I rarely say anything on these aiming threads because of all the attacks made on folks whose opinions differ from yours. What I often see that really bothers me, though, is that the aiming system guys can call all the feel players "guessers", but we guessers are not allowed to say anything derogatory about aiming systems or risk banishment.
So, for the record, there is nothing close to guessing when I make a shot. If I see the shot, I know it's on. If I miss I can clearly see how I missed, by how much, and know which side of the pocket and by about how much it'll miss by, usually well before the balls even collide. If it's just guessing, how would I have a clue until the balls stopped rolling?
Now, there are days that I just can't find my alignment, and I do struggle. But I never guess. If I'm not shooting well I know it's because either:
1) I am not seeing the CB-OB connection correctly.
2) I am being too lackadaisical about my stroke.
Sometimes when I'm practicing and I just cannot see the correct lines that well and I know I can't, I play a little game with myself. If I feel I might miss the shot, I'll try to predict which side I think it might miss by. I say, either "under-cut" or "over-cut" in my head, and then take the shot anyway and see if I was right. I almost always am. I believe my feel for the angles has actually improved more from doing this than it has by actually making balls right down the heart of the pocket.
Hi Sloppy Pockets!
Now I'm not interesting in name calling and pointing fingers at who starts arguments, and I agree there is to much of that around here and I'm not sure how to address it. But we can simply avoid that.
Anyways I just thought I'd share my experiences with the above discussion, basically comparing CTE to other aiming methods or systems.
Firstly, everyone uses a system. You can try to draw a line in the sand and contrast a system to a non-system, say CTE and purely by "feel", but even purely by "feel" is a system. That is, each time you approach a shot, you go through a PSR that puts the ball to the hole. You refine that PSR until the consistency is to your liking. It doesn't matter what it is, its a system. So we can put that argument to rest.
Secondly, I believe that shot making is 50% aim and 50% stroke. You cannot have one without the other. You can argue all day about what is aim and what is stroke, but in the end we know that you can't have one without the other.
Now, I played "by feel" or "ghostball" or whatever you wanted to label it for many years. There is nothing wrong with this method, and obviously a lot of players play at very high levels with such a system. On the contrary, there are a lot of professional and amateur CTE method users that also play at a very high level. So for the most part, it can be a matter of preference. Here is my contrast between the two systems:
Ghostball is all about shot recall. You stand behind the shot and see a specific "shot picture", or how the CB->OB->Pocket relationship is on the table. Through recall you line up the shot and stroke it down. Through tremendous hours of practice you learn every shot picture in every possible scenario and recall how to properly line up and stroke the shot. You also recall misses of similar shots, and what you did to correct or improve it. This is exactly how a huge number of pool players play pool all their lives.
Now the difference between this type of system and CTE is that CTE adds an objective element to the game, and that is the use of centers and edges as a starting point for every shot. Centers and edges are VERY objective, its much the same as shooting a half-ball hit or a straight-in shot. there really is very little judgement required on such a shot you just have to shoot straight with good stroke.
And its not just objectivity.. these visuals are always exactly a 1/2 tip movement from the shot line. Therefore, you can fall into a very robotic repeatable approach to every shot, resulting in extremely consistent results. Back this routine up with a solid stroke and you have a very powerful weapon. The advantages of CTE really shine when you come across longer shots, thinner cuts and banks where the pocket is nowhere in sight. Now a ghostballer will memorize diamond systems and line up on targets along the rail. As a CTE user, again I'm only recognizing a specific visual then lock, sweep, shoot.
So to summarize that, ghostball uses shot recall to refine each and every shot to a very specific "tick" on the CB to a "tick" on the OB, where as CTE is more of choosing from a handful of visuals, each bringing you to those same exact "ticks" through a very repeatable PSR of visual lock, sweep, shoot. That said, all the nuances of the game such a shooting off-center, CIT, slow cloth, "cling", etc. play a role in the game. An aiming system simply gives you a solid base-line. There is no magic ball pocketing system, you have to put in effort to reap the results.
Now of course a very high level of play can be obtained by whatever system you use. They are all valid and will all require their own level of practice and patience, and this will all highly hinge on a players physical abilities and experience and knowledge they have collected over years of play, and what works best for them.
For me, CTE took me to the next level. Very clearly. I cannot say for fact that this would be exactly the same experience for everyone if they put in the effort to switch, but we'll leave that argument for someone else
