Aim for the points

Ralph Kramden

Ralph Kramden

BOOM!.. ZOOM!.. MOON!
Silver Member
Aiming at both pocket points would be most useful to those players who are using CP2CP or by those who are using the ghost ball.

What I'm suggesting for you to try is the use of both pocket points for aiming. Aim to hit the nearest pocket point first. This would be a slight undercut.
Next move your aim to the far pocket point. This would be a slight overcut. Shift your aim line back and forth from nearest to the farthest pocket point.

The difference between the aim points that will hit either pocket point is very small... but it's also the exact spot that you'll need to contact the OB.

This way of aiming probably won't work if you're aiming at ball shadows, overhead light reflections or some invisible spot on the table.

Flame on
.
 
Ralph Kramden said:
Aiming at both pocket points would be most useful to those players who are using CP2CP or by those who are using the ghost ball.

What I'm suggesting for you to try is the use of both pocket points for aiming. Aim to hit the nearest pocket point first. This would be a slight undercut.
Next move your aim to the far pocket point. This would be a slight overcut. Shift your aim line back and forth from nearest to the farthest pocket point.

The difference between the aim points that will hit either pocket point is very small... but it's also the exact spot that you'll need to contact the OB.

This way of aiming probably won't work if you're aiming at ball shadows, overhead light reflections or some invisible spot on the table.

Flame on.
Click to expand...
No flames here (well, except the small correction that either point can be an overcut or undercut, depending on CB position).

I know this isn't exactly what you're talking about, but when I'm practicing (especially when playing on a "bucket pockets" table) I alternate aiming at the left pocket facing, the right pocket facing and center pocket, just to stay sharp.

"Aim small; miss small."

pj
chgo

P.S. Why most useful for contact point or ghost ball aiming?
 
pj.... Why most useful for contact point or ghost ball aiming?

I think the use of quarter fractions of balls aren't as accurate.
.
 
Ram 3

Ralph Kramden said:
Aiming at both pocket points would be most useful to those players who are using CP2CP or by those who are using the ghost ball.

What I'm suggesting for you to try is the use of both pocket points for aiming. Aim to hit the nearest pocket point first. This would be a slight undercut.
Next move your aim to the far pocket point. This would be a slight overcut. Shift your aim line back and forth from nearest to the farthest pocket point.

The difference between the aim points that will hit either pocket point is very small... but it's also the exact spot that you'll need to contact the OB.

This way of aiming probably won't work if you're aiming at ball shadows, overhead light reflections or some invisible spot on the table.

Flame on
.
Click to expand...

Ralph,
I actually had a method of aiming once that revolved around exactly that and it worked for a lot of shots.

I called it Robins Aiming Method 3 or RAM 3.

In it you did one simple thing. You would pick the nearest pocket point to the ball for the pocket you would play it in. Then you would imagine a line emanating from the Pocket Point and going through the ball splitting it in half. The Outside Half that is left you would aim to hit half way between where the in split it and the outside edge of the ball from you vision. Try it sometime on angles, It has a high rate of success.

I was kind of making fun of Dr.Daves DAM system which is all of the best practices one should do when aiming. I figured if he had his system and had claimed that much, I could have mine and this was a part of it. No bad blood between Dr. Dave and myself that I know of. Nice Post!
 
Ralph Kramden said:
pj.... Why most useful for contact point or ghost ball aiming?

I think the use of quarter fractions of balls aren't as accurate.
.
Click to expand...
Oh, I see. But couldn't this method improve the accuracy of any kind of aiming? Seems like it to me. I like the idea - reminds me of my "aiming by halves" idea (see it at this link).

pj
chgo

P.S. I think fractions aiming can be as accurate as any other kind, since they all ultimately rely on feel (even the "geometrically correct" ones like ghost ball rely on feel to know when you're "seeing" and aiming at the ghost ball correctly).
 
