How can we Noticeably Increase our Sense of Feel and Touch in our Pool Game?

The best way to increase feel is to decrease your vision.

Suddenly turn out the lights and you'll immediately get a "surge" of feel/touch" and start feeling for a wall, the light switch or just feeling for something that you may potentially guide you to safety.

Ideally you want to see the shot predominantly when standing up so that you can connect the cue ball to the object ball (I connect Center/Center or Center/Edge in my alignment).

When you go down on the shot and touch your bridge hand to the table you want to shift into the feel/touch mode. Ideally you are "feeling the shot with your eyes" at this stage.

So how can you train yourself to have more feel and touch?

The way that I do this in pool is to deliberately stand a foot taller than usual in my stance (your head should be much higher than normal).....this forces you to use more instinct!

I would recommend "playing. the ghost" (break and take ball in hand, shoot balls in rotation order) using 6 balls until you can run out over 50% of the time, then increase balls until you can do it with 9 balls (10 for champion level players).

This takes away from your ability to "see" the shot and makes it essential to feel the shot. It's great for instinct training and when you go back to your normal position you'll have more feel and touch.

I suggest doing this for an hour straight, and just accept where the balls go in a learning mode. DO NOT get frustrated if you don't "make" the shot, it's not about playing well, it's about feeling the shots better.

It helps to have good eyesight to play pool, but I've known exceptional shotmakers that win major tournaments that don't see well, but their touch is superb.

I have several other ways to increase my feel/touch and fine tune my instinct I in my 'Precision Pool Drills' do you have any suggestions, I'm always willing to learn more.

that's why professional players will talk about having a "feel for the pocket"

One Pocket John said:

Thanks for the post CJ.

I assume, when you say feel and touch you are referring to the feel and touch you feel in your grip hand as you push the cue thru the cue ball.

Thanks

John

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Yes, the feel you get in your hand and also your instinct.

What people don't realize is the instinct in pool is processed as a feel, that's why professional players will talk about having a "feel for the pocket" when they are ask about aiming. Aiming is more about connection than anything visual and once again, the feeling of connection is a.......indeed!

The Game is the Teacher

How the Connection System is used in aiming & shotmaking

One Pocket John said:

Thanks for the post CJ.

I assume, when you say feel and touch you are referring to the feel and touch you feel in your grip hand as you push the cue thru the cue ball.

Thanks

John

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Maximizing feel and touch applies to a connection the champion players experience to account for their amazing shot making. Like I mentioned, we all have a "feel for the pocket".....which doesn't make sense unless you know how well we connect to our shots.

Here's a video that describes how the Connection System insintualtes aiming, shotmaking, AND pin point position....https://youtu.be/Q_N_Yg-f5Qc

pocket billiards is an ART FORM, and a way of self expression.

jay helfert said:

Bingo! They are not thinking about one tip right or a half tip low. They are hitting the cue ball by 'feel' for the right spot. I've always discounted those instructional guides that say to hit the ball a tip low or a tip high or whatever. You must learn to feel where to hit the cue ball. CJ is giving it to you straight! I watched him play many times when he was at his peak and he never took much more than five seconds to get down and shoot. I could see that he had a "feel" for the game and how to hit each shot. He will tell you that he wasn't really thinking about much of anything when he got down to shoot. He 'saw' the shot and got down and made it!

Earl played the same way at his peak. He just played the game and did not dissect each shot before shooting. He could glance at the table and know exactly what he had to do and how to do it.

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That's right, you know how important it is, Jay, to have a Feel for the game, you've experienced and seen it in professional caliber players many times.

When I was a teenager my mentor and road partner Dalton Leong discussed the mental side of pool with me many times. He told me to start out thriving to "become the cueball," and feel it position itself on the table like it was actually me.

This experience led to me "becoming the table," and ultimately "becoming the game," this gave me a table sense, like a 6th sense that I've described a few times in videos.

People argue about whether pool is a game or a sport and I've always had the opinion that Pool is both, pocket billiards is an ART FORM, a way of self expression.

I teach students how to connect to the game mentally and physically through fundaments and a pre shot routine that allows them to get down on every shot as if they had already made it.....this allows the maximum rewards and urges them to reach their highest levels of performance and enjoyment for the Game.

The Game is the Teacher

Allen Hopkins could run racks turning his head and not watching the shot - amazing!

Dunnn51 said:

Good to see you here again CJ! :smile: I haven't been here in awhile and just stepped in.

Totally agree with playing in the dark! I tried that on the table at home and the first 3 shots all went in center pocket. I was enlightened. I still play (with) lights out every now & then.

Fast forward to last weekend.
I stopped at a local bar that was open,(COVID has bars/grills open & closed by county here at present), and there were 5 players on the good bar table. Everyone knows me,so no-one wanted to play me. I coaxed the owner to play and everyone loosened up a bit.
I asked the bar-girl why they were playing in the dark on the other table, and she says the light is out. I took a loss and headed over to the dark table where a few weekend bangers were playing. This table was in a corner of the bar with very little light.
At any rate, I won both games there and was surprised at how well the balls fell in their pockets. I just knew where and how hard to hit the OB and set up for the next shot. I left satisfied, and left them to play each other again.

Playing in the dark definitely has advantage.

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Yes, playing in the dark or turning your head before shooting is great training! Allen Hopkins could run racks turning his head and not watching the shot, that was amazing!

Here's a video where I describe some more secrets that I used to become a champion level player - Hope you enjoy and I appreciate the input my friend.

Reaching Your Highest Levels ------> https://youtu.be/tTFsuo8VWJU