Aiming Systems - The End Justifies the Means

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CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
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It sounds like John has some personal issues with aiming systems... and while I agree with him that it takes MUCH MORE than an aiming system to be a great player I DO NOT think he was talking in a logical mode in this transcript....I mean, really, "you could put a bag over Stevie's head and he will still run out"..???..I'm more than skeptical of that and...."he could aim at the wall and still make the ball"......and "if aiming systems worked there would be like 4 Million people that would play like Corey".....I know this was all said in some kind of hyped up emphatic mode, but in that case I wonder why anything else should be taken seriously? Even the example of throwing a baseball to first is "off base"....throwing a ball (especially on the run) to a unstable target (someone else's glove) is apples to oranges compared to lining up a pool shot!!!

The fact of the matter is EVERYONE has a system for seeing the connection between the cue ball and the object ball to create the desired angle....and this is especially true with spin or deflection involved, the issue is they're simply not aware of what it is.....this sounds strange, but I was one of those players in my teens and early 20's....it wasn't until I was the ESPN World Champion that I diligently set out to discover EXACTLY what I did when I entered what most people call DEAD STROKE ... and in the process my game had some ups and downs because when you bring conscious attention to a subconscious activity something has to give.....and it's usually in the form of suddenly over thinking......it's like walking up or down stairs, you can do it very quickly and very naturally, but let someone ask you to explain "do you breathe in or out on the even or odd stairs?"..."do you roll your ankle or just pick your foot straight up"....and see what happens.....it's like when I tell you "don't think about your breathing now"...or "DO NOT think about the color BLUE or your RiGhT shoulder as you read this" ... I've spent a lot of time around Tiger Wood's recent swing coach (HANK HANEY) here in Dallas and I'll assure you Tiger has a system for golf....every aspect of it and "does he tune this out when playing?"....the answer is YES.....but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a system for aligning to the shot, aiming his club face, positioning his shoulders, arms, legs etc. through the positioning of his feet.....I assure you he does ALL THESE THINGS in a certain, repeatable fashion....in other words he has a system!

Stan showed me parts of his system in Tunica and I agree that it works...I also believe that it's a chore to convince people of this and it's better not to try....in addition, I do agree with John S. about hitting a lot of balls and practicing, but ONLY if your practice is based around a consistent, repeatable pre-shot routine that takes the WHOLE body, vision and mind into consideration.....I just rebuilt my game it's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle at times....I would find one piece that was out of whack and then another one would cause me to not play well....it's like building any structure, it starts with the FOUNDATION and works it's way up....if your body is not in line your eyes,you are not seeing the correct shot perception and you have to move your head to make up for it...this may work at times...especially good times, however, what about under pressure?....when it really counts....what about in the finals of a tournament, or your league or a big gambling match.....that's when it matters and you can see it when Michael Jordan shoots free throws, when Jack Nicholas hits a golf ball, or when Mike Sigel hits a pool ball....they are AIMING in the same position, relative to the line of their shot (or target)....and it's because they have developed a system to do this time after time after time...and this is in fact systematic aiming....... CJ Wiley www.cjwiley.com https://www.facebook.com/CJ.WILEY7
 
ENGLISH!

ENGLISH!

Banned
Silver Member
May I refer to U as CJ?

It's quicker to type than Mr. Wiley & I am a 2 to 4 finger 'typist'.

Firstly, I'd like to thank U for this thread & again for sticking it out & putting up with the 'argumentative' nature of some on this site. Some are simply very passionate about the game & some have other motives.

Naturally, if you said the sky is black, I would probably ask you, 'How so? I am looking at it right now & I see it as blue'. You might repy, 'Well, I'm half way around the world right now & it is night time'. Ask two(2) people to describe an auto accident that they just saw & you may get two(2) totally different stories in different vernacular. When both are analysed one would probably find that they tell very similiar stories, if not the same story.

