Review of SAWS video from Dr. Dave

I recently purchased the Vimeo stream of Dr. Dave's System for Aiming with Side Spin (SAWS). Here's a review, so that others can learn about it.

High level overview of content

• - The main point of the video is how to adjust for deflection (squirt + swerve) due to applying side spin and still be able to aim along the shot line as if you were hitting center ball. The basic idea is to use a particular combination of back-hand english (BHE) and front-hand english (FHE) depending on two main variables: 1) speed of shot and 2) distance between CB and OB. The percent combination of BHE/FHE do not change if you apply more or less side spin. But, there are adjustments to be made to the BHE/FHE combination for bridge length, draw/follow, elevated cue, cloth conditions, etc.
• - Dave provides a thorough demo for how to do BHE and FHE and a technique for combining them together.
• - The video also provides an in depth discussion on throw effects due to CIT and SIT. Obviously, if you are using side spin on a shot, this will need to be factored into throw effects. Dave shows some awesome slow-motion videos demonstrating throw effects on both the OB and CB.
• - The last part of video is going through about 18 different shots, which involve side spin. Each shot has a diagram, so you can practice yourself. Dave demonstrates the shot and explains the variables he is accounting for.

A few observations

• - I got lucky, because I use the same shaft, Revo 12.4, that Dave is testing with in the video and his bridge length of 12" is about what I use. So, I was able to start with the BHE/FHE percentages he provides for the Revo. I also spent some time verifying the percents and they worked quite nicely.
• - I was surprised that applying combinations of BHE and FHE is not as difficult as I expected. I have always used parallel english (PE) with intuitive feel for adjustment, so this is a new world to me. Once I spent some time going through the drills in the video, it became second nature to use BHE and FHE. Dave uses PE for one of the sample game shots (no. 13) at the end of the video, but I'm not sure why. Maybe Dave can shed some light on this?
• - When doing some of the shot drills, especially extreme side spin shots, I thought the adjustments would be way off, but they were correct. This tells me my feel for how to correct for deflection is not as accurate as I thought.
• - Once the video starts discussing throw, it can seem a bit overwhelming. Not only do you need to adjust for deflection using BHE/FHE, but you also need to understand how spinning the cue ball factors into throw, which in turn affects the aiming line. I have watched certain parts of the video multiple times, and after each time, it feels a lot less daunting. I know this is an immensely complex topic, so it will take a while to learn and put it to use in my game.

Overall
This video is chock full of expert information. To me, the material in this video represents deep knowledge that one may never learn or could take years of playing to acquire. You'll have to watch the video a few times to absorb it. You will probably need an open mind to accept the complexity of thinking about all the variables and not give up. I must admit after my first time watching it, I figured it was too impractical. But, watching it again and spending some time at the table applying things, I started to see it was very practical. I'm confident my game is going to take a nice leap as I fold the knowledge into my skills.