question about sighting shots

johhdagolfer said:

I find that I can locate the spot on the ball I want to hit. My problem is that when i try to get down on the shot to sight that spot I start to see a crossed eye view. It's like a double image. I know I am left I dominant, but it's awkward trying to get my left eye over the shaft. Anyways back to this double image... it's almost like going crossed eyed.

It's this common? How shoudl I change my setup to prevent this?

Thanks,

John

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I take it you are right handed and left eye dominate. That is a tough situation. Over the years, I have had two students with this problem. Both switched to playing left handed. It was very awkward and frustrating at first, but both made the transition eventually.

johhdagolfer said:

NO way can I switch. I am soooo right handed that stroking with the left would be very difficult.

Any suggestions on what I should do?

Thanks,

John

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It all depends on your stance. Do you, first of all, put your chin all the way down to your cue or close to it (i.e. snooker players and most pool players) or do you mainly have an upright stance (i.e Minnesota Fats). If you can answer this question for me, then I'll try my best to give you a remedy.

johhdagolfer said:

My chin touches my cue. Is there anyway I can learn just to use my weaker eye?

Thanks,

John

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It is personal preferance; whatever makes you feel confortable. I saw a pretty fine article by Sammy Diep involving eye dominance: http://www.azbilliards.com/sammdiep/samm1.cfm .
Myself, for example, I use both of my eyes for sighting a shot. As far as stance is concerned, my recommendation is that your whole arm should be at more-or-less a foot away from your torso and your head should move into your cue. Wanna see fine examples of stances, look at Allison Fisher and (for you definately johndagolfer) Kim Shaw's stance and she's a fine example of left eye dominance.

Cheers and good luck on your billiards

?????????

Maybe you need eye exam.You might need glasses or possibly have a cataract. You know how all that stuff goes. I now have a dominate left eye because of cataract on right.Pretty much makes pool a guessing game.

i am left eye dom. and right handed too. forget trying to use your weaker eye or putting the cue in the middle. you wont be able to make a ball, atleast thats how it was for me. for me i would just get comfortable and turn my head slightly to put my left eye over the cue also not putting my chin on the cue helped get rid of the double vision (i keep it like 3in above). what also helped me is looking at pics and videos of jim rempe cuz he has perfect fundamentals and is left eye dom. too.

johhdagolfer said:

I find that I can locate the spot on the ball I want to hit. My problem is that when i try to get down on the shot to sight that spot I start to see a crossed eye view. It's like a double image. I know I am left I dominant, but it's awkward trying to get my left eye over the shaft. Anyways back to this double image... it's almost like going crossed eyed.

It's this common? How shoudl I change my setup to prevent this?

Click to expand...

I have the same issue, except I am opposite handed and dominant eyed. One short term solution that I received was to simply make a slight turn in your head (so that your dominant eye is closer to the target, while the non-dominant eye is slightly back and off). This will actually move your dominant eye over the stick. One of the best ways to understand how slight a head turn is necessary to accomplish this, is simply to close the non-dominant eye briefly. Now, when you turn your head you will be able to see when you eye is above the stick and lined up to the target.

This solution also showed me that I previously had a problem with my stick alignment being consistently pointed off, instead of aligned to the target. Correcting the stick alignment along with the head adjustment opened up new targeting accuracy.

mindtriplx said:

i am left eye dom. and right handed too. forget trying to use your weaker eye or putting the cue in the middle. you wont be able to make a ball, atleast thats how it was for me. for me i would just get comfortable and turn my head slightly to put my left eye over the cue also not putting my chin on the cue helped get rid of the double vision (i keep it like 3in above). what also helped me is looking at pics and videos of jim rempe cuz he has perfect fundamentals and is left eye dom. too.

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Missed being first to state the solution by just a few minutes. Oh well, at least now you have 2 opinions pointing out the same solution. Great minds think alike...

Sure it's not all the darn beer you guys been drinking? What's the problem? Seeing cross-eyed now!?!

Heck I bet you two shots that if you drink those two shots you'll have the OTHER eye be dominant! And I'll be the weaker player on the table...sooo...CAN I GET THE 7 OUT!?

FLICKit said:

I have the same issue, except I am opposite handed and dominant eyed. One short term solution that I received was to simply make a slight turn in your head (so that your dominant eye is closer to the target, while the non-dominant eye is slightly back and off). This will actually move your dominant eye over the stick. One of the best ways to understand how slight a head turn is necessary to accomplish this, is simply to close the non-dominant eye briefly. Now, when you turn your head you will be able to see when you eye is above the stick and lined up to the target.

This solution also showed me that I previously had a problem with my stick alignment being consistently pointed off, instead of aligned to the target. Correcting the stick alignment along with the head adjustment opened up new targeting accuracy.