It is not often, in fact, I have never had the opportunity to get between the ropes so to speak with a real Champion like you. Although Jack Nicklaus once shook hands with me & put his arm around me as he declined to sign my program as we walked from the 9th green to the 10th tee. Well, he actuallly did not decline. He said, 'Sure I would be happy to, right after the round. I just can't do it right now.' I totally understood. I was just taking a shot as it was between the front & back nines & I thought that he might. The moral of that is, if I had not taken that shot I probably would not have shaken hands with him & he would not have put his arm around me. Which is a better memory, that, or simply getting an autograph? However, I did not have the opportunity to ask him anything about the golf swing.

Anyway, enough of that stuff & on to my question of a real pool Champion.[/B]

SVB said on TAR that he uses different lines of his shaft to aim certain shots. He did not go into much detail but basically he uses the left side, center line & right side of his shaft to aim different shots. Are U familiar w/ anything like that & if so, can you elaborate?

Sorry for the earlier musings & thanks again for your patience. It is a virtue, in life & it certainly can be, at times, in pool.

Thanks again,
Rick
 
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greyghost

greyghost

Coast to Coast
Silver Member
CJ i definately agree with ya on this one. No of course you don't NEED an aiming system. BUT overtime we will all develop our own Rote system for aiming wether we know it or not.

The baseball throwing thing is definately "offbase" (had to steal the pun buddy) I was a pretty dam good baseball player in my time, hell my whole family (all the boys and dads) were all really good pitchers (i was the hitter/base stealer....still hold the Louisiana stolen base record :) I'll tell you one thing that there sure as hell are alot of systems to learn that make you much better with your throwing, some of which i had to employ as at SB and SS......you want to talk about SWERVE?

Try hauling butt, grabbing the ball barehanded and pivoting off the same leg thats on your throwing side, firing a ball across the chest at first and see where it ends up......if you don't know what your doing its going to CURVE and wind up in the stands!!!!!! One can learn to work that curve or mostly negate it.

Thing is in NEARLY ALL SPORTS, we let our competitors learn some simple basics and they grow on that. As we get older we learn more and more about the total breakdown of what we do.

If systems were useless then every pitcher, hitter, golfer, quarterback etc wouldn't even need a coach......he/she would just go out there and keep up the whole trial and error garbage. But yet in All professional sports (except Pool LMFAO) we have coaches who break it down to the highest of degrees to help make the contender/player as best as he/she can possibly be.

In a way YES john is correct that one doesn't need it to get there. Thats john. Look at how earl twists his hand on the delivery.....thats earl, not everyone can do that with any degree of success much less to his/their degree of success. They are special players.

Touting that systems are for the junker is idiocy. Tell me what makes Pool players so special that they are so much above the worlds best at what they do that systems and coaching are not needed.

I actually take the idiocy comment back, its not idiocy. Its more along the lines of Narcissism.

-Grey Ghost
 
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greyghost

greyghost

Coast to Coast
Silver Member
cjssecrets4u2 said:
It sounds like John has some personal issues with aiming systems... and while I agree with him that it takes MUCH MORE than an aiming system to be a great player I DO NOT think he was talking in a logical mode in this transcript....I mean, really, "you could put a bag over Stevie's head and he will still run out"..???..I'm more than skeptical of that and...."he could aim at the wall and still make the ball"......and "if aiming systems worked there would be like 4 Million people that would play like Corey".....I know this was all said in some kind of hyped up emphatic mode, but in that case I wonder why anything else should be taken seriously? Even the example of throwing a baseball to first is "off base"....throwing a ball (especially on the run) to a unstable target (someone else's glove) is apples to oranges compared to lining up a pool shot!!!

The fact of the matter is EVERYONE has a system for seeing the connection between the cue ball and the object ball to create the desired angle....and this is especially true with spin or deflection involved, the issue is they're simply not aware of what it is.....this sounds strange, but I was one of those players in my teens and early 20's....it wasn't until I was the ESPN World Champion that I diligently set out to discover EXACTLY what I did when I entered what most people call DEAD STROKE ... and in the process my game had some ups and downs because when you bring conscious attention to a subconscious activity something has to give.....and it's usually in the form of suddenly over thinking......it's like walking up or down stairs, you can do it very quickly and very naturally, but let someone ask you to explain "do you breathe in or out on the even or odd stairs?"..."do you roll your ankle or just pick your foot straight up"....and see what happens.....it's like when I tell you "don't think about your breathing now"...or "DO NOT think about the color BLUE or your RiGhT shoulder as you read this" ... I've spent a lot of time around Tiger Wood's recent swing coach (HANK HANEY) here in Dallas and I'll assure you Tiger has a system for golf....every aspect of it and "does he tune this out when playing?"....the answer is YES.....but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a system for aligning to the shot, aiming his club face, positioning his shoulders, arms, legs etc. through the positioning of his feet.....I assure you he does ALL THESE THINGS in a certain, repeatable fashion....in other words he has a system!

