A review of the Perfect Aim method (in several installments)

F

Fastolfe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello everybody,

As some of you may know if you have followed this thread, Gene, the author of the Perfect Aim method sent me his DVD for review.

First of all, I want to thank Gene for taking the trouble of sending the DVD, especially since I live in ole Europe, and for letting me cast a critical eye on it. Gene has written many rather cryptic posts here, hinting at a hidden but powerful way of aiming, contained in his method. Therefore I was rather curious about it.

So, I am going to review the DVD itself, then the method it contains. To evaluate the method, I originally planned to play 10 frames of 6 pockets, view the DVD and try to apply the method, then when I'm comfortable with it, play 10 more frames of 6 pockets and see if there is any difference. Of course, I am rather doubtful of methods that claim to work instantly, so if I didn't see any difference, I'd give it more tries and try 10 frames of 6 pockets again when I really feel good with it.

The test plan has changed somewhat, but I tried to stick to it as much as possible. As for the review of the method itself, I will not go into details. Gene sells the DVD and accompanying lessons to teach his method, and I have no intention of short-cutting his income source. It makes it hard to say what I think of it of course, since I can't put forward arguments to explain what I like or dislike about it, but I will try.

Review of the DVD

It is a 15 part, 60 minute long video of Gene in his pool room (I suppose), either showing his method at the table, or showing Gene as a talking head. 7 minutes worth of video at the beginning and at the end are useless (intro scene, thanks, etc...), and 6 minutes are a review of the various things Gene shows in the video, which is nice. The 47 minutes remaining are the meat of the DVD.

The DVD was obviously shot with a camcorder and does have a few sound problems, but nothing terrible at all.

In the DVD, you will learn (in no particular order):

- Useful shooting tips,
- How to determine your dominant eye,
- The Perfect Aim method, applied to straight in shots, thin cuts and shots in between, jacked up shots, jump shots and shots with the cueball frozen to a rail,
- Two methods to determine how full you need to hit the object ball, the "fractional aiming" method and the "reflective measurement" method, neither of which I had heard before

The shooting tips are nothing earth shattering but they are useful. I didn't need them, but if you do (and you might not know you do), they alone might justify your buying the DVD.

Determining your dominant eye is a no-brainer. 5 seconds of Googling tells you how to do it. Still, it's good info.

The "fractional aiming" method is new to me. If you're a complete beginner, you may find it useful. Without going into details, it's a method to turn angle reckoning into distance reckoning. I'm not sure it's very useful, since I think judging angles directly is better than goofing with your cue to end up judging a distance, but to each his own. If it works for you, you'll be glad to have learnt it.

The "reflective measurement" method is the real surprise of the two: it's a rather clever optical trick to determine how full you need to hit the object ball without any calculation, that works mainly from half-ball to full cut shot. If the object ball isn't clean, you won't be able to use it though. Again, I felt no need for it, but more information from the table is better than less, so if I ever feel blind on a shot, I might use it.

And finally, the perfect aim method: that's what you want to know, right? :)

Okay, first of all, and this is the real bummer with this video, Gene's discourse to describe the method isn't scripted, and Gene is too verbose and doesn't focus on what he's trying to explain. What's more, he makes right/left mistakes when he explains what he does (such as "if you're left-eye dominant, you need to go to the left, but if you're right-eye dominant, you need to go to the left." huuh?). The information to describe the method is spread thin over the entire video, instead of being described rigorously once. As a result, my first impression when I watched the DVD was a big "what the f**k". To be honest, if I had purchased the DVD and if I was short on patience, I'd have been slightly miffed.

But, I promised a fair review, and since I have an analytical mind and enough patience for an army of ADD sufferers, I pressed on. I went back home and watched the DVD 4 or 5 times, hit the rewind button much, tried to watch was Gene was doing and tried to correlate it with what I thought he was trying to describe, and eventually managed to deconstruct the information in the video and piece the method back together.

In the end, the method does exist, and it makes sense. It is in fact a method intended to exploit the stereoscopic human vision instead of trying to work around it. It also does seem to run contrary to Gene's assertion, at the beginning of the video, that you need to know your dominant eye, since he then explains how to play right shot and left shots symmetrically. But in the method, the dominant eye information determines from which side you approach the zone in which you're supposed to see the shot properly.

