Tangent aiming.....................

That would be tough to do 100% of the time. Regardless of the fact that every cut angle produces an immediate 90° separation between the cb and ob paths, trying to hit the perfect angle everytime to send the cb exactly down a perfectly planned tangent line requires 100% cut accuracy.
Exactly... However 'immediate' doesn't necessarily translate to useful.
 
...trying to hit the perfect angle everytime to send the cb exactly down a pre-planned tangent line requires 100% cut accuracy.
On the plus side, if hitting stop shots is any indication, hitting the OB with stun on the CB is something most experienced players do fairly reliably. So there's that.

pj
chgo
 
Exactly... However 'immediate' doesn't necessarily translate to useful.

A sliding cb (no forward roll and no back spin) will travel the tangent line 100%. That makes it very useful. Of course if a player visualizes or estimates the tangent line, but then overcuts or undercuts the shot by 2 degrees, that estimated tangent line will be 2° off as well.

Anyway, I use the tangent line quite often. It doesn't matter if the exact line is produced or followed perfectly. It still comes in handy.

And there are shots that come up where a lot of players think they can't pocket a ball with follow without running into nearby balls. But a firmer hit with follow allows the cb to slide along the tangent a few inches (avoiding the nearby balls) before the forward momentum takes and the cb bends forward where you want it to go.. The same shot can work with draw also, but it's a bit more tricky to pull off.
 
A sliding cb (no forward roll and no back spin) will travel the tangent line 100%.
Someone please call CJ to the stage please. Now we can get into the discussion on the odds of hitting a perfectly dead CB on every shot.

I don't mean to sound like I think using the carom tangent line isn't a viable method. I just it think it may just be the worst method...lol. Not like 'use the table lighting reflection' bad, but merely that it's rooted in one of the last things a regular pool player really focuses on when learning the game.
 
I don't mean to sound like I think using the carom tangent line isn't a viable method. I just it think it may just be the worst method...lol. Not like 'use the table lighting reflection' bad, but merely that it's rooted in one of the last things a regular pool player really focuses on when learning the game.
Try shoot some almost straight in cuts and with stun. Try use same speed on shots at first. Then estimate how far cueball will slide sideways when you make ball perfectly center of pocket. Shoot some shots and see if your estimate was right/wrong/close. Then shoot same shot series again and just focusing to feel how much cueball will travel sideways again.
I believe you probably would surprise how well this practice make you shoot those balls so accurate that it is scary.
Again it is just more info for your brain to connect pieces of puzzle and more info leads better performance over time.
 
I believe you probably would surprise how well this practice make you shoot those balls so accurate that it is scary.
Again it is just more info for your brain to connect pieces of puzzle and more info leads better performance over time.
**So this reply is focused solely on tangent aiming and my game.

Here's the thing. I can already direct OBs into tiny gaps with HAMB. I also have decent CB control that allows me to do pretty much anything I want as well... What this means of course, is that I have a good grasp of carom tangents and how to manlipulate them after the instantaneous result. To play 14.1 with even minor proficiency understanding caroms is a must.

Tangent aiming, at least for me, is just noise. Sure on the surface saying more information is better, but I do believe it reaches a point of diminishing returns. I would rather focus on the contact point that will slide the OB down a shot line rather than think about the tangent line that I won't know until I already have a grasp on the shot line. That said, if the OB has a wide open pocket to drop in and controlling the carom is paramount, then sure. ...but that's still not tangent aiming, just tangent consideration..?...lol

The tangent is the result of everything else that matters. In terms of aim, potting the ball matters. I don't care where the instantaneous tangent (90) is going to take me, because I know I can manlipulate the CB to where I want anyway.
 
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The take away is this......you can control how the CB comes off the OB........

14.1..........thats the game that helped me realize its all about placing balls when you want them and millimeters matter.

Oh tangent line aint worth a shit.........like when freezing a CB to a rack.......something that is only done in 14.1.

Not enough people play 14.1 to fully understand the value the game can bring to your other games.
 