Stan showed me parts of his system in Tunica and I agree that it works...I also believe that it's a chore to convince people of this and it's better not to try....in addition, I do agree with John S. about hitting a lot of balls and practicing, but ONLY if your practice is based around a consistent, repeatable pre-shot routine that takes the WHOLE body, vision and mind into consideration.....I just rebuilt my game it's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle at times....I would find one piece that was out of whack and then another one would cause me to not play well....it's like building any structure, it starts with the FOUNDATION and works it's way up....if your body is not in line your eyes,you are not seeing the correct shot perception and you have to move your head to make up for it...this may work at times...especially good times, however, what about under pressure?....when it really counts....what about in the finals of a tournament, or your league or a big gambling match.....that's when it matters and you can see it when Michael Jordan shoots free throws, when Jack Nicholas hits a golf ball, or when Mike Sigel hits a pool ball....they are AIMING in the same position, relative to the line of their shot (or target)....and it's because they have developed a system to do this time after time after time...and this is in fact systematic aiming....... CJ Wiley www.cjwiley.com https://www.facebook.com/CJ.WILEY7
Click to expand...

CJ i especially liked that aspect of your post. Charlie Bryant and I were speaking of such aspects just last week. As for charlie and I, it basically started as you said, trying to find where dead stroke was or is....now Charlie imop is one of the best systems teachers out there. AND the man loves to teach, and so do I. Every player I meet that needs help, needs help in differing aspects of their game. When it comes to doing particular things with the CB or OB it can be extremely difficult to lean someone as to what to do.

Just wacking it in for them and exclaiming THATS HOW YA DO IT SON, don't teach a darn thing. So guys like myself, charlie, you PEER INTO whats going on not only to better grasp whats actually going down, but to also be able to share this knowledge.

Thats the BIGGEST aspect of systems.....it makes the science of the game we love more adept to spreading and teaching said science to the students.

Hey if you follow the gumbo recipe to the T its gonna taste just right.....without the years of cajun cooking experience,if you start feeling the ingredients in its gonna taste like Osama bin ladens beard for you not only burned the roux but you added too much bellpepper and not enough salt lol:cool:

-GG
 
CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
greyghost said:
CJ i definately agree with ya on this one. No of course you don't NEED an aiming system. BUT overtime we will all develop our own Rote system for aiming wether we know it or not.

The baseball throwing thing is definately "offbase" (had to steal the pun buddy) I was a pretty dam good baseball player in my time, hell my whole family (all the boys and dads) were all really good pitchers (i was the hitter/base stealer....still hold the Louisiana stolen base record :) I'll tell you one thing that there sure as hell are alot of systems to learn that make you much better with your throwing, some of which i had to employ as at SB and SS......you want to talk about SWERVE?

Try hauling butt, grabbing the ball barehanded and pivoting off the same leg thats on your throwing side, firing a ball across the chest at first and see where it ends up......if you don't know what your doing its going to CURVE and wind up in the stands!!!!!! One can learn to work that curve or mostly negate it.

Thing is in NEARLY ALL SPORTS, we let our competitors learn some simple basics and they grow on that. As we get older we learn more and more about the total breakdown of what we do.

If systems were useless then every pitcher, hitter, golfer, quarterback etc wouldn't even need a coach......he/she would just go out there and keep up the whole trial and error garbage. But yet in All professional sports (except Pool LMFAO) we have coaches who break it down to the highest of degrees to help make the contender/player as best as he/she can possibly be.

In a way YES john is correct that one doesn't need it to get there. Thats john. Look at how earl twists his hand on the delivery.....thats earl, not everyone can do that with any degree of success much less to his/their degree of success. They are special players.