Sorry I can't describe it anymore without giving the method away, which I won't do. But for other naysayers on the forum, no Gene isn't trying to scam you, and no, what he says isn't BS, it's just *how* he says it. If the DVD was professionally made and properly scripted, it would cut through the crap and get to the point, which isn't complicated or magical.

Using the Perfect Aim method

With my own style of playing, I originally ran 105 points over 10 racks of 6 pockets. After decoding the DVD at home and thinking over the method a bit, I went back to the poolhall, I tried a few shots trying to line up what Gene says should be lined up (again, no details, sorry...) and it felt awkward. I did that for a while, then tried 10 more racks of 6 pockets with the method. I ran 25 points. Oops...

Okay, so maybe I wasn't used to it. I did some basic 3/4 ball, half ball, 1/4 ball drills, marking the table with sticky does to be sure the shots would be right, and I brought a construction site laser to line things up as described in Gene's DVD, but as hard as I tried, lining up the shots as Gene described, it felt wrong. VERY wrong. My cue wasn't in the "right place", I had to force the shots in to accomodate for different viewpoint. But no matter, after I could sort of get the balls in, I tried some ladder drills, and I didn't get very far. Finally I tried 10 more racks of 6 pockets and scored 32. Bummer.

I don't think I got the method wrong. I spent a lot of time trying to understand it, and I know I do now. To be fair, there is one thing that prevent me from using it correctly: the Perfect Aim method is designed primarily for players who play with their chin on the cue, but I usually play much higher than that. I only go down all the way when I play super-long straight shots, and that's not too often. My stance is more of a billiards player stance. Also, for short thin cuts, I move my cue back a foot a more, fold my bridge arm, and I watch the shot from above, so I don't need to know how full I will hit the object ball, I can see it perfectly like a bird would. As for jump shots, I haven't even tried the Perfect Aim method, as I shoot underhanded and my cue is always under my right eye by definition.

Also, I don't see how you can benefit from the Perfect Aim if your body mechanics are off. This is a purely visual method, so if it helps you see better, it can't possibly help you shoot straighter if your cue doesn't travel straight. Gene's fundamentals look correct, so he may have overlooked that aspect of the game. This then would be more a method to help someone with proper fundamentals get better.

I have tried the Perfect Aim method for 2 hours and it pretty much felt as if I was trying to solve a problem I didn't have. But maybe I haven't given it enough time, so I will again tonight. This review is only my first impression working with the DVD and the method.

I lent the DVD to one of my students. He's right-handed but left-eye dominant, like Gene, so maybe he'll benefit from it. Unlike Gene however, he plays crooked. I'll report what he thinks about it.

Finally, a word on value: is the DVD worth buying? I think it is, if only for some of the techniques and advises you will find in it. And remember, many people report to have benefitted from the Perfect Aim method, so you may too. I can't seem to make anything out of it myself so far, but it may work for you. It seems to compete against my baggage of 20 years of playing carom and pool, and what I know works for me, but it may complement your own experience instead of fighting it. Anyway, it's not snake oil, so if you want your game of pool to be complete, I reckon you shouldn't pass on the opportunity of learning what Gene has to say.


Stay tuned for more on this review as I try to use it again, and as my friend gives it a whirl. I'm not done with it yet, if only to show Gene that I appreciate his gesture.

P.S.: Gene, if you think I should call you, PM me your phone number and the day/time I can call you. This way I'll be sure I understood your explanations right.
 
Fastolfe,
Thank you for the effort and thought and consideration that went into your review.

I have a question about an issue that is a minor point in your review but possibly quite significant for pool playing. You note that you adjust the height of your head over the cue for certain shots and state: "Also, for short thin cuts, I move my cue back a foot a more, fold my bridge arm, and I watch the shot from above, so I don't need to know how full I will hit the object ball, I can see it perfectly like a bird would."

Could you please elaborate on what you mean by moving your cue back? My guess is that you meant to type "a foot or more" but I am not sure what moving the cue back means in this context. Do you mean that you set the tip of the cue a foot or so behind the cue ball and use the cue in conjunction with a high head position to judge the correct line of aim for the shot?

Thanks.
 
Fastolfe...

You should copy/paste your entire first post into the existing thread in the "Review Section >> Instructional Materials" area. It's one post per product, so just add this review as a reply to the end of the existing thread.
 