**So this reply is focused solely on tangent aiming and my game.

Here's the thing. I can already direct OBs into tiny gaps with HAMB. I also have decent CB control that allows me to do pretty much anything I want as well... What this means of course, is that I have a good grasp of carom tangents and how to manlipulate them after the instantaneous result. To play 14.1 with even minor proficiency understanding caroms is a must.

Tangent aiming, at least for me, is just noise. Sure on the surface saying more information is better, but I do believe it reaches a point of diminishing returns. I would rather focus on the contact point that will slide the OB down a shot line rather than think about the tangent line that I won't know until I already have a grasp on the shot line. That said, if the OB has a wide open pocket to drop in and controlling the carom is paramount, then sure. ...but that's still not tangent aiming, just tangent consideration..?...lol

The tangent is the result of everything else that matters. In terms of aim, potting the ball matters. I don't care where the instantaneous tangent (90) is going to take me, because I know I can manlipulate the CB to where I want anyway.

I agree completely that tangent line aiming would not be useful for most players. But for position play, the tangent line is very useful.
 
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The take away is this......you can control how the CB comes off the OB........

14.1..........thats the game that helped me realize its all about placing balls when you want them and millimeters matter.

Oh tangent line aint worth a shit.........like when freezing a CB to a rack.......something that is only done in 14.1.

Not enough people play 14.1 to fully understand the value the game can bring to your other games.

So true. I have a friend, a very good player, who has recently gotten interested in 14.1. This guy put a 6 pack on me playing 8ball on a Diamond barbox, so he knows how to play. He asked what my high run was in straight pool. When I told him 78, he said he wanted to start playing the game to improve his cb control.

So we've been playing every Thursday. He found immediately that it's a lot tougher than people think, because it requires 100% focus on every shot. So far his high run is 21. And this guy flat out runs racks of 8ball and 9ball with ease.

Funny thing, yesterday we played two quick games of straight pool to 50, then played a race to 5 in 8ball. This was on an 8ft diamond. I managed to hit decent runs playing straight pool (27 and 34). I won both games. Then he beat me 5-2 in 8ball. I had excellent runout opportunities and would miss the simplest shot.

What's funny is that I was able to string together runs of 10 balls or better quite often playing 14.1, but when we changed games I quit focusing so much on the importance of making every shot count. That tells me I need to get back into playing straight pool, because that game helps develop the habit of staying in focus on every single shot.
 
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I agree completely that tangent line aiming would not be useful for most players. But for position play, the tangent line is very useful.
Oh of course. Without question.

However like you said, that's not tangent aiming, but tangent 'consideration'..... ;)
 
**So this reply is focused solely on tangent aiming and my game.

Here's the thing. I can already direct OBs into tiny gaps with HAMB. I also have decent CB control that allows me to do pretty much anything I want as well... What this means of course, is that I have a good grasp of carom tangents and how to manlipulate them after the instantaneous result. To play 14.1 with even minor proficiency understanding caroms is a must.

Tangent aiming, at least for me, is just noise. Sure on the surface saying more information is better, but I do believe it reaches a point of diminishing returns. I would rather focus on the contact point that will slide the OB down a shot line rather than think about the tangent line that I won't know until I already have a grasp on the shot line. That said, if the OB has a wide open pocket to drop in and controlling the carom is paramount, then sure. ...but that's still not tangent aiming, just tangent consideration..?...lol

The tangent is the result of everything else that matters. In terms of aim, potting the ball matters. I don't care where the instantaneous tangent (90) is going to take me, because I know I can manlipulate the CB to where I want anyway.
I know you are strong player. My answer was just suggestion how you or someone other here could maybe get better. I always try push myself and my students to improve.
But anyways, it need open mind to work anyways. You seem to have your own believes and probably rightly so, as you are good player.

Maybe some other one here might give that method i suggested even try before calling it out? I would be interested to see what it would do your accuracy of cueball speed on sideways and aiming accuracy.
Maybe BC21? ;)
 
Maybe some other one here might give that method i suggested even try before calling it out? I would be interested to see what it would do your accuracy of cueball speed on sideways and aiming accuracy.
I didn't mean to seem like I was dismissing your opinion. I'm just currently experimenting with a few other potential improvement methods.

I'm all for the experiment but I need to pace myself so I don't overlap efforts and not fully commit to any, without due cause.
 
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