Glad I'm making an impact.
10 Reasons Why the HALF-BALL HIT is so Important
- Thread starter dr_dave
- Start date
oscargrouch
Active member
What's ridiculous is a search for Hal Houle's aiming method brings up a Dr. Dave link first and second is a link to the thread on here titled "Hal Houles CTE in detail" which is exactly not about that, rather it's about a hybrid of a whole bunch of CTE-type systems.
Where's Hal Houle's original system?
Where's Hal Houle's original system?
Based on my phone conversations with Hal many years ago, and based on what he posted online in the past, Hal's 3-angle system is the original version of CTE.
oscargrouch
Active member
Dr. Dave!
Do even decent players miss very often due to wrong aim? (And by "aim" I mean "the direction in which I intend the cue ball to go.") I may use a stance or a form or a stroke or do something else that gives me no chance to send the cue ball in the right direction, but I still feel like I always see where the object ball needs to be hit (even if that means sometimes I have to line it up with my cue at the object ball to get the spot).
I feel like seeing the angle is a pretty basic human capability for most.
Still reading through it though to see if maybe it makes that easier? Or does something else to create consistency in hitting where I'm aiming?
Holy numerology!
Three angles and collateral tolerance effects always suggest nonsense to me. Pick the closest angle and guess at the rest. The only clue I get regarding the science is Hal Houle was an "information officer" whatever that is, for the USAF; a very credible enigma.
I'll stick with plain geometry. Pool by committee doesn't sound reliable.
I'll stick with plain geometry. Pool by committee doesn't sound reliable.
Spot shot.
I remember all of his postings on the Billiards Digest forum.
You've been around that long? Yes, he did post there...I didn't or knew that the Billiards Digest forum even existed. But what very few people didn't have the opportunity to do was be at the table with him in person and I did while he was still able to do it physically. What a treat and great experience from a super knowledgeable, funny, and giving individual. And Hal could definitely
pocket balls at any cut angle over and over while explaining exactly what he was seeing and doing at an advanced age and weak condition. We who knew Hal all miss him.
NOBODY is good at aiming naturally. It's learned through hard work, time at the table, and experience with different methods.
Even those who have played for years have doubts, guessing, and "FEEL" regarding the orientation of the two balls for any given shot.
Let's forget about transitioning over to DAM and NEVER, EVER giving credence to CTE and for the most part slighting it and those who use it as imbeciles that don't know what the hell they're doing. I know a good number of people that use it and could give you a spot in any game and bust you flat broke if you had the money and nerve to do it. Pro players, pro instructors, and top amateurs who ALL use CTE. I have a very strong suspicion why you do it but I'm not going to get into it here at this time other than a picture at The Slogar. That says it all. Is it OK for me to post it? No? I didn't think so. Nuff said about that.
I will say this, you have created a variety of videos that are very well explained and executed to show how and why different factors of spin, speed, cue offset, etc. affect the two balls and direction. I applaud you for your time and diligence in doing it.
Keep up the good work.
How about a new video with you duplicating what L'il Chris explains in his video and putting it on your website? There's no way it can be shown NOT to work because it's THAT accurate and simple. And it WAS the way Hal explained it over the telephone or in person. It was A,B,C or Edge and pivot. A,B,C or Edge and pivot. Over and over. NOT what was in the written version or anything close to it.
Accentuate the positives and perform as stated and eliminate the negatives. If not, why not? Although you posted what Hal wrote which was to be as thorough as he could possibly be for those who wanted it to the nth degree, it's as simple as ABC and edge. Were you also the one that asked the question under a bogus account about the original writings of Hal? Seems kinda strange based on when the account was created and number of posts for that person that he'd jump straight to the "written version" which you just happened to have. Even I don't.
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For Dave Alciatore to duplicate at the table on a video. Should be a piece of cake.
Oikawa
Well-known member
Some people are good at aiming naturally, why wouldn't they be? Genetics, eyesight, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, past experiences, mindset, personality, intelligence, age, confidence, all sorts of thing can affect your starting point and learning speed.
If someone, for whatever reason, acquires a high level of aiming within playing for 10 hours, and someone else gets to the same place in 1000 hours, while they both received no external information and had to figure it out themselves, there could be a million reasons why it went like it did. Often those reasons are simplified into just saying "he's more talented" or "he's a natural", and while it is definitely useful to break those reasons down further instead of just explaining everything with innate talent as something that can't be broken down further, saying nobody is good at aiming naturally is just plain wrong.
Definitions and semantics can play a huge role too in such a broad statement, two people might mean completely different things when talking about someone being good at aiming naturally.
Where to you think I got the line “sometimes I stroke ‘em and sometimes I poke ‘em”? Hal’s response to one of my post. I found the Billiards Digest forum to be at a more professional level with regards to topics and members responses. I laugh at some of the topics posted on AZB. I think it’s my age and the fact that i started when there was virtually no instructional material and you learned the game through trial and error. Squirt? Throw? The half-ball hit? Not apart of the vernacular to but to a very few.
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I'll take your word for the first part because I've heard similar said, and totally agree with the second statement about here.
(although I might be one bringing up a topic that's totally misunderstood and misinterpreted by the clueless anti-groupies)
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Agreed. I show the ideal line in the diagram at the 0:29 point in the video, but I should have included "ideal spot shot aim" as one of the main video concepts.
Thank you.
I have links to Stan's stuff and Lil' Chris' video on the CTE resource page. I don't think I could cover it any better than they do. Also, I honestly have no interest in doing so.
It would be hard to do it any better since both did a pure perfection superior job. The only way you could really do it worse is if you tried to flub it up to illustrate flaws in the method or didn't grasp what was being done and supposed to be done.
I don't know of any other aiming method that has all of the objective spots on both balls that are clearly visible without any, any, imagination or guesswork. The bad mouthing and malignancy needs to be stopped. You have the respect and ability to do that yourself and others will follow. We'll see what the future holds.
LilChris, 5 points.
Geometry Infinity.
You really need to clarify this in a manner that doesn't require the cooperation of Set.
Geometry Infinity.
You really need to clarify this in a manner that doesn't require the cooperation of Set.
oscargrouch
Active member
One thing that confused me is that I read in one place that the pivot is NOT at the bridge but Lil Chris pivots at the bridge.