Per my last post, I recently started using fractional aiming (I thought it was CTE but PJ corrected me – thanks). At first, I was trying to categorize every shot into the following categories:
1. 90 degree cut
2. Quarter ball cut
3. Half ball cut
4. Three quarter ball cut
5. Full
I tested it out on a bar box and it worked surprisingly well. Occasionally, I would have to make minor adjustments but generally the system worked. Over the next few days I started using it on my 9 footer at home and I noticed that it didn’t always work out so well. The big table is not nearly as forgiving as the bar box. So I started subdividing the ball even further into eighth ball fractions and sixteenths if necessary.
My aiming process before involved finding contact points based off past experience. I’ve known that you’re supposed to do your aiming while standing and then get down on the shot line correctly but it’s something I’ve struggled with in the past. I’ll find the contact point and shot line while standing and then I take my eye off it during the setup process and have to find it again while I’m down on the shot. Also, for some strange reason, I tend to get down on a different shot line than what I decided upon while standing. This leads to changing my aim while down on the shot and all the problems involved with that.
With my new method, I choose the ball fraction while standing by systematically narrow down the aiming. For example, I’ll start with a quarter ball fraction and then adjust by one eighth of a ball if necessary and then adjust more until I have it completely fine tuned into the fraction that makes the ball. This all happens while standing. So now, I have the ball fraction completely decided upon and I have a number in my head (i.e three eighths) and I can take my eyes off the contact point to analyze where the cue ball is going to travel and what english and speed to use. When it’s time to get down on the shot I just get down on the three eights line and fire away. There is nothing else to decide upon unless the shot looks off when I get down.
I’m not really doing anything different with my aim except assigning a finite value to the shot line/contact point. But wow, what an improvement this has made in my game! It’s such a relief to have the aiming all figured out before getting down on the shot. It frees up a lot of energy to dedicate to the shotmaking/cueing process and simplifies things.
This aiming process also has helped a lot with the aiming of banks and safeties which are sometimes hard to visualize while down on the shot. Also, I’m starting to see similarities between so many different shots. For example, I no longer see a difference between a backcut (which I usually struggle with) and a regular cut since all I’m doing is hitting the same fraction of the ball and the pocket location is irrelevant. I'm starting to categorize contact throw effects into fractions too. After hitting a few balls, I’ll know what throw to expect out of a half ball hit compared to a quarter ball hit for example, and that carries over from shot to shot.
Overall, I’m very impressed and optimistic for my pool playing future. If anyone else has the same visual problems as me I suggest trying this – it’s really helped a lot. Anyone else use this aiming method? I’d love to hear your results.
1. 90 degree cut
2. Quarter ball cut
3. Half ball cut
4. Three quarter ball cut
5. Full
I tested it out on a bar box and it worked surprisingly well. Occasionally, I would have to make minor adjustments but generally the system worked. Over the next few days I started using it on my 9 footer at home and I noticed that it didn’t always work out so well. The big table is not nearly as forgiving as the bar box. So I started subdividing the ball even further into eighth ball fractions and sixteenths if necessary.
My aiming process before involved finding contact points based off past experience. I’ve known that you’re supposed to do your aiming while standing and then get down on the shot line correctly but it’s something I’ve struggled with in the past. I’ll find the contact point and shot line while standing and then I take my eye off it during the setup process and have to find it again while I’m down on the shot. Also, for some strange reason, I tend to get down on a different shot line than what I decided upon while standing. This leads to changing my aim while down on the shot and all the problems involved with that.
With my new method, I choose the ball fraction while standing by systematically narrow down the aiming. For example, I’ll start with a quarter ball fraction and then adjust by one eighth of a ball if necessary and then adjust more until I have it completely fine tuned into the fraction that makes the ball. This all happens while standing. So now, I have the ball fraction completely decided upon and I have a number in my head (i.e three eighths) and I can take my eyes off the contact point to analyze where the cue ball is going to travel and what english and speed to use. When it’s time to get down on the shot I just get down on the three eights line and fire away. There is nothing else to decide upon unless the shot looks off when I get down.
I’m not really doing anything different with my aim except assigning a finite value to the shot line/contact point. But wow, what an improvement this has made in my game! It’s such a relief to have the aiming all figured out before getting down on the shot. It frees up a lot of energy to dedicate to the shotmaking/cueing process and simplifies things.
This aiming process also has helped a lot with the aiming of banks and safeties which are sometimes hard to visualize while down on the shot. Also, I’m starting to see similarities between so many different shots. For example, I no longer see a difference between a backcut (which I usually struggle with) and a regular cut since all I’m doing is hitting the same fraction of the ball and the pocket location is irrelevant. I'm starting to categorize contact throw effects into fractions too. After hitting a few balls, I’ll know what throw to expect out of a half ball hit compared to a quarter ball hit for example, and that carries over from shot to shot.
Overall, I’m very impressed and optimistic for my pool playing future. If anyone else has the same visual problems as me I suggest trying this – it’s really helped a lot. Anyone else use this aiming method? I’d love to hear your results.
Last edited:
