What is so wrong with taking advantage of the margin for error?

BC21 said:

Here is a video showing a few shots that take advantage of the ob's margin for error going cleanly into the pocket, its acceptable "window" into the pocket. Though it's good to practice for precision, the main goal when it comes to pocketing balls is having the ob go into the pocket. The more we can do this, the more games we can win and the better our chances are for running out.
Eventually we begin to fine tune our precision/accuracy, but I think it's beneficial to be able to get the balls into the holes first.

https://youtu.be/VrGK9PsA_Z0

Click to expand...

Right past the 35 second mark it looks to me like you could (should) use the inlay and points at the end of it in your cue butt to aim. Almost like cheating with the "sights" built in. LOL

BC21 said:

:thumbup: My whole reason for thr Mezz with arrowhead points!! Lol

Do people actually look at the cue's forearm while in full stance? If so, that would be a good place for a sticker that reads, "Nothing to see here. Look at the cue ball (or object ball, or both), but don't look here."

Click to expand...

Never! I have to look down to see what cue I'm using. Some of the old timers used to make a line or more on their ferrule and supposedly aimed with it. I never tried it. Have you?

Doesn't matter. The edge of CB is the way to go now.

SpiderWebComm said:

Never! I have to look down to see what cue I'm using. Some of the old timers used to make a line or more on their ferrule and supposedly aimed with it. I never tried it. Have you?
Doesn't matter. The edge of CB is the way to go now.

Click to expand...

Good morning to you SpiderMan,:thumbup2:
The first time I saw Lassiter, he and another road agent came through Atlanta in either 1954 or 1955 and took on Danny Jones and then Joe Cosgrove at Big Town Billiards downtown. Lassiter busted everyone giving out terrific spots too.
A group of us kids (you could get into pool rooms back then at 16, if you had a signed notarized statement from your parents giving it the ok, otherwise you had to be 18) surrounded Lassiter and he showed us the line he had drawn on his ferrule.
Back then magic markers hadn't even been invented, so the lines was done using a fountain pen filled with black India ink so it would stick.
He used the line to point clearer at at the fractions and then would give the cue a very, very, slight rotation in the proper direction for a touch of outside English to offset throw. Then he pulled the trigger. For reverse English he aimed the line at the fraction and then used a backhand pivot to produce the angle.
It caught on for a while around town and then faded away. I kept using it, all my life, and still use it today.
The beauty of using it today is with ProOne it more efficiently defines the shotline from the original perception (the bozos here in the "Dan White Posse" won't understand the difference in the aiming line and the shotline, since they don't use the edge of the cueball, but you will). Using ProOne, we don't have to worry about throw or cling....the system takes care of all that.
In Basic Manual CTE, another use: A 30 degree hit, for example. Setup on the edge of the OB with the line rotated to one tip of outside English, then rotate back to center cue ball and you're dead on the money.
The line guarantees that when you do need English on a shot, you only use one tip maximum, and are provided a very definitive visual reference. Again just another 'edge' to up the percentages.
You can imagine how that line helps today when shooting at those 45 and 60 perceptions where you're "shooting out into blank space". Vastly superior to some goofy fractional method, you know.
Attached picture shows the room where it all started for me. I saw some of the greatest walk up those stairs....and a lot of them walked back down flat broke too.
Regards,
P.L.

Low500 said:

Good morning to you SpiderMan,:thumbup2:
The first time I saw Lassiter, he and another road agent came through Atlanta in either 1954 or 1955 and took on Danny Jones and then Joe Cosgrove at Big Town Billiards downtown. Lassiter busted everyone giving out terrific spots too.
A group of us kids (you could get into pool rooms back then at 16, if you had a signed notarized statement from your parents giving it the ok, otherwise you had to be 18) surrounded Lassiter and he showed us the line he had drawn on his ferrule.
Back then magic markers hadn't even been invented, so the lines was done using a fountain pen filled with black India ink so it would stick.
He used the line to point clearer at at the fractions and then would give the cue a very, very, slight rotation in the proper direction for a touch of outside English to offset throw. Then he pulled the trigger. For reverse English he aimed the line at the fraction and then used a backhand pivot to produce the angle.
It caught on for a while around town and then faded away. I kept using it, all my life, and still use it today.
The beauty of using it today is with ProOne it more efficiently defines the shotline from the original perception (the bozos here in the "Dan White Posse" won't understand the difference in the aiming line and the shotline, since they don't use the edge of the cueball, but you will). Using ProOne, we don't have to worry about throw or cling....the system takes care of all that.
In Basic Manual CTE, another use: A 30 degree hit, for example. Setup on the edge of the OB with the line rotated to one tip of outside English, then rotate back to center cue ball and you're dead on the money.
The line guarantees that when you do need English on a shot, you only use one tip maximum, and are provided a very definitive visual reference. Again just another 'edge' to up the percentages.
You can imagine how that line helps today when shooting at those 45 and 60 perceptions where you're "shooting out into blank space". Vastly superior to some goofy fractional method, you know.
Attached picture shows the room where it all started for me. I saw some of the greatest walk up those stairs....and a lot of them walked back down flat broke too.
Regards,
P.L.
View attachment 544532

Click to expand...

What a fantastic classic picture!

BC21 said:

And I do see the benefits of using the cb edge to help align thinner shots, like a quarter ball hit or thinner.

Click to expand...

Edges help alignment and work across the entire OB. Nothing jumps out with more clarity than the edge of the white ball against any color or area of an OB.

CTE is Center To Edge. ETC is Edge To Center. If you have a perfect CTE you'll also have a perfect ETC. For a pure 1/2 ball hit or aim it's a great cross reference check to use both in case something is a hair off. I see edges clearer as opposed to two fat or thick inner parts of the balls being lined up to each other.

SpiderWebComm said:

Nothing jumps out with more clarity than the edge of the white ball against any color or area of an OB.

Click to expand...

It's impossible to get your eyes low enough while aiming to actually see any ball against another.

pj
chgo

Patrick Johnson said:

It's impossible to get your eyes low enough while aiming to actually see any ball against another.

pj
chgo

Click to expand...

Does a certain back and forth head movement make it easier or better?

Low500 said:

The beauty of using it today is with ProOne it more efficiently defines the shotline from the original perception (the bozos here in the "Dan White Posse" won't understand the difference in the aiming line and the shotline, since they don't use the edge of the cueball, but you will). Using ProOne, we don't have to worry about throw or cling....the system takes care of all that.

Click to expand...

How do you adjust for different shot speeds?

I think it's a case of "to each their own".

Over the course of my pool playing lifetime I've used every type of direct visual or imaginary visual ever invented.

I have to say, with enough time and practice they were all pretty effective.

Contact points; equal and opposite contact points; fractions, CB to OB telescoped impact position; lights; pivot systems with large offset to start; shadows; base of ball; ferrule parts; CTE/ETC;
Shish Kabob; and I'm sure some are being left out.

FOR ME, I see the edge of CB onto different parts of the OB better than any and all of the rest.

Since I have used all of the others very long lengths of time, I know what suits me best. Is it for everyone? To be determined by the individual. Noting I care to debate.

At this point there's nothing else I have to add than go back to the first sentence in this post.

BC21 said:

Here is a video showing a few shots that take advantage of the ob's margin for error going cleanly into the pocket, its acceptable "window" into the pocket. Though it's good to practice for precision, the main goal when it comes to pocketing balls is having the ob go into the pocket. The more we can do this, the more games we can win and the better our chances are for running out.
Eventually we begin to fine tune our precision/accuracy, but I think it's beneficial to be able to get the balls into the holes first.

https://youtu.be/VrGK9PsA_Z0

Click to expand...

You forget position play.........being able to put the OB in any part of the pocket helps to make angles off the OB needed to put the CB where you want.

Putting the balls where you want needs to be practiced from day one.

SpiderWebComm said:

Does a certain back and forth head movement make it easier or better?

Click to expand...

Like I said, it's impossible (have a friend explain that to you).

I think just saying stuff without thinking is the trick.

pj
chgo

Patrick Johnson said:

Like I said, it's impossible (have a friend explain that to you).

pj
chgo

Click to expand...

I was under the impression the back and forth lizard head movement was the problem solver that made everything possible. I know some guys (may be singular) who say they use it effectively.

No?