Interesting aiming system

Tried what I think he was trying to get across earlier today and I think it is something that can work pretty well if you get used to it a bit. It gives you something rather solid to focus on. I have heard Shane uses something regarding the shaft edge & center etc..

So thanks for the post>
 
croscoe said:
Tried what I think he was trying to get across earlier today and I think it is something that can work pretty well if you get used to it a bit. It gives you something rather solid to focus on. I have heard Shane uses something regarding the shaft edge & center etc..

So thanks for the post>
Click to expand...
I think that's why it works so well for some players. It forces you to focus on the OB when you get down. Its something I was taught from early on. Don't loose focus on the back of the ball when stepping in and getting down.

Normally my misses are due to just this. I glance at the cb or something when getting down and it throws my alignment way off.
 
Pidge said:
I think that's why it works so well for some players. It forces you to focus on the OB when you get down. Its something I was taught from early on. Don't loose focus on the back of the ball when stepping in and getting down.

Normally my misses are due to just this. I glance at the cb or something when getting down and it throws my alignment way off.
Click to expand...

I think anytime you have an actual point to focus on rather than trying to send a spherical object into a precise space, you will have an easier time hitting the target. For example, I can send the CB up to the center diamond on the end rail and have it split the CB down the middle, even using side spin. I can easily see when I am off as well. When I try to send the CB into the GB position, I clearly know where I want it to go, but it is often much harder to get it there. I will miss many shots trying that way.

What I do instead of classic GB is to align to the shot line that the GB provides for me, but as I bend down to the shot I forget about everything except for the precise point on the OB that the center of the cue was pointing to when I took my stance. This gives me something objective to shoot at. Not the contact point, but the spot on the OB that a straight line through the cue is pointing to as I go down on the shot. I take whatever clues I can get along the vertical axis of the OB (a stripe, a number, light reflection, etc., or sometimes a spot on a rail or a spot in the room on shots greater than 1/2 ball hit) to remember the right spot to aim at, and then stroke straight at that spot and the ball (usually) goes in. I think this method was described to me as "back of the ball" aiming, where you find a particular spot on the OB that you can shoot directly at to make the ball.

That said, I have seen this shaft aiming method on YT before and have played around with it a lot. This method has a lot to offer to guys who see and shoot like I do. Instead of trying to aim at an imaginary ball, or a spot on the back of the ball that is a construction of my own mind, I can aim one side or the other of the shaft directly at the contact point. That's about as objective as you can get. It works for a remarkable number of shots, not just a few select ones. I find it particularly deadly for long back cuts, or cuts along the rail. Gets me by the optical illusions that such shots always create for me.

I can't say how well it works for side spin as I don't ordinarily use much side at all, but for cinching many shots it's a real handy technique to know IMO. I have been very successful using it, and the hardest part for me is to avoid losing the exact location of the contact point as I move into alignment. When I dial it in correctly I get a much better contact with the CB as I feel like I am shooting directly into the OB ball instead of through the CB. I think this feeling alone makes the method worth pursuing as it makes me more confident in my stroke, giving me a more relaxed power and a straighter stroke.
 
Sloppy Pockets said:
I think anytime you have an actual point to focus on rather than trying to send a spherical object into a precise space, you will have an easier time hitting the target. For example, I can send the CB up to the center diamond on the end rail and have it split the CB down the middle, even using side spin. I can easily see when I am off as well. When I try to send the CB into the GB position, I clearly know where I want it to go, but it is often much harder to get it there. I will miss many shots trying that way.

What I do instead of classic GB is to align to the shot line that the GB provides for me, but as I bend down to the shot I forget about everything except for the precise point on the OB that the center of the cue was pointing to when I took my stance. This gives me something objective to shoot at. Not the contact point, but the spot on the OB that a straight line through the cue is pointing to as I go down on the shot. I take whatever clues I can get along the vertical axis of the OB (a stripe, a number, light reflection, etc., or sometimes a spot on a rail or a spot in the room on shots greater than 1/2 ball hit) to remember the right spot to aim at, and then stroke straight at that spot and the ball (usually) goes in. I think this method was described to me as "back of the ball" aiming, where you find a particular spot on the OB that you can shoot directly at to make the ball.

That said, I have seen this shaft aiming method on YT before and have played around with it a lot. This method has a lot to offer to guys who see and shoot like I do. Instead of trying to aim at an imaginary ball, or a spot on the back of the ball that is a construction of my own mind, I can aim one side or the other of the shaft directly at the contact point. That's about as objective as you can get. It works for a remarkable number of shots, not just a few select ones. I find it particularly deadly for long back cuts, or cuts along the rail. Gets me by the optical illusions that such shots always create for me.

I can't say how well it works for side spin as I don't ordinarily use much side at all, but for cinching many shots it's a real handy technique to know IMO. I have been very successful using it, and the hardest part for me is to avoid losing the exact location of the contact point as I move into alignment. When I dial it in correctly I get a much better contact with the CB as I feel like I am shooting directly into the OB ball instead of through the CB. I think this feeling alone makes the method worth pursuing as it makes me more confident in my stroke, giving me a more relaxed power and a straighter stroke.
Click to expand...
I play very much like you do. What I do is I find the correct overlap. Its not necessarily the overlap to make the ball, its just the overlap that lets me see the shot the best and its usually pretty close to making the ball. So I focus on the inside of the CB and the OB to start. Then a light goes off in my head saying the shot looks on. Then I get down. As I get down I'm looking at the back of the object ball where the inside of the CB is lined upto. Once down I forget this point on the OB. Instead I focus on cueing upto the point on the CB I want to contact and my eyes move to the very to of the cue ball that the centre of my tip is lined with and then I see a straight line to the OB. Where this line contacts is where my focus remains. It may be on the OB or something in the distance if its a thin one. I find my self steering the cue accidentally when I focus on the OB when my stick is pointing outside of it.
 
