a second or so. This has mainly been tested with golf and basketball, but a study or two with pool have been done as well.

And quiet eyes training - teaching novice players to keep their eyes steady on the point of aim for about a second prior to action - improves accuracy in good, controlled studies.
 
this is a quote from scott lee from 2009
i think he explains it very well
i hope he doesnt mind me posting this
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ggg308...As Randyg and Steve both said, the "quiet eye" concept is based on the brain needing a certain amount of visual information, to be able to effectively process the visual information. The two places we need to focus on are the aim point on the CB and the aim point on the OB. This focus begins once you're settled into your stance, and are aligned to the shot (where you see a straight line between the two points...this means you have made all adjustments, mental and physical). Until you're settled, you can look back and forth, between the CB & OB, as much as you want. Before the 2 second focus on each ball begins, your cue should be stopped at the CB, aimed exactly where you want to strike it, and VERY close to the CB. Now...focus on the CB for a minimum of two seconds (do not move your cue at all); next focus on the OB for a minimum of two seconds (do not move your cue). Now, eyes back to the CB, and go into your preshot routine, while keeping your eyes on the CB. Stop your cue, focus on the OB, and keep your eyes there while you deliver the cue, to your finish position. We teach you how to figure out when the best time is (for you), to reorient your eyes to the OB, prior to shooting. The real key is that once your eyes go the OB, for the last time, they STAY focused on the OB until your stroke is done.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
BRussell said:
The "quiet eye" technique is pretty well established, at least more than any alternative. Research has found that novice players' eyes tend to dart around, whereas accomplished players tend to leave their eyes in one place for longer, maybe around a second or so. This has mainly been tested with golf and basketball, but a study or two with pool have been done as well.

And quiet eyes training - teaching novice players to keep their eyes steady on the point of aim for about a second prior to action - improves accuracy in good, controlled studies.
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In a pool context, when does the 'action' start?
 
Larry...Nope, I don't mind at all. I would like to add that the two second rule is a training function, and not a playing function. The idea is to train your eyes to the point where you quit ping-ponging back and forth, and replace it with a focused "gaze" of some length of time (ideally being around a second on each ball). After an accurate and repeatable stroke, it is the most important thing we can teach someone of any skill level.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

bbb said:
this is a quote from scott lee from 2009
i think he explains it very well
i hope he doesnt mind me posting this
.....
......
ggg308...As Randyg and Steve both said, the "quiet eye" concept is based on the brain needing a certain amount of visual information, to be able to effectively process the visual information. The two places we need to focus on are the aim point on the CB and the aim point on the OB. This focus begins once you're settled into your stance, and are aligned to the shot (where you see a straight line between the two points...this means you have made all adjustments, mental and physical). Until you're settled, you can look back and forth, between the CB & OB, as much as you want. Before the 2 second focus on each ball begins, your cue should be stopped at the CB, aimed exactly where you want to strike it, and VERY close to the CB. Now...focus on the CB for a minimum of two seconds (do not move your cue at all); next focus on the OB for a minimum of two seconds (do not move your cue). Now, eyes back to the CB, and go into your preshot routine, while keeping your eyes on the CB. Stop your cue, focus on the OB, and keep your eyes there while you deliver the cue, to your finish position. We teach you how to figure out when the best time is (for you), to reorient your eyes to the OB, prior to shooting. The real key is that once your eyes go the OB, for the last time, they STAY focused on the OB until your stroke is done.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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Assuming this is a "normal" shot without having to jack up, etc:

As I step into the shot, my total focus is on a specific point on the OB (the contact point). I can see enough of the CB in my peripheal vision to place my bridge hand properly. I look at the tip/CB after one or two practice strokes. Then I pause the stroke to focus again on the OB (I consciously don't try to practice stroke and change focus at the same time...old eyes). After I'm sure I've got the contact point back in focus, I'll do 1 or 2 more practice strokes. Then shoot.

I'll usually miss the pocket by 1/4 to 1/2 diamond. That's when I use an excuse I learned in another thread..."Did you see that? The ball skidded because of static electricity!"
 
My eye pattern pretty much is the same as Pidges. I move my eyes from QB to OB at back swing pause but I have been experimenting with putting my eyes on the OB before I start my back swing, I have a bad habit of not pausing my back swing long enough to get my eyes focused on OB. On the break, once I am aligned with the rack all I look at is the QB through the entire hit. Shots where the OB and QB are separated by less than 5" or 6" give me fits, I sometimes miss those by over 1/2 a diamond. I'm not sure if these are just tough shots and give everyone trouble or if there are too many things too close to focus on or what. One thing I do notice is the way I perceive the vast majority of cuts I simply line up the CL of the QB with back edge of OB, this works really well for me on the vast majority of cuts, when they are real thin I use fractions of overlap to aim, on thick cuts I use an aim point on the OB. Please do not tell me I am aiming wrong, the way I perceive it it seems to work for me.
 
