Teaching my 10 y.o. son contact points

i have the same problem with my old lady...she just doesn't understand that on a cut shot with the cue and object ball being round that's its not the center of the cue ball that need to hit the spot on the object ball.i have tried everything to and would like to see an easy explanation instead of repeating to her the same thing over and over and both of us getting frustrated

It took me a while to learn that the contact points for CB and OB are 1 1/8” off the table. This means I had to learn to see lines that that are off the table. It takes awhile but once you get the picture (so to speak) it works.

I also shoot the front of the CB at the contact point. I learned to do this by playing many (100s) of straight in shots and estimating where the front of the CB would be at contact. This required me to stay down on the shot and see the hit. Then I set the shot at a slight angle and shot several hundred more. After awhile your eye is trained and learns to “see” the front of the CB and where it will contact te OB 1 1/8" off the table.

try the half a ball technique

If ghost ball isn't working for him and he has trouble with CP to CP, try the half ball method of finding a point on the felt to aim at. give him something he can focus on.

If you aim at a point half a ball behind the OB on the felt in line with the pocket, you can aim center CB at that point and basically be in line for the shot.

Have him try that and see if it is easier for him to grasp.

I basically see a progression of aiming techniques as being necessary for people.

First you have feel, then you have half ball, or you can skip to ghost ball if that works, then you have the various CP to CP methods, then you go back to feel eventually.

anyways, try the half ball aimpoint finding method and see if that works better for him.

Jaden

If he can see the contact point on the OB, perhaps he can double the distance (toward the outside) from the contact point to the center of the OB.
The ghost balls are shown in the top of the picture and the double distance points below.



Perhaps this will help.

booville said:

I'm teaching my son to play pool. His stance, grip, stroke, and bridge(s) are improving rapidly. Ghost ball aiming, however, is not working well for him.

I'm now teaching him parallel line aiming, also known as contact point to contact point aiming. It's how I learned and it is a geometrically sound system. The problem is that he can clearly see and find the OB contact point but has trouble finding the CB contact point since it is on the blind side of the cue ball.


(I'm teaching him to shoot with his chin right above the stick and it's hard for him to envision the CB contact point on the other side.) Anyone have any advice here? Yes, I've showed him equal/opposite.

It may be that his head is in the wrong position. Having your chin on the cue only works for certain people.


I don't want this to be an aiming thread, I just am looking for some advice on teaching contact point to contact point aiming for a 10-year-old boy.
You might want to try to teach him aim points rather than contact points, sure a lot easier to understand.


FWIW, I have Joe Tucker's "Aiming By The Numbers" ball set, and it's great. Again, however, the cue ball contact point (or number, if you will) is hidden from view...especially if one shoots with his or her chin directly above the cue.

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

See above...SPF=randyg

booville said:

FWIW, I have Joe Tucker's "Aiming By The Numbers" ball set, and it's great. Again, however, the cue ball contact point (or number, if you will) is hidden from view...especially if one shoots with his or her chin directly above the cue.

Click to expand...

For me, the time to visualize the CB contact point is when I'm standing in the line of the shot, before I get down to shoot, so the chin-on-cue issue is a separate topic from ABTN.

My 2 cents: start with (imho) the 3 most easily visualized CB contact points, the 0, the 9, and the 4.5. For example, shoot a bunch of 9's straight in and then from different angles. Once familiar with the 9's, move to an 8 to start to develop a feel for the slight difference.

The 4.5 shots are another good starting point from which you can very gradually work from there in one direction, say, to shooting a bunch of 5's, then 6s, and on to 7, 8, and 9. Start with short shots, with the OB maybe a diamond or so from the pocket.

Again, for me at least, the time to factor the CB contact point into the line of the shot is when you're standing over the shot, and of course one should maintain that alignment as you get down into the shot. It can also be a good idea, again while standing over the shot, to take the cue and point it through the CB contact point at the OB contact point to confirm that you're in line, and then get down on the shot.

