Hal Houles CTE in detail

scottjen26

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Nice write up, one of the better ones I've seen! Wish I would have seen this a few years ago when I first heard some of the 90/90 or CTE concepts...

Dave sent me some nice diagrams back in the day as well, seems you were able to expound on them, again the visuals are nice. I've learned through experience with Stan's version that some of the seemingly nebulous concepts around the visuals and the pivot are indeed something that just happens with experimentation and practice, as with the transition points between different aim points. Agree that these can vary slightly from person to person based on their stroke setup, eyesight, etc.

I know this is where people say it's not a true aiming "system" - fine. I've come to terms that somehow visually it all just makes sense for me, even if on paper I can't figure it out. There are still difficult shots I make 90%+ of the time, vs. maybe 30 - 50% before, and I still can't tell you why, but I know they go in the hole!

Thanks for the post.
Scott
 

Choir Boy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hmm...

Coming into this with absolutely no background in aiming systems other than very early books by Mosconi and some others. I find this CTE stuff remarkably similar. At least in effect.

Just look at your illustrations. Mentally move the cue ball down the line you illustrated. The cue ball makes contact with the object ball at the point where if you draw a line from center to center it points directly into the pocket.

What's old becomes new.

Bottom line is that if it works for you, do it. Use it. Practice it. Enjoy it. And ignore the naysayers.
 

mohrt

Student of the Game
Silver Member
Hmm...

Coming into this with absolutely no background in aiming systems other than very early books by Mosconi and some others. I find this CTE stuff remarkably similar. At least in effect.

Just look at your illustrations. Mentally move the cue ball down the line you illustrated. The cue ball makes contact with the object ball at the point where if you draw a line from center to center it points directly into the pocket.

What's old becomes new.

Bottom line is that if it works for you, do it. Use it. Practice it. Enjoy it. And ignore the naysayers.

Actually none of the lines from CB to OB in the illustrations are the shot lines, but are the reference lines you use to line up the shot. They lead to the shot line after the pivot. Agreed, use what works. Thanks for the input!
 

Choir Boy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know they are not the shot lines. Like I said it's the effect. When I look at the balls I see them going into the hole. lol

I will add something that is totally off the wall here. And it's about practice and learning theory. I'll keep it simple.

The brain learns by absorbing all possibilities and recognizing those that don't work. In other words, missing shots may be frustrating, but they too serve their purpose. It's why when you are over the ball and can't get comfortable, the brain is yelling: "I remember this you damn fool, you're gonna miss."

When you get this feeling, simply back off, reset, put your left hand down where it should be again and listen up. There are parts of the brain that are smarter than what we are conscious of.

Use your aiming system. Practice it. And be aware of what your practice has taught you.

It's why you miss shots that you should make. That part of the brain that knows you're gonna miss is yelling at you and you ain't listening. Reset and make it comfortable. Your confidence level will go way up.

btw, that's what being in the zone is. Putting that unconscious part of the brain in charge. Making it comfortable. When it's in control, nothing else exists.

I'll talk more about this as I pay my visits.
 

Palmetto cue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for posting! I use 90/90, and have really enjoyed learning about these other aiming systems also! :thumbup:
 
Last edited:

Mikjary

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know they are not the shot lines. Like I said it's the effect. When I look at the balls I see them going into the hole. lol

I will add something that is totally off the wall here. And it's about practice and learning theory. I'll keep it simple.

The brain learns by absorbing all possibilities and recognizing those that don't work. In other words, missing shots may be frustrating, but they too serve their purpose. It's why when you are over the ball and can't get comfortable, the brain is yelling: "I remember this you damn fool, you're gonna miss."

When you get this feeling, simply back off, reset, put your left hand down where it should be again and listen up. There are parts of the brain that are smarter than what we are conscious of.

Use your aiming system. Practice it. And be aware of what your practice has taught you.

It's why you miss shots that you should make. That part of the brain that knows you're gonna miss is yelling at you and you ain't listening. Reset and make it comfortable. Your confidence level will go way up.

btw, that's what being in the zone is. Putting that unconscious part of the brain in charge. Making it comfortable. When it's in control, nothing else exists.

I'll talk more about this as I pay my visits.

These systems have been around for a long time. Hal took a lot of heat from the traditionalists for years. Finally, we are looking past diagrammable systems and starting to explore the connection between what the eyes perceive and how the mind uses this information. Making this link is a positive step for the player to gain access to his underlying subconscious aiming abilities.

