PEP ? for Scott Lee or Randy G (others welcome)

like so many things all this is kind of subjective and open to personal choice. Seems like they basically taught me that during warmup strokes (not aiming, but strokes) you should be focusing on the cueball. It would hard to do decent warmup strokes and not focus on the cueball if you think about it, you would end up hitting the ball with your tip.

cuekev said:

Where should your eyes be focused during warm up strokes? Should it be object ball, cueball or back and forth? I ask this question because it was taught during PS that you should not be aiming while the cue is moving.

Thanks in advance

Click to expand...

I'll let the SPF guys speak for their own methods but I am a major advocate of a consistent eye movement routine. It takes a while to make it automatic but once that is done, the benefits...to me...have been measurable.

In my routine, I transition for focus on the cue ball to the OB as the cue is being pulled back in the back stroke. That is more intuitive for me than to shift first and move the cue back second.

Either way, the eyes are back on the OB at the end of the back stroke...where I also pause to guarantee against short stroking and to put a LASER focus on the OB.

Regards,
Jim

cuekev said:

av84fun,

I like the change of focus during your last backstroke. I have been doing it at the pause(after backstroke). Just for clearification is your focus fixed on the cue ball during practice strokes?

Click to expand...

No. During the "warm up strokes" my eye pattern moves opposite to the direction of the cue. In other words, during the forward stroke my focus moves back to the CB contact point and when the cue moves back, my efocus moves forward to the OB.

During the final hitting stroke my eyes remain rivited on the OB.

HOWEVER...IMHO...CB contact at an unintened spot is one of the leading causes of misses due to unintended swerve, squirt, throw.

Fortunately, the eyes are vary capable of peripheral vision and it is entirely possible to maintain an "awareness" of the intended CB contact point while maintaining unwavering focus on the OB with primary vision.

Try this. Put whatever design is on your CB (circle, triangle, measle ball spot) at the intended contact point and then stroke the cue while maintaining TOTAL primary focus on your OB aiming point.

If you WILL yourself to do it, then you will "activate" peripheral vision and will be perfectly aware of the CB contact point. BUT due to the way vision works, you have to consciously DECIDE to use peripheral vision. Otherwise, while you will "see" whatever is in your perpheral vision range, it won't REGISTER on your conscious mind.

You walk past thousands of objects every day...tens of thousands actually, without ever being CONSCIOUS of them.

But personally, I would suggest that if you do not have a consistent eye pattern that you develop that first and only then start working on activating your peripheral vision.

Finally, there are those who will suggest that if your stroke is true, then you need no awareness of the CB contact point because you have grooved your stroke and it will return to the place it was directed during the warm up strokes.

The problem is...that's not true! (-:

Set up the famous shot where the CB is on the spot and you attempt a center ball stroke aimed at the center of the head rail causing the CB to rebound straight back to the spot.

You will get a certain number of perfect and imperfect results.

Now, try it again but close your eyes on the final backstroke. I believe you will see a significantly greater range/frequency of error which disproves the "stroke on a rail" theory.

In fact, your brain controls the muscles andf the brain needs something to aim at in order to achieve maximum accuracy.

Or, if you are not near a table, just do this. Pick an object in the room you're in...focus on it intently and point at it with your finger.

Now pick another object, say, 10 degrees from the primary object. Maintain INTENSE focus on the primary object while pointing to the second object. NO problem.

Now, point at the primary object...close your eyes...and try to point at the secondary object. Your range of error will be significantly greater...and usually pretty consistent...until you start second guessing yourself.

With random attempts at different secondary objects, I tend to point slightly to the left.

Hope this wasn't WAY more than you wanted to know!!
(-:

Jim

cuekev said:

Thank you Scott. It does seem to make sense to do it that way but I have found in practice that it is difficult for me not to look up at the object ball. Have you been able to work this into your game?

Click to expand...

Why do we do warm-up strokes? For me, there are two reasons...one is to allow the muscles to get loose...but the most important is to verify where my tip is going to contact the cb. For that reason, my eyes need to be on the tip and cb during warm-ups. If I need to check my aim line to the target, I STOP warm-ups, check my aim, and then bring my eyes back to the cb...two more warm-ups, At set, my eyes lock on my target, then pause and finish/freeze.
Steve

Randy first and then Scott have absolutely taught me the value of SPF. They (especially Scott) also taught me that I should look at the cueball during warm-up strokes and the object ball for the actual shooting stroke. I found that I wasn't aiming properly so I added "aiming strokes" which are not a fixed number of strokes and come before SPF. I take several strokes with my eyes moving between the cueball, object ball, and pocket strictly for the purposes of aiming; once I feel I have found my aim, I stop at the cueball before going in to my "real" pre-shot routine which I try to make... always 2 warm-ups looking at the CUE ball - Set switching eyes to object ball - Pause - Finish ( - Freeze). Scott had no issues with whatever I did prior to the preshot routine as long as the preshot rountine was in keeping with SPF.
Works for me anyway.

Edited: to fix typo see bold red

Why do we do warm-up strokes? For me, there are two reasons...one is to allow the muscles to get loose...but the most important is to verify where my tip is going to contact the cb.

Click to expand...

Allowing the muscles to get loose isn't a reason for me. My reasons are:

1. To align my stick and stroke with my line of sight (independent of the shot line).

2. To ensure I'm hitting the exact tip/CB contact point I want to.

3. To align my stick and stroke and cue ball with the OB target (finishing what I started in #1).

4. To "feel" the speed I want and how it might affect my stroke.

pj
chgo

One of the imperatives in the warm up cycle, is to stop the tip VERY close to the CB (this is so that you can clearly see exactly where you're aiming on the CB). To do this effectively, your eyes MUST be focused on the CB only, whenever you move your cuestick (switching back and forth between CB & OB is confusing to the brain, and will not help create a repeatable process).
Your PEP is the entire process, of focusing on the CB point of aim; focusing on the OB point of aim; and how, when, where, and why we switch our focus from CB to OB, before moving the cuestick forward on the final stroke.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Assuming you are an Object Ball last shooter.....

Following the advice of the previous post is a good start.


THe KEY (IMO) is that you have completed all your eye movement prior to the actual stroke...shooting while eyes are in transition is death to consistency.

What I would suggest for an added drill is to go through your set up like you normally do...use whatever eye process you want. (OB then CB or CB then OB. back and forth 1 time 5 times...whatever) The last part of the process is that part where you settle into that pre stroke pause where the tip is almost touching the CB and you have settled into your focus on the OB.....Close your eyes and shoot....

The key though is to practice maintaining that last "image" right before you closed your eyes....(For me) the image I am looking for is the "aim point" on the OB and also the peripheral vision of the line into the heart of the pocket........You can't always see the pocket on all shots, but the more you can see of the shot path the better (IMO)

With a little practice at this drill, not only will you find that you can make balls (with your eyes closed) you will find that you can actually play shape.....

What triggered this idea for me was Cory Duel...He made a comment in an interview about his shotmaking... His comment was....Whatever I look at (last) is where the ball goes...If I look at the pocket it goes in the pocket......If I see the rail last...That is when I miss...

As an added bounus....The eyes closed drill will also tell you (very quickly) if there is any unwanted movement in your mechanics...(head movement, shoulder raise, bridge hand movement, stroke arm sway... etc)

cuekev said:

Thank you Scott. It does seem to make sense to do it that way but I have found in practice that it is difficult for me not to look up at the object ball. Have you been able to work this into your game?

Click to expand...

yes i have. I first do some little mini-aiming strokes, where im looking at both object ball and cueball........then when im settled in i will do two or 3 practice strokes focusing entirely on the cueball, to make sure im hitting the cueball where i want and that my stroke is nice and straight.......then i pull back, switch my eyes to the object ball as i pause, and shoot