Article from 1995 on How the Pros Aim.

My philosophy is that I need to treat all shots the same to reach my highest level

West Point 1987 said:

This is something I've struggled a bit with in terms of TOI...I am and have always been a "contact point" aimer; it's a fundamental part of my alignment/visual. I "recalibrated" to my "new center" (the TOI), which still has me looking at my contact point for reference. I have noticed that because I'm using a fairly dead cueball, I get more collision induced throw. I'm hitting the contact point perfectly, but on thick cuts the OB throws thick and I can still miss to the thick side of the pocket (especially since that's where I'm anchored). I can either add a bit more TOI to compensate, stroke firmer and/or aim slightly thinner. They all do the trick, but consistency between the adjustments can be a challenge. The collision induced throw used to be negated with a touch of outside spin (like most players I used to prefer that "helping english" to overcome throw). Now I'm looking at it from the reverse address and it can be daunting. Most days I don't miss for over an hour, but some days I struggle.

Before I used TOI, I never looked at the CB...I saw what was needed with my peripheral vision, and stroked through to the contact point on the OB. Worked fine. Even with TOI I sometimes do the same thing, and my consistency goes up...but only temporarily. I chalk that up to almost 30 years of muscle memory. Now I'm more and more looking at the CB to reaffirm that I'm good to go on my TOI line/address. That's shown me how bad I was hitting the CB before (that was a shock, actually), and now I'm learning how to keep it all tight. I'll say this, I now know WHY I miss...if I can just get better at fixing it...:wink:

Click to expand...

I focus most of my attention on the cue ball while getting down on the shot, then just glance at the object ball (to make sure it's still there), then back to the cue ball. Then, when I take my back-swing I switch my focus to the object ball and watch it go into the pocket.....I am aware what part of the pocket I hit and calibrate it to how it "feels".

When I slightly undercut or over-cut that shot I will adjust slightly (speed/toi/left foot) for the next shot. My philosophy is that I need to treat all shots the same to reach my highest level, so if I undercut one shot slightly I take it for granted that I will slightly undercut all the future shots. This makes me re calibrate my shots IMMEDIATELY, instead of waiting to actually miss a shot.

After a period (the time differs) I won't have to adjust anymore and will be calibrated to the center of the pocket every time. I see players that are happy just to make the ball, even is it "wobbles in" and don't make any adjustments. Almost without fail they will start missing shots and not understand why. Usually these misses can be traced back to several shots BEFORE that they nearly missed, and neglected making any adjustments. I believe you need a way to make these adjustments and it sounds like you are aware of some, with speed, more or less TOI, and also firmness of bridge sometimes makes a difference.

Controlling with cue with BOTH HANDS is essential to playing flawless pool. There is very little margin of error, so you must keep the cue on a "groove/slot" so it has no chance of deviating left or right, which will cause "miss" hit shots as well. 'The Game is the Teacher'

CJ Wiley said:

I focus most of my attention on the cue ball while getting down on the shot, then just glance at the object ball (to make sure it's still there), then back to the cue ball. Then, when I take my back-swing I switch my focus to the object ball and watch it go into the pocket.....I am aware what part of the pocket I hit and calibrate it to how it "feels".

When I slightly undercut or over-cut that shot I will adjust slightly (speed/toi/left foot) for the next shot. My philosophy is that I need to treat all shots the same to reach my highest level, so if I undercut one shot slightly I take it for granted that I will slightly undercut all the future shots. This makes me re calibrate my shots IMMEDIATELY, instead of waiting to actually miss a shot.

After a period (the time differs) I won't have to adjust anymore and will be calibrated to the center of the pocket every time. I see players that are happy just to make the ball, even is it "wobbles in" and don't make any adjustments. Almost without fail they will start missing shots and not understand why. Usually these misses can be traced back to several shots BEFORE that they nearly missed, and neglected making any adjustments. I believe you need a way to make these adjustments and it sounds like you are aware of some, with speed, more or less TOI, and also firmness of bridge sometimes makes a difference.

Controlling with cue with BOTH HANDS is essential to playing flawless pool. There is very little margin of error, so you must keep the cue on a "groove/slot" so it has no chance of deviating left or right, which will cause "miss" hit shots as well. 'The Game is the Teacher'

Click to expand...

