I found the presentation unwatchable. Too many words. Takes forever to get to the subject.
Fast Improvement Training Method for Shot Making
- Thread starter AimPro Billiards
- Start date
Same here, unfortunately. I kept skipping forward, looking for substance, anything to grab my attention. And that's a bummer. As Dan mentioned, there might be something useful or helpful somewhere within all those words.
I just need a diagram or video graphics .
there's a few guys teaching aiming methods on youtube I have that problem with, guess I lack patience.
Edit: reread what I wrote afterwards and thought it could be taken as a swipe at you. Was not my intention, I like your book and your vids.
Last edited:
I have to say, I almost commented that the other day but he seems like a nice guy and all. I was going to tell him to watch one of your vids. You don't seem to say a lot that isn't related to what you're trying to get across.
Thanks. I know I can be talkative also, and I actually have to think about that with every video I post. In the beginning I wasn't very good at it! Lol
AimPro Billiards
Registered
It seems like I have a failure to communicate. My fault. Please give this a second chance. Let me try again in text.
I propose a 3 part Method to improve shooting accuracy and refine aim.
Part 1: A version of dry practice either done on the rail (video clip in introductory video) or using a cue-stick laser aimer (video clips in both videos). Critically: work the mechanics one at a time and try to improve whatever is worst.
Part 2: A version of the cue ball up and back drill (known by nearly all). But put a ball ‘in the way’ such that pocketing it proves one’s accuracy; ignore the ball and just ‘shoot straight’ as you would normally in the out and back drill. Strive to integrate any changes from Part 1 and to develop consistency. The accuracy required depends on cut angle and distances. I have photos of 7 shot setups across the table and one down the length of the table in both videos and demonstrate shooting 3 of the across the table ones in the second video. Setup requires precision; and using appropriate tools and having data and training to facilitate reliable setup.
Part 3. Use the same setup you’ve mastered in Part 2, but switch to ‘aiming’ and adjust/change aiming techniques/perception until your pocketing percentage approaches that gained when doing it as a Part 2 drill. No demo clips, but they would look the same as Part 2, as all the changes are visual/mental.
Two videos: The first mostly has me speaking to describe the method and the story of its development and my lack of insight how to effectively deliver it to the pool community. The presumption is that this is significant and you might want to know the story/justification and that I don’t know how to deliver it. The second shows clips of my practice using Part 2 to further illustrate my words and demonstrate the degree of progress I’d made. It is intended to be convincing that the method was significant for me and is worth consideration by others.
I have not yet released anything about my personal results with Part 3 until now, but I’ve recently learned that I must change my aiming technique for quarter ball hits to get better consistency. I’ve found two much better alternatives I’m further evaluating.
Results: much improved accuracy; much reduced aim offset; improved quarter ball hit aiming technique. All in less than a month. Huge progress beyond any achieved by formal lessons, books, videos, training aids and LOTS of drills done over decades. I’m excited about it.
Please advise 1) which video or text you are referring to when commenting because I got confused; 2) exactly what’s unclear; 3) 'diagrams are needed' for what exactly? (when you already have pictures and videos). If you want setup, that’s next if you are convinced there’s merit and say that and I suggest a way for me to effectively deliver it. So far, I’ve yet to hear that I’ve convinced anyone nor has anyone proposed how I deliver it.
I propose a 3 part Method to improve shooting accuracy and refine aim.
Part 1: A version of dry practice either done on the rail (video clip in introductory video) or using a cue-stick laser aimer (video clips in both videos). Critically: work the mechanics one at a time and try to improve whatever is worst.
Part 2: A version of the cue ball up and back drill (known by nearly all). But put a ball ‘in the way’ such that pocketing it proves one’s accuracy; ignore the ball and just ‘shoot straight’ as you would normally in the out and back drill. Strive to integrate any changes from Part 1 and to develop consistency. The accuracy required depends on cut angle and distances. I have photos of 7 shot setups across the table and one down the length of the table in both videos and demonstrate shooting 3 of the across the table ones in the second video. Setup requires precision; and using appropriate tools and having data and training to facilitate reliable setup.
Part 3. Use the same setup you’ve mastered in Part 2, but switch to ‘aiming’ and adjust/change aiming techniques/perception until your pocketing percentage approaches that gained when doing it as a Part 2 drill. No demo clips, but they would look the same as Part 2, as all the changes are visual/mental.
