Article from 1995 on How the Pros Aim.

Perhaps you aren't aware of it, but this article has been discussed on AzB many times over the years.

bigshooter said:

Here is a PDF from Pool & Billiards Magazine 1995
Aiming The Secret of Pool? or Basic Instinct.

http://www.sfbilliards.com/PnB_aiming.pdf

Lots of different aiming methods discussed in this article.


This part sort of jumped out at me.

Aiming with Whitey
Belinda touches briefly on the part of the cue ball that hits the object ball, which brings us to yet another theory, aiming with the cue ball.

#12 ranked Nesli O'Hare explains what she was taught. "The technique I use
was taught to me by Efren Reyes. According to Efren, there are three kinds
of hits on any object ball. First, there's looking at the center of cue ball to the point of aim if the shot is a full ball hit. If not, you can divide the object ball into four quarters, sighting your cue ball edge to the
point of aim.

Click to expand...

Can of worms.

Don't sweat the small stuff. This is the aiming forum and you posted about aiming. Thanks, for the link.

I enjoyed reading it, again. The author and her father are personal friends of mine for many years. She is right about the pool hall banter that went on in her dad's room. Don Feeney and Gerry Kanov were regulars there with a tip or good advice just for the asking. No internet...just word of mouth stuff...don't feed the fish.

Best,
Mike

Actually it's relevant that you bring this up.

It just goes to show that the "conventional wisdom" espoused by some here is flat out wrong.

All these players talk about their approach to aiming and it's clear that it's not all "feel".

And yet, some PERSIST in insisting that they know what pros think and do all the time.

From the article.

Vicki Paski - Ghost Ball

Dawn Hopkins - Ghost Ball

Roger Griffis - Ghost Ball + Dissects Ball into 90 degrees. "once you learn it you begin to play by feel" (more on this later)

Bonnie Arnold - Contact point.

Steve Mizerak - Contact point, repetition.

Kelly Oyama - Feel
Loree Jon Jones - Feel

Mike Massey - Tried a lot of systems, prefers feel.
Tony Ellin (RIP) - contact point and feel + instinct

Howard Vickey - feel

Earl Strickland - Experience

Mark Jarvis - portions of the ball / feel + experience

Ewa Mataya (Laurance) - Contact point

Nikki Benish - contact point/ghost ball

Allen Hopkins - center cue ball to contact point.

George Breedlove - base of the object ball.

Tommy Kennedy - feel - starts straight and moves away from the pocket.

Michelle Adams - same as Tommy Kennedy

Jim Rempe - ad for Meucci - depends on cue - aims directly at contact point + gb

Belinda Beardon (Calhoun) - contact point

Nesli O'Hare - system taught to her by Efren.....center cue to point of aim, divide OB into quarters, edge to point of aim.

Efren Reyes - contact point - how you aim depends on the shot and the next shot.

Sammy Jones - depends on shot....no real help.

Ray Martin - Parts of the cue ball to contact point.

Reed Pierce - contact point.

Robin Bell (Dodson) - contact point.

Mary Guarino (Kenniston) - shaft plus cue ball portions

Jeff Carter - looks at the angle, not sure what he means.

Nick Varner - parallel lines to line up contact point once down.

CJ Wiley - own secret (at the time) aiming system.

This is the summary of what the pros said on this at the time of this article. The gist of all of it is that most of the pros say that eventually it all becomes second nature and they simply see where to get down on the shot.

I think that this is the point that many of us have tried repeatedly to say. Any system is not meant to be a crutch that one leans on forever. It's meant to be a guide with which you have a consistent way to approach the shot until it becomes automatic.

When you are looking at a shot and you use a system, as I do, you find the line very quickly without second guessing it. BUT you can instantly decide if you need to hit it a touch fuller, a touch thinner, with a certain speed etc...this comes with experience as the pros say. But to me having that rock solid baseline is what's important. No need to guess.

Finally I would say that part of being a professional player is being open minded to the idea that there could be a different way to do it that also works and maybe works better. I bet if you're a pro and Buddy Hall wants to show you a method he developed you will surely listen and try it out. You might not like it, might not get it but you certainly wouldn't tell him he is crazy. And best case you do get it and it actually helps you be a better player.

Hi John,

I agree with very very much of what you say on many subjects. I am usually on 'your side'.

But... you said something that I think you are flat out not telling the truth about.

You said the word 'finally'. That should go into the thread about thread titles you'll never see on AZB.:wink:

Keep up the good fight, but get cases made too. Don't you have a Guarantee Deal to take care of?

