Big C said:
I don't think that anyone can make such a statement as a matter of fact due to A) not knowing all of them B) Not seeing any scientific studies to prove or disprove them all and C) your not being physically capable to personally test them all so precisely that your results would stand as proof.
But if you suggest that no system is PERFECT, I would agree with that for the sake of discussion but would immediately suggest that a lack of UTTER PERFECTION is no reason to entirely ignore anything having to do with pool. In other words, if your stroke is not PERFECT should you just quit the game? Or should you learn what you can learn in the attempt to achieve the best outcome possible for you?
Some people play on instinct and feel rather than stopping to think about the angle, or contact point.
That is a frequent comment in most discussions about aiming systems and I have the following replies.
1. It is likely that all players started out with SOME kind of system or technique that eventually, with massive repitition, becomes subconscious and therefore, APPARANTLY instinctive. I say "apparantly" because humans are not aware of their subconscious brain functions...which is why they are called subconscious.
When you apply the brakes on your car, the force you apply is determined essentially subconsciously. But you LEARNED how to brake due to the application of a SYSTEM described as "the application of smooth progressive force...rather than a sudden, choppy force." That is a SYSTEM that has become so ingrained that NOW you call it instinctive but you didn't have that instinct when you were scaring the hell out of your driver ed teacher! (-:
2. When you talk to great players about their aiming systems (if any) some will actually tell you about a system they in fact use...some will tell you truthfully that they aim by feel/instinct alone, regardless of whether they acquired that instinct from some system back in the day...and some will just flat out LIE because they have no interest in helping their competitors improve their games.
In one of Bob Jewett's always fascinating and instructive articles, he makes the following comment.
Almost the first thing he said was that
my bridge was wrong. It's a little unsettling
to be told that the bridges taught to
you by Hoppe and Mosconi were wrong,
but they were.
http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2005-09.pdf
3. Patrick Johnson (I think...and forgive me if I am wrong) states that people often THINK they are executing a system but they actually are not due to subconscious adjustments. Could be.
Therefore, I suggest that it is virtually impossible to determine whether any given player is actually executing any given system.
The brain is very good at making adjustments in aiming and speed control without us really having to think about. You just have to know which half of the brain to listen to and shut the other side off. You should have already made the shot in your mind before bending to shoot. The time between is when doubt creeps in and ruins everything.
Outstanding advice. And relating back to my system, I can stand behind you and...assuming that you are aiming correctly by whatever means...I can tell you exactly to what tip-sized target your tip is pointing at. In addition, by observing where the line of centers points, I know from 6 feet away how to align my body and where I will point my cue. So, to that extent at least, my system conforms extremely well to your sound advice that the shot should be essentially aimed before you walk into the shot.
Thanks for your insights.
Regards,
Jim