Two videos: The first mostly has me speaking to describe the method and the story of its development and my lack of insight how to effectively deliver it to the pool community. The presumption is that this is significant and you might want to know the story/justification and that I don’t know how to deliver it. The second shows clips of my practice using Part 2 to further illustrate my words and demonstrate the degree of progress I’d made. It is intended to be convincing that the method was significant for me and is worth consideration by others.
I have not yet released anything about my personal results with Part 3 until now, but I’ve recently learned that I must change my aiming technique for quarter ball hits to get better consistency. I’ve found two much better alternatives I’m further evaluating.
Results: much improved accuracy; much reduced aim offset; improved quarter ball hit aiming technique. All in less than a month. Huge progress beyond any achieved by formal lessons, books, videos, training aids and LOTS of drills done over decades. I’m excited about it.
Please advise 1) which video or text you are referring to when commenting because I got confused; 2) exactly what’s unclear; 3) 'diagrams are needed' for what exactly? (when you already have pictures and videos). If you want setup, that’s next if you are convinced there’s merit and say that and I suggest a way for me to effectively deliver it. So far, I’ve yet to hear that I’ve convinced anyone nor has anyone proposed how I deliver it.
For me this sounds like the standard results of practice. Working on eliminating stroke flaws can definitely lead to improvement. And if a player shoots a specific shot over and over again, paying attention to how it looks and feels when shot correctly, they will eventually become more accurate and more consistent with the shot.
With that said, I have to say I'm not a fan of wasting too much time on shots that rarely come up in an actual game. Players can benefit more (as far as developing consistency and accuracy) by simply focusing most on common shots and controlling the cb.
Practicing halfball shots, I believe, would help players become more consistent and accurate with cuts. I think it's the perfect practice shot to repeat over and over, because it comes up so often. The majority of cut shots seem to always fall close to the halfball relationship, either dead on it or a little thicker or a little thinner. The more a player works with this cut angle, the more accurate they become at recognizing it, and the more consistent they become at determining exactly how much thinner or thicker any particular cut might be, based on that halfball reference.
I'm glad you're excited about finding a process that works for you. More players could find such excitement by simply investing more time into quality/beneficial practice. I'm happy for you!
This is a beautiful game!I'm reminded of a time when I was watching a kid shoot a particular shot over and over for about 30min. He was trying to pocket the ob off a side pocket point and into the far corner pocket. He never made the shot, though he did come close a couple of times. This same kid struggles to run 3 or 4 balls in a row, either because of an inconsistent stroke, poor position play or poor aiming skills. Yet here he was wasting time on a shot that won't improve his game much at all, if any.
There are lots of drills proposed by well-intentioned instructors and players that involve situations that are never seen in play. Like 15 balls all frozen to cushions.
There are some other drills, like the 15-ball L drill, that look like they are in this category, but every run through the L is different and the kind of position you have to play is very useful.
Lol. So, you never have a shot where the ob is froze to a cushion?
Rail shots come up quite often. A drill that incorporates 15 such shots is a good way to practice them. And the L drill is a great drill for practicing common shots that come up all the time - another great way to work on something beneficial to your game.
Neither of these drills involves shooting a nearly impossible shot (or highly improbable shot) for 20 or 30 minutes, where pocketing it once or twice is basically a matter of luck.
The idea to to make your practice shots like the shots that stop your runs. Frozen balls do occur but they are relatively uncommon. If you miss them frequently when they do occur, then it is good to practice them, but note which kinds/angles you miss and practice those specifically.
Especially for beginners, frozen ball shots are a problem because a lot of beginners can't figure out whether they hit too full or too thin on a miss.
Last edited:
Frozen rail shots come up all the time. I would call that a common shot that all players need to learn from different angles.
As far as run-stopping shots go, I find that usually they are common shots, simple shots that we know very well. We take them for granted and slack up on focus.
The type of "uncommon" shots I was referring to (that aren't worth practicing) are highly-improbable shots, those that are so low percentage that it makes no difference whether or not you ever practice them.
Example: playing the OB off the side pocket point to send it straight down the rail into the corner pocket. Or playing the OB off the facings of a corner pocket hard enough to have it fly out of there like a rocket into the adjacent corner pocket.
This stuff happens by fluke every now and then, but practicing such a shot is a waste of time, other than for pure experimental exercise a time or two. That was my point - don't waste time working on a near-impossible shot that very seldom comes up (I mean VERY VERY rarely). Instead, as you pointed out, spend time working on the type of shots that you typically miss, shots that you're supposed to be able to make with consistency.