Best Regards & Best Wishes,

ENGLISH! said:

Hi John,

I agree with very very much of what you say on many subjects. I am usually on 'your side'.

But... you said something that I think you are flat out not telling the truth about.

You said the word 'finally'. That should go into the thread about thread titles you'll never see on AZB.:wink:

Keep up the good fight, but get cases made too. Don't you have a Guarantee Deal to take care of?

Best Regards & Best Wishes,

Click to expand...

I am just a case designer who has a staff to do all the work. You know I never touch any leather unless it's on the end of a pool cue.

a powerful "check and balance," for every shot on the table.

bigshooter said:

Now I am confused - every player in the article discussed their aiming sytem from ghost ball, variations of ghost ball, parallel, shaft aiming, fractional aiming, edge of CB to OB etc.

Except CJ - that part made me laugh.

Every pro in the article stated they started out with an aiming system of some sort. Yet people on this forum get all bent out shape when a forum member posts the same thing.

confused:

Click to expand...

Yes, they tried to get it out of me with torture, but of course that didn't work.

Ray Martin's aiming system description agrees with what I put out in my 'Ultimate Pool Secrets' ..... he and I agree that it's best to aim WITH the cue ball, instead of "at" the object ball. Connection is the key and when coupled with the TOI it becomes a powerful "check and balance," for every shot on the table.

I've been teaching both lately and have made some incredible breakthroughs in enabling players to understand how to aim with the cue ball. 'The Game is my Teacher'

All pros use a "system" to play pool, they just need to be ask in a different way. Defining "system" is the way you MUST start or it sounds like there's a "magic bullet" - all pros no there isn't a "short cut" to the highest levels.

The most important "system" is the one to enable a player to hit the cue ball straight FIRST, then you can teach how to connect the cue ball to create any angle.....the basics MUST come first or the "aiming system" does not matter.

My opinion: There is more to shooting pool than aiming. If you focus on aiming during a tournament or money game on every shot you might not like the outcome. Aiming is good for practice. Aiming is good to get you setup on a shot, after that you need to let your body shoot the shot. I believe this is what Efren does (arguably best ever player) he only starts out with 3 or 4 contact points. Joe tucker promotes a system with ten. I believe that all aiming does is gets you into position to shoot the shot. The best aiming system is practice practice practice repetition repetition. Many top pros have different aiming systems but what they all have in common is about 10,000 hrs more practice than an amateur.

CJ reveals a lot of his secrets and methods for aim in his DVDs/videos.

Two interesting points from Shari's article:

1. Understand these are not full, complete revelations of systems but brief statements in general.

2. Understand how many pros just fire at the contact point (or think they do) for shots between full and about 3/4 of cut even though on every shot not a full hit, this is geometrically inexact and hits the ball too thick.

And then I'll insert "contact point aim is still a good idea".

BilliardsAbout said:

... Understand how many pros just fire at the contact point (or think they do) for shots between full and about 3/4 of cut even though on every shot not a full hit, this is geometrically inexact and hits the ball too thick. ...

Click to expand...

Matt -- As I think I have written to you before, when someone says they aim at the contact point on the OB, it does not necessarily mean that they are aiming the center of the CB at that contact point. They may well aim some other point on the CB at the contact point on the OB. Indeed, it may mean they use the geometrically sound method of aiming to hit the intended contact point on the OB with the equal-but-opposite point on the CB -- contact-point-to-contact-point aiming. And there are other possibilities when someone just says "I aim at the contact point."

I understand. That's why I wrote "think they do". There are adjustments as we know, including spinning balls in, aiming elsewhere with the eyes then coming down through a different line on the ball, etc.

This is very useful. Thanks

Master the Basics Foundation.

BilliardsAbout said:

CJ reveals a lot of his secrets and methods for aim in his DVDs/videos.

Two interesting points from Shari's article:

1. Understand these are not full, complete revelations of systems but brief statements in general.

2. Understand how many pros just fire at the contact point (or think they do) for shots between full and about 3/4 of cut even though on every shot not a full hit, this is geometrically inexact and hits the ball too thick.

And then I'll insert "contact point aim is still a good idea".

Click to expand...

Yes, "aiming at a contact point" is a positive illusion at best, although any illusion or "visual" will serve a positive purpose. The thing to consider is the spin, deflection, and even speed effect the shot, so "aiming" is only a part of the "shot puzzle".

