Stick on table for alignment

Buzzard · Mar 9, 2020

I read somewhere that a good shot alignment procedure is to put the stick on the table right on the shot line. My question is do you bend into the shot directly without picking up the stick again or pick the stick up and bend into it again with your eye on the determined line. Does anybody here use this technique?

garczar · Mar 9, 2020

Buzzard said:
I read somewhere that a good shot alignment procedure is to put the stick on the table right on the shot line. My question is do you bend into the shot directly without picking up the stick again or pick the stick up and bend into it again with your eye on the determined line. Does anybody here use this technique?

No. Not ever. Ever seen ANY top player do this??? You can easily see the shot line without resorting to this.

iusedtoberich · Mar 9, 2020

I broke down my stance years back and did what you are saying for a few years. Put the stick on the exact shot line, then put my body in the right place, then bent down. I had figured out where my feet went relative to the stick, where to hold the stick when I was placing the stick on the table, etc. It took trial and error to get it all nailed down and seamless. I played that way for maybe 5 years, I forget now.

Something happened and I kind of grew out of it, and just started approaching the shot like "normal". I've been playing this way now for maybe the last 5 years. Occasionally, I won't see the shot right today, and I'll revert to the stick on the table method. Sometimes it helps me line up if I'm just having trouble with a particular sighting and angle.

In all versions of my stance/alignment/psr, I always sucked

straightline · Mar 9, 2020

In one local league, laying the tip on the cloth is considered marking and results in ball in hand for the other player. Frankly this is ridiculous but that's their rule. I don't play in a league so bfd.

I do subscribe to the rule of not laying your cue untended on the shot line but even this is a useful technique if there is no prosthetic bridge to be found.

Other than that, any method or personalized technique that doesn't interfere with accepted foul rules is fine by me. This goes for equipment as well. If you want to jump with your shaft, knock yourself out.
To me, the alternative to pointing at the object ball, pointing at the cue ball, or pointing at a spot on the rail, is guessing. You guess if you like. I'm aiming everything that needs to go.

garczar · Mar 9, 2020

iusedtoberich said:
I broke down my stance years back and did what you are saying for a few years. Put the stick on the exact shot line, then put my body in the right place, then bent down. I had figured out where my feet went relative to the stick, where to hold the stick when I was placing the stick on the table, etc. It took trial and error to get it all nailed down and seamless. I played that way for maybe 5 years, I forget now.

Something happened and I kind of grew out of it, and just started approaching the shot like "normal". I've been playing this way now for maybe the last 5 years. Occasionally, I won't see the shot right today, and I'll revert to the stick on the table method. Sometimes it helps me line up if I'm just having trouble with a particular sighting and angle.

In all versions of my stance/alignment/psr, I always sucked

You go thru this while actually playing or just practicing? I might see doing it a couple time at the start of a practice session but not while playing. If my opponent was doing this a lot i'd walk in a heartbeat.

iusedtoberich · Mar 9, 2020

garczar said:
You go thru this while actually playing or just practicing? I might see doing it a couple time at the start of a practice session but not while playing. If my opponent was doing this a lot i'd walk in a heartbeat.

Playing. It didn't take me any longer than normal I don't think. And haven't shot that way in 5 years now so I might be mis-remembering. I probably have video of it somewhere.

Edit, yeah, I just walked to my table and took a shot that way. Its the exact same time. Might even be faster cause perhaps less warmup strokes. I can take a video later showing just 2 or 3 shots. Off to the Dayjob now...

Edit2, oh, I never let go of the stick. Always holding it with my grip hand (at the grip location).

garczar · Mar 9, 2020

iusedtoberich said:
Playing. It didn't take me any longer than normal I don't think. And haven't shot that way in 5 years now so I might be mis-remembering. I probably have video of it somewhere.

Edit, yeah, I just walked to my table and took a shot that way. Its the exact same time. Might even be faster cause perhaps less warmup strokes. I can take a video later showing just 2 or 3 shots. Off to the Dayjob now...

No thanks, i can visualize it. Laying your cue down and picking it back up on every would have to slow you down. Whatever, i'm just glad no one i play does this. Sounds brutal to me. BTW, i just looked this up and doing this CAN be a foul. Cue has to remain in the players hand, can not lay it on table.

iusedtoberich · Mar 9, 2020

I edited my post as you were typing. I never let go of the cue. It’s not what you are thinking of putting the stick on the table flat. Idk if that is what the op meant. I’ll show a video later.

Buzzard · Mar 9, 2020

"In all versions of my stance/alignment/psr, I always sucked"

ME TOO!

garczar · Mar 9, 2020

I don't think touching table with the cue for aiming/aligning should be legal. Just my $.02 on this. You can't place chalk on the rail as a sighting aid and i see touching cue to table in exact same way.

straightline · Mar 9, 2020

garczar said:
I don't think touching table with the cue for aiming/aligning should be legal. Just my $.02 on this. You can't place chalk on the rail as a sighting aid and i see touching cue to table in exact same way.

If you're prepared enough you don't need to draft out every shot but for me, I like knowing exactly what I'm shooting. The challenge in that regard is congruence of the plotted vectors to the shot in motion.

garczar · Mar 9, 2020

straightline said:
If you're prepared enough you don't need to draft out every shot but for me, I like knowing exactly what I'm shooting. The challenge in that regard is congruence of the plotted vectors to the shot in motion.