Last edited:
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I enjoy that kind of stuff. I guess I also spend a lot of time on the things I should be practicing, but sometimes I do dumb stuff because I'm bored and I find if fun.I will say one thing though, when an opponent really hooks you and you either get OB contact off the side pocket tit or actually get a good hit and make the ball it's pretty spectacular. The tits are a part of the table and can be used once you know how.
In 9 ball I forget the exact layout but there was a ball (say it's the 7
) just past the side pocket, not make-able past the tit. The (say 6 ball) was near it to where the 6 could just carom off the 7 and be made in the side. I had no direct route to it. So I shoot the CB off the tit and thin it into the 6 which is a wired carom off the 7 into the side. To make it better it put the 7 very near the corner and I was able to get out from there. I live for shots like this. Just some off the wall solution that leaves your opponent's mouth hanging open. Generally this is where they start talking about luck! 
One would be a fool to shoot shots like this when you don't have to but dang am I glad I practiced them for the rare times they do come up. But I totally understand what you mean, limited practice time could be much better allocated to actual issues.
I will say one thing though, when an opponent really hooks you and you either get OB contact off the side pocket tit or actually get a good hit and make the ball it's pretty spectacular. The tits are a part of the table and can be used once you know how.
In 9 ball I forget the exact layout but there was a ball (say it's the 7
One would be a fool to shoot shots like this when you don't have to but dang am I glad I practiced them for the rare times they do come up. But I totally understand what you mean, limited practice time could be much better allocated to actual issues.
Practicing cb reaction off the the points and cushions is beneficial, because that knowledge comes in handy at times. And it's not too difficult to develop a decent skill with it. But that's not the same as wasting an hour trying to pocket a 6 rail bank shot or a miraculous triple jump shot. Lol. It's those types of shots, the super low percentage type that rely more on luck than skill... those are what I'm saying is a waste of time.
I used to do Bert's star patterns. He had "The 6 Pointed Star" and "The 9 Pointed Star". This video is a component of the 6 pointed star which is this setup at each end of the table. 9 pointed is adding balls on the center and the spots at each end of the table.
I still do them some, I don't necessarilly freeze the balls to the rails all the time, the point is to just keep running the balls in rotation, when you get down to one ball, spot them up in a random order and keep going.
Probably one of the most useful drills I've seen. Once you add the 3 balls in the center of the table to the 6 pointed star it makes it a real challenge to keep going, least it is for me.
This is a piece of the vid.
I like the way Neils does these vids using pieces of Bert's training. He doesn't act like he created it, more like he is trying to preserve some of the good stuff, and get some ad revenue.
I've seen a Bert vid or two a number of years ago that Neils was in..
Hmm. I know how to watch videos at faster than normal speeds on YouTube, and also how to click on YouTube timelines if I feel an introduction is too long and so on, then again, I'm old enough to know how to fast forward on VCRs or Betamax, too.
"Can't watch it" should be redacted to "Couldn't be bothered to watch it and provide a helpful critique". Critiquing the video producer rather than the pool instruction provided is (nearly) useless both to me and the OP, since the OP is sharing an instruction method, not asking for YouTube algorithm advice.
"Can't watch it" should be redacted to "Couldn't be bothered to watch it and provide a helpful critique". Critiquing the video producer rather than the pool instruction provided is (nearly) useless both to me and the OP, since the OP is sharing an instruction method, not asking for YouTube algorithm advice.
Some honest feedback for you.....The OP is asking for feedback from instructors that may want to use (FIT) with their students....That is a sales pitch to get instructors to buy in.
Years ago I worked in the DR industry....I have seen a few creatives in my day....The two videos together are very similar to an attempt at an informercial......(they should be 1 video)
.One of the most important pieces of a creative is the ability to "GRAB" your attention and a lot of times you only have "SECONDS" before the person clicks off to the next video or channel.........Honestly this presentation does not grab you in any way.........It honestly is very hard to watch.....and never does anything to build a "buying" temperature in the viewer.
I would suggest re-doing the videos and seeking some professional advice.....The presentation needs to be flow charted, condensed....and in the first 10-20 seconds needs to see something impactful that grabs your attention......For example the beginning showing the presenter/player making shot after shot in the very beginning.....Something that makes the viewer say....."Hey!!! how is he doing that!!!....I need to watch this to see what he/she is doing!!"
AimPro Billiards
Registered
Some have taken a left turn on this suggesting the drill is focused on the wrong shot, whether angle or distance or general difficulty or frequency in game situations. This is NOT what the drill is about. It's about the very fundamentals of stroke accuracy and aiming. Let me try to further explain.
