Easy-to-remember Billiard(scratch) paths

Pubo

Active member
Hi all, I've been experimenting with Dr.Dave's peace sign and half ball hit, then I came up with these (useful?) easy-to-remember cue ball locations for scratches in all six pockets. Here is the video. It's quite interesting that on most shots the cue ball can start at exact intersection of two diamond lines or the path passes through a diamond.

 
I say this with respect to the creator of this video, the effort that went into it, and the potential value some viewers may receive from it.

I feel like this is an entry level approach to this topic. Nearly every beginner learns to memorize that specific scratch shot where you pocket a hanger in front of the side pocket from an angle and the cueball runs up to the corner pocket. As a beginner it's not bad to memorize that shot because it comes up a lot. Beginners end up learning to not shoot it or to shoot it soft. More skilled players control the cueball path with spin or cheat the pocket.

Once a player is trying to rise out of that beginner talent level, they need to build up some skills. I don't think memorizing more scratch shots from around the table is a particularly useful place to start. I don't think there's a lot of merit to this video as a piece of reference material because in pool there's so much variability in real shots from the precise cut angle and positional demands. Rather than memorizing more scratch lines, I think the player needs to develop the skill to identify cueball paths from anywhere on the table and any cut angle. This video has more merit as a training exercise to illustrate half ball hit paths using the pocket scratch as a target.

Another training exercise approach to building that skill is this drill. You start with the cueball anywhere you want behind the 1-ball. Shoot a rolling cueball shot each time. Try to pocket the 1-ball and land the cueball in position 1 ten times. Then try to land in position 2 ten times. Don't try to accomplish it with different tip positions. Always use a high rolling ball. You accomplish it by changing your cueball position behind the 1. Once you land in position 2 ten times, move on to position 3, then 4, and so on. (drawing was rushed on a phone so exact ball positions are a bit rough-sketch)
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You work on this drill and your brain now starts to "see" the cueball path from any position on the table without needing a peace sign and without needing to memorize a catalog of specific shots. And this drill can be repeated from different positions on the table with different targets as needed (cutting to the left and to the right) if you really want to feed your brain with target-expectation-result scenarios. The only shots I tend to memorize as scratches are common ones involving one or more rails.
 
This type of info along with DrDave is amazing and a great resource.

If the Main Forum had a sponsored: This is the certified Education literature then I might pay for a gold membership.

If the educational content that was exclusive was useful for college educators.

If this is the path to billiard instruction or growing them game, then can I repost the video with a variety of subtitles and dialog replacement for foreign language users?

Great work Pubo, has the high speed cam. Recording film is a competition in some circles.
 
I say this with respect to the creator of this video, the effort that went into it, and the potential value some viewers may receive from it.

I feel like this is an entry level approach to this topic. Nearly every beginner learns to memorize that specific scratch shot where you pocket a hanger in front of the side pocket from an angle and the cueball runs up to the corner pocket. As a beginner it's not bad to memorize that shot because it comes up a lot. Beginners end up learning to not shoot it or to shoot it soft. More skilled players control the cueball path with spin or cheat the pocket.

Once a player is trying to rise out of that beginner talent level, they need to build up some skills. I don't think memorizing more scratch shots from around the table is a particularly useful place to start. I don't think there's a lot of merit to this video as a piece of reference material because in pool there's so much variability in real shots from the precise cut angle and positional demands. Rather than memorizing more scratch lines, I think the player needs to develop the skill to identify cueball paths from anywhere on the table and any cut angle. This video has more merit as a training exercise to illustrate half ball hit paths using the pocket scratch as a target.

Another training exercise approach to building that skill is this drill. You start with the cueball anywhere you want behind the 1-ball. Shoot a rolling cueball shot each time. Try to pocket the 1-ball and land the cueball in position 1 ten times. Then try to land in position 2 ten times. Don't try to accomplish it with different tip positions. Always use a high rolling ball. You accomplish it by changing your cueball position behind the 1. Once you land in position 2 ten times, move on to position 3, then 4, and so on. (drawing was rushed on a phone so exact ball positions are a bit rough-sketch)
View attachment 752591

You work on this drill and your brain now starts to "see" the cueball path from any position on the table without needing a peace sign and without needing to memorize a catalog of specific shots. And this drill can be repeated from different positions on the table with different targets as needed (cutting to the left and to the right) if you really want to feed your brain with target-expectation-result scenarios. The only shots I tend to memorize as scratches are common ones involving one or more rails.
I agree. Although I think peace sign is more accurate than one's memory or feel. It is always good to use the peace sign to double check your intuition. Thanks for the kind suggestion and advice!
 
Well there are games requiring cue ball pocketing, so that. At a more fundamental level, it's good to have these kinds of facts as references and reliable margins.
 
I agree. Although I think peace sign is more accurate than one's memory or feel. It is always good to use the peace sign to double check your intuition. Thanks for the kind suggestion and advice!
It isn't....once you've hit enough shots.
 
hmmm, I guess shot speed and very thick or thin angles are factors that make the peace sign hard to apply
Even for shots within the general peace sign range of intended use, actual ball paths will vary by a few degrees. The 30degree-ish peace sign is a good guide for getting you close if you don't have a clear idea, but with experience, your eye gets even more precise once you've seen certain shots a bunch. You just know where the ball 'should' go, whether that particular angle is 28degrees or 32degrees.
 
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feel always best
just gotta put the time in
hitting balls and paying attention to how the react ,
straight rail gives you very good feel an intuition on how they will react off impacts of all kinds of thickness`s and power
 
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