Ghost pocket aiming " system "

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Imagine the functional center of the pocket is 6 inches to a foot away from the object ball.
No matter how far the real pocket is.

Visualize the ghost pocket before going down.
Visualize while down then shoot to it.

Try it.
I have system in quotation marks because I'm not sure if it's really a system.

Next I might post Al Romero's modified ghost ball "system".

I think I have two people on my ignore list.
So, if I don't respond to your flames, just move on.
 

nine_ball6970

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Imagine the functional center of the pocket is 6 inches to a foot away from the object ball.
No matter how far the real pocket is.

Visualize the ghost pocket before going down.
Visualize while down then shoot to it.

Try it.
I have system in quotation marks because I'm not sure if it's really a system.

Next I might post Al Romero's modified ghost ball "system".

I think I have two people on my ignore list.
So, if I don't respond to your flames, just move on.

If you start the object ball on the correct line, how far away the pocket is doesn't really matter. It can be a good confidence builder because you are aiming to send the object ball over a spot which is very close to it.

I have tried Al's system and it just doesn't work for me. I know it works for him though.
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Imagine the functional center of the pocket is 6 inches to a foot away from the object ball.
No matter how far the real pocket is.

Visualize the ghost pocket before going down.
Visualize while down then shoot to it.

Try it.
I have system in quotation marks because I'm not sure if it's really a system.

Next I might post Al Romero's modified ghost ball "system".

I think I have two people on my ignore list.
So, if I don't respond to your flames, just move on.

Like sending your bowling ball over the arrows on the lane.
 

One Pocket John

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Imagine the functional center of the pocket is 6 inches to a foot away from the object ball.
No matter how far the real pocket is.

Visualize the ghost pocket before going down.
Visualize while down then shoot to it.

Try it.
I have system in quotation marks because I'm not sure if it's really a system.

Next I might post Al Romero's modified ghost ball "system".

I think I have two people on my ignore list.
So, if I don't respond to your flames, just move on.

Thanks Joey. I like experimenting with new (to me) ideas as you posted.

I messed around with the ghost pocket this morning, pretty neat. I also noticed that moving the pocket closer to the OB helped control QB positioning (for me). Helps with blind cuts.

Looking forward to an explanation of Al Romero's modified ghost ball "system". Maybe you already did in BBB's post.

Thanks :)
John
 
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garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Nicklaus used this same idea to line-up golf shots. Pick an intermediate target about 12-18" in front of your ball and line-up at that. Now almost every good player aims that way. "Ghost pocket" is basically same principle. I like it.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
For those with good visualization skills, there is also the ghost rail.

That is one other visualization that can be really nuts if you have good eyes and get good at it .
Basically, you imagine all free shots as if the OB is frozen to the rail.
 

JB Cases

www.jbcases.com
Silver Member
Imagine the functional center of the pocket is 6 inches to a foot away from the object ball.
No matter how far the real pocket is.

Visualize the ghost pocket before going down.
Visualize while down then shoot to it.

Try it.
I have system in quotation marks because I'm not sure if it's really a system.

Next I might post Al Romero's modified ghost ball "system".

I think I have two people on my ignore list.
So, if I don't respond to your flames, just move on.

Ghost pocket is well known. a drawback is that a player can find themselves not being as precise as they need to be when the object ball needs to travel a longer distance to the actual pocket because at distance a tiny vector difference is amplified into a miss.

To understand the inherent difficulty with imagining a ghost pocket just have someone take a ball and place it six inches away from the object ball in line with the pocket. Watch as the payer places the ball and then steps back to check it and then steps in to adjust it and then steps back to check and steps in to adjust and so on....rarely will they get it right the first time.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Ghost pocket is well known. a drawback is that a player can find themselves not being as precise as they need to be when the object ball needs to travel a longer distance to the actual pocket because at distance a tiny vector difference is amplified into a miss.

To understand the inherent difficulty with imagining a ghost pocket just have someone take a ball and place it six inches away from the object ball in line with the pocket. Watch as the payer places the ball and then steps back to check it and then steps in to adjust it and then steps back to check and steps in to adjust and so on....rarely will they get it right the first time.

Rarely ? I just tried it . I used a cue.
I could see the other when I'm down that the other ball is not in line .
Two times easily.
It's a lot easier in placing another ball than imagining it .

Those who become accurate in their visualization in this game have half the battle beat . Even without any tip aiming system.

And one can argue with tip aiming systems as well that most C players are not really aiming that tip that accurately . Joe Tucker has already proven that even if you aim the center of the tip right , your cue can still skewed . Hence he invented the third eye trainer .
 

JB Cases

www.jbcases.com
Silver Member
Rarely ? I just tried it . I used a cue.
I could see the other when I'm down that the other ball is not in line .
Two times easily.
It's a lot easier in placing another ball than imagining it .

Those who become accurate in their visualization in this game have half the battle beat . Even without any tip aiming system.

And one can argue with tip aiming systems as well that most C players are not really aiming that tip that accurately . Joe Tucker has already proven that even if you aim the center of the tip right , your cue can still skewed . Hence he invented the third eye trainer .

I have done the experiment with many people and almost none of them get the ball lined up right the first time.

Yes, you can be pointing at center ball and have the cue be skewed. I have a slow motion video of myself and a friend shooting where his stroke is laser straight and the cue is going to center ball perfectly with each stroke while mine is at center ball to start and then varies from side to side ever so slightly with each stroke.

Yes, visualization skills are extremely important. And the more objective aids one has to augment their visualization the better imo.
 

GaryB

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
That is one other visualization that can be really nuts if you have good eyes and get good at it .
Basically, you imagine all free shots as if the OB is frozen to the rail.

I watched Morro Paez teach this to a group of Spaniards who were visiting him years ago.
 
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