Yes, just as an example Gene determined I am right eye dominant, whether I am cutting a ball to the left or to the right I still must keep my head in the same position on either shot for a correct picture to my brain.
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How to know for absolute sure which of your eyes is dominant
- Thread starter Rhea
- Start date
Yes, just as an example Gene determined I am right eye dominant, whether I am cutting a ball to the left or to the right I still must keep my head in the same position on either shot for a correct picture to my brain.
Dear Rhea: Great post! I agree that one's dominant eye is part and parcel of any pool shot, and any activity that requires direct aiming.
I truly believe eye dominance is no different than left- or right-handedness.
You throw (or kick) a ball with the hand (or foot) that affords better control.
And so it must be with vision, you tend to use more of the eye that will afford better vision (control).
So this begs the question...is ONE OF THE MANY differences between champion pool players and the rest of us
simply that they were able to begin (serendipitously or otherwise) shooting in the correct visual position? Probably so.
Let's face it, there are so many pool players out there who are grossly inconsistent on account of simply not positioning themselves correctly.
Amazing!
P.S. I am truly amazed to read Scott Lee's post. He says dominant eye has no role in being a pool player.
With all due respect to Scott, my question to him then (since he is a pool teacher) is if we have binocular vision and we see with BOTH eyes,
then why doesn't every pool player have the pool cue "splitting" their chins in half?
Since not everyone does, there MUST be some other dynamic at work.
It shows there is a tendency for one eye to be "clearer" and "stronger" than the other.
If it's not ocular dominance, then how do you explain it???
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Several good points in this post. Especially the comment about the pros beginning their careers by having their visuals aligned correctly from the start. Their learning curve is way different than the majority when they set up in a way where their subconscious mind doesn't have to compensate for poor alignment. Less swoops and body english needed.
Your body and mind change from day to day. You don't "see" as well from session to session. You're tired, had stress at work, you couldn't complete your Obamacare online...these factors add to inconsistency. By why are we still inconsistent when we feel good and are ready to play?
Here's a test for all including the people that don't shive a git about the dominant eye. Get down on a long shot , 7 or 9 feet away. Some say you don't need a dominant eye at 9 feet. Stay down as if you're shooting, but set your stick aside. In the shooting position, put the tip of your index finger of your shooting hand in front of your eyes and block out the spot on the object ball you are aiming towards.
You will find that you are looking directly at the shot with your dominant eye with depth perception help from your other eye. Your finger tip will be directly in front of your dominant eye, even at a table length away.
Best,
Mike
RiCHiE$RiCH
Banned
All this dominant eye talk. Do any of you really shoot with one eye closed? That's the only time it would matter. I'm not a pool hall rat so I don't watch people play a lot but, when I do see people play, they are shooting with both eyes open. I think most of you get caught up in all the hoopla instead of just playing. I hate to quote CJ Wiley but " the game is the teacher". Maybe I have an advantage cause my father taught me how to play pool when I was a baby. But I never played consistently, always here and there. It just comes naturally to me I guess.
This is Gene..........
I just got back from the wake. .
Yes. The head position will always be the same for every shot.
The hard part is knowing how to get there and keep it there for all shots.
If you accidentally have the non dominant eye in the dominant position it will just try to do the job. it might look OK but the picture to the brain will not be the best possible.
Kind of cockeyed.
I just got back from the wake. .
Yes. The head position will always be the same for every shot.
The hard part is knowing how to get there and keep it there for all shots.
If you accidentally have the non dominant eye in the dominant position it will just try to do the job. it might look OK but the picture to the brain will not be the best possible.
Kind of cockeyed.
Rhea if you get down on a shot and are thinking about your eyes you have problems. Brain switched on.
Here is something you should know, The conscious brain can only process about 50 bits of information a second, sub consciously you can process approximately 11 million per second. It is 220 thousand times faster. So if your missing is not because of your dominant eye.
You sight the ball correctly back outside the box...
Here is something you should know, The conscious brain can only process about 50 bits of information a second, sub consciously you can process approximately 11 million per second. It is 220 thousand times faster. So if your missing is not because of your dominant eye.