Perfessur said:
Fastolfe,
Thank you for the effort and thought and consideration that went into your review.
Click to expand...

Thanks. But bear in ming, at the risk of repeating myself, this is only a first impression. I want to give Gene's method more time, possibly with Gene's help. I have no intention of dismissing his method considering the number of good feedbacks on his site, and the fact that he believes in it enough to send it to me for free.

Perfessur said:
Could you please elaborate on what you mean by moving your cue back? My guess is that you meant to type "a foot or more" but I am not sure what moving the cue back means in this context. Do you mean that you set the tip of the cue a foot or so behind the cue ball and use the cue in conjunction with a high head position to judge the correct line of aim for the shot?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I didn't make this very clear. Generally speaking, I try to encompass as many elements involved in a shot in my field of vision and still play comfortably. So if I shoot a long shot, I will get down low to see the shaft, the cueball, the object ball and the pocket. But whenever I can, I rise up to see all of these things at the same time without moving my eyes too much. I find a bird's eye'ish view of a shot a lot easier to see the line of aim of the shaft and the fullness on the object ball: it minimizes parallax errors, and you see more of the shot in a shallower range of depths of field, which allows you to see all these things at the same time without focusing in and out.

For close thin shots, I position my head almost right over the shot if possible, meaning my bridge hand is almost under my nose. To achieve that, I move my cue back (or my body forward, depending on how you see things). For long thin shots however, I go all the way down and estimate the overlapping sections of cueball and object ball the usual way.

If you want to see what I mean, watch someone nurse the rail in a straight rail series. Or watch Wanderone play pool: he probably played high because his tummy was in the way, I play that way because the first cue sport I learned was straight rail.
 
Thank you for all of the time, effort, sharing, and most importantly: open- mindedness that you gave to this project.

I couldn't have ever done what you did.
 
Clark_the_Shark said:
You should copy/paste your entire first post into the existing thread in the "Review Section >> Instructional Materials" area. It's one post per product, so just add this review as a reply to the end of the existing thread.
Click to expand...

Oh bummer, I didn't see the "review" section. Indeed it makes more sense. I will re-post my initial post there. Thanks for pointing this out.

I will post the follow-ups there too.
 
Wow! :thumbup2:

Thanks for taking the time to post your in-depth review. I look forward to reading your follow-ups.
 
Fastolfe said:
Hello everybody,

As some of you may know if you have followed this thread, Gene, the author of the Perfect Aim method sent me his DVD for review.

First of all, I want to thank Gene for taking the trouble of sending the DVD, especially since I live in ole Europe, and for letting me cast a critical eye on it. Gene has written many rather cryptic posts here, hinting at a hidden but powerful way of aiming, contained in his method. Therefore I was rather curious about it.

So, I am going to review the DVD itself, then the method it contains. To evaluate the method, I originally planned to play 10 frames of 6 pockets, view the DVD and try to apply the method, then when I'm comfortable with it, play 10 more frames of 6 pockets and see if there is any difference. Of course, I am rather doubtful of methods that claim to work instantly, so if I didn't see any difference, I'd give it more tries and try 10 frames of 6 pockets again when I really feel good with it.

The test plan has changed somewhat, but I tried to stick to it as much as possible. As for the review of the method itself, I will not go into details. Gene sells the DVD and accompanying lessons to teach his method, and I have no intention of short-cutting his income source. It makes it hard to say what I think of it of course, since I can't put forward arguments to explain what I like or dislike about it, but I will try.

Review of the DVD

It is a 15 part, 60 minute long video of Gene in his pool room (I suppose), either showing his method at the table, or showing Gene as a talking head. 7 minutes worth of video at the beginning and at the end are useless (intro scene, thanks, etc...), and 6 minutes are a review of the various things Gene shows in the video, which is nice. The 47 minutes remaining are the meat of the DVD.

The DVD was obviously shot with a camcorder and does have a few sound problems, but nothing terrible at all.