You can "aim" better than Efren Reyes and NEVER run a rack of any pool game because the aiming isn't even the most important thing. So few players hit the cue ball where they intend and don't "real eyes" it.

Only the champion players come close to perfect cue ball targeting and even the greatest fall shot of perfection. We, as humans are not perfect and therefore need a "margin of error". This is done AT THE CUE BALL and has less to do with the object ball, this is why I use a cue-ball zone for targeting. What you do AT the cue-ball translates out to the rest of the game....so the margin of error is at the cue-ball, not the object ball or pocket except as a "reflection".

Inexperienced players tend to get too "object ball conscious" and overlook the root cause of misses and poor position play. The cue ball must be hit precisely with the proper angle and delivery of the tip or nothing else matters. You could have a super sonic aiming scope and still miss shots if you don't focus on the basics FIRST.

The "basics" are not basic or easy, they are the most difficult part of pool and deserve 100% of your dedication until they are mastered......Master the Basics Foundation... then you can move on to the next level. 'The Game is the Teacher'

CJ Wiley said:

Yes, "aiming at a contact point" is a positive illusion at best, although any illusion or "visual" will serve a positive purpose. The thing to consider is the spin, deflection, and even speed effect the shot, so "aiming" is only a part of the "shot puzzle".

You can "aim" better than Efren Reyes and NEVER run a rack of any pool game because the aiming isn't even the most important thing. So few players hit the cue ball where they intend and don't "real eyes" it.

Only the champion players come close to perfect cue ball targeting and even the greatest fall shot of perfection. We, as humans are not perfect and therefore need a "margin of error". This is done AT THE CUE BALL and has less to do with the object ball, this is why I use a cue-ball zone for targeting. What you do AT the cue-ball translates out to the rest of the game....so the margin of error is at the cue-ball, not the object ball or pocket except as a "reflection".

Inexperienced players tend to get too "object ball conscious" and overlook the root cause of misses and poor position play. The cue ball must be hit precisely with the proper angle and delivery of the tip or nothing else matters. You could have a super sonic aiming scope and still miss shots if you don't focus on the basics FIRST.

The "basics" are not basic or easy, they are the most difficult part of pool and deserve 100% of your dedication until they are mastered......Master the Basics Foundation... then you can move on to the next level. 'The Game is the Teacher'

Click to expand...

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:

CJ Wiley said:

Yes, "aiming at a contact point" is a positive illusion at best, although any illusion or "visual" will serve a positive purpose. The thing to consider is the spin, deflection, and even speed effect the shot, so "aiming" is only a part of the "shot puzzle".

You can "aim" better than Efren Reyes and NEVER run a rack of any pool game because the aiming isn't even the most important thing. So few players hit the cue ball where they intend and don't "real eyes" it.

Only the champion players come close to perfect cue ball targeting and even the greatest fall shot of perfection. We, as humans are not perfect and therefore need a "margin of error". This is done AT THE CUE BALL and has less to do with the object ball, this is why I use a cue-ball zone for targeting. What you do AT the cue-ball translates out to the rest of the game....so the margin of error is at the cue-ball, not the object ball or pocket except as a "reflection".

Inexperienced players tend to get too "object ball conscious" and overlook the root cause of misses and poor position play. The cue ball must be hit precisely with the proper angle and delivery of the tip or nothing else matters. You could have a super sonic aiming scope and still miss shots if you don't focus on the basics FIRST.

The "basics" are not basic or easy, they are the most difficult part of pool and deserve 100% of your dedication until they are mastered......Master the Basics Foundation... then you can move on to the next level. 'The Game is the Teacher'

Click to expand...

Hi CJ,

I agree with your perspective about aiming. Ultimately, aiming is not the most important thing. Many, many players aim well and get the ball in the hole at an extremely high level.
But what separates the real players from the the pack is the cue ball.

Having said that, the way to really aim has escaped most of the great players. It is a feel kind of thing and they have no description for it and this lack of understanding adversely effects even the best of players.

There are countless students and players alike that continually engage in a guessing game about aim....it is on and off even for the pros. This is unnecessary.

My point is: There is a dimension of aiming that is beyond what the pros listed in the above article. There are solid players and perhaps even some pros that will read my thoughts here and say, Nah, can't be..there could be nothing like that...and they just let it pass by.

There's aiming and then there is "really how to aim".

The purpose of what I teach is how to "really aim".
There is a huge difference. It goes way beyond just aiming.
I agree with what you say about the aiming that I do not teach.


Stan Shuffett