You sight the ball correctly back outside the box...
boogeyman...Easy to answer your question. People see things differently. We are built differently, learn differently, think differently, perceive differently. The principle reason most amateur players miss a lot is because they don't have an accurate and repeatable stroke...particularly under pressure. Some people will have the cue centered under their chin...I'm one of those. Others will have the cue off to one side or the other...some under their dominant eye, and some under their non-dominant eye. Some will see the shot best with the cue in between their chin and eyes. EVERYONE does not have a dominant eye...although about 80% of us do (and most of those are right handed, right eye dominant). I am not the only professional instructor to hold this position. It is also held and taught by Randyg and Jerry Briesath, two of the most talented, respected, and prominant instructors in the world. There are many others as well. You can believe whatever you choose, but the dominant eye theory, as it pertains to poolplayers, doesn't hold up to the science of how the eyes work best with the brain.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Geno does teach to aim away from the table and then come down straight on the shot line keeping the dominant eye in a strong dominant position....
Rhea may still have to think about it up but once she gets down she is hopefully switching the conscious mind off....
Comes down to what we discussed about binocular vs monocular vision... The deal is color identification is best in binocular mode which is why I like your outside the box ideas...
At a distance from the table when you are looking at a solid colored object ball our eyes depend greatly on the subtle color differences caused by light and shadows...
Once we move close and get into our shooting position we have moved into monocular distances to the cueball and even to the object ball but also to the shot line if you consider the shot line to actually be the line between the cue and object ball
The dominant eye is only about 10% worse than binocular vision at seeing color differences.. The non-dominant eye is about 30% worse.....
For those that don't believe this matters... Well if you knew what you didn't know then you wouldn't not know it.... If you play fine without knowing or caring great maybe you are doing it right naturally.. or maybe you could actually play better with a clue....
Chris
Mike...The problem with your "test" is that dominant eye only works within about 30" or hands reach. Farther away then that and our eyes triangulate. When you're shooting a ball that is 7 or 9 feet away, dominant eye doesn't play a significant role. I didn't make this up...it is what it is. However it's every person's right to believe whatever they choose. Many people truly BELIEVE that pool lessons won't help them...but a NEW CUE will! Truth is, if you believe it hard enough it may prove true. The question remains whether the improvement will last, or be enough to compensate for the cost of the cue. Get a straight stroke, and any aiming method will work pretty consistently. BTW, there are millions of players of all levels (including pros like Richie Rich) who aim and shoot totally by "feel"...which happens to be a legitimate aiming method too!
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
What about the "people see things differently" part at the beginning??? If you didn't know about the color differentiation study I am hoping that may change your mind to some extent... Especially when working with older players who may not have eyes that still work properly....
I have had problems since I was around 30.. Until then young eyes made up for the fact I have no convergence and could pretty much just aim and fire em into the hole.... at 30 I started aiming and firing em into the rail.... Understanding strong dominance and applying things from Geno and Lee make my life a little more pleasant....
Today I ended up back in my eye doctors office to correct an astigmatism I have had my whole life.... 3 years ago it was a non-issue.. At some point between then and now my eye had lost it's ability to correct for the problem for short periods which allowed me to not need correction....
When Lee left I went back to the table and started looking at some things differently... Lee aims straight-ins using noon on the cueball and object ball because noon is the highest point on both balls.. For me it was closer to 11:00am on the ball that looked the highest and the ball was flat from 1:30-2:00... I could have simply tried using the other eye which didn't have the astigmatism but knowing the importance of dominance I went straight to have it corrected.....
Just another point of "view" from someone who definitely doesn't see things the same way as most people....
Chris
I'm not sure why shooting a rifle has anything to do with aiming in pool.Sure there are those who can actually put the cue directly under the dominate eye kinda like a rifle,but we all don't fall in this category.It's all about how we see the straight line.
Here's something about how I perceive a straight line.My head position will change the further the balls get apart.You ever run across anyone like this?
Sorry for your loss Gene.
Anthony.
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I really don't know how anyone can say the dominant eye doesn't matter or that some players do not have a dominant eye. Experiencing over 50 lessons that Gene has given since I met him, a few thought they didn't have a dominant eye. About 1/3rd thought their opposite eye was their dominant eye.