I use several of these systems including CTE/Pro One. I warm up manually with a conscious effort to align myself correctly and slowly move to automatic. These systems are the future of pool and how we teach players to aim.


Best,
Mike
 

LAMas

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
We would like to have Hal critique your presentation.

Hal Houle Point and Pivot System

The Hal Houle Point and Pivot system is a billiard aiming system that uses the geometry, layout, and design of a pool table, as well as some common assumptions to help you determine the appropriate spot on the object ball to strike with the cue ball. This method may not be for everyone, as it takes an analytical mind to wrap your head around some of the theories.

Hal Houle Point and Pivot System

To begin, lets examine some of the assumptions that are made about the pool table, the cue stick, the cue ball, and the object ball:
•You must know where your pivot point is. (Cue)
•All proper billiard tables have a 2:1 ratio, meaning that they are exactly twice as long as they are wide.
•The corners of the table are always 90 degree angles.
•A 45 degree angle is formed when a cue is placed from the side pocket to the corner pocket.
•A 30 degree angle is formed when a cue is placed from the side pocket to the middle diamond on the same end rail.
•A 15 degree angle is formed when a cue is placed from the side pocket to the first diamond on the same end rail.
•When you add up these 3 angles, they total 90 degrees, which is the same angle formed by the table corners.
•The cue ball relation to object ball relation shot angle is always either 15 degrees, 30 degrees, or 45 degrees.
•There are only three angles for any type shot, on any table, no matter where the balls are placed. (I know this sounds absurd, but reserve this judgment until you read more.)

The Hal Houle Point and Pivot system uses these assumptions to deduce the proper angle you should take when shooting, but before we can complete the equation, there are a few more points to keep in mind here:
•There are exactly two edges on the cue ball to aim with, and they are always located in exactly the same place on the cue ball.
•There are exactly three spots on the object ball to set your aim toward, and they are always in exactly the same place on the object ball.

These two assumptions can lead us to calculate that two points on the cue ball multiplied by three points on the object ball totals six, which coincidentally is the same number of pockets on the table. From this we can reason that depending upon how the cue ball and object ball lie on the table in relation to each other, you can either pocket the object ball directly into a pocket or calculate a bank shot and sink it in any one of the remaining 5 pockets. The exact opposite is also true.

The balls may lie on the table in such a way that blocks certain shots, making a bank your only option. The Hal Houle point and pivot system takes this in to consideration. In fact, it provides that you will never have to look at any pocket or cushion while lining up the edge on the cue ball to the exact point on the object ball that needs to be struck. How can this be you ask? Well, you have only the three angles and so your only requirement at this point is to recognize whether your shot is a 15, 30, or 45 degree angle shot. This can be determined quickly and easily by aiming the edge of the cue ball to one of the three spots on the object ball. It will be obvious which object ball spot is correct, and there should be no doubt. You can be confident that any time one of the two edges on the cue ball is aimed toward any one of the three spots on the object ball, the object ball will surely be driven to a pocket.

Finding the Hal Houle Spots

At this point you are probably asking where these points are located, and how the heck you can find them. Good question.

On the cue ball you will find the spots on the left edge, and on the right edge. Which one you use will depend on whether you are cutting the object ball to the left or to the right.

On the object ball the three spots are the two quarters, and the center. Each of these spots face straight toward the edges of the cue ball, not facing toward the pocket.

Here is where it gets tricky so read this five or ten times so that you completely understand what is being said. When cutting to the left for 15 degrees, aim the cue ball's left edge at the object ball's left quarter. When cutting to the left for 30 degrees, aim the cue ball's left edge at the object ball's center. When you cut to the left for 45 degrees, aim the cue ball's left edge at the object ball's right quarter. When you cut to the right for 15 degrees, you aim the cue ball right edge at the object ball's right quarter. When you cut to the right for 30 degrees, you aim the cue ball's right edge at the object ball's center spot. When you cut to the right for 45 degrees, you aim the cue ball's right edge to the object ball's left quarter. Alright, now read this paragraph again.

When you aim the usual way, you will generally be coming close to these angles, but will usually be slightly off. Sometimes you'll be off enough for you to miss the shot. With this technique, you should be able to pocket any ball without looking at the pocket, or actually seeing it at all.

Hal Houle Point and Pivot System

The hal houle point and pivot system article was posted on 10/2/2006 12:40:36 PM and updated on 10/2/2006 12:40:36 PM. The hal houle point and pivot system article was edited by Billiards Forum Webmaster.