CJ,

When you talk about keeping the cue on a "groove/slot" are you simply referring to a straight stroke? Could you elaborate please?

Thanks,

Randy

This slot/groove is done with pressure that's generated by the effective release

Randy9Ball said:

CJ,

When you talk about keeping the cue on a "groove/slot" are you simply referring to a straight stroke? Could you elaborate please?

Thanks,

Randy

Click to expand...

I teach this with a hammer, a sword and a Break Rak.....the hand/wrist action is much like using a hammer, the wrists uncock DOWN as they come through the ball. This can't be pickup up be the casual observer, however if you watch a top player shoot with an "open bridge" you will notice that the cue stays connected to the bridge after contact.

This slot/groove is done with pressure that's generated by the effective release of the wrists. Many players think the wrist action is coming "Up" however, if this were true the cue would fly up after contact with an open bridge.

To create a groove/slot/track it's like a train staying on the tracks, it simply CAN NOT deviate outside it's tracks.....I suggest you train your stoke the same way if this is an area you want to improve right away.

When I get a chance I'll put something together on video, I've had many request to do so, but I have to get this TIP Banking video completed before taking on another project.

The Game is the Teacher.com

This very thing came up in a group lesson this weekend. Take for example someone who uses contact point aim/"back of ball" aim for their eyes on a cut shot while their stick is on the geometric aim line (compensation for throw not included for this discussion). The stroke thought, since the hand is "aimed" away from where the eyes are focused, ought to be "stroke straight back and through" and not "I'll try to move my hand to stroke to where my eyes are pointed".

This dual nature of aiming is a part of a winning formula for many players.

SLICING the cue ball down the Inside of the center like a scalpel.

West Point 1987 said:

This is something I've struggled a bit with in terms of TOI...I am and have always been a "contact point" aimer; it's a fundamental part of my alignment/visual. I "recalibrated" to my "new center" (the TOI), which still has me looking at my contact point for reference. I have noticed that because I'm using a fairly dead cueball, I get more collision induced throw. I'm hitting the contact point perfectly, but on thick cuts the OB throws thick and I can still miss to the thick side of the pocket (especially since that's where I'm anchored). I can either add a bit more TOI to compensate, stroke firmer and/or aim slightly thinner. They all do the trick, but consistency between the adjustments can be a challenge. The collision induced throw used to be negated with a touch of outside spin (like most players I used to prefer that "helping english" to overcome throw). Now I'm looking at it from the reverse address and it can be daunting. Most days I don't miss for over an hour, but some days I struggle.

Before I used TOI, I never looked at the CB...I saw what was needed with my peripheral vision, and stroked through to the contact point on the OB. Worked fine. Even with TOI I sometimes do the same thing, and my consistency goes up...but only temporarily. I chalk that up to almost 30 years of muscle memory. Now I'm more and more looking at the CB to reaffirm that I'm good to go on my TOI line/address. That's shown me how bad I was hitting the CB before (that was a shock, actually), and now I'm learning how to keep it all tight. I'll say this, I now know WHY I miss...if I can just get better at fixing it...:wink:

Click to expand...

For anyone that that's "missing something" and hasn't quite utilized the TOI System (to your full potential), here's something that has helped me teach the TOI Technique - make sure the player is coming down STRAIGHT through the inside of the cue ball with their TIP. I'm noticing more and more that many players move to the center of the cue ball as a reference point, but are not doing it in the most effective manner. This means they're not connecting to the cue ball in a way that is NOT systematic, therefore unreliable.

I encourage them to think of SLICING the cue ball down the Inside of the center like a scalpel.....making a streamlined cut. This makes them complete the horizontal pivot of the cue and puts them on a consistent relative point, either at center OR TOI (what I recommend). Center is a really good "relative point," and a touch inside of center is advantageous for other reasons, like maximizing margin of error. 'The Game is the Teacher'.com

Not sure I'm hitting on the same issue as you are, CJ, but since most shots are taken over the rail and can never be 100% level with the cue, I also teach that the forward stroke is straight ahead and DOWN.