Click to expand...

i had the same prob. i would think my stick is pointing somewhere and i always shot the ball in to the same part of the rail and it always had right spin. it drove me nutz. i even tried playing lefty. holding the cue and the stance came so natural that way. to bad i couldnt stroke or make a ball.

SlickRick_PCS said:

It is personal preferance; whatever makes you feel confortable. I saw a pretty fine article by Sammy Diep involving eye dominance: http://www.azbilliards.com/sammdiep/samm1.cfm .
Myself, for example, I use both of my eyes for sighting a shot. As far as stance is concerned, my recommendation is that your whole arm should be at more-or-less a foot away from your torso and your head should move into your cue. Wanna see fine examples of stances, look at Allison Fisher and (for you definately johndagolfer) Kim Shaw's stance and she's a fine example of left eye dominance.

Cheers and good luck on your billiards

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exactly. If u've got Tivo or something similar, watch the 2006 Cuetec Cues US Open Nine-ball Finals - Allison Fisher vs. Kim Shaw.

Stones said:

I take it you are right handed and left eye dominate. That is a tough situation. Over the years, I have had two students with this problem. Both switched to playing left handed. It was very awkward and frustrating at first, but both made the transition eventually.

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Willie Mosconi, Jim Rempe and Mike Sigel are all cross dominant. Obviously, it is NOT a tough situation.

The aiming confusion happens when a player attempts to mix binocular and dominant eye aiming. If a player sights down the shaft, he must use dominant eye aiming. If he sights from the cueball to the object ball, ignoring where the cue is pointed, he can use binocular aiming (head centered over the shaft, with the shaft falling between the eyes, ie, Allison Fisher).

i have the same thing, and i use it to the extent since i first picked up a cue. Holding an object in front of your eyes like your hand for an example, i relax my eyes and i can see two objects now, i am left eye dominant so what i do is use the right object the cueball for my aiming as its the left eye that views the right cueball in the double image, and this is with cue under chin, or even better cue to the left a bit. But it works great for me i don't know if it would for you. I couldn't find a way to fix the double image for me, but don't get me wrong i can focus and just see one cueball.

Get Joe Tucker's Third Eye trainer; it will help you shoot straight, and see the shots differently.

Eventually, you'll learn to compensate when aiming and adjusting for your stroke to start potting the balls. In my case, I need to cut differently when shooting a right or left cut shot. That's just the way it is. Compensation on every, or almost every, shot. Just need to deal with it. Once you convince yourself that things don't need to look "right" when shooting and still pot the way you hope, your confidence will improve, and you'll start putting the balls down big time. You need to groove your stroke, or strokes, and develop a feel for certain kinds of shots, especially cut shots and stroke shots. That kind of feel and sighting and aiming only comes with lots of shooting.

One thing that may help is to set up two cut shots that need to be really stroked to move the cue ball after the shot and to shoot them first right then left, over and over, at different distances and angles until you convince yourself how to shoot the shot. Once that happens, spend some real time grooving the feel your body has when shooting the shot. When that shot comes up in a game, pull it out from your shotmaking arsenal to go for the cash.

Flex

I really can't believe some of the things I've read in this thread:

If you're left-eye dominant and right-handed, you should switch to shooting with your left hand? WTF?

People aim with only one eye? Really? Do those people drive with one eye, or watch TV with one eye? Do pitchers and 3-point shooters aim with one eye?

You can't have eye dominance and play with the chin under the middle of your cue? Again, WTF?

Johndagolfer, if your target is becoming a double-image, you are not focusing properly. Your eyes are either focusing on a point forward or behind your intended aim point. This causes a parallax view, which is your double image. Try not to stare at your target too long - the human eye can only focus for so long (no more than 2 seconds for most people) at a single target before it wants to wander. You also must give your eyes enough time to acquire the target (around 1 second for most people).

As tedkaufman said, cross-dominance is not a big deal - there are plenty of players like that. You DO NOT have to line up with the cue under your dominant eye. You also DO NOT have to line up with the cue under the middle of your chin. Comfort, and what helps you see the intended line, are the important factors. EYE DOMINANCE DOES NOT MATTER. You can line up with the cue under your ear (see Neils Feijen and Earl Strickland), under the outside of your dominant eye (see Karen Corr), under the inside of your dominant eye (see Nick Varner), under the middle of your chin, under your non-dominant eye, behind your back, wherever. Finding what helps you see the intended line is the hard part, and like Flex said, Joe T's device can help immensely with that.

I have one piece of advice for the OP - get thee to a certified instructor immediately. The garbage in this thread will only make your game worse. Sifting through all the crap just isn't worth it.

-djb