Touting that systems are for the junker is idiocy. Tell me what makes Pool players so special that they are so much above the worlds best at what they do that systems and coaching are not needed.

I actually take the idiocy comment back, its not idiocy. Its more along the lines of Narcissism.

-Grey Ghost
Click to expand...
The way Earl "twists" his hand on his delivery is for another reason...it's more along the lines of me making the comment a while back that I can "create left OR right english while hitting the exact center of the cue ball"....Earl is using this technique to accentuate english....it's another quite interesting technique that I may get into at some later date. I agree totally with what you said about coaching and when I have trouble with my game I go to players like Buddy Hall, Hunter L, Johnny A., Wade C.,Earl S.,etc... after spending a lot of time around Hank Haney (Tiger Woods past Coach), I certainly see the value in having someone with an exceptional eye watching your technique/system.
 
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CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
3 Part Pocket System is a GREAT BOWL OF GUMBO LOL

greyghost said:
CJ i especially liked that aspect of your post. Charlie Bryant and I were speaking of such aspects just last week. As for charlie and I, it basically started as you said, trying to find where dead stroke was or is....now Charlie imop is one of the best systems teachers out there. AND the man loves to teach, and so do I. Every player I meet that needs help, needs help in differing aspects of their game. When it comes to doing particular things with the CB or OB it can be extremely difficult to lean someone as to what to do.

Just wacking it in for them and exclaiming THATS HOW YA DO IT SON, don't teach a darn thing. So guys like myself, charlie, you PEER INTO whats going on not only to better grasp whats actually going down, but to also be able to share this knowledge.

Thats the BIGGEST aspect of systems.....it makes the science of the game we love more adept to spreading and teaching said science to the students.

Hey if you follow the gumbo recipe to the T its gonna taste just right.....without the years of cajun cooking experience,if you start feeling the ingredients in its gonna taste like Osama bin ladens beard for you not only burned the roux but you added too much bellpepper and not enough salt lol:cool:

-GG
Click to expand...
That's a GREAT analogy and yes, we all have systems that play at the Championship level...some can teach and explain and some just like to play the Game...I actually think they're smart..it's tough to do BOTH....I can do both pretty well, but my game will never be 100% while I'm "metamodeling" unconscious systems....when I start playing VERY SERIOUSLY in a couple of months I won't be doing what I'm doing now...and it's just fun for me.
GUMBO, I do love a Master's Gumbo....great analogy actually to talk about my RECIPE OF A TOUCH OF INSIDE AND THE 3 PART POCKET SYSTEM.....
It's the "secret recipe" I used to use when I had to win....it's funny, but I wouldn't use it against anyone at first unless we were betting REALLY high....the trick is to practice for 2-3 hours and ONLY use the touch of inside ON EVERY SHOT....that's the only way you can experience how it works on shots that you would SWEAR you had to use outside...of course if you have to draw back and change the angle of the rail (or with follow) you would spin the ball accordingly...but this is the ONLY excetpion...you see that's why I know these guys like neil and pj aren't using it because they would never use it EVERY TIME....and they would have to ask me questions along a differnt line so to speak.....this is about creating a NEW GAME.....where it already exists, but in a different way....a way you can control....that doesn't control you 'The Game is the Teacher'....I apprciate your input and will answer many more questions and make it even more clear what I'm saying in AIMING SYSTEMS - THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS....incourage everyone to come play....I guarantee we'll have some fun and learn from each other...you see I learn just as much teaching this stuff....I beat the ghost last night playing rotation on a super tight table...(I am allowed to take one off after the break of 15 balls) ....This, between you and me is my BEST SPEED....no one has any idea what Efren and people like me can do with this technique....it's AMAZING Gumbo :wink: 'THE GAME is the TEACHER
 
CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
the same rules still apply for creating Zones and a 3 Part Pocket Perception.

ENGLISH! said:
It's quicker to type than Mr. Wiley & I am a 2 to 4 finger 'typist'.

Firstly, I'd like to thank U for this thread & again for sticking it out & putting up with the 'argumentative' nature of some on this site. Some are simply very passionate about the game & some have other motives.