When you pocket balls you're over-lapping two spheres. Worrying about the exact contact point won't help you much. When you address the ball you can't see cp's anyway. When you line-up a shot you're just choosing correct over-lap. Pointing at the line or cp is not much help imo. I just see the over-lap and shoot down that line.

Patrick Johnson · Mar 9, 2020

garczar said:
I don't think touching table with the cue for aiming/aligning should be legal. Just my $.02 on this. You can't place chalk on the rail as a sighting aid and i see touching cue to table in exact same way.

So when should it be legal to touch the table with your cue? Never?

Laying the tip on the shot line (with the butt still in your grip hand) and then sliding your bridge hand under it up to the bridge location is a common, and commonly recommended, technique for stepping into the shot/stance. Perfectly legal in my view - and a good practice.

Personally, I think even the prohibition against taking both hands off the cue is a solution to an imaginary problem.

pj
chgo

garczar · Mar 9, 2020

Patrick Johnson said:
So when should it be legal to touch the table with your cue? Never?

Laying the tip on the shot line (with the butt still in your grip hand) and then sliding your bridge hand under it up to the bridge location is a common, and commonly recommended, technique for stepping into the shot/stance.

pj
chgo

Maybe for a complete beginner. In 40yrs of playing i've seen very few using this method. Never heard it recommended either. Just my take on this.

ChrisinNC · Mar 9, 2020

Buzzard said:
I read somewhere that a good shot alignment procedure is to put the stick on the table right on the shot line. My question is do you bend into the shot directly without picking up the stick again or pick the stick up and bend into it again with your eye on the determined line. Does anybody here use this technique?

Be aware that if you let go of the stick, it’s a foul.

7stud · Mar 9, 2020

Buzzard said:
I read somewhere that a good shot alignment procedure is to put the stick on the table right on the shot line. My question is do you bend into the shot directly without picking up the stick again or pick the stick up and bend into it again with your eye on the determined line. Does anybody here use this technique?

Mark Wilson advocates that shot alignment procedure in his book "Play Great Pool". As for when to grab the stick with your left hand, he advocates that after you get your feet into the prescribed orthodox position:

While standing, grasp the shaft of your cue with your left hand to form the bridge, then bend and place the left hand firmly in its position on the table with your body and cue in the shooting position. ("Play Great Pool", Mark Wilson, p. 18)

By the way, Mark Wilson credits Jerry Briesath as his mentor. Here is a video of them together:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdVVUhJk5OY

I might see doing it a couple time at the start of a practice session but not while playing. If my opponent was doing this a lot i'd walk in a heartbeat.

Yeah, I've wondered about that. For the past month, I've been revamping my stance and religiously implementing Mark Wilson's recommendations. It's very slow going for me right now. You would be running out the door if you saw me.

Andrew Manning · Mar 9, 2020

Buzzard said:
I read somewhere that a good shot alignment procedure is to put the stick on the table right on the shot line. My question is do you bend into the shot directly without picking up the stick again or pick the stick up and bend into it again with your eye on the determined line. Does anybody here use this technique?

I pick it back up before moving into my stance. I don't like having the tip near the CB while moving my whole body toward the shot, seems like a recipe for a silly foul.

Franky4Eyes · Mar 9, 2020

garczar said:
You go thru this while actually playing or just practicing? I might see doing it a couple time at the start of a practice session but not while playing. If my opponent was doing this a lot i'd walk in a heartbeat.

I quit playing a long time acquaintance because of that exact reason. I accidentally let on how much it irked me, and he started doing it as a regular pre shot routine to the point of me having to call him out on it.
The guy is good at bar box and 9ball, but can't come close to my one pocket game so he tried using it as a sharking tactic.
Everyone I grew up around, and the majority of most competent players, would consider the act poor form, or for use in training level practice only.
I've briefly checked the angle of a bank with my cue, while holding it in hand, to see how much I need to stiff the shot to get around an obstruction.
If I lay my cue down on the table bed, it's for a time out.
Shot lines and tangents become easier to visualize with experience I believe.

garczar · Mar 9, 2020

Franky4Eyes said:
I quit playing a long time acquaintance because of that exact reason. I accidentally let on how much it irked me, and he started doing it as a regular pre shot routine to the point of me having to call him out on it.
The guy is good at bar box and 9ball, but can't come close to my one pocket game so he tried using it as a sharking tactic.
Everyone I grew up around, and the majority of most competent players, would consider the act poor form, or for use in training level practice only.
I've briefly checked the angle of a bank with my cue, while holding it in hand, to see how much I need to stiff the shot to get around an obstruction.
If I lay my cue down on the table bed, it's for a time out.
Shot lines and tangents become easier to visualize with experience I believe.

Agree 100%. So far i haven't run into dealing with this and hope i don't. It would be a real short session i can guarantee you that.

tatcat2000 · Mar 9, 2020

ChrisinNC said:
Be aware that if you let go of the stick, it’s a foul.

Not in CSI/BCAPL/USAPL play. It is legal under CSI rules.

Stick on table for alignment

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