I wrote something in the silly pro1 cures a bad stroke thread, no one even replied. It was meant for JB but anyone could of answered. The cb position for the next shot will always determine how you aim at the OB. Pro1 is kinda like going at it backwards.
Sorry I missed it. This is a valid point but not for what you claim. The whole point of aiming is to determine how to find an accurate line that achieves the goal of pocketing the ball AND allowing the cueball to go where you want it. You mentioned that people have to learn to "gear" (throw) the object ball. This is correct and I have made several videos on this subject.
The important point is that you have to be clear as to where the cueball is going to hit the object ball and thus be able to figure where the object ball is going to go. So any aiming system has the goal of providing a clear path with center ball from which all adjustments can be made.
Most top instructors will say if you can get shape with the natural angle then do that. Adding spin to the process complicates the aiming but it is totally manageable with a baseline no-spin shotline that the shooter is very confident is correct. From that baseline it becomes clear what balance of aiming "wrong", i.e. not on a shot line that would result in a pocketed ball with no spin, and spin is required to both make the ball and play shape.
I think that a lot of pool instruction is backwards in this respect. You are absolutely right that it's all about the cueball. ALL OF IT.
The cueball is the ONLY target. It is the only thing that the user can manipulate directly. The object ball is indirectly manipulated in a secondary action after the cueball is struck. So to that end the player has to understand what the cueball does when struck and aim accordingly to put the cueball into the right space. Well that's easy to say but what exactly is correct aiming and how does one KNOW that they are correctly aimed?
That's where aiming systems come in. No matter what they are called, no matter what the steps are, they are all designed to help the shooter decide on a line to put the cue on and a spot on the cueball to strike. The user has to be aware of many variables, chalk on the tip, the amount of deflection of their cue, the condition of the equipment, etc....so anything that helps them to narrow their focus and be consistent in choosing the correct lines is a good thing. No aiming system though will ever account for all of the variables and we probably wouldn't want one that does because pool would get really boring.
What an aiming system does, at least what it does for me, is allow me to find a baseline and "see" the tangent line clearly. That tells me where the cueball is going right off the hit. Thus I can know based on my experience how it then deviates from that tangent line with various speed and the use of top and bottom spin. If the user then determines that they need to apply spin for position purposes then they can adjust off that baseline in the direction needed.
Trying to do all this by feel alone produces inconsistent results. Doing it systematically by having a method that uses as much objectivity as possible, based on as many objective references as possible, produces a much higher degree of consistency.
The question for me is whether the critics and the jerks here are willing to be part of improving the techniques used and improving the understanding of those techniques in service to growing pool OR do they want to be cryptic and arrogant in their proclamations telling others that they are wrong and self-deluded without ever offering an alternative? So far all I see is the latter.
There is a major difference between being someone who runs a lot of balls telling others they are doing it wrong and someone who runs a lot of balls telling people how they do what they are doing.
I am part of many leather groups. I could post pictures of our great leatherwork whenever I see someone post their leatherwork that is done wrong and say, look this is right, you're wrong, figure it out. OR what I do instead is post pictures of how we solved the issue with step by step instructions on how to do it. Maybe they use our method, maybe they don't but they have the instructions to try it if they want to. And when they do they might find that our solution works great for them. In that way we contribute to the body of knowleldge available to everyone instead of being selfish assholes who only want to gloat about how great we are in comparison to those who haven't yet reached our level.
Or worse, when they post pictures of their great leatherwork I could post pictures of our great leatherwork and tell them they did their wrong. That would make me not only an asshole but additionally a pompous one.
I feel like the purpose of these forums is to share knowledge and explore concepts together to figure out what works well, what doesn't, what can be refined and improved, and what might be invented by the culture of shared creation. Maybe I am being naive and humans are just so innately selfish that my hope is just silly wishful thinking. Then again on the leatherworking forums we all freely share knowledge and some of the greatest leatherworkers on the planet are there to help and advise the members. And sometimes a new leatherworker will figure out a new way to do something that the old guard learns from. It is an amazing dynamic that could be present here if people would change their minds about the purpose of the forums.