CaptainJR said:Your are correct on this Patrick. As a matter of fact on non-back cuts where the object ball is say within three inches of the rail and more than two diamonds up the rail. In other words a rail shot. This visual queue you are talking about is all I use. No need for anything else. It makes it very plain where I need to hit the object ball with the cue ball.
Hi Capt.
I've been thinking a lot about what you said above and in a post to me. On the rail shot you write about above, can you share with me what the "visual cue" is that you get from the rail and how you use it?
Of course, with the OB close to the rail as in your example, the OB can stike the rail more than a diamond up table and still go..with pocket speed and depending on pocket size...but you know what I mean.
So, is the "cue" you are referring to a mental process of deciding to cut the shot a little thick..if anything...to aviod pointing out off the left point (shooting at the right corner)...or what?
On the aiming system issue, you mentioned that you shot the "double spot shot" often and with a high pocket percentage.
OK...then would you agree that whether you use the tip to aim or not...when you aim your own way and the shot goes in the center (center ball hit...constant speed for all attempts) that intentionally or not, the tip pointed to exactly the same spot on the CB (given the above assumptions) on every shot?
Assuming you answer "yes" then SOME players (and I would GUESS a fairly large percentage) will feel that aiming with the tip is a natural, intuitive process that does not require imagining clock system points on BOTH balls...ball fraction points on BOTH balls...or trying to mentally freeze the ghost ball in place after you line the shot up and take your stance...or anything similar because the "rifle barrel" is obviously pointing at a specific place.
I suppose one could argue that you have to imagine the specific targets on the CB for TP 1 and 2 but A) at least you only have to imagine ONE point and B) pointing the tip a half tip or 1 tip off center is so intuitive that I think few would have trouble with that.
So, if we disregard everything else, it seems to me that
A) As always assuming a center ball hit at a moderage speed, there is an exact spot that the tip will point at to make the OB drop every time.
B) Rifle type aiming is extremely intuitve for most people and therefore
C) A cue tip aiming method may well be the best approach for a great many players.
Does that make any sense to you and if so then you might come to agree that there are SOME shots that you find both frequently occuring and troublesome to pocket where a cue tip aiming system might be advantageous on THOSE shots if no others.
If THAT is true, then many might feel that exploring which shots work and which don't to be a useful exercise.
Regarding shots that don't go, please refer to a System Edits title that I will post soon.
Regards,
Jim