Lots of Angles

Patrick Johnson said:
Oh, I see. But couldn't this method improve the accuracy of any kind of aiming? Seems like it to me. I like the idea - reminds me of my "aiming by halves" idea (see it at this link).

pj
chgo

P.S. I think fractions aiming can be as accurate as any other kind, since they all ultimately rely on feel (even the "geometrically correct" ones like ghost ball rely on feel to know when you're "seeing" and aiming at the ghost ball correctly).
Click to expand...

Pj,

I think everyone ought to understand the power of the 1/2 ball hit and this system that you point out once you get angle memorization it really pretty strong. There are lots of what I call Natural Aiming Methods or Systems that are visual in nature like that and they work pretty well for the users but each has a shot or family of shots in which they excel. Ive use that method, when I first started playing because it just makes a lot of sense really and is useable.
 
336Robin said:
Pj,

I think everyone ought to understand the power of the 1/2 ball hit and this system that you point out once you get angle memorization it really pretty strong. There are lots of what I call Natural Aiming Methods or Systems that are visual in nature like that and they work pretty well for the users but each has a shot or family of shots in which they excel. Ive use that method, when I first started playing because it just makes a lot of sense really and is useable.
Click to expand...

I don't think many newer players know the importance of the 1/2 ball hit or the angle that the OB will travel after that hit.
If you ask many league players they'll say 45 degrees. Makes sense if you haven't any clue or never learned otherwise.

The best way to show the 30 degree angle is to place a OB in front of a 15 ball rack having 30 degrees down both sides.
Place an OB about 3" in front of the ball rack. Roll a CB straight at the rack center when aiming at the OB edge. The OB
runs at 30 degrees. The CB about 34 degrees. Neither ball will touch the rack.. Just for recognizing the 30 degree angle.
.
 
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Patrick Johnson said:
I know this isn't exactly what you're talking about, but when I'm practicing (especially when playing on a "bucket pockets" table) I alternate aiming at the left pocket facing, the right pocket facing and center pocket, just to stay sharp.
Click to expand...

I periodically run through a couple hundred balls shot in quick succession and directly into a corner pocket without hitting an OB first. I started doing this after watching Tor Lowry's video, where he suggests this drill to establish a good stroke (he recommends two or three thousand balls without doing any playing, but that is just not necessary to get a positive result IMHO).

Anyway, I mix then up, driving some into the right facing, some into the left, some trying to hit the points (left and right), with some with extreme side spin, bottom, top, and everything in between. I know this is ridiculously easy sounding because you really have to try to miss the pocket, but I find it really tunes up my stroke, and give me a good feel for where the ball is going to go regarding swerve and deflection.

Without the added task and uncertainty involved in having to make another ball in the pocket, you can really pay attention to exactly how the ball is behaving following various strokes.
 
No flames but it reminds of how much I laugh when Mr. CJ says we need to pay attention to what part of the pocket the OB goes into.

Is he kidding? All I care about is "did I pocket the ball?" Left-side of the pocket...right-side of the pocket...or smack-dab in the center makes no difference to me. "Beggars can't be choosers" my mother used to say.

Note: I'm sure it makes a difference to higher caliber players and CJ's advice is solid...it's just so far out of my league that it makes me laugh. :grin:
 
bdorman said:
No flames but it reminds of how much I laugh when Mr. CJ says we need to pay attention to what part of the pocket the OB goes into.

Is he kidding? All I care about is "did I pocket the ball?" Left-side of the pocket...right-side of the pocket...or smack-dab in the center makes no difference to me. "Beggars can't be choosers" my mother used to say.

Note: I'm sure it makes a difference to higher caliber players and CJ's advice is solid...it's just so far out of my league that it makes me laugh. :grin:
Click to expand...

That may be due to the size of the pockets, and the distance of the shots. I practice a lot of 14.1 type patterns into the side pockets rather than into the corners. These are relatively short stop or soft draw shots. I have 5" corner pockets and 5 1/2" side pockets. There is a lot of room to cheat the pocket, and I take full advantage of this by trying to get a slight angle so I can draw the ball back just a foot os so, giving me another shot in the same pocket.

