Aiming B.S.

[CocoboloCowboy]

Some people will never figure out AIMING, because their DIFFERENT.

 

[Mensabum]

Some people will never figure out AIMING, because their DIFFERENT.

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Very good point!!!
Over the years of passing this on to a few new players I've run across some that for some reason, simply could not envision contact points.
It may have had to do with vision deficiency or binocular effects, or cognitive processing. People see differently.
Arguing the finer points of aiming and dissecting anything into a million components parts seems like an exercise in futility to my way of thinking. Not that I can't, I simply have better things to do with my time. Like make balls.
You can make this game as hard or as simple as you want it to be. I'd suggest starting simple.
That only applies to like, 2 members, but new members keep this site growing and fresh.
Be a sad thing if my knowledge of this game went with me when I pass.
Personally, I love this game.
Pool has been in my DNA for as long as I can remember, which lately, ain't all that long.
For me it's all about K.I.S.S. for the new player bro.
They have plenty of time for the complexities once they've achieved a certain level of play. You have to get them there first.
I'm climbing down off my soapbox now. Air's too thin up here.
Preaching to the choir.

 

[Mensabum]

This is the best answer so far. The system presented is clearly geometrically inaccurate, which has been shown multiple times. Yet, I don't think anyone has reasons to doubt that it works for Mensabum, so then the question becomes why it works for him if it's geometrically inaccurate. And the answer, just like BC21 said it, is that they aren't lining up the points so much as they are assuming they're lining up the points.

"Close enough" aiming systems (e.g. CB center -> OB contact point or the one presented by Mensabum) even if wrong on paper, can work well if the player learns the required adjustments over time. The deceiving part is that the player might not realize that this experience-based subconscious correction is taking place, and therefore assume that the system works perfectly without correcting for the flaws. Then they might go share that system with others, and are baffled when the majority calls them out for the system being wrong. This is what has happened here, it clearly works for Mensabum and no one has reasons to doubt that, but there is no reason to discuss further if the system works in general, as it clearly doesn't. It's a "close enough" system, as is evident to anyone by analyzing the illustrations.

If someone is looking for a new aiming system to try, there is no reason to start with a flawed one. Parallel lines (https://drdavepoolinfo.com/faq/aiming/contact-point/) is almost the exact same thing as the one presented by Mensabum, except that it's geometrically accurate. Of course you still need the experience-based adjustments no matter the system (these aiming systems are just baselines, not accounting for throw/swerve/squirt etc.), so you can get away with almost any system in the long run once you learn the adjustments (including Mensabums), but there is just absolutely no reason to select it, when there exists a very similar one that isn't flawed and is already well known.

If Mensabum has played with it for a long time and it's second nature to him + gives good results, there is no reason for him to change it. Yet, that is not a reason for others to use it, given the reasons stated above. I can't think of a single reason why this flawed one would produce better results over the long run than the parallel lines system. Whether such systems are good in the first place is an entirely different discussion, but if one finds them useful, definitely use the geometrically accurate ones.

You see it as flawed, I see it as perfect. Tomato tomato.

 

[JoeyInCali]

There is no magic pill.

 

[Bob Jewett]

There is no magic pill.

I had a student once who wanted me to promise that he'd play a ball better after a brief lesson. At the time I did not know the three words to whisper in his ear to make him a champion, and told him so. He still took the lesson. He liked to play $100 sets. I don't know whether he actually got better, but I like to think I gave him the tools to improve.

 

[JoeyInCali]

I had a student once who wanted me to promise that he'd play a ball better after a brief lesson. At the time I did not know the three words to whisper in his ear to make him a champion, and told him so. He still took the lesson. He liked to play $100 sets. I don't know whether he actually got better, but I like to think I gave him the tools to improve.

Perfecting the PSR and stroke is the "magic pill ". Tons of structured practice is the other magic pill..Aiming system is paying attention to colliding balls.

 

[NewYork_NewYork]

I'm originally from California. Live in New York now. We have lots of great instructors. I've seen all the aiming stuff. CTE, Fractional, etc. Been to Joseph Meija (CA) Bob Jewett (CA), Dr. Dave (CO), Anthony Beeler (KY), Mark Wilson (MO). I consider them to be the top five instructors out there. Just flew to Kentucky for lessons. Beeler has by far the best aiming system out there. It's EXCELLENT. I bought the book too. It's simple to follow. Very good stuff!!! His 3 day class is AMAZING! If you are interested in learning how to aim Beeler is your man! They are all really good instructors but If you only have the funds for one, book a flight to Kentucky and see Anthony. If you live in California go see Bob Jewett. He is excellent too.

 

[boogieman]

I'm originally from California. Live in New York now. We have lots of great instructors. I've seen all the aiming stuff. CTE, Fractional, etc. Been to Joseph Meija (CA) Bob Jewett (CA), Dr. Dave (CO), Anthony Beeler (KY), Mark Wilson (MO). I consider them to be the top five instructors out there. Just flew to Kentucky for lessons. Beeler has by far the best aiming system out there. It's EXCELLENT. I bought the book too. It's simple to follow. Very good stuff!!! His 3 day class is AMAZING! If you are interested in learning how to aim Beeler is your man! They are all really good instructors but If you only have the funds for one, book a flight to Kentucky and see Anthony. If you live in California go see Bob Jewett. He is excellent too.

I don't see how aiming could be a reason to visit that many instructors. Don't get me wrong, I'm a nobody, you could probably thrash me on the table, but the topic doesn't seem complicated enough to warrant that many visits to instructors.

Am I missing something? Do you just like learning about aiming, or is it something you struggle with?