Aiming while standing:

SilverCue said:

Aiming while standing:

I stopped playing in 1997 and when I started playing again a couple years ago,
I had lots of issues.

In August 2014, someone suggested that I should start aiming while standing.
My game improved almost immediately and became more consistent.

Recently I saw a video by Colin Colenso stressing the importance of bridge placement.
Here is his thread:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=381434
This helped my confidence.

It seems to me that aiming while standing and bridge placement are common themes
among aiming systems.
90/90
CTE
Perfect Aim
TOI????

Click to expand...

90% of the shot is done standing up.

IMO, not just aiming while standing, but envisioning your cue ball/position path while standing seems to help "Pre-vis" your shot. Almost like you've already played the shot in your mind, and muscle memory repeats it...

Also getting down into the right position. That's made a big difference in my game. Its amazing the difference in accuracy from being out of line.

Yes, and also walking around the table to envision the shot from different perspectives too.

Runner said:

IMO, not just aiming while standing, but envisioning your cue ball/position path while standing seems to help "Pre-vis" your shot. Almost like you've already played the shot in your mind, and muscle memory repeats it...

Click to expand...

This is the process I follow:

1) Stand behind the object ball, and draw a line to the pocket. Finding the contact point.
2) I stand behind the cue ball, and project it until the contact points meet. I align with my chin while standing.
3) Turn my right foot nearly 90 degrees to the shot line, and slide the foot to the left 6 inches or so. (if you draw a line from my chin downward then that's where my right foot ends up)
4) Take a natural step inward while pulling my shoulder back so I come down into the shot with my arm aligned on the line, and the area between my nose and right over the cue on the shot line.

Sounds complicated but it's really easy as my PSR and I'm consistent with it. Ghostball method for the win!

and that's how I aim while I'm standing.

Tony_in_MD said:

Yes, and also walking around the table to envision the shot from different perspectives too.

Click to expand...

This is why I like Bergman's game so much. I believe he will take Shane's #1 in the states away soon. Johnnyt

lee brett said:

90% of the shot is done standing up.

Click to expand...

DITTO what Lee said.

randyg

I thought this was going to be about going to the bathroom.

We always aim from the standing position. The biggest reason is this is what our brain likes. When we walk, we don't look up or even straight ahead, rather we look downwards a little. Otherwise we'd trip on banana peels or walk into the edge of desks, trip on curbs, etc.

Thus, the brain likes this angle to complete the "picture". I say give it what it likes

Thus, rule of thumb, NEVER aim from the shooting position and NEVER shoot from the aiming position. If you follow those 2 pretty simple rules, you can only get better, and certainly get you in the right frame of mind... or "brain".

The worse thing is to be down on a shot and start making adjustments. Well, you must have got down on the wrong "line" so get up and get down on the right one :thumbup:

I aim everything standing up. No aiming while i'm down. I'll make the adjustments for English, but if the aim feels off I'll stand back up and get in line again. Switching to this method brought about an instant change in my pocketing percentage and completely changed the way I saw the game. That was the moment when I stopped "trying" to make balls and started to understand this game is all about whitey, the shots themselves are merely just something you have make to stay at the table.

I actually still remember the exact shot it happened on. In a tournament about 10 years ago, I had the nine ball about a half diamond from the corner slightly off of the bottom rail, the cue was almost frozen on the top rail about 1diamond from the opposite corner. Because of the distance and the rail I couldn't aim my normal way. I remembered seeing a pro aim this way and said why not give it a try. I stood back and tried to imitate what I remembered seeing. I got down in line and realized it didn't look right. I got back up realigned myself and this time I paid close attention to how I stepped into the shot. When I got down I instantly realized that I was lined up dead nut. I just emptied my head started the launch sequence and made the shot like it was wired. I knew right at that moment that this was the only way I would ever do it from now on.

I'll also give a +1 to moving around the table to look at shots from other perspectives. I usually look at most every ball in some sort of way when I first inherit a table. I look again before I play position on that ball to ensure that I am envisioning the correct position line and not just guessing based upon table geometry.