Naturally, if you said the sky is black, I would probably ask you, 'How so? I am looking at it right now & I see it as blue'. You might repy, 'Well, I'm half way around the world right now & it is night time'. Ask two(2) people to describe an auto accident that they just saw & you may get two(2) totally different stories in different vernacular. When both are analysed one would probably find that they tell very similiar stories, if not the same story.

It is not often, in fact, I have never had the opportunity to get between the ropes so to speak with a real Champion like you. Although Jack Nicklaus once shook hands with me & put his arm around me as he declined to sign my program as we walked from the 9th green to the 10th tee. Well, he actuallly did not decline. He said, 'Sure I would be happy to, right after the round. I just can't do it right now.' I totally understood. I was just taking a shot as it was between the front & back nines & I thought that he might. The moral of that is, if I had not taken that shot I probably would not have shaken hands with him & he would not have put his arm around me. Which is a better memory, that, or simply getting an autograph? However, I did not have the opportunity to ask him anything about the golf swing.

Anyway, enough of that stuff & on to my question of a real pool Champion.[/B]

SVB said on TAR that he uses different lines of his shaft to aim certain shots. He did not go into much detail but basically he uses the left side, center line & right side of his shaft to aim different shots. Are U familiar w/ anything like that & if so, can you elaborate?

Sorry for the earlier musings & thanks again for your patience. It is a virtue, in life & it certainly can be, at times, in pool.

Thanks again,
Rick
Click to expand...


Yes, using the right edge of the shaft to cut balls to the right and the left side of the shaft to cut balls to the left is more about perception....I've known a few pros through the years that do this to feel that connection to the pocket.....there's a few ways to do this, and this is very effective...I prefer using the point on the Cue Ball (inside of center), but I'm also using this to throw the ball slightly to create more margin for error....I gambled with Shane once at the Derby Classic, but I didn't see what he was doing, but I have the feeling he saw what I was doing.....something made him "uneasy"....he's a great player, and his game is fine tuned for new cloth....this has less friction and changes how the ball spins and deflects....when I strictly play in tournaments I change my style slightly so I can play on the newer, slicker cloth....but the same rules still apply for creating Zones and a 3 Part Pocket Perception.
 
greyghost

greyghost

Coast to Coast
Silver Member
cjssecrets4u2 said:
That's a GREAT analogy and yes, we all have systems that play at the Championship level...some can teach and explain and some just like to play the Game...I actually think they're smart..it's tough to do BOTH....I can do both pretty well, but my game will never be 100% while I'm "metamodeling" unconscious systems....when I start playing VERY SERIOUSLY in a couple of months I won't be doing what I'm doing now...and it's just fun for me.
GUMBO, I do love a Master's Gumbo....great analogy actually to talk about my RECIPE OF A TOUCH OF INSIDE AND THE 3 PART POCKET SYSTEM.....
It's the "secret recipe" I used to use when I had to win....it's funny, but I wouldn't use it against anyone at first unless we were betting REALLY high....the trick is to practice for 2-3 hours and ONLY use the touch of inside ON EVERY SHOT....that's the only way you can experience how it works on shots that you would SWEAR you had to use outside...of course if you have to draw back and change the angle of the rail (or with follow) you would spin the ball accordingly...but this is the ONLY excetpion...you see that's why I know these guys like neil and pj aren't using it because they would never use it EVERY TIME....and they would have to ask me questions along a differnt line so to speak.....this is about creating a NEW GAME.....where it already exists, but in a different way....a way you can control....that doesn't control you 'The Game is the Teacher'....I apprciate your input and will answer many more questions and make it even more clear what I'm saying in AIMING SYSTEMS - THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS....incourage everyone to come play....I guarantee we'll have some fun and learn from each other...you see I learn just as much teaching this stuff....I beat the ghost last night playing rotation on a super tight table...(I am allowed to take one off after the break of 15 balls) ....This, between you and me is my BEST SPEED....no one has any idea what Efren and people like me can do with this technique....it's AMAZING Gumbo :wink: 'THE GAME is the TEACHER
Click to expand...


CJ i know this technique, David Matlock and Joel Weinstock taught me that nearly 10 years ago..........EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE!!!!! You can really work a pocket with that technique, and as you said ONLY A TOUCH of inside :)

Guys and gals listen to what the man just typed its a very very strong technique!