In the DVD, you will learn (in no particular order):

- Useful shooting tips,
- How to determine your dominant eye,
- The Perfect Aim method, applied to straight in shots, thin cuts and shots in between, jacked up shots, jump shots and shots with the cueball frozen to a rail,
- Two methods to determine how full you need to hit the object ball, the "fractional aiming" method and the "reflective measurement" method, neither of which I had heard before

The shooting tips are nothing earth shattering but they are useful. I didn't need them, but if you do (and you might not know you do), they alone might justify your buying the DVD.

Determining your dominant eye is a no-brainer. 5 seconds of Googling tells you how to do it. Still, it's good info.

The "fractional aiming" method is new to me. If you're a complete beginner, you may find it useful. Without going into details, it's a method to turn angle reckoning into distance reckoning. I'm not sure it's very useful, since I think judging angles directly is better than goofing with your cue to end up judging a distance, but to each his own. If it works for you, you'll be glad to have learnt it.

The "reflective measurement" method is the real surprise of the two: it's a rather clever optical trick to determine how full you need to hit the object ball without any calculation, that works mainly from half-ball to full cut shot. If the object ball isn't clean, you won't be able to use it though. Again, I felt no need for it, but more information from the table is better than less, so if I ever feel blind on a shot, I might use it.

And finally, the perfect aim method: that's what you want to know, right? :)

Okay, first of all, and this is the real bummer with this video, Gene's discourse to describe the method isn't scripted, and Gene is too verbose and doesn't focus on what he's trying to explain. What's more, he makes right/left mistakes when he explains what he does (such as "if you're left-eye dominant, you need to go to the left, but if you're right-eye dominant, you need to go to the left." huuh?). The information to describe the method is spread thin over the entire video, instead of being described rigorously once. As a result, my first impression when I watched the DVD was a big "what the f**k". To be honest, if I had purchased the DVD and if I was short on patience, I'd have been slightly miffed.

But, I promised a fair review, and since I have an analytical mind and enough patience for an army of ADD sufferers, I pressed on. I went back home and watched the DVD 4 or 5 times, hit the rewind button much, tried to watch was Gene was doing and tried to correlate it with what I thought he was trying to describe, and eventually managed to deconstruct the information in the video and piece the method back together.

In the end, the method does exist, and it makes sense. It is in fact a method intended to exploit the stereoscopic human vision instead of trying to work around it. It also does seem to run contrary to Gene's assertion, at the beginning of the video, that you need to know your dominant eye, since he then explains how to play right shot and left shots symmetrically. But in the method, the dominant eye information determines from which side you approach the zone in which you're supposed to see the shot properly.

Sorry I can't describe it anymore without giving the method away, which I won't do. But for other naysayers on the forum, no Gene isn't trying to scam you, and no, what he says isn't BS, it's just *how* he says it. If the DVD was professionally made and properly scripted, it would cut through the crap and get to the point, which isn't complicated or magical.

Using the Perfect Aim method

With my own style of playing, I originally ran 105 points over 10 racks of 6 pockets. After decoding the DVD at home and thinking over the method a bit, I went back to the poolhall, I tried a few shots trying to line up what Gene says should be lined up (again, no details, sorry...) and it felt awkward. I did that for a while, then tried 10 more racks of 6 pockets with the method. I ran 25 points. Oops...

Okay, so maybe I wasn't used to it. I did some basic 3/4 ball, half ball, 1/4 ball drills, marking the table with sticky does to be sure the shots would be right, and I brought a construction site laser to line things up as described in Gene's DVD, but as hard as I tried, lining up the shots as Gene described, it felt wrong. VERY wrong. My cue wasn't in the "right place", I had to force the shots in to accomodate for different viewpoint. But no matter, after I could sort of get the balls in, I tried some ladder drills, and I didn't get very far. Finally I tried 10 more racks of 6 pockets and scored 32. Bummer.

I don't think I got the method wrong. I spent a lot of time trying to understand it, and I know I do now. To be fair, there is one thing that prevent me from using it correctly: the Perfect Aim method is designed primarily for players who play with their chin on the cue, but I usually play much higher than that. I only go down all the way when I play super-long straight shots, and that's not too often. My stance is more of a billiards player stance. Also, for short thin cuts, I move my cue back a foot a more, fold my bridge arm, and I watch the shot from above, so I don't need to know how full I will hit the object ball, I can see it perfectly like a bird would. As for jump shots, I haven't even tried the Perfect Aim method, as I shoot underhanded and my cue is always under my right eye by definition.

