This is a really complicated game to get beyond C player! Wow, there is a lot to pool. I don't know as much as most on here. As I attempt to learn more to get better, here's one thing that bugs me. An aiming system. Or the lack thereof.
Over my life of shooting pool casually here and there, somewhere along the way, I began lining up any shot (that is not easy) behind the ball-pocket line. I'd pick out the perceived cue ball contact point for the ball to go into the hole. Then I would keep my eye on that spot and walk back and shoot the shot, never taking my eyes off that contact point. That makes sense, it's intuitive and it works. After having watched countless youtube matches, most pros do not do this. I see pro women do it some. Especially some Asian ladies of late. I assume they are being taught this.
Now, pros have shot a million shots. I assume that their 'eye' gets trained and they don't have to think about much, it just happens. But for one to get there, how?
In a nutshell, here's the issue. Close isn't good enough. I'm a pretty good wing shot with a shotgun. Think skeet shooter. Learning to do that and also having pretty good hand-eye coordination, you can down the target on a consistent basis but there is a bit of a fudge factor built in because a shotgun throws hundreds of bb's, creating a 'shot pattern' going toward the target. If one of those hundreds strikes the clay target, it breaks, it's a hit. With pool, a rattle isn't good enough. And coming close is a big part of keeping one at a C level.
So, can somebody tell me do pros have some kind of aiming system that creates monster players or do they just have some kind of super human hand-eye coordination? And maybe we could/should actually include upper B to A level amateurs with the pros in this group of players that pot most shots.
Another thing to confuse the issue... over the past few months, I decided to try something and that is to just get down on any shot and just 'guess' at what I'd think to be how much of the ball to 'take off' with the cue ball. In my mind, on each shot, just intuitively guess at "that looks about right" and pull the trigger. Intuitively (without lining up anything other than allowing my 'eye' to envision the shot), I can either make most any shot or come close. Coming close once in a great while is to be expected even with a pro but do it often and you're stuck at C level.
It just seems mind-blowing that pros, shot after shot after shot, sink these 'hard' shots, and usually, smack in the center of the hole. How! HOW CAN THEY DO THIS WITHOUT HAVING A PRECISE AIMING SYSTEM? CLOSE WON'T CUT IT!
Pool just seems so strange in that you are not behind the cue ball / object ball sight line unless it's straight in... so, how can you possibly get PRECISE with aiming? Then again, golf is kind of that way in that once you take your stance, you are not behind the shot, you are on top of it. Hmmm... ???
I know there is tons to pool other than this but this seems hugely important.
Lastly, doing what I have done in the past, fixating on the precise perceived contact point and trying to hit that exact spot with the cue ball IS a system. But doesn't seem good enough.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Over my life of shooting pool casually here and there, somewhere along the way, I began lining up any shot (that is not easy) behind the ball-pocket line. I'd pick out the perceived cue ball contact point for the ball to go into the hole. Then I would keep my eye on that spot and walk back and shoot the shot, never taking my eyes off that contact point. That makes sense, it's intuitive and it works. After having watched countless youtube matches, most pros do not do this. I see pro women do it some. Especially some Asian ladies of late. I assume they are being taught this.
Now, pros have shot a million shots. I assume that their 'eye' gets trained and they don't have to think about much, it just happens. But for one to get there, how?
In a nutshell, here's the issue. Close isn't good enough. I'm a pretty good wing shot with a shotgun. Think skeet shooter. Learning to do that and also having pretty good hand-eye coordination, you can down the target on a consistent basis but there is a bit of a fudge factor built in because a shotgun throws hundreds of bb's, creating a 'shot pattern' going toward the target. If one of those hundreds strikes the clay target, it breaks, it's a hit. With pool, a rattle isn't good enough. And coming close is a big part of keeping one at a C level.
So, can somebody tell me do pros have some kind of aiming system that creates monster players or do they just have some kind of super human hand-eye coordination? And maybe we could/should actually include upper B to A level amateurs with the pros in this group of players that pot most shots.
Another thing to confuse the issue... over the past few months, I decided to try something and that is to just get down on any shot and just 'guess' at what I'd think to be how much of the ball to 'take off' with the cue ball. In my mind, on each shot, just intuitively guess at "that looks about right" and pull the trigger. Intuitively (without lining up anything other than allowing my 'eye' to envision the shot), I can either make most any shot or come close. Coming close once in a great while is to be expected even with a pro but do it often and you're stuck at C level.
It just seems mind-blowing that pros, shot after shot after shot, sink these 'hard' shots, and usually, smack in the center of the hole. How! HOW CAN THEY DO THIS WITHOUT HAVING A PRECISE AIMING SYSTEM? CLOSE WON'T CUT IT!
Pool just seems so strange in that you are not behind the cue ball / object ball sight line unless it's straight in... so, how can you possibly get PRECISE with aiming? Then again, golf is kind of that way in that once you take your stance, you are not behind the shot, you are on top of it. Hmmm... ???
I know there is tons to pool other than this but this seems hugely important.
Lastly, doing what I have done in the past, fixating on the precise perceived contact point and trying to hit that exact spot with the cue ball IS a system. But doesn't seem good enough.
Thanks for your thoughts.