-Grey Ghost
 
ENGLISH!

ENGLISH!

Banned
Silver Member
greyghost said:
CJ i know this technique, David Matlock and Joel Weinstock taught me that nearly 10 years ago..........EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE!!!!! You can really work a pocket with that technique, and as you said ONLY A TOUCH of inside :)

Guys and gals listen to what the man just typed its a very very strong technique!

-Grey Ghost
Click to expand...

I'm not in their caliber, but I have been using the same technique for over 35 years, just not as a predominant method as I also used outside english just as often. It is a very valuable method.

Rick

PS Now that it has been brought up as a predominant method of shooting, I see the advantages it has in controlling the CB except when running rail english is needed for some purpose.
 
peteypooldude

peteypooldude

I see Edges
Silver Member
CJ, I am having a specific problem with my grip hand and forearm tension affecting my stroke. After working during the day it is hard for me to keep it running straight. I was hoping maybe you knew a way to combat this . Any help would be appreciated
Thanks
 
CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
.we were shooting at "bigger pockets" (The Three Part Pocket System)

greyghost said:
CJ i know this technique, David Matlock and Joel Weinstock taught me that nearly 10 years ago..........EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE!!!!! You can really work a pocket with that technique, and as you said ONLY A TOUCH of inside :)

Guys and gals listen to what the man just typed its a very very strong technique!

-Grey Ghost
Click to expand...

MATLOCK Was FEARED....We had a HISTORIC MATCH on a Bar Box in Alabama one time.....there was a lot of folks talking about who the best bar table gambler was between David Matlock, Reid Pierce and Myself....We ALL knew this technique...It's no great mystery why some players were so intimidating....it was because of their knowledge, not because they were bigger or stronger than everyone else....we were shooting at "bigger pockets" (The Three Part Pocket System) and that adds to confidence..I'm not the only one to do it, I'm the only one that has taken on the task of explaining it...it's much easier in person. Sigel knew how to play the pocket CLICK PICTURE
 
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P

PoolSharkAllen

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
cjssecrets4u2 said:
It sounds like John has some personal issues with aiming systems... and while I agree with him that it takes MUCH MORE than an aiming system to be a great player I DO NOT think he was talking in a logical mode in this transcript....I mean, really, "you could put a bag over Stevie's head and he will still run out"..???..I'm more than skeptical of that and...."he could aim at the wall and still make the ball"......and "if aiming systems worked there would be like 4 Million people that would play like Corey".....I know this was all said in some kind of hyped up emphatic mode, but in that case I wonder why anything else should be taken seriously? Even the example of throwing a baseball to first is "off base"....throwing a ball (especially on the run) to a unstable target (someone else's glove) is apples to oranges compared to lining up a pool shot!!!
Click to expand...
My take on JS comments is not that he thinks they can't help people but rather that he thinks aiming systems are over-rated. Some aiming systems don't work as well as advertised especially considering how they are marketed.
 
greyghost

greyghost

Coast to Coast
Silver Member
cookie man said:
wish Charlie was here, the info would really flow
Click to expand...

i just mentioned that on another thread earlier......charlie and i were just speaking the other day on systems and i think he's one of the best at teaching and explaining systems. Some have problems with him on the table but I'll say this you wont find a teacher or instructor with more heart in trying to help you out the best he can, wonderful instructor.
 
CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
It's like having crooked sights on a gun.

PoolSharkAllen said:
My take on JS comments is not that he thinks they can't help people but rather that he thinks aiming systems are over-rated. Some aiming systems don't work as well as advertised especially considering how they are marketed.
Click to expand...