Also, I don't see how you can benefit from the Perfect Aim if your body mechanics are off. This is a purely visual method, so if it helps you see better, it can't possibly help you shoot straighter if your cue doesn't travel straight. Gene's fundamentals look correct, so he may have overlooked that aspect of the game. This then would be more a method to help someone with proper fundamentals get better.

I have tried the Perfect Aim method for 2 hours and it pretty much felt as if I was trying to solve a problem I didn't have. But maybe I haven't given it enough time, so I will again tonight. This review is only my first impression working with the DVD and the method.

I lent the DVD to one of my students. He's right-handed but left-eye dominant, like Gene, so maybe he'll benefit from it. Unlike Gene however, he plays crooked. I'll report what he thinks about it.

Finally, a word on value: is the DVD worth buying? I think it is, if only for some of the techniques and advises you will find in it. And remember, many people report to have benefitted from the Perfect Aim method, so you may too. I can't seem to make anything out of it myself so far, but it may work for you. It seems to compete against my baggage of 20 years of playing carom and pool, and what I know works for me, but it may complement your own experience instead of fighting it. Anyway, it's not snake oil, so if you want your game of pool to be complete, I reckon you shouldn't pass on the opportunity of learning what Gene has to say.


Stay tuned for more on this review as I try to use it again, and as my friend gives it a whirl. I'm not done with it yet, if only to show Gene that I appreciate his gesture.

P.S.: Gene, if you think I should call you, PM me your phone number and the day/time I can call you. This way I'll be sure I understood your explanations right.
Click to expand...

???????

Does the Tape (DVD) talk about any of these subjects?

Friction Induced Throw

Humidity

Cloth Condition

Speed of Cloth

Cleanliness or Ball, and Playing Surface

Outside Temperature like Rain, High Humidity, Extreme Dryness Hot Tempeature like Arizona in Summer with almost NO Humidity.

Condition of Rubber Bumpers

As personally IMHO all of these factor effect AIM, and how Cue Ball, and Object Ball Interact

???????
 
Come on get real. You think anyone carries a hygrometer with them to the table, and changes their aim based on what it reads? The factors you mention make a difference, but they are so insignificant to aiming, they can be ignored in almost all cases.

To answer your question, no, Gene does not mention any of them in his videos.
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
???????
Does the Tape (DVD) talk about any of these subjects?
Friction Induced Throw
Humidity
Cloth Condition
Speed of Cloth
Cleanliness or Ball, and Playing Surface
Outside Temperature like Rain, High Humidity, Extreme Dryness Hot Tempeature like Arizona in Summer with almost NO Humidity.
Condition of Rubber Bumpers
As personally IMHO all of these factor effect AIM, and how Cue Ball, and Object Ball Interact
Click to expand...

Don't be disingenuous, you know full well you'd need a whole lot of DVDs to cover all that in-depth :)

Gene's DVD proposes a way of lining up your eye over the cue to see shots better. That's the main point of the video. The aiming methods he describes with the DVD aren't "on the side", they are meant to be used in conjunction with the Perfect Aim method (although of course you can use them alone if you like). The various shooting situations present how the method is meant to be used in several shot configurations. Finally, the stroking tips are meant to ensure you don't apply the method with a faulty stroke, which would void its benefits.

The video explains the Perfect Aim method, what measurements you need to use it, how it applies to various shots, and how to shoot properly to benefit from it. All in all, it focuses rather well on its main purpose, which is to teach you the Perfect Aim method. I don't think Gene ever claimed to cover anything else.
 
A review of the Perfect Aim method (installment 2)

Hello again,

I spent more time trying to use the Perfect Aim method, and I may be warming up to it (slowly).

The main problem I have when I try to apply is is, it requires to know how much of the object ball is hidden by the cueball, to line up the proper eye, the edge of the cueball and the right section of the object ball. Personally, I just don't play like that, I aim mostly instinctively, unless I recognize one of the standard shots (3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 ball).

So, I changed my way of testing the method: instead of trying to force the Perfect Aim method on all my shot, like I did in the first installment of this review, I kept playing like I'm used to, and only "lightly" tried to do the Perfect Aim, solely on standard shots and thin cuts. By lightly, I mean that on these shots, I'd go down on the shot and line things up my own way, then quickly checked if doing what Gene prescribes yielded a better view of the shot. If not, I'd just forget it and carried on playing normally.