You would not challenge a drill of shooting a ball up and back to one's cue tip as unimportant because it is never a requirement in a game. NO! This is a drill designed to show one's accuracy or not regarding hitting where aiming and inadvertent sidespin (possibly from off-center eye and then stick alignment). Someone here says Ronnie O'Sullivan spends an hour a day on this. Clearly someone finds value in it. I've simply changed the nature of this drill to make it more fun and generally more progressive and revealing (but less revealing about sidespin). And then connected it to aiming as well.
This is a method, composed of several parts, that are designed to identify stroke (and eye alignment) flaws that need fixed to whatever degree is your standard for good enough. And it is setup for a specific cut angle -- either chosen for accuracy needs (in conjunction with distances) or to work on its aim. In part 3, you refine your aim for that particular cut. If your thing is a 30 degree cut, fine. But most don't need any help to aim a 30 degree cut; they need help identifying the 30 degree cut angle or aiming at other angles. Recognizing the cut angle of a shot is important for many. I've developed or reported on many different methods to identify the cut angle -- but that's a DIFFERENT skill than this Method is focusing on.
The degree of ridiculousness and rarity in a game of any shots I've shown in this drill are irrelevant from the perspective of the point of the entire Method. It's about 1) achieving the stroke accuracy improvements YOU need (thinner cuts and more distance requires more accuracy) and 2) refining aiming.
To refine aim, we don't need to practice 1,000,000 pool shots. Rather, learn to aim the spectrum of cut angles from straight in to about 77 degrees in both cut directions. I propose that 16 specific angles are sufficient for the average player on average tables; 32 for more expert play. So I propose the average player would use this 3-part method for aiming on as many as 16 cut angles if help learning to aim them is needed on each. I personally only want help in aiming angles over 30 degrees. If only working on accuracy, then many fewer angles are needed for the progressive practice.
Once one has sufficient accuracy and knows how to aim reliably for different cut angles (and has good judgement of when to use what aim -- or recognizes the cut angle), then I agree with everything said about practicing whatever you need that stops runs or is a problem area -- or is just fun. Personally, I was doing OK on those other areas but have been thwarted by inconsistency in stroke accuracy as well as aiming thin cuts. This Method seems to wonderfully address those issues. If Ronnie needs help with his accuracy, then most of us do as well -- depending on our needs and objectives.
You would not challenge a drill of shooting a ball up and back to one's cue tip as unimportant because it is never a requirement in a game. NO! This is a drill designed to show one's accuracy or not regarding hitting where aiming and inadvertent sidespin (possibly from off-center eye and then stick alignment). Someone here says Ronnie O'Sullivan spends an hour a day on this. Clearly someone finds value in it. I've simply changed the nature of this drill to make it more fun and generally more progressive and revealing (but less revealing about sidespin). And then connected it to aiming as well.
This is a method, composed of several parts, that are designed to identify stroke (and eye alignment) flaws that need fixed to whatever degree is your standard for good enough. And it is setup for a specific cut angle -- either chosen for accuracy needs (in conjunction with distances) or to work on its aim. In part 3, you refine your aim for that particular cut. If your thing is a 30 degree cut, fine. But most don't need any help to aim a 30 degree cut; they need help identifying the 30 degree cut angle or aiming at other angles. Recognizing the cut angle of a shot is important for many. I've developed or reported on many different methods to identify the cut angle -- but that's a DIFFERENT skill than this Method is focusing on.
The degree of ridiculousness and rarity in a game of any shots I've shown in this drill are irrelevant from the perspective of the point of the entire Method. It's about 1) achieving the stroke accuracy improvements YOU need (thinner cuts and more distance requires more accuracy) and 2) refining aiming.
To refine aim, we don't need to practice 1,000,000 pool shots. Rather, learn to aim the spectrum of cut angles from straight in to about 77 degrees in both cut directions. I propose that 16 specific angles are sufficient for the average player on average tables; 32 for more expert play. So I propose the average player would use this 3-part method for aiming on as many as 16 cut angles if help learning to aim them is needed on each. I personally only want help in aiming angles over 30 degrees. If only working on accuracy, then many fewer angles are needed for the progressive practice.
Once one has sufficient accuracy and knows how to aim reliably for different cut angles (and has good judgement of when to use what aim -- or recognizes the cut angle), then I agree with everything said about practicing whatever you need that stops runs or is a problem area -- or is just fun. Personally, I was doing OK on those other areas but have been thwarted by inconsistency in stroke accuracy as well as aiming thin cuts. This Method seems to wonderfully address those issues. If Ronnie needs help with his accuracy, then most of us do as well -- depending on our needs and objectives.