Of course, if you can't hit the ball straight you can't possibly benefit from an aiming system....It's like having crooked sights on a gun...as a matter of fact I like the analogy of aiming a gun - FIRST, imagine asking a professional
Rifleman/Sniper/Sharpshooter to describe his "aiming system"....he would look
at you kind of funny and say "I look at my target, then I line up my back gun
sight to my front gun sight and put it directly where I want my bullet to go
and then squeeze the trigger....if my nerves are steady and no negative
thoughts enter my mind, my bullet will generally hit where I'm aiming....if it
goes a little low, the next time I'll aim a little higher and if it goes high
and to the right, next time I'll aim a little lower and to the left...in other
words I'll calibrate my "sights" so that I hit my desired target, but it may
take some practice before my gun sights are perfectly in line with my eye
sight. In other words, his eyes, body, and gun would have to ALIGN to the
target for his shot to be successful...THEREFORE EVERY PART OF THE ALIGNMENT
IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT (feet/body/eyes/sights/gun) This is a process that even
the best marksman in the world would have to go through and it's the same in
pool. And it's the same because once the marksman's alignment is calibrated
through some trial, error and practice he no longer has to think about it...he
simply lines up as usual, pulls the trigger and hits the target....doesn't
this sound like how a pro describes his "aiming system?"

Now, the other part
of the analogy would go back to pool itself, and the question would be "what
do the gun sights represent in a pool shot?"

The front gun sight in this
analogy would be your eyes aiming down the line of the shot....lets just say
it's a straight in shot so that we don't further complicate this by how we're
going to create the desired angle (once our alignment is correct and we
understand how this all comes together creating any angle is no more difficult
than shooting a straight in shot).

The back sight is your feet....they point
your body at the target in such a way that you can consistently do it time
after time.....because think for a moment, no matter how good your "aim" is in
pool, if your body's not in the same position relative to the line of your
pool shot, it would be impossible to get the same result time after time..and
your body follows your feet so you must in effect aim with your feet....so
your body, like the back gun sight MUST BE in the same relative position to
your eyes, thus to the line of the pool shot every time.
 
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peteypooldude

peteypooldude

I see Edges
Silver Member
peteypooldude said:
CJ, I am having a specific problem with my grip hand and forearm tension affecting my stroke. After working during the day it is hard for me to keep it running straight. I was hoping maybe you knew a way to combat this . Any help would be appreciated
Thanks
Click to expand...

Has any one got any ideas on how to correct the above problem, maybe something I can work on
Thanks
 
CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
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consistent grip pressure and it is used to control the cue through the entire stroke

peteypooldude said:
Has any one got any ideas on how to correct the above problem, maybe something I can work on
Thanks
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There have been many opinions on the subject of grip pressure and whether you should hold the cue lightly or firmly for the best results. I have seen many players in my time and have asked them, somewhat indirectly what gets them the best results. Some of the older players still hold firm to the idea that you should hold the cue very gently and allow it to do the “work” for you. This seems to work very well when there is very little pressure and you have absolute control over your coordination. The problem is apparent when the heat is turned up and you get a little bit nervous.
When you are playing with allot at stake it is human nature to tighten up a bit mentally and physically. If you are trying to stay loose you are fighting against what is naturally going to happen and not setting yourself up for success. If you don’t like, or have trouble playing under pressure then you probably know what I’m talking about.
I have something you might try if you feel your game going down when the pressure is turned up. It is called consistent grip pressure and it is used to control the cue through the entire stroke, beginning to end. The way that I check to feel how much pressure is appropriate is to get down beside the cue ball and do a practice stroke like in golf. I will notice the degree of firmness that I reach in the follow through and then raise up and feel what it would be like to use that exact pressure throughout the whole stroke. When you start with the finish in mind, and stay consistent then there is nothing that can break down under pressure because if you feel like you are going to tighten up you can do it from the very beginning and you won’t even notice that you’re nervous.
I have played in a great many pressure situations and this has held up for me and pulled me through in situations on ESPN where I turned a potential loss into a win and I think it will work for you as well.
 
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cjssecrets4u2 said:
Yes, using the right edge of the shaft to cut balls to the right and the left side of the shaft to cut balls to the left is more about perception....I've known a few pros through the years that do this to feel that connection to the pocket.....
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CJ -- That's not the essence of Shane's aiming method. For cut shots that are not real thick or thin, his reference alignments are to aim the left edge of the stick, or the center of the stick, or the right edge of the stick at the outside edge of the object ball -- with the choice depending on how thin the cut is.

Here's Shane talking about it for about 6 minutes. It starts at 36:38: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xljm_Aox66Y

And here's a long thread discussing it: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=260109
 
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