the side pockets are deadly for me. 40/60 chance

judochoke said:

i dont know if its my vision at age 63, but i cant make shots into the side pocket. lol
i set up, take my time, nice stoke, BOOM, either a rattler, or hit the point, or just overshoot the ball.

im thinking its a depth perception problem, but im a 40/60 chance of going in. :frown::frown::frown::frown::frown::frown:

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If you really struggle that much, here is a thing you can try:

Try aiming straight at the point with a hair of spin. Let's say you're shooting into a side pocket, cutting the ball. Your problem might be that you keep undercutting the shot hitting whichever point that would be. Use inside english and aim straight for the point you usually hit. The inside english gives you more cut, letting you hit the center pocket. You now have a defined target to aim at (the point), which usually alleviates the problem of not actually seeing the pocket opening well. If your problem is the opposite, aim at the other point and use opposite english from before. It's generally easier to aim for an undercut and use inside. If you use outside and aim for an overcut, make sure to hit the ball firmer and use less english.

In general, you need much less english that you'd maybe think. If the shot is long distance you need only a hair, so little that it's not right to even call it english. Whatever spin the cueball has will be worn off before it can ever hit a rail. On very long shots, you may need to aim outside the point, if you find it too hard to use so little english.

Start with easier shots with a good entry angle. Try to gradually use less and less english and speed. In the beginning you can use more english and hit the centre pocket. Gradually try to get closer and closer to the point you're aiming at until you are grazing it going in, then back off a bit so that you have the smallest clearance you can without touching it. Then make the angle tougher. You'll now need the practise from before, because you can no longer slam the ball in as hard. The thing about shooting this way is that it's a touch thing. In a way you're reducing your reliance on aiming and imagination and instead let the english and your touch do the work for you. Its so hard to see that pocket opening sometimes, but the point is always there and needs very little processing to detect. After a while you'll get a good sense of how much speed you can get away with for different angles. The hardest thing is probably to actually believe and commit. You must ignore your intuition (which in your case is leading you astray) and just trust the shot to go in even with ridiculously small amounts of english.

Naturally, you can also throw the ball in with more english and less speed (using the opposite principle). I find that this is actually less reliable for the side pocket, though I use it more for the corner. The side pocket shots have nearly zero margin for error as the angle gets closer to the rail. Even slight differences in throw can make a big impact. Hitting firmly with a touch of side will not be as vulnerable to those effects.

A lot has to do with the side pocket cut on the table you most often play.Olhausens generally had large, wide side pocket openings and you could cut a ball in from two diamonds down without much problem on many angles. Diamond tables are much tougher on the side pockets, Gold Crown generally somewhere in between theses two in terms of side pocket angle difficulty.

A few additional tips from the above post, one is to try to smooth out your stroke as much as possible on side pocket shots- rely more on smoothness and purity of stroke than speed to make the side pocket shot and get to your next position. Secondly, being 66 myself, I can tell you that I have noticed also, over time, that visual perception does narrow a bit with time. I have also struggled more with side pocket shots- but mostly on Diamonds. Try just adjusting your pre shot routine a bit by actually opening your eyes a bit wider ; purposely increasing your vision field on that last look at the object ball/ side pocket target just prior to the actual delivery of your cue stick to the cue ball.

Soon this will become automatic for you and actually should be applied to shots to ALL six pockets- but it may help you actually SEE the angle into the side better as you make a final aim confirmation between your brain and your eyes - then just deliver the cue stick to what you see. There is NO thought involved here, You visualize the shot while standing, perceive the angle and aim while down on the shot; then fire away at the critical point of final focus which is the confirmation between your brain and your eyes as to the true aiming point. Hope this helps!

I will add one more thing- you will need to get that 40/60 thing out of your mind- otherwise every time you approach a cut shot into the side your mind will start with "I might be in trouble here" - once you start with that idea in your head- the whole correct pre shot process gets interrupted and you start interfering unconsciously with your natural perceptions and final focus abilities. Take some time prior to each practice session and start with straight in shots to the side, gradually add angled shots with this new approach, and build your CONFIDENCE, so that the 40/60 thing gets erased from your mind- you don't want that distraction to developing a new way to handle this problem.

Sounds like you are aiming at the wrong part of the pocket. If you aim at the center of the side pocket - which many people do just by default - then you’ll rattle a lot. Instead aim at the seam at the back of the pocket opposit the side you are shooting from. I’m not sure all tables have that seam but it’s right by where the pocket curves from the back to the side. Almost the back corner, if you will.

There are many variables.