You might try setting up some side pocket drills and seeing if you can't run through them. Cheating the pocket is part of what makes pool pool to me. It is a powerful technique, and may improve your pocketing on full-pocket shots.
 
bdorman said:
No flames but it reminds of how much I laugh when Mr. CJ says we need to pay attention to what part of the pocket the OB goes into.

Is he kidding? All I care about is "did I pocket the ball?" Left-side of the pocket...right-side of the pocket...or smack-dab in the center makes no difference to me. "Beggars can't be choosers" my mother used to say.

Note: I'm sure it makes a difference to higher caliber players and CJ's advice is solid...it's just so far out of my league that it makes me laugh. :grin:
Click to expand...
It's never too early in your development to work on your precision.

Start with just trying to hit center pocket. In less time than you think you'll be hitting it more, and then you'll be trying to hit different parts of it. I'm still trying.

pj
chgo
 
Ralph Kramden said:
I don't think many newer players know the importance of the 1/2 ball hit or the angle that the OB will travel after that hit.
If you ask many league players they'll say 45 degrees. Makes sense if you haven't any clue or never learned otherwise.
.
Click to expand...
Back in the days when you had to make "the spot shot" for the money so many many times after the opponent scratched on the money ball, an old man taught me my first 1/2 ball hit.
Come up one diamond from the head short rail, come across toward the middle of the table one diamond, and put the cue ball there for the shot.
It makes a perfect 1/2 ball hit and all you had to do was aim center ball at the edge of the 9 on the spot.
Used to make dozens in a row with that 1/2 ball hit.
 
GoldenFlash said:
Back in the days when you had to make "the spot shot" for the money so many many times after the opponent scratched on the money ball, an old man taught me my first 1/2 ball hit.
Come up one diamond from the head short rail, come across toward the middle of the table one diamond, and put the cue ball there for the shot.
It makes a perfect 1/2 ball hit and all you had to do was aim center ball at the edge of the 9 on the spot.
Used to make dozens in a row with that 1/2 ball hit.
Click to expand...
Actually, that CB placement makes a half ball hit go a little long, hitting the foot rail instead of the pocket. You have to be unconsciously adjusting your aim a little to make it - but you can get used to that and be pretty consistent.

The "geometrically accurate" spot for the CB in order to get a perfect 30-degree cut (half ball hit) into the corner is 10.5 inches from the side rail on the head string (aim slightly thinner for throw). The pic below shows this.

A pretty good rule of thumb is to place the CB on the line from the spot to the inside point of the opposite corner pocket (you can see that the cue is over that pocket point in the pic).

pj
chgo

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Sloppy Pockets said:
You might try setting up some side pocket drills and seeing if you can't run through them. Cheating the pocket is part of what makes pool pool to me. It is a powerful technique, and may improve your pocketing on full-pocket shots.
Click to expand...

Patrick Johnson said:
It's never too early in your development to work on your precision.

Start with just trying to hit center pocket. In less time than you think you'll be hitting it more, and then you'll be trying to hit different parts of it. I'm still trying.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

Sure, I'll cheat the pocket when I need to for position...if it's a relatively easy shot; OB with a foot of the pocket and CB within 12-18 inches of the OB. No problem.

But on a spot shot? No way. I'm happy just to pocket the ball. :D
 
bdorman said:
Sure, I'll cheat the pocket when I need to for position...if it's a relatively easy shot; OB with a foot of the pocket and CB within 12-18 inches of the OB. No problem.

But on a spot shot? No way. I'm happy just to pocket the ball. :D
Click to expand...

Well, it wouldn't make much sense to try to cheat the pocket on a spot shot anyway. Too much distance to get a meaningful angle change off the OB. But for practice, yeah, I do it all the time on long shots.

I also set up a lot of shots where an OB is covering one side of the pocket and try to make it without touching the ball or a facing. It's that old "aim small, miss small" thing. Of course, you can't do that with 4 1/2" pockets, and you can't cheat them nearly as well, either, which is why I'm not a fan.

Back when I played a bit of darts I would aim at the light reflection on the wires. Not that I wanted to actually hit one, but it really improved my chances of dropping one into the triple instead of the single.
 
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