cuekev said:
av84fun,
I like the change of focus during your last backstroke. I have been doing it at the pause(after backstroke). Just for clearification is your focus fixed on the cue ball during practice strokes?
No. During the "warm up strokes" my eye pattern moves opposite to the direction of the cue. In other words, during the forward stroke my focus moves back to the CB contact point and when the cue moves back, my efocus moves forward to the OB.
During the final hitting stroke my eyes remain rivited on the OB.
HOWEVER...IMHO...CB contact at an unintened spot is one of the leading causes of misses due to unintended swerve, squirt, throw.
Fortunately, the eyes are vary capable of peripheral vision and it is entirely possible to maintain an "awareness" of the intended CB contact point while maintaining unwavering focus on the OB with primary vision.
Try this. Put whatever design is on your CB (circle, triangle, measle ball spot) at the intended contact point and then stroke the cue while maintaining TOTAL primary focus on your OB aiming point.
If you WILL yourself to do it, then you will "activate" peripheral vision and will be perfectly aware of the CB contact point. BUT due to the way vision works, you have to consciously DECIDE to use peripheral vision. Otherwise, while you will "see" whatever is in your perpheral vision range, it won't REGISTER on your conscious mind.
You walk past thousands of objects every day...tens of thousands actually, without ever being CONSCIOUS of them.
But personally, I would suggest that if you do not have a consistent eye pattern that you develop that first and only then start working on activating your peripheral vision.
Finally, there are those who will suggest that if your stroke is true, then you need no awareness of the CB contact point because you have grooved your stroke and it will return to the place it was directed during the warm up strokes.
The problem is...that's not true! (-:
Set up the famous shot where the CB is on the spot and you attempt a center ball stroke aimed at the center of the head rail causing the CB to rebound straight back to the spot.
You will get a certain number of perfect and imperfect results.
Now, try it again but close your eyes on the final backstroke. I believe you will see a significantly greater range/frequency of error which disproves the "stroke on a rail" theory.
In fact, your brain controls the muscles andf the brain needs something to aim at in order to achieve maximum accuracy.
Or, if you are not near a table, just do this. Pick an object in the room you're in...focus on it intently and point at it with your finger.
Now pick another object, say, 10 degrees from the primary object. Maintain INTENSE focus on the primary object while pointing to the second object. NO problem.
Now, point at the primary object...close your eyes...and try to point at the secondary object. Your range of error will be significantly greater...and usually pretty consistent...until you start second guessing yourself.
With random attempts at different secondary objects, I tend to point slightly to the left.
Hope this wasn't WAY more than you wanted to know!!
(-:
Jim