Hal Houle Point and Pivot System

The information for the hal houle point and pivot system article was sourced from Hal Houle.

Hal Houle Point and Pivot System pool playing tip belongs to the aiming and execution tutorials for billiards category. Billiard and pool playing tips around shot making, aiming, and execution.

The entire pool playing tips listing is available via RSS/XML. Click to view the pool tips rss feeds
 

sfleinen

14.1 & One Pocket Addict
Gold Member
Silver Member
Well done!

This is to the best of my knowledge, a Hal original. I have yet to find it explained completely and correctly, so here it is.

http://www.billiardsthegame.com/hal-houles-cte-12-ball-pivot-395

Feel free to discuss. Naysayers please press the little red "X" at the top right of your window now. Thanks.

mohrt:

Thank you for posting this -- the existence of your blog, which I personally did not know existed before now. The CTE submissions are very easy to understand, and although not for me, I can understand how these would be extremely helpful for beginning and even experienced players.

To be honest, I found your entire blog to be chock-full of very interesting reading, not just the aiming systems submissions. You have a very clear and understandable writing style; this coming from a guy who has to write a lot of technical papers and reports for his living. Per chance, do you do any kind of writing for a living?

Well done!
-Sean
 

sfleinen

14.1 & One Pocket Addict
Gold Member
Silver Member
Hal Houle Point and Pivot System

The Hal Houle Point and Pivot system is a billiard aiming system that uses the geometry, layout, and design of a pool table, as well as some common assumptions to help you determine the appropriate spot on the object ball to strike with the cue ball.

[...]

The entire pool playing tips listing is available via RSS/XML. Click to view the pool tips rss feeds

LAMas:

Once again, it's not clear whether you wrote this, or you're copy/pasting from a website. It looks like a copy/paste from a website.

May you quote the source (not just for clarity as to whether you or someone else wrote it, but also for attribution to the source)?

-Sean
 

mohrt

Student of the Game
Silver Member
Hal Houle Point and Pivot System

The Hal Houle Point and Pivot system is a billiard aiming system that uses the geometry, layout, and design of a pool table, as well as some common assumptions to help you determine the appropriate spot on the object ball to strike with the cue ball. This method may not be for everyone, as it takes an analytical mind to wrap your head around some of the theories.

Hal Houle Point and Pivot System

To begin, lets examine some of the assumptions that are made about the pool table, the cue stick, the cue ball, and the object ball:
•You must know where your pivot point is. (Cue)
•All proper billiard tables have a 2:1 ratio, meaning that they are exactly twice as long as they are wide.
•The corners of the table are always 90 degree angles.
•A 45 degree angle is formed when a cue is placed from the side pocket to the corner pocket.
•A 30 degree angle is formed when a cue is placed from the side pocket to the middle diamond on the same end rail.
•A 15 degree angle is formed when a cue is placed from the side pocket to the first diamond on the same end rail.
•When you add up these 3 angles, they total 90 degrees, which is the same angle formed by the table corners.
•The cue ball relation to object ball relation shot angle is always either 15 degrees, 30 degrees, or 45 degrees.
•There are only three angles for any type shot, on any table, no matter where the balls are placed. (I know this sounds absurd, but reserve this judgment until you read more.)

The Hal Houle Point and Pivot system uses these assumptions to deduce the proper angle you should take when shooting, but before we can complete the equation, there are a few more points to keep in mind here:
•There are exactly two edges on the cue ball to aim with, and they are always located in exactly the same place on the cue ball.
•There are exactly three spots on the object ball to set your aim toward, and they are always in exactly the same place on the object ball.

These two assumptions can lead us to calculate that two points on the cue ball multiplied by three points on the object ball totals six, which coincidentally is the same number of pockets on the table. From this we can reason that depending upon how the cue ball and object ball lie on the table in relation to each other, you can either pocket the object ball directly into a pocket or calculate a bank shot and sink it in any one of the remaining 5 pockets. The exact opposite is also true.

The balls may lie on the table in such a way that blocks certain shots, making a bank your only option. The Hal Houle point and pivot system takes this in to consideration. In fact, it provides that you will never have to look at any pocket or cushion while lining up the edge on the cue ball to the exact point on the object ball that needs to be struck. How can this be you ask? Well, you have only the three angles and so your only requirement at this point is to recognize whether your shot is a 15, 30, or 45 degree angle shot. This can be determined quickly and easily by aiming the edge of the cue ball to one of the three spots on the object ball. It will be obvious which object ball spot is correct, and there should be no doubt. You can be confident that any time one of the two edges on the cue ball is aimed toward any one of the three spots on the object ball, the object ball will surely be driven to a pocket.

