aiming techniques

L

lawful777

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
First off, this is not a post to discuss the validation of CTE or other aiming systems. That has been discussed enough on here already. What I am looking for is a little clarity on how and why CTE works.

For years now, I have been aiming by feel and as a respectable B player, it has been ok for now. I am continuing to slowly work on many aspects of my game to bring me up to an A level one day and the other night a guy started showing me some aim points, mainly along the horizontal axis of the cue. The second to last position was on the edge, which accounted for appx 80% of my next several practice shots, using center ball. As he said, it did feel like something totally new. To actually focus the aim on that edge and not on a feel good spot. It sounded like something someone else was trying to show me a few months earlier, which I thought was similar to CTE. I think I want to pursue practicing this more.

My question is this, what is the special line up and pivot for? It seemed to work really well for me to line up the center of the cue with the edge of the object ball using my ferrule and then shooting it. I made several shots with little effort. Is incorporating the cue stick line-up and pivot crucial to the aim point? Please forgive me for not understanding, I am open to learning new things. I just want to keep my game as simple as possible. Thank you in advance for any thoughts....PM's greatly welcomed and appreciated!
 
lawful777...Just so you know, "feel" is a legitimate 'aiming method'. There's certainly nothing wrong with what you're doing, whether you incorporate CTE into it as a primary, or use CTE as a fallback or secondary. Also, you don't HAVE to pivot with CTE, and if you do, the pivot can large or small. You mention aiming on the vertical axis of the cue...I presume you mean the CB?
We like to teach aiming with the cuestick, as opposed to the CB. It seems to simplify things...even with CTE.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

lawful777 said:
First off, this is not a post to discuss the validation of CTE or other aiming systems. That has been discussed enough on here already. What I am looking for is a little clarity on how and why CTE works.

For years now, I have been aiming by feel and as a respectable B player, it has been ok for now. I am continuing to slowly work on many aspects of my game to bring me up to an A level one day and the other night a guy started showing me some aim points, mainly along the horizontal axis of the cue. The second to last position was on the edge, which accounted for appx 80% of my next several practice shots, using center ball. As he said, it did feel like something totally new. To actually focus the aim on that edge and not on a feel good spot. It sounded like something someone else was trying to show me a few months earlier, which I thought was similar to CTE. I think I want to pursue practicing this more.

My question is this, what is the special line up and pivot for? It seemed to work really well for me to line up the center of the cue with the edge of the object ball using my ferrule and then shooting it. I made several shots with little effort. Is incorporating the cue stick line-up and pivot crucial to the aim point? Please forgive me for not understanding, I am open to learning new things. I just want to keep my game as simple as possible. Thank you in advance for any thoughts....PM's greatly welcomed and appreciated!
Click to expand...
 
Hi Scott, thank you for the bout of confidence. Like I said I have been aiming by feel for years and it has come along well. This just seemed a little more exact in giving me an almost "guaranteed" shot feel. I have only been trying for a couple hours and it won't replace everything for awhile. At this point, I haven't even begun figuring out the formula for english with it. Just helping me to look at things from a more basic way.

As for the aiming on the cue, I meant, center ball on the cue, the center, 1/2, edge or more on the OB, aiming with the ferrule to the point on the OB. It is a more focused aim point then I have been used to and should help in concentration too. Any other thoughts are appreciated. Thank you so much for your time. John
 
OK, call me ignorant, but what do the acronyms stand for you guys are referring too? CTE? Any others?
 
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I believe SAM stands for supplemental aiming method. At least that is what is taught at Pool School. There is a way to use the stick to assist in aiming. I am not sure if there is a name for this other than ' using your stick to find an aiming spot'.
 
Name was changed recently, as per Scott Lee when I was taking the instructor course from him last month. I thought it was called supplemental aiming method too.

kaznj said:
I believe SAM stands for supplemental aiming method. At least that is what is taught at Pool School. There is a way to use the stick to assist in aiming. I am not sure if there is a name for this other than ' using your stick to find an aiming spot'.
Click to expand...
 
Joel and Tony...SAM was changed in name only, a couple of years ago. All details of how you use it are still the same. We thought the name change better represented aiming with the cuestick vs aiming with the CB as an overlap.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Tony_in_MD said:
Name was changed recently, as per Scott Lee when I was taking the instructor course from him last month. I thought it was called supplemental aiming method too.
Click to expand...
 
dsoriano...It's just one of several legitimate aiming methods. Lots of players aim by "feel", which is also one the 7 recognized systems. As in anything, a poor stroke will not work consistently with any aiming method.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

dsoriano said:
OK, call me ignorant, but what do the acronyms stand for you guys are referring too? CTE? Any others?
Click to expand...
 
Scott Lee said:
dsoriano...It's just one of several legitimate aiming methods. Lots of players aim by "feel", which is also one the 7 recognized systems. As in anything, a poor stroke will not work consistently with any aiming method.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Okay, I'll bite. What are the 7 recognized aiming systems?

In other news, I've been using ghost ball for years. I'm not sure if my dad taught it to me or if it just occurred to me to aim that way when I was 10. Regardless, a friend of a friend showed me a new method that's actually working better for me for cuts across the table. Instead of visualizing a ghost ball in line with the object ball and pocket, visualize a thin line through the center of the object ball, then extend that line out to where the cue ball would be. It gives you a slightly smaller target than ghost ball.

As far as multiple aiming systems, I'm a believer. For straight in shots, I aim at the bottom of the object ball (where it touches the cloth is the center of the ball, n'est-ce pas?). For thick cuts, I aim at the edge of the cue ball for 30 degrees off, then adjust outside or inside if the shot is more or less than 30 degrees. For thinner cuts (more than 45 degrees), I use ghost ball, and for long thin cuts, I use the line through the axis of the object ball.

For banks, I pray. :D
 
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