One of these is knowing where actual center of the pocket is from any angle. I have sticky paper reinforcements marking the center of the pockets on my table. I can see where center is from any angle...and it’s not where the eye perceives it unless dead on.

An aside. I sometimes like to use gravity to sink side pocket balls when playing 8 ball....a light shot of a difficult angle. I weigh risk. Hopefully the ball drops, but, if not, I’m left with a hanger I can position off of next time at the table.

Others have mentioned spin. I’m mostly a Snooker player and add spin to about every shot. Sinking balls when they are past the side pockets is a fun challenge. I don’t do it in competition but on my own best feeling is using my snooker tip sinking that impossible ball 6 inches off the rails six inches past the side pocket with an extreme cut and spin.

Only shoot it the 60% of the time you can make it.

judochoke said:

i dont know if its my vision at age 63, but i cant make shots into the side pocket. lol
i set up, take my time, nice stoke, BOOM, either a rattler, or hit the point, or just overshoot the ball.

im thinking its a depth perception problem, but im a 40/60 chance of going in. :frown::frown::frown::frown::frown::frown:

Click to expand...

Rattling could be a speed issue.....the greater the angle into the side pocket, the slower the speed of the OB needs to be.

As for hitting the point, that’s a hard one because no one can see how you are aiming. If you are hitting the points, somehow you have to adjust your aiming to more inside the pocket. As suggested, picking a spot on the back of the pocket to the inside is a first idea to try.

I struggled with side pocket shots for a long time until I started to really practice side pocket shots. Now, they are no big deal and because I can hit all 6 pockets with the same level of consistency, my game went up.

Try aiming at the facing You can see just inside the point

Forget everything you've heard about "My eyes are up here."

The target's the same from any angle: midway between the "obstructions" (pocket points) - as shown by the yellow "X" below.

pj
chgo

P.S. Depending on the table it may not be on the edge of the pocket as shown, but always directly between the points.

jimmyco said:

Forget everything you've heard about "My eyes are up here."

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Busted out laughing with this one!

Bob Jewett said:

Using Pat's diagram, put a donut at the "center-of-pocket" location. (Part of the donut will be hanging in the air.) Try to drive each object ball right over the donut. That should get you calibrated for all the different angles of approach.

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Lets all be clear with him, you need to relearn rolling the CENTER of the object ball over the CENTER of a side pocket. My bet is you are 60/40 rolling the edges of your object ball over the center of your side pockets and hitting pocket points more than pocket center.

Train your mind's eye to SEE the relationship between the cue ball path, the center of the object ball and the center of the side pocket - when you SEE them all aligned- that is the time to execute the shot.

So it is a two part process- first part is to learn to see the cue ball/ object ball/center pocket target while down in the shooting position- second part is the TIMING of releasing the cue WHEN you SEE that picture clearly. ALL the best shooters do this two part process very accurately, without thinking about it, and most consistently. The straightness of your stroke will keep the cue ball on the path that you see when you let the cue go forward.

YouTube - How to Make Side Pocket Shots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuObZhqZ2xs

jimmyco said:

Forget everything you've heard about "My eyes are up here."

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:lol::lol:

Shoot object balls straight in 1st so you learn where u need to aim to make ball from various angles. Then shoot straight in from various angles. Finally start practice with various angles and speeds.
BTW Pat´s diagram is spot on.

68yo got back to the table 3 years ago after a 45 year lay off. And I am getting much better at side pocket shots for several reasons. And glasses are not one.

First, light in the play space is big. Do you think your lighting can be improved?

I changed my stance. It is what I call the gunfighter stance as my feet are square to the shot. Think snooker. I find that the dominant eye is now a pair of eyes.

Lastly, I have gotten a Cuetec R360 to which the extension is added as soon as the cue comes out of the bag. (Cuetec is not the only cue with an extension) The grip I use is at the regular butt cap where the extension joins. My tip stays on down and still plus the longer bridge helps the aim.

Hope you find something in that you can use

It could be just mental. You missed a few and started to lose confidence in the shot. Double check your fundamentals. Quality stroke? Staying down? Quiet Mind? (oh there is that damn side pocket shot I'm going to miss), etc. If that's not the issue, then you might have lost the "shot picture" and need to re-learn by just practicing them until you can "see" the shot from various angles to the side. If it's something that has changed in your vision then you will need to re-learn this shot by shooting them over and over. If you miss just make the adjustment to under cut or over cut the shot till it goes even if it doesn't seem right. You will then re-learn the shot under your new circumstances.

I rarely shoot balls in the side pockets.

To hell with them. Hell!!

Black-Balled said:

I rarely shoot balls in the side pockets.



To hell with them. Hell!!

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The spirit of Earl is strong in this one...