And strangely, today I found myself looking down a long shot with my cue dinstinctly shifted to the right. I noticed this because I shooting arm felt more "off-center" than usual, and so I stopped, close my left eye, then my right eye, and realized I wasn't playing centered at all. So I played some more and checked all shots like this. I found myself off-center in 4 or 5 shots out of, say, 100. Apparently I saw shots better this way in certain conditions.

Now, I only found myself playing with my cue shifted to the right, never to the left, so it may or may not be the Perfect Aim working its way into my brain. However, one thing is certain: I never played with my eyes other than dead centered before, so I guess something happened. I don't think it made me a better player so far, but I'll keep doing this and I'll see what happens.

As for my friend, he hasn't given the DVD back to me yet, but he said he watched it and he didn't really understand it. He's not a native english speaker though, so I'm not sure whether he meant that he didn't understand Gene talking, or the information in the DVD. I'll ask him again when I see him next week.
 
Here is the third installment of this review.

I'm back from the poolhall, where called Gene from my cellphone. I originally planned on spending 10 minutes confirming that I had understood his DVD correctly, but ended up having a rather longer conversattion with him to get to the bottom of the method, and more importantly, have a good idea of what it can bring to players of various kinds. Incidentally, this was a transatlantic phone call from a cellphone, so I don't look forward to getting my bill :) Oh well...

At any rate, I'd like to thank Gene for his patience with my many questions, and for taking the time to listen to me repeat the same things over and over to make sure I got it right.

So, what did I get from my conversation with Gene? Mainly three things:

- The Perfect Aim method has something to offer to all players, but differently according to what type of player you are (more on that below);

- As a result, don't plan on getting the most out of the method from the DVD alone. A call to Gene, or better, a one-on-one lesson with him is a must;

- I had mostly understood the method from the DVD. What I hadn't understood is that I'd been using pretty much the same method for years, having found it by myself through years of banging balls and trying to figure out what was wrong with me. That's the reason why I couldn't initially get anything out of the method: I was trying to consciously do too much of what I unconsciously already do.

Now then, what can the method bring you? Well, it depends on what kind of player you are. I believe there are 4 kinds of players:

A) The "naturals": they shoot well instinctively without knowing why. A rare breed indeed.

B) Players who can be good if they train, and know how their body works in order to constantly correct their stroke and aim if their performance drops.

C) Players who sometimes play good, but regularly fall "in the gutter", i.e. their level of play suddenly drop for no reason, and don't really know how to get out of it.

D) Beginners who have started to learn the game recently.

For type A players, I don't think any method has much to offer them. Pool is in their blood and they don't have to sweat it.

For type B players, i.e. players who will never be Mike Masseys, but strive to be better bangers and know how to go about doing it, Gene's method may or may not be of great value: if you know how to approach a shot and position your body, but overlook the importance of presenting your brain a proper picture of the shot, Gene's method will give you a new tool to know yourself better. I personally am such a player, only I already knew instinctively what Gene prescribes, so his method is of marginal value to me. What it ends up being, for me, is a slight variation of what I already do. As Gene told me, it is an additional way of fine-tuning my aim. I am not likely to see immediate dramatic improvements with it, but I will keep working on that new tool (however small) and see what improvements it can bring me in the long run.

For type C players, i.e. players whose game isn't constant (I believe that's the majority of players out there), I believe the Perfect Aim will tie a loose end in their games. What I mean by that is, if your game is in a rut, but you're reasonably sure you see the shot right, then you know you need to work on your shooting arm, or your footing, or something else in your mechanics. That's one less variable to work on, and it sometimes takes surprisingly little change in one's way of approaching a shot to get out of the rut. I believe these players are the ones most likely to get an epiphany immediately after (properly) applying Gene's method.

For type D players, i.e. complete beginners, the method will probably give them a long-term benefit. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the majority of them won't see any immediate improvement in their game: Gene's method is a method to let you see a shot better, a way to know "in your guts" that the shot will go in, but beginners don't have enough experience to instinctively recognize shots that go in. I believe the Perfect Aim method will give them an edge to learn faster, by forcing their eyes to be positioned right, thus always presenting their brains a proper picture of the shot, in turn facilitating the process of ingraining in their brains images of successful shots during drills. But the method is likely to appear frustratingly useless to them, because their level of play won't increase magically.