Finding the Hal Houle Spots

At this point you are probably asking where these points are located, and how the heck you can find them. Good question.

On the cue ball you will find the spots on the left edge, and on the right edge. Which one you use will depend on whether you are cutting the object ball to the left or to the right.

On the object ball the three spots are the two quarters, and the center. Each of these spots face straight toward the edges of the cue ball, not facing toward the pocket.

Here is where it gets tricky so read this five or ten times so that you completely understand what is being said. When cutting to the left for 15 degrees, aim the cue ball's left edge at the object ball's left quarter. When cutting to the left for 30 degrees, aim the cue ball's left edge at the object ball's center. When you cut to the left for 45 degrees, aim the cue ball's left edge at the object ball's right quarter. When you cut to the right for 15 degrees, you aim the cue ball right edge at the object ball's right quarter. When you cut to the right for 30 degrees, you aim the cue ball's right edge at the object ball's center spot. When you cut to the right for 45 degrees, you aim the cue ball's right edge to the object ball's left quarter. Alright, now read this paragraph again.

When you aim the usual way, you will generally be coming close to these angles, but will usually be slightly off. Sometimes you'll be off enough for you to miss the shot. With this technique, you should be able to pocket any ball without looking at the pocket, or actually seeing it at all.

Hal Houle Point and Pivot System

The hal houle point and pivot system article was posted on 10/2/2006 12:40:36 PM and updated on 10/2/2006 12:40:36 PM. The hal houle point and pivot system article was edited by Billiards Forum Webmaster.

Hal Houle Point and Pivot System

The information for the hal houle point and pivot system article was sourced from Hal Houle.

Hal Houle Point and Pivot System pool playing tip belongs to the aiming and execution tutorials for billiards category. Billiard and pool playing tips around shot making, aiming, and execution.

The entire pool playing tips listing is available via RSS/XML. Click to view the pool tips rss feeds

That is one of Hal's many systems, but is not CTE. That is a fractional aiming system. The system I presented has a pivot involved. I think the system you quote above is the biggest confusion people have with CTE. Someone added the label "point and pivot". There is no pivot! It has limitations. Hal worded it as gospel, but that is just how he was. Hal never posted CTE to the net, he only taught in person.
 
Last edited:

mohrt

Student of the Game
Silver Member
mohrt:

Thank you for posting this -- the existence of your blog, which I personally did not know existed before now. The CTE submissions are very easy to understand, and although not for me, I can understand how these would be extremely helpful for beginning and even experienced players.

To be honest, I found your entire blog to be chock-full of very interesting reading, not just the aiming systems submissions. You have a very clear and understandable writing style; this coming from a guy who has to write a lot of technical papers and reports for his living. Per chance, do you do any kind of writing for a living?

Well done!
-Sean

I write technical stuff here and there, but not for a living. I develop web sites, iPhone/iPad apps and network sysadmin for a day job. Thanks for the kudos on the website. I wanted a place to share all the good stuff I've discovered playing pool.
 

dr_dave

Instructional Author
Gold Member
Silver Member
This is to the best of my knowledge, a Hal original. I have yet to find it explained completely and correctly, so here it is.

http://www.billiardsthegame.com/hal-houles-cte-12-ball-pivot-395

Feel free to discuss. Naysayers please press the little red "X" at the top right of your window now. Thanks.
Excellent explanations and illustrations!

FYI, I've added a link to your site (under "CTE Version 3") on my CTE resource page. If you would like me to change how the credit reads, please let me know.

Good work,
Dave
 

claymont

JADE
Gold Member
Silver Member
all systems are a go and i have a few things to do and i will have a few hours later tonight to try this out and if dr dave wishes to put up any limitations he has spoken of in the past that these systems have, i will gladly do it with this system even though tonight will be my first attempt trying it. i will check this thread when im at the table :p

The only thing in my head right now is BOOTAY___BOOTAY____BOOTAY:groucho::winknudge:
bismarck.jpg
bismarck.jpg
bismarck.jpg
bismarck.jpg
bismarck.jpg


Took me a hour to write this:cool:
 
Top