A 'top view' is very helpful in observing the angle relationships between cb, ob and pockets and their relative spatial relationships. It provides the map of where we want and expect balls to go when struck.


With practice, we can maintain that alignment perspective as we get down on the shot. Viewed from just off the surface of the table, we learn to recognize and validate the surface level perception of 2 dimensional overlap of cb and ob that we saw in 3 dimensions, in the top view....and make the shot.

Whatever the visualization clues and cues used may be, if down on the shot they don't look right...generally, we get 'up', stand up, view from above again, and start over.

Yeah, aiming while standing, helps see the shot...at least for me.

Executing, is another story.

Doing most of your aiming while standing has been taught by every good instructor for many decades. Everyone should know that. I think 50 years ago most called it addressing the shot. Johnnyt

So how do you go from standing position to shooting position in a consistent way that ensures you end up in the exact line you saw while standing?

There is leg and torso movement, bridge placement and cue stick positioning. Virtually the entire body moves during this process.

So it seems like you have to do one of two things. You need to ensure your head never moves laterally while everything else is moving, or you need to place the cue stick on the line while standing, and build your shooting stance around it without it ever moving.

If I even THINK about aiming while down on the shot I stand up and start over. I may not move around the table to look at the shot, (but I might sometimes). I will step away, reassess my line and step back into the shot.

railbird99 said:

So how do you go from standing position to shooting position in a consistent way that ensures you end up in the exact line you saw while standing?

There is leg and torso movement, bridge placement and cue stick positioning. Virtually the entire body moves during this process.

So it seems like you have to do one of two things. You need to ensure your head never moves laterally while everything else is moving, or you need to place the cue stick on the line while standing, and build your shooting stance around it without it ever moving.

Click to expand...

There are many books, DVD's, and instructors to show/teach you how to get in position. One book I like is Mark Wilson's "PLAY GREAT POOL"/ Johnnyt

railbird99 said:

So how do you go from standing position to shooting position in a consistent way that ensures you end up in the exact line you saw while standing?

There is leg and torso movement, bridge placement and cue stick positioning. Virtually the entire body moves during this process.

So it seems like you have to do one of two things. You need to ensure your head never moves laterally while everything else is moving, or you need to place the cue stick on the line while standing, and build your shooting stance around it without it ever moving.

Click to expand...

I never really thought about it. I just keep the cue in line as I come in and the feet naturally find their position. As your bringing your head down to its final place in the stance you can still see the line very well. If I see that the cue moved off the line I'll stand up and do it again. I will tell you that I hardly ever come in off line anymore. I've actually tested this. I can step into any shot and shoot it true with out sidespin every time. If I didn't ever have to make any adjustments for English I probably would not miss.

I will tell you that while I am aiming my feet, hips, arms, shoulders and head are pretty close to their final position in the stance at least in reference to the shot line. All I have to do is step forward in a controlled manner and bend forward checking my aim as I go. There is no movement that is not absolutely necessary after that point. Once I am down I know that I am lined up. All I have to do is execute at that point.

Johnnyt said:

Doing most of your aiming while standing has been taught by every good instructor for many decades. Everyone should know that. I think 50 years ago most called it addressing the shot. Johnnyt

Click to expand...

While this is true, and that is the way it should be done, it seems a lot of players do not know this. I watch a lot of decent players try to make aiming adjustments on the fly all the time. Kind of like "Kentucky Windage" while shooting a gun.

railbird99 said:

So how do you go from standing position to shooting position in a consistent way that ensures you end up in the exact line you saw while standing?

There is leg and torso movement, bridge placement and cue stick positioning. Virtually the entire body moves during this process.

So it seems like you have to do one of two things. You need to ensure your head never moves laterally while everything else is moving, or you need to place the cue stick on the line while standing, and build your shooting stance around it without it ever moving.

Click to expand...

This is a good video that covers many topics:
https://youtu.be/Pm-VDuGzJS4

Someone recorded a video with GreyGhost a few years back (maybe five now?). He showed a great way to align while standing up and using your stick to position you. It was very well explained, I tried searching for it to no avail. Does anyone else remember or have the link to that video?