Pidge said:
When you say you look at the point on the OB you want to hit, is that a contact point or where your cue is pointing to? The vast majority look at where they think the contact point is. I've tried that but I tend to miss. I'm in the minority I think when I look outside of the CB last when its thinner than a half ball contact. I also tried the Hendry eye pattern. Worked out shocking for me. How he managed to be the best player ever whilst looking at the pocket when down I do not know.
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Great thread! Wonder why so little interest in it? Oh, yeah... it's not about a lowdown skunk cue dealer, a deadbeat promoter, a lowlife gambler, or an aiming system. Shoulda known.

When I first started so many years ago I had no one to show me anything, not even how to hold a cue or make a bridge. The table was a decrepit 10 footer that must have been donated to the school I was attending by a pool local room for the tax write-off (and to get the ugly monster out of there to make room for 8 footers). All I had to go by was watching the guys from the city who could play a little, playing each other at 9-ball. 25¢ for the 5, 50¢ for the 9 is how they played it.

The table was in the rec room right next to mine, so I started jimmying the door open with a butter knife after they locked it and playing until morning. I couldn't make a single ball on that big table and was getting pretty frustrated. Then I started to look at it like I was pitching a baseball to home plate. I'd stand about where I thought I should stand, then stare directly at the pocket while stroking the CB. Gradually the balls started to go in.

To me at the time, the pocket was the target, not the OB or the CB, so if I wanted the ball to go in I figured I had to focus entirely on the target. By the end of the semester I could hold my own against a few of the poorer players, using what seems to me now to be the wackiest potting method in the world. I didn't exactly put myself through school playing 9-ball, but I was able to match up good enough to earn some much needed Sunday night dinner money now and then.

A few years later a guy showed me about the ghostball and that really messed me up. But it seemed so logical that I stopped trying to aim at the pocket and started trying to aim the CB at the GB position. It wasn't long before I could no longer look at the pocket to shoot. Maybe I'd be another Hendry if I had kept it up. :cool:

I've only mentioned this to one other person, and he looked at me like I was possessed by the devil, but I think it is possible to make balls looking at anything, just as long as you are very consistent in what you look at. The brain is a remarkably adaptable organ.
 
Scott Lee said:
Siz...As far as the focus goes, it begins after aiming is complete, but before the warm up cycle begins.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
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I'm genuinely curious as to what you do... do you look at the cue target and then up at the contact point. Since they don't line up I don't understand the importance for being so strict with it. I would understand if the shooter was doing something like Shane does where he lines a part of his stick to the edge in a straight line but what is the science behind the method if your stick is not aimed at the contact point?
 
I started something a few weeks ago during the Open.. I started to lock on the object ball and pretty much stay on it the entire time at the table with only slight glances to the cueball to confirm contact point... I found that I had less trouble getting down on the shot correctly and as such the glances always found that I was good to go on cueball contact.... I also found that the change got me less involved consciously with the shot and I was able to flow a little better durring my turns at the table... I made this change after watching Dennis O and realizing his eyes never leave the table and so far so good...


I will add this caveat on eye patterns... Regardless of the pattern you choose you have to have enough dwell time before pulling the trigger for your eyes to come to rest... If eyes are still moving or have just finished moving you will tap into our instinct to track movement and you are going to end up moving your head subconsciously to recent the eyes in the center of the field of vision... Watch new players as they jump up on every shot and you can pretty much see that their eyes are still moving when they shoot... Think about that the next time you raise up on your shot.. You likely rushed it.....
 
Sloppy Pockets said:
No, the ball skidded because of chalk dust... attracted to the balls by static electricity.:thumbup:
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Technically you're correct. However, in the real world you have to keep excuses short and simple; sometimes a little bit of abbreviation is required.

Of course, if I'm playing you or Dr Dave, I'll need to get out the whole blackboard-and-chalk set-up and perform all the calculations! :D
 
Read the Quiet Eye Study...google that, along with University of FLorida, to get the article.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

(((Satori))) said:
I'm genuinely curious as to what you do... do you look at the cue target and then up at the contact point. Since they don't line up I don't understand the importance for being so strict with it. I would understand if the shooter was doing something like Shane does where he lines a part of his stick to the edge in a straight line but what is the science behind the method if your stick is not aimed at the contact point?
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