They all had a dominant eye and once that was determined , and only then could their aiming be tweaked to their full potential.
This dominant eye thing is a no brainer once you know how all this works.
They all had a dominant eye and once that was determined , and only then could their aiming be tweaked to their full potential.
This dominant eye thing is a no brainer once you know how all this works.
Anthony more than likely you have some form of convergence deficiency...
Parallax is where the brain focuses the fovea of each eye on your target if the eyes cannot cross or are limited in how far they can turn in to work with each other... You would have issues of double vision at certain distances which would cause you to have to alter your head to allow the foveas a chance to work together or in a way that removes one fovea from the proper image so the brain can discard it's image and focus on the good image.....
Do you have to keep your place with your finger or do you tend to when reading a book or magazine?
Chris
Rhea I actually think it's a natural thing for a lot of people.I dont worry to much about my eye's,now getting the body in the rite position ,that's another story.
Anthony
I went to a doctor a few year's back about getting lasik surgery.I have Keratoconus,couldnt have it done.Not sure if this is why I see things the way I do.
Anthony
RiCHiE$RiCH
Banned
I'm not a pro, but I do shoot naturally. I've been back on the table for 2 1/2 months and I do believe I can beat most. I really don't even look at the pocket once I get down. And I never look at banks. I believe it's better this way because I am going off of feel and muscle memory. I just go into a zone and fire. I'm almost to the point where the cue feels like its part of my arm, when it does, it's on. I'm not a hustler or gambler, I just love the feeling of potting balls and making the cue ball go where I want it to go. It just gives me this feeling. My gold crown is starting to shrink on me too, it's beginning to feel like a bar table.
Classic. All about bidness cause you ain't got time for all that bidness.
NYC cue dude
Banned
Make a triangle with your 2 hands. Look through the triangle at something off in the distance with both eyes open. Now close your left eye. Then, try closing your right eye. When doing this, the object you are looking at will move out of the triangle. That is the weak eye. The eye open that kept the object in the triangle is your dominant eye.
Richie Rich is the name of a pro speed player who stays in action all the time.. Great one pocket player for sure... look on youtube for Richie Richeson one pocket... I think your username fooled Scott into thinking he had started posting on here.....
Scott,
Thanks for the reply. Most players develop their straight line naturally. I did, but it changed over time. Certain shots looked good, but I missed them unless I adjusted during the stroke. I started to take note of these shots and work on them.
I can shoot a ball up and down the table in drills 10 out of 10 times. It's only on certain angles that I have had incorrect alignment. When I found out about the dominant eye, I realized I was aiming these shots with my other eye in charge.
When I'm practicing and miss a shot, I set it up again and check out my alignment. 80-90% of the time my misses are because my head is slightly turned and my dominant eye is not in the correct position.
Like Geno, Lee, and the Renfro have said, and in the link I posted, the approach to the shot is why it can be missed or made. The dominant eye approach is important to some like me, not an issue for others, but still the root of the problem. Because a majority don't need to work with their dominant eye doesn't mean that it's not there for a handful. We all see the game differently and it solved many of my stroke problems.
Best,
Mike
Thanks for the reply. Most players develop their straight line naturally. I did, but it changed over time. Certain shots looked good, but I missed them unless I adjusted during the stroke. I started to take note of these shots and work on them.
I can shoot a ball up and down the table in drills 10 out of 10 times. It's only on certain angles that I have had incorrect alignment. When I found out about the dominant eye, I realized I was aiming these shots with my other eye in charge.
When I'm practicing and miss a shot, I set it up again and check out my alignment. 80-90% of the time my misses are because my head is slightly turned and my dominant eye is not in the correct position.
Like Geno, Lee, and the Renfro have said, and in the link I posted, the approach to the shot is why it can be missed or made. The dominant eye approach is important to some like me, not an issue for others, but still the root of the problem. Because a majority don't need to work with their dominant eye doesn't mean that it's not there for a handful. We all see the game differently and it solved many of my stroke problems.
Best,
Mike