Hope this helps. I, too, think the ABTN ball set is very helpful. Thank you, JoeT!

First, buy some hole reinforcers.

Next, set up a slight cut shot into a corner pocket. Set the OB so it is ~1 diamond from the pocket. Set the CB so it is ~1 diamond away from the OB.

After setting up the shot, set a hole reinforcer under each ball. Doing so will facilitate shooting the same shot time after time.

Have him shoot the shot until he makes it 5 times in a row.

Next, move the OB ~1/2 ball width away from the original shot and place another hole reinforcer under it.

Have him shoot this shot until he makes it 5 times in a row.

Continue the above as the shot becomes a thinner and thinner cut.

And then start positioning the OB in the opposite direction from the original shot... and continue to have him shoot these shots over and over.

Doing so will allow him to develop an eye for each cut shot.

Oh... on each shot, make certain that he understands how important his body placement is... and how extremely important his bridging hand placement is.

You should be looking for both of the above... and also looking for the straightness of his stroke.

At 10 y/o, he just wants to hit balls... and his ability to understand the technical side of pool is limited. My advice... don't bog him down. Keep it light yet focused.

Have fun and watch him develop. :thumbup:

JoeW said:

It took me a while to learn that the contact points for CB and OB are 1 1/8” off the table. This means I had to learn to see lines that that are off the table. It takes awhile but once you get the picture (so to speak) it works.

Click to expand...

It did me as well, Joe.

That technique is especially important for making thin cuts and also for any cut shot when the spacing of the CB to the OB is tight (less than 1/2 a ball width).

Time spent on pre-shot routine is time well spent

I've never seen a contact point in my life, ha ha.

Have you considered not explaining any system, and just say hit it "thicker" or "thinner" depending on how he missed it? And let him go from there?

cigardave said:

First, buy some hole reinforcers.

Next, set up a slight cut shot into a corner pocket. Set the OB so it is ~1 diamond from the pocket. Set the CB so it is ~1 diamond away from the OB.

After setting up the shot, set a hole reinforcer under each ball. Doing so will facilitate shooting the same shot time after time.

Have him shoot the shot until he makes it 5 times in a row.

Next, move the OB ~1/2 ball width away from the original shot and place another hole reinforcer under it.

Have him shoot this shot until he makes it 5 times in a row.

Continue the above as the shot becomes a thinner and thinner cut.

And then start positioning the OB in the opposite direction from the original shot... and continue to have him shoot these shots over and over.

Doing so will allow him to develop an eye for each cut shot.

Click to expand...

This is great advice, imo. His eye-brain-body computer will figure it out fast using this method. Don't let words [verbal instruction] get in his way.

Bob Jewett said:

That link is no longer functional. See http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2004.pdf -- last article that year.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the Msg Bob, after reading the thread I was curious as to what you referenced.
I wonder if OP still plays pool and after 7 years if his son still plays.
Sorry to revive a dead thread, thanks again mate!>

Snooker Theory said:

Thanks for the Msg Bob, after reading the thread I was curious as to what you referenced.
I wonder if OP still plays pool and after 7 years if his son still plays.
Sorry to revive a dead thread, thanks again mate!>

Click to expand...

Ha! The time warp got me! It looks like the OP has not posted since 2010, and he has a bunch of posts asking about CJ Wiley's aiming systems, oh boy.... ha ha ha

i havent read the other replies
but here is a suggestion
place a coin barely sticking out from the rail
and have your son have the cue ball hit the coin from different cue ball to coin angles
that should help him "see" how to get a contact point on the cue ball to the contact point of the coin thats showing /sticking out from the rail
hopefully that will then transfer to cue ball contact point to object ball contact point
just realized this is a 7 year old thread
maybe this will help someone else

since you got a different answer from every poster you can see that it isnt the way to do it.
he has got to learn first by feel. if you try to cram too much technical type things and make him progress too fast he may very well start to loose interest in you teaching him. that is worst of all then.

let the game be fun for him he is just still a kid.