System for making tiny corrections

skipbales

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I re-discovered a technique (modified slightly for myself) I learned from Watching CJ Wiley's aiming system video. I am not talking about TOI.

It is the one where he talks about only having two points of aim on the object ball, center ball and the edges. A lot of people teach a version of aiming to the center or edge of the object ball. The difference in CJ's system is instead of aiming a little more or less then these spots to adjust for other angles he aims through a slice of the cue ball to create the angle. Then when he drops down he sub consciously does a slight parallel shift back to the center of the cue ball and retains the same exact line then shoots. He does not explain it that way but that is the essence of what he does. He says he drops into the shot and moves to the center of the cue ball and doesn't think much about the object ball anymore since it will soon be gone. I am the one who suggests it is a sub conscious parallel shift to the center of the cue ball.

Anyway, here is what I rediscovered that is working so well for me. I have a shot that is not quite a half ball hit, If it were perfect I could simply aim center to edge. But it is a little more than that. I normally aim so only part of the cue stick is on the edge and so forth until I am way out there off the object ball aiming a full tip off to the side, etc. That is hard for me to visualize. So instead I move over on the cue ball enough to create the angle if it is pretty close. This puts such a tiny bit of English on the cue ball it has almost no effect. I don't even bother to parallel shift back to center. The tiny offset is just what the doctor ordered and I pocket the ball. Of course if I needed a ton of spin for position this would not be what I would do. Nor would I do it for really large offsets. But when I need just a tiny bit more or less than center ball or half ball it is a very accurate way to keep me from over doing the adjustment.
 
Last edited:

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
I re-discovered a technique (modified slightly for myself) I learned from Watching CJ Wiley's aiming system video. I am not talking about TOI.

It is the one where he talks about only having two points of aim on the object ball, center ball and the edges. A lot of people teach a version of aiming to the center or edge of the object ball. The difference in CJ's system is instead of aiming a little more or less then these spots to adjust for other angles he aims through a slice of the cue ball to create the angle. Then when he drops down he sub consciously does a slight parallel shift back to the center of the cue ball and retains the same exact line then shoots. He does not explain it that way but that is the essence of what he does. He says he drops into the shot and moves to the center of the cue ball and doesn't think much about the object ball anymore since it will soon be gone. I am the one who suggests it is a sub conscious parallel shift to the center of the cue ball.

Anyway, here is what I rediscovered that is working so well for me. I have a shot that is not quite a half ball hit, If it were perfect I could simply aim center to edge. But it is a little more than that. I normally aim so only part of the cue stick is on the edge and so forth until I am way out there off the object ball aiming a full tip off to the side, etc. That is hard for me to visualize. So instead I move over on the cue ball enough to create the angle if it is pretty close. This puts such a tiny bit of English on the cue ball it has almost no effect. I don't even bother to parallel shift back to center. The tiny offset is just what the doctor ordered and I pocket the ball. Of course if I needed a ton of spin for position this would not be what I would do. Nor would I do it for really large offsets. But when I need just a tiny bit more or less than center ball or half ball it is a very accurate way to keep me from over doing the adjustment.
How do you move over on the cue ball to create the angle? Which direction (outside/inside)? Whole stick (parallel) or just the tip (angled to the shot line)?

Trying to picture what you do.

pj
chgo
 

skipbales

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How do you move over on the cue ball to create the angle? Which direction (outside/inside)? Whole stick (parallel) or just the tip (angled to the shot line)?

Trying to picture what you do.

pj
chgo

A minuscule shift in whichever direction is required to get the angle. Parallel or backhand would not matter much as the tip is so slightly off center.

Let's say you are cutting a ball to the left and it is just a LITTLE bit less than a half ball hit and the object ball is a long way away. It is hard for me to aim just a little bit left of the edge at distance. But if i move the stick a tiny bit right on the cue ball and aim that exactly at the edge I am making the tiny adjustment I need. The center of the cue ball is now aimed just a tiny bit inside of the right edge.

If the cut were just a little bit more than 1/2 ball on the same shot I move the tip a tiny bit left and aim at the exact edge. This has the exact center of the cue ball pointed just a little bit outside the edge without me having to aim at a nebulous point in the distance. I would say the outer limits of this approach for me would be a 3/8 to 5/8 ball hit and maybe even less than that. Too much shift introduces too much spin and now there are too many variables.

Where I found the most value of this early on was a straight in shot down the rail shot lined up to just miss the pocket. I found when I aimed just a little off center on the object ball I tended to over cut the object ball. By keeping the dead straight aim but shifting the stick ever so slightly I could make finer adjustments. I kept dead center aim but was slightly left or right of center on the cue ball. I could easily see tiny adjustments on where I was hitting the cue ball and then only had to aim dead center on the object ball.

Again, this is not an "aiming system" for me so much as a fine tuning of my aim in certain conditions. You simply make slight aiming adjustments on the cue ball versus slight aiming corrections at the other end at the object ball. Not a thing I am promoting or something, just something that helps me and MIGHT help someone else who's brain works similar to mine. :smile:
 

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
A minuscule shift in whichever direction is required to get the angle. Parallel or backhand would not matter much as the tip is so slightly off center.

Let's say you are cutting a ball to the left and it is just a LITTLE bit less than a half ball hit and the object ball is a long way away. It is hard for me to aim just a little bit left of the edge at distance. But if i move the stick a tiny bit right on the cue ball and aim that exactly at the edge I am making the tiny adjustment I need. The center of the cue ball is now aimed just a tiny bit inside of the right edge.

If the cut were just a little bit more than 1/2 ball on the same shot I move the tip a tiny bit left and aim at the exact edge. This has the exact center of the cue ball pointed just a little bit outside the edge without me having to aim at a nebulous point in the distance. I would say the outer limits of this approach for me would be a 3/8 to 5/8 ball hit and maybe even less than that. Too much shift introduces too much spin and now there are too many variables.

Where I found the most value of this early on was a straight in shot down the rail shot lined up to just miss the pocket. I found when I aimed just a little off center on the object ball I tended to over cut the object ball. By keeping the dead straight aim but shifting the stick ever so slightly I could make finer adjustments. I kept dead center aim but was slightly left or right of center on the cue ball. I could easily see tiny adjustments on where I was hitting the cue ball and then only had to aim dead center on the object ball.

Again, this is not an "aiming system" for me so much as a fine tuning of my aim in certain conditions. You simply make slight aiming adjustments on the cue ball versus slight aiming corrections at the other end at the object ball. Not a thing I am promoting or something, just something that helps me and MIGHT help someone else who's brain works similar to mine. :smile:
Got it now. Thanks for the detail.

pj
chgo
 
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