Here is a well done video about getting your head right.
A new video about vision center
- Thread starter Bob Jewett
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BlueRaider
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Jerry Briesath's "chin lock" advice was a gamechanger for me for getting my vision centered on the shot line. Once I started really paying attention to how much my head moved when I got into my stance (and forcing it to stay still), it was almost miraculous how easy it was to see a direct line between pocket, object ball contact point, and cue ball. It even made finding center ball on the cue ball virtually automatic, as it suddenly looked obvious.
Agreed. It is done well! So much so, I decided to add it at the top of the "vision center" resource page!
dquarasr
Registered
I’ve watched this video a few times and played and replayed the sections describing the three axes. I do not understand the y and z axes. The animation seems to show turning the head left and right defines both y and z but I must be dense cuz I don’t get the distinction. Can you take a stab at elaborating?
To my understanding:
The X axis is vertical up and down (Head/chin rotating up or down).
The Y axis is horizontal left and right (head rotating left and right with eyes maintaining the same level, but one eye closer to and one eye further from the cue ball).
The Z axis is head tilt (one eye rotated higher or lower than the other).
Nick Varner and Joshua Filler appear to be two examples of two great players setting up with a slight head tilt (one eye higher than the other) and a slight head turn (one eye closer to the cue ball than the other). Willie Mosconi was an example of a player with a significant head turn (Y axis) but his head did appear aligned perfectly level (the Z axis).
Just goes to prove that every great player doesn’t have to have a perfectly aligned head like Steve Davis.
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dquarasr
Registered
Ok got it thanks.
The x, y and z axes Bob is talking about are three lines that are mutually perpendicular. They are oriented in the absolutely standard way they are used in engineering and physics and to graph things. Stand at the center of the head of the table as if to break from the spot. The headstring runs left and right in front of you. It is like the x-axis. A line down the middle of the table (technically called the long string) is the y-axis. The z-axis is a line running straight up and down between the floor and the ceiling.
To "rotate your head about the x-axis" means something like this: imagine a rod parallel to head string and going through your head like an axle. If someone rotates this rod, your head will nod up and down. If you rotate your head "about the z-axis", imagine a vertical rod through your head as an axle. If it is rotated, you will shake your head like for "no". And rotation around the y-axis is tilting side-to-side and will cause your eyes to be non-level and most people's necks can't take too much of that rotation.
After many hours experimenting with marksmanship - good eye on line or not etc... I now stare blankly and squarely at the cueball and use the double vision for alignment. I've also discovered that the Filler head tilt works to level my shot plane and takes the skew out of power draw (my remedial version) and sticking the cue ball or feathering an object ball. I find pre alignment of the stick to have higher priority than eye dominance.
According to Bob, although I have a clear understanding of all three planes, I may have gotten the X Y and Z axis’s mixed up!
I have always been aware of my different aiming and stance cutting left vs right. I think my head tilts.
I always knew it had something to do with the way I perceive the shot. If I'm going to miss it is always by over-cutting to the left, never the other way. Right hand and right eye dominate with vision centre just slightly right of the nose. Next time I will pay more attention and see what happens. Thanks, great video.
I always knew it had something to do with the way I perceive the shot. If I'm going to miss it is always by over-cutting to the left, never the other way. Right hand and right eye dominate with vision centre just slightly right of the nose. Next time I will pay more attention and see what happens. Thanks, great video.
Hi Bob, I love your "In other words" explanations, I like the way you explain concepts. Makes sense to me. Thank you for the knowledge.
Bob, I always watch for your posts because they seem to be accurate and based on fact. This one had an added benefit: it helped my aiming immediately. I always though the horizontal tilting of my head had an effect on aiming but never put it all together. To me this was important as discovering the tangent line of balls colliding. I am amazed...thanks.
Personally, I think it is better to be looking down your cue at the CB and OB for a long straight shot, in your actual stance, with your body and head as they are while shooting, like this:
Other approaches and helpful advice can be found on the "vision center" resource page.
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phreaticus
Well-known member
No, I don’t think so. I actually think it makes it seem more complex than needed. The key is just to align multiple objects (2+) that are different distances from you, but not use just any straight line. The goal being to have your both eyes working together to resolve near & far optical focal fields into a “stereo” 3D image. But, doing it as shown on a pool table - is a nice way to do it, since it makes it easy to use a phone/mirror or a buddy on the other end of the table to easily/accurately ID the result.
The same concepts are taught by some in the high level competitive pistol shooting community.
Another critical key thing (IMO), is to establish a consistent stance that aligns one squarely to the balls, centered on ones center vision line. In shooting sports psychology world this is sometimes called “proprioceptive index”. In practical terms this means finding a part of your body that is physically aligned with your center vision and using it to consistently “key” (align) your stance to, ideally your feet. For myself and many folks with typical eye dominance ratios this will usually be a vertical line that runs from about the edge of the right side of my nose /tear duct down through inner edge of right pectoral muscle, right side of crotch, down to the inside edge of my right heel - when standing in a relaxed athletic stance. Of course we all have different anatomy’s but thats a rough guideline for discussion.
If anyone wants to go further down a visual cognition rabbit hole:
Proprioception - Wikipedia
Cheers
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phreaticus
Well-known member
Hi Dave, i’m by no means qualified to make this comment, but I think a potential problem with this approach is that for many of us, that can incorporate already ingrained bad habits - the very ones we may be seeking to improve upon. Just a thought. Thx for all you do for the sport!
The first step is to find your "personal best stance" per the info and demos here:
Then, while in your personal best stance, shifting the upper body back and forth with the cue aligned straight can help you easily identify your "vision center" head position.
And then, if your stroke mechanics are good, you might actually shoot the shot straight.
You're welcome. I aim to swerve.
Would it be easier if we just closed our non dominant eye? I don’t, but sometimes I think back at a great local player that I grew up with who lost his left eye due to a BB gun accident. He was a right handed shooter and deadly accurate. Probably one of the best players in our area at the time.