Pidge said:
It may be on the OB or something in the distance if its a thin one. I find my self steering the cue accidentally when I focus on the OB when my stick is pointing outside of it.
Click to expand...

Yes, we do seem to share many aspects of our aiming methods. :wink:

I only realized a few years ago how much of a tendency I have toward unconsciously steering the cue. It is a very hard thing to stop, because it happens the most when we least want it to, those times when we feel everything is riding on this one important shot. The harder we want to make the shot, the more likely we are to steer. Something deep inside is saying, "I know you think you got this lined up perfectly, but if I may make but a small last minute adjustment..." Slam! Into the rail it goes.

Better off to just turn our head and stroke away, but who does that in an important game? OK... Daz sinking the final 8-ball in the "Make It Happen", but I'm talking mortal beings, not gods. Lol

What I like about this shaft aiming method is that it works well up to about a 45º cut. At this point you are lined up with the side of the shaft still in line with the edge of the OB, so you can focus on that edge and not on some spot beyond the ball itself - a potent cure for steering up to that point. Beyond 45º I'm totally in the realm of "feel" anyway (whatever that truly is). Who knows? Maybe I'm steering in all of those hard cuts, but I've always had a knack for making those thin slices, so, brain... steer away.:cool:
 
Pidge said:
I think that's why it works so well for some players. It forces you to focus on the OB when you get down. Its something I was taught from early on. Don't loose focus on the back of the ball when stepping in and getting down.

Normally my misses are due to just this. I glance at the cb or something when getting down and it throws my alignment way off.
Click to expand...



Normally my eyes flick between CB and OB as I get down on the shot. I'll have to give just focusing on the OB a try next time I play.
 
I've been using the "Ultimate Aiming System", and other stick aiming systems since I started playing the game back in the 70's. I personally collaborated with Don Feeney and we did some work on ferrule aiming systems. Gerry Kanov also contributed some of his knowledge about stick aiming to me and I came up with a few reasons why it works and why it doesn't.

This type of system works best when you use both eyes to share the aiming. This is the benchmark for Perfect Aim and translates well to stick aiming. I still have my vision center/dominant head position, but I consciously take notice of what my non-dominant eye is telling me. I actually sight with it though I don't notice its input normally. With stick aiming, you use the non-aiming eye to aim either to the left or right, depending on your vision center/dominant eye.

When your eyes are in the right position in any aiming system, you can notice the edge of your shaft aligns to the contact point (10-30 degree shots). This 1/2 tip offset provides the overcut to pocket balls...hmmm? :wink:

Best,
Mike
 
Mikjary said:
When your eyes are in the right position in any aiming system, you can notice the edge of your shaft aligns to the contact point (10-30 degree shots). This 1/2 tip offset provides the overcut to pocket balls...hmmm? :wink:
Click to expand...

Nobody besides me finds this extremely interesting? Go figure.
 
Sloppy Pockets said:
Nobody besides me finds this extremely interesting? Go figure.
Click to expand...

Players that use contact point aiming may actually subconsciously use this as their compensation for the under cut. They just don't realize it if they do.

There are several ways to get the stick aiming system to work for all angles and none of them involve the subconscious. As you line up for any shot, the stick aiming reference points are there if you know where to look.

Best,
Mike
 
do things "out of the box".....the game IS the teacher.

That's right "we will only recognize what we're familiar with" when it comes to aiming....the good news is the "sign" is always there for EVERY shot's angle.

Also, as you know, I use the 'Touch of Inside' to compensate for the under cut (TOI actually over-cuts every shot slightly).

There is so much to learn and re-learn in this game as long as we're not afraid to experiment or do things "out of the box".....the game IS the teacher.


Mikjary said:
Players that use contact point aiming may actually subconsciously use this as their compensation for the under cut. They just don't realize it if they do.

There are several ways to get the stick aiming system to work for all angles and none of them involve the subconscious. As you line up for any shot, the stick aiming reference points are there if you know where to look.

Best,
Mike
Click to expand...
 
Mikjary said:
I've been using the "Ultimate Aiming System", and other stick aiming systems since I started playing the game back in the 70's. I personally collaborated with Don Feeney and we did some work on ferrule aiming systems. Gerry Kanov also contributed some of his knowledge about stick aiming to me and I came up with a few reasons why it works and why it doesn't.

This type of system works best when you use both eyes to share the aiming. This is the benchmark for Perfect Aim and translates well to stick aiming. I still have my vision center/dominant head position, but I consciously take notice of what my non-dominant eye is telling me. I actually sight with it though I don't notice its input normally. With stick aiming, you use the non-aiming eye to aim either to the left or right, depending on your vision center/dominant eye.

When your eyes are in the right position in any aiming system, you can notice the edge of your shaft aligns to the contact point (10-30 degree shots). This 1/2 tip offset provides the overcut to pocket balls...hmmm? :wink:

Best,
Mike
Click to expand...

How did I miss this?
Aiming the edge of the stick/shaft/ferrule or fractions from the center of the stick at the contact point to compensate for under cutting and CIT for thick cuts.

I will practice this to see the results for center CB hit. I would normally apply outside english, force follow or draw.

Thanks Mike.
 
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