Aiming Is Really Simple

[Johnnyt]

The three simplest systems that work are the one where you draw an imaginary line from the center of the pocket you want to pocket the ball in that goes through OB. Where the line comes out is your aiming point. Hit that point with no sidespin and the ball must go in if no skid is involved.

The second is the ghost ball.

The third is the fractional, where you use fractions on the OB like whole-ball, ½, ¼, 1/8. I use the top one and the third one. To add to that I use the numbers, stripes, and other spots on the ball to get my visual aim point.

All this being said, you still NEED to be able to hit that spot. And their lies the answer.

I'm no teacher but if I were trying to teach someone how to aim I'd get them one of those training balls with all the lines on them to practice hitting a known point to make the ball.

I've had pros and very good players over the years tell me the same thing. "If you draw a line from center pocket through the OB and hit that spot w/o spin/English it has nowhere else to go but into the pocket. It really is simple, hitting that spot all the time is not. More practice is needed on basics like stance and a straight stroke if you're not hitting your aiming point most of the time. Johnnyt

 

[themack]

I'm sure all those ways work perfect to pocket balls, but, in your descriptions you say "without sidespin." The problem is, well for me personally, I don't know a single shot where i don't have any sidespin on the cueball, and I'm sure most other people have even a little sidespin on almost every shot they shoot. Which is why i would say the whole line through the center of the ball to the pocket or the ghost ball are not very good ways to aim.

Probably when you are first learning to pocket balls using those techniques are good, since you aren't really putting much spin on the ball but just learning to pocket them.

 

[Johnnyt]

Another simple thing you can do to find out if you're hitting the aiming point on the OB is to set-up a very thin cut-shot and shoot it from different distances. A really thin cut...like a 75 to 85 angle to the pocket. Watch where the ball enters the pocket or hits the rail, then correct your aim or bascis (stance mostly) that way. Most shots are missed on the same side over and over again. Johnnyt

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

If you want FEEDBACK if you are hitting you point of aim, I would recomend this device. It wil straighten your stroke, and tell you each time if indeed your ball is hitting the TARGET!

 

[predator]

Why not simply rely on muscle memory and forget about concious systems?
I mean come on, pool matches are won by not making mistakes on routine shots and positions...the shots we have all shot many thousands of times...so how can we all of the sudden forget where to send that cueball?

 

[Johnnyt]

I'm sure all those ways work perfect to pocket balls, but, in your descriptions you say "without sidespin." The problem is, well for me personally, I don't know a single shot where i don't have any sidespin on the cueball, and I'm sure most other people have even a little sidespin on almost every shot they shoot. Which is why i would say the whole line through the center of the ball to the pocket or the ghost ball are not very good ways to aim.

Probably when you are first learning to pocket balls using those techniques are good, since you aren't really putting much spin on the ball but just learning to pocket them.

Of course you have to adjust for sidespin. I'm saying with no sidespin it has to go in if you hit the aiming point. First you need to know if you're hitting the aiming point. Most people use too much sidespin anyway, but what do I know. I've only been aiming wrong for 60 years and don't miss much either. I must be just lucky. Johnnyt

 

[Samiel]

Also you have to worry about throw if you're not using clean balls. You're right for the most part though... it's mainly about hitting the balls where you want to.

 

[shadowcat]

I'm sure all those ways work perfect to pocket balls, but, in your descriptions you say "without sidespin." The problem is, well for me personally, I don't know a single shot where i don't have any sidespin on the cueball, and I'm sure most other people have even a little sidespin on almost every shot they shoot. Which is why i would say the whole line through the center of the ball to the pocket or the ghost ball are not very good ways to aim.

Probably when you are first learning to pocket balls using those techniques are good, since you aren't really putting much spin on the ball but just learning to pocket them.

I think johnnyt's point is still valid. If you give sidespin, draw, or follow, you have to compensate for it, both in aiming and because the path of the cue ball coming off the hit is no longer in the direction of the hit. That's where experience and judgement come into play. The aim point does not change when you give spin to the cue ball; the shot mechanics do, especially if you give more left/right. You have to judge the path of the cue ball and the effect it has on the object ball. If you give any type of spin to the cue ball, you impart opposite spin to the object ball, which will alter its path. You also have to adjust for the fact that the cue ball is no longer going straight off the cue tip, because of the "squirt" the cue gives it, when you hit it left/right of center.

Most novice players learn draw and follow pretty early. They know to give draw so the cue ball doesn't follow the object ball into the pocket, and follow to move the cue ball more after the shot. When they start scratching into the corner because of hitting the ball too hard on a cut shot into the side pocket, or similar shots, or when they start adding more finesse to their position play, they start adding left/right english. Then they start missing shots they used to hit, because that off center hit means the cue is no longer going in the intended path. The aim point still holds true (in general), but the cue ball is no longer going toward that aim point because of the deflection. If you compensate for that initial deflection on the cue (depending on the hardness of the tip, the taper/stiffeness of the shaft, stroke speed, etc.), you hit the object ball at that initial centerline aimpoint, and you forecast the effect the english has on the object ball (off the bank, on slow long shots, etc.), the ball will go in the pocket.

That aim point holds true... it's the shot mechanics that have changed.

 

[Scaramouche]

I'm sure all those ways work perfect to pocket balls, but, in your descriptions you say "without sidespin." The problem is, well for me personally, I don't know a single shot where i don't have any sidespin on the cueball, and I'm sure most other people have even a little sidespin on almost every shot they shoot.

In his little red book - Willie Mosconi on Pocket Billiards - pages 39 - 41

"Again stressing the fact that the cue ball is round and has no flat surfaces, I cannot overemphasize the value of centre-ball stroking. In pocket billiards, my experience has taught me that more than 85 percent of the shots can be accomplished by stroking the cue ball in the centre of its vertical axis.

The player will never appreciate just how important centre-ball stroking is until he has learned that English influences: (1) the path of the cue ball to the object ball, and (2) the path of the object ball from the cue ball to the pocket.

A good rule to remember in pocket billiards is use centre-ball stroking on every shot unless English is absolutely required for position or to make a shot that is not 'on' without English."

 

[Patrick Johnson]

themack:
[when using sidespin] the whole line through the center of the ball to the pocket or the ghost ball are not very good ways to aim.

You can't aim to hit the no-spin aim point, but it's still essential to know. If you don't know where the no-spin aim point is, you can't know where the with-spin aim point is.

shadowcat:
The aim point does not change when you give spin to the cue ball

Of course it does. With spin you have to hit a different OB contact point and you have to aim differently to do that.

pj
chgo

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

If you are going to Spin the Ball you have to Factor in Spin to your Aim Point. If you know you are hitting the Point of Aim see my previous post.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

...you draw an imaginary line from the center of the pocket you want to pocket the ball in that goes through OB. Where the line comes out is your aiming point. Hit that point with no sidespin and the ball must go in if no skid is involved.

This is a system for finding the no-spin target on the OB (and to help find the with-spin target on the OB), but it doesn't give you any help aiming at the target. That's what aiming systems do.

The second is the ghost ball.

This is more of a true aiming system - it shows you where to point the center of the cue ball to hit the OB target. Drawing the line to find the OB target (your #1) is often a part of this system.

The third is the fractional, where you use fractions on the OB like whole-ball, ½, ¼, 1/8.

There's a major difference between this and ghost ball: the fractional system (and CTE, 90-90, etc.) is an approximate system that just gets you close to the no-throw CB/OB alignment, while ghost ball gets you to the exact no-throw CB/OB alignment every time (of course, you have to adjust for throw both ways).

pj
chgo

 

[shadowcat]

Of course it does. With spin you have to hit a different OB contact point and you have to aim differently to do that.

pj
chgo

I would say that for a majority of shots, the aim point does not change. If you impart sidespin on the OB, and hit it firm, the sidespin will not have enough time/friction to significantly alter the path to the pocket. It still holds true that if you hit the OB at the centerline point, it will go into the pocket (barring extreme effects of english). It really all depends on the shot mechanics. English has an effect only if 1) you hit something (a ball or rail), or 2) friction has a chance to overcome the straight-line direction of travel of the ball (such as a low velocity shot with extreme english applied to the OB, or masse). As I wrote later in my post, it is not the aim point that changes, it's the shot mechanics that do. Perhaps it's better to say that the CONTACT point on the OB does not change, since the point you aim at to compensate for squirt has changed. However, I'm only going by what johnnyt has defined as "aim point" in his initial post, so apologies if we are using different terminology.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

shadowcat:
If you impart sidespin on the OB, and hit it firm, the sidespin will not have enough time/friction to significantly alter the path to the pocket.

