I do not think any author of an instruction book should 'submit a working manuscript to the uninitiated' and get their take'. If they're uninitiated, how would their opinions matter anyway? Anyway...there are plenty of those giving their take right in this pool shooting site..plenty who've never worked...and I mean worked at trying it out.
The phrases about 'a new dimension in aiming' and 'connecting with the geometry of the table' made perfect sense to me right out of the gate. I had played pool for so many years, I knew the 'tried and proven' (?) ways were not just chiseled in stone. I had already "hit a million balls". Maybe, I thought, I wasn't hitting them enough in the right spots, often enough, to reduce the percentages of misses. Could it be???
(I played in an exhibition long ago against Mosconi and even he said..."I don't know how you miss so many balls, your stroke is beautiful." So, I eliminated that factor from the self analysis)
As for me, learning the method was another story entirely.....a nightmare. There were so many things I had to undo in the way my eyes were perceiving the shots. And that is tough to do after almost 60 years of playing a certain way.
But , money comes hard for me and I had plopped down the cash for the DVD's and I was determined to learn what was there. I had seen with my own eyes, this guy Stan Shuffett making all those shots behind that curtain over and over and over and that, in itself, convinced me that this was something that needed to be worked at and learned....it could really contribute to my game. It could eliminate guesswork regarding where to hit the balls for a higher percentage...and I am a VERY BIG believer in percentages. (I don't make any 2 card draws to a flush and I don't bet into any open pair in stud without having the lock).
I believe it just takes a blind leap of faith to seriously get into this method of playing the game. It costs money..there is a cash risk. And there are always those around who knock this and knock that...preaching how stupid you are to be suckered, and on and on, etc. etc.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel...my game improved a great deal once things began to fall into place. Especially on those long shots where he's got you jammed up against the rail and that money ball is wayyyy down there at the other end sitting at a 45 degree cut.
In the old Busch leagues, back in 1996, I was rated as a 7 player so I'm not a complete novice about pool shooting. I think my remarks are somewhat worthy. My eyesight is still wonderful, and I've been video taped for any stroke error study.
CTE is a process of study and execution...it certainly is NOT a panacea for those who're seeking instant gratification. That won't happen.