Whatever kind of player you are, the Perfect Aim does NOT dispense you from training your mechanics. It may very well help you position yourself better and train more efficiently, but train you will, make no mistake about it.

Value-wise, I believe players like me are likely to be the customers who perceive the least value for money in Gene's DVD: in the end, the information isn't new to me, but at the very least, the DVD and the conversation with Gene gave me a reasonable explanation of why I do what I do to aim. If you like to understand how your body and brain works when you approach a shot, the information is worth the money. The method also gave me a new aspect of my game to work on.

Beginners who are short of patience will also feel cheated: unfortunately, for them, the method is a long-term investment. It is not a magic bullet, period. But a beginner who thinks pool is a quick game to learn is in for a nasty surprise anyway :)

To all the other players, I say give the method a shot. At the very least, it will force you to concentrate on your aim in a different way. You may discover something important that may take you to the next level.

Finally, what's next for me with the Perfect Aim:

The new trick I've learned with Gene hasn't done any good to my game so far, but I haven't exploited it long enough. I actually called Gene twice this evening, once to confirm what I should do to use the method and integrate it in my game, then played a few racks of straight pool, then called Gene again to discuss the results. I did do a 32 point run, which I would call a good run for me. At the very least, the method isn't interfering with my game anymore, and it may well have helped me make certain critical shots that I may otherwise have missed.

At this point, my plan is to evaluate my new aiming trick over time, and see if my overall level increases. I'm pretty convinced that, if Gene's method does my game any good, it will take a while for improvements to show up. I will know in a few weeks, and will report my results here.

More on the Perfect Aim later! I hope the review is of interest to you. It's long-winded, but I want to make sure it describes exhaustively what you can get out of the method.
 
When you revisit the instruction again concentrate on allowing the proper eye take over.
 
Thanks for taking the time to give your opinion of the dvd. I was planning on a purchase and your review has helped me decide for sure. I was a little skeptical, but from what you have said a lot of information is covered. I'm sure Gene will probably learn from everyone's reviews and improve later versions of his system.
 
Very well written review. I too need to watch and re-watch the DVD many times. Too much bubbling, which makes me loose focus on the topic at hand. :)
 
This is the final installment of this review, which has thus taken a month and a half of semi-dedication to the Perfect Aim method to complete. I believe I have now gotten as much as I could out of it.

My conclusions are as follows:

- The method is worth knowing. If you already instinctively use it, as I mostly did, it won't bring anything radically new to the table, apart from knowing that you already did it. If you didn't, you'll be glad to add it to your playing toolbox.

- It is strictly a visual method. If your body plays wrong, you'll play wrong better. I contend that 80% of one's ability to shoot straight is determined by one's ability to position one's body right, and the ability to aim follows naturally. Gene contends that a proper aim will help you position your body better. I'm not convinced, but I recognize that everybody is different, physically and mentally, so Gene's method may work as he claims on individuals with mental processes different than mine.

- I don't believe most players will get an epiphany when they apply the method. Gene told me of students he taught to who suddenly "saw the light" and immediately played better. I don't think a majority of players will experience that though. The method is definitely something you have to work on/with in the long run to hope to get an improvement in your game that won't fizzle after a week.

- The DVD alone isn't enough. You'll get the most out of it if you schedule a phone call with Gene for extra explanations, or even better, a one-on-one lesson with him. If nothing else, Gene's enthusiasm is contagious. I can't comment on the value of Gene's personal lessons however, as I could only talk to him on the phone, but we had a most entertaining conversation.

So, for my final advice:

Get the DVD and a lesson with Gene, or at least schedule a phone call with him.

Re the DVD alone, my rationale for getting it would be that $70 is cheap for an opportunity to learn something new that may stay with you for the rest of your life. Either you'll learn nothing of value, in which case you should see the $70 as part of an investment ensure you know everything everybody serious has to say about how to play the game, or it'll make you improve, and I'd personally gladly pay 5x the amount for that.

In the end, deciding to invest in the method depends on your disposable income and your dedication to the game, and is entirely up to you. But at least I hope the account of my own experience discovering and trying to work seriously with it will help you decide.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top