Yes, on some shots the effect of throw from sidespin is negligible. But I think you're overestimating how often this is true. I believe there's enough throw on most sidespin shots that you have to aim at a different point. Maybe the reason you think it's usually negligible is that the two points are close together.

pj
chgo

 

[Johnnyt]

In his little red book - Willie Mosconi on Pocket Billiards - pages 39 - 41

"Again stressing the fact that the cue ball is round and has no flat surfaces, I cannot overemphasize the value of centre-ball stroking. In pocket billiards, my experience has taught me that more than 85 percent of the shots can be accomplished by stroking the cue ball in the centre of its vertical axis.

The player will never appreciate just how important centre-ball stroking is until he has learned that English influences: (1) the path of the cue ball to the object ball, and (2) the path of the object ball from the cue ball to the pocket.

A good rule to remember in pocket billiards is use centre-ball stroking on every shot unless English is absolutely required for position or to make a shot that is not 'on' without English."

Yes I agree that 85-90% of shots need no or just slight runing english. My dad told me this when I first started to play 60 years ago. I'm sure he read or heard that quote from Mosconi. Mosconi was his hero. Players that get out of line a lot have to use more to work the QB back in line so often. That's why players like Buddy Hall make the game look so easy...they hardly ever get out of line with the QB. Johnnyt

 

[shadowcat]

Yes, on some shots the effect of throw from sidespin is negligible. But I think you're overestimating how often this is true. I believe there's enough throw on most sidespin shots that you have to aim at a different point. Maybe the reason you think it's usually negligible is that the two points are close together.

pj
chgo

This is probably true, and I suppose I subconsciously adjust for it. Most of my aiming is by "feel," since that's how I learned. I visualize the path of the CB and OB based on where I want it to go, and english/draw/follow is part of that visualization. My discussion has only been based on my experiences, since I've never experimented with the aiming systems. The way I aim works for me.

 

[cleary]

The problem is, well for me personally, I don't know a single shot where i don't have any sidespin on the cueball, and I'm sure most other people have even a little sidespin on almost every shot they shoot.

I dont know how well you play, but this could be the major problem in your game. There are TONS and TONS and TONS of shots that require no spin at all. And a lot of shots that spin will cause you to miss. You can get nearly everywhere on the table with just follow and draw, but a lot of shots can be played with simply a center ball hit.

Sure, shots DO come up that side spin is a must, but not nearly as often as you say.

 

[pooltchr]

Aiming is easy. We can all do it.


Knowing where we need to aim...that's where things get tricky!

Steve

 

[sausage]

Why not simply rely on muscle memory and forget about concious systems?
I mean come on, pool matches are won by not making mistakes on routine shots and positions...the shots we have all shot many thousands of times...so how can we all of the sudden forget where to send that cueball?

YES!

if you pay strict attention to cue position, you will be able to not only make the object ball, but determine in which part of the pocket the object ball goes. when you get that cue to do as it's told, you KNOW that you have made your shot. again: the object ball is only there to dictate the parameters of your cue position. more often than not, the minuscule difference on the contact point cannot be seen or calculated, it must be felt. it's called, "being in stroke". in order to play well consistently, and not fatigue mentally, you must play "in stroke". this is the zone between the unconscious and conscious mind. good players can turn it on and off like a switch, moderately good players get there every now and then and bad players never get into "the zone".

forgetaabout all this "perfect aim" nonsense and concentrate on the cue. do not watch the object ball go to the pocket, watch the cue.

 

[Johnnyt]

Aiming is easy. We can all do it.


Knowing where we need to aim...that's where things get tricky!

Steve

I see it the other way with most that are having trouble shot making.

Most on here know where you must hit the OB (aim point) to make it go in the pocket.

Hitting that aiming point is the main problem with most that are having problems...unless their using too much spin on QB. Then that's another problem all together. Johnnyt