Here's why I think amateur players (myself included) have what we classify as aiming problems:
We don't have an accurate reference point for our true pocketing ability.
For instance, on a long straight in stop shot, how many times out of ten will you make that shot? How about if you try and draw the ball back 4 diamonds? How about follow?
How many of us have a real good gauge on our shot percentages for these straight in shots?
Now if you can't even aim a straight in shot this is what you need to focus on, but if you are pretty confident you can aim and align these types of shots you really need to know your make percentages on them because these straight in shots are a great starting point when it comes to analyzing your other misses.
I think most players have an inflated sense of how accurate they are at these straight in shots. They think they can make them all, so when they are faced with a shot of equivalent distance but it's off angle a bit -- they expect to make it. So when they miss, they immediately think they must have aimed wrong. What if you knew you were really only 7/10 for a straight in shot from that distance?
So if you know you are 7/10 on a particular straight in shot and find out you are only 3/10 on a shot of equal distance but off angle then you probably do have aiming issues. But if you are shooting off angled shots at a similar rate as you would it's straight in equivalent you are really just chasing your tail.
What do you think? Maybe I'm just off angle a bit.
We don't have an accurate reference point for our true pocketing ability.
For instance, on a long straight in stop shot, how many times out of ten will you make that shot? How about if you try and draw the ball back 4 diamonds? How about follow?
How many of us have a real good gauge on our shot percentages for these straight in shots?
Now if you can't even aim a straight in shot this is what you need to focus on, but if you are pretty confident you can aim and align these types of shots you really need to know your make percentages on them because these straight in shots are a great starting point when it comes to analyzing your other misses.
I think most players have an inflated sense of how accurate they are at these straight in shots. They think they can make them all, so when they are faced with a shot of equivalent distance but it's off angle a bit -- they expect to make it. So when they miss, they immediately think they must have aimed wrong. What if you knew you were really only 7/10 for a straight in shot from that distance?
So if you know you are 7/10 on a particular straight in shot and find out you are only 3/10 on a shot of equal distance but off angle then you probably do have aiming issues. But if you are shooting off angled shots at a similar rate as you would it's straight in equivalent you are really just chasing your tail.
What do you think? Maybe I'm just off angle a bit.