aiming

Scott Lee said:
Don...Einstein figured out in 1918 that there are 6 million shots and angles on a 9' pool table. Fortunately only 6 go to a pocket. If you have a repeatable stroke ANY aiming system will work for you. If you don't, NO aiming system will work. For SAM to work you have to believe it will...
I seriously doubt that Einstein said anything about pool in 1918, but I would be interested in seeing a reference. What Einstein does seem to have said, although I have no reference either is:

A theory should be as simple as possible -- and no simpler." (Einstein)

The "and no simpler" seems to be the part you're having trouble with.
 
Scott Lee said:
Don...Einstein figured out in 1918 that there are 6 million shots and angles on a 9' pool table. Fortunately only 6 go to a pocket. If you have a repeatable stroke ANY aiming system will work for you. If you don't, NO aiming system will work. For SAM to work you have to believe it will...I do, and IT does! :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I think someone asked this before and never got a response, but does anyone have a link to information about this Einstein discovery? I was unable to find anything, and I find it hard to believe it wouldn't be documented somewhere on the Internet. Could this be a myth?

Edit: Bob just beat me to it
 
Scott Lee:
If you have a repeatable stroke ANY aiming system will work for you.

If a repeatable stroke means one that sends the cue ball where you think it will go, I think it might work against most aiming systems. They all seem to require unconscious aim adjustments, which means your stroke needs to be uncoupled from your conscious intent.

pj
chgo
 
Me:
What system(s) do you have in mind that work so well?

SpiderWebbComm:
Center of the CB to the edge of the OB on every single shot - straight in or super thin, it's all the same. Not my place to talk about in detail as it's not my system or property. All I was saying is a system exists with one aim for everything.... a unified theory if you will.

Oh, never mind. I meant one compatible with the laws of physics.

pj
chgo
 
Shawn Armstrong said:
When you look down the rail at a corner pocket, mark the centre. Then, move to the adjacent long or short rail, and look down the rail and mark the centre of the pocket. Tell me if they're the same point.
In the case of a corner foot pocket, if you shoot down a rail you want the object ball to follow the rail groove. If you shoot down the other adjacent cushion, you want the ball to follow that other rail groove. Those two rail grooves meet in at point in the pocket. If you shoot from the foot spot into that foot pocket, that obviously goes over the same spot on the cloth where the two rail groove lines cross. That single spot is the "center of the pocket" for at least those three angles of approach. I think it works very well for a lot of other angles as well.
 
As some of you know (since some of the participants are here), there's a lot of old discussion on Hal Houle's aiming system on the Billiards Digest forums.

If the second-hand information is accurate, Hal apparently admitted that his system will not allow you to hit the center of the pocket from all angles, but relies on the margin of error due to pocket size. Of course, then there is the question whether even this will work. But others are claiming that you can hit the center of the pocket with just those few aim points.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I seriously doubt that Einstein said anything about pool in 1918, but I would be interested in seeing a reference. What Einstein does seem to have said, although I have no reference either is:

A theory should be as simple as possible -- and no simpler." (Einstein)

The "and no simpler" seems to be the part you're having trouble with.

lol. I make a living stumbling over that one. Here's another one,

"Seek simplicity, and distrust it."

Alfred North Whitehead
 
There is only one way to aim playing pool and that is the ghost ball method. The question is, do you have a system to shoot the cueball through the ghostball position using whatever english is needed on that shot. It should imo be the same for all shots your are likely to try and play.

Curve must be minimized if aim is to be dependable. This usually means shots have a minimum or a maximum speed that they can be played consistently for the english used. If you don't stay on the correct sides of those speeds you will not see consistent results from any aim point.

unknownpro
 
SpiderWebComm said:
Center of the CB to the edge of the OB on every single shot - straight in or super thin, it's all the same. ...
Well of course that will work if you don't actually align your cue stick along the line joining the center of the cue ball and the edge of the object ball. As we all know, if you do that and stroke straight, the resulting cut angle is about 28 degrees. A 32-degree cut shot requires you to do something else.

You're talking about a system with a lot of subconscious correction. I don't consider that to be a "system."
 
Bob Jewett said:
In the case of a corner foot pocket, if you shoot down a rail you want the object ball to follow the rail groove. If you shoot down the other adjacent cushion, you want the ball to follow that other rail groove. Those two rail grooves meet in at point in the pocket. If you shoot from the foot spot into that foot pocket, that obviously goes over the same spot on the cloth where the two rail groove lines cross. That single spot is the "center of the pocket" for at least those three angles of approach. I think it works very well for a lot of other angles as well.
I'm guessing that Shawn means the target(s) on the back "wall" or facing of the pocket, not the one on the table surface.

pj
chgo
 
Shows what you know Bob. Do some research. You'll find Einstein's "Receding Sphere Theory". He was a pool freak of the first order! :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Bob Jewett said:
I seriously doubt that Einstein said anything about pool in 1918, but I would be interested in seeing a reference. What Einstein does seem to have said, although I have no reference either is:

A theory should be as simple as possible -- and no simpler." (Einstein)

The "and no simpler" seems to be the part you're having trouble with.
 
Aiming

Hey Randy just 6 all day everday for the money. Thanks to go bca instructors. Hal Houle is the man.:D sorry I forgot to say if you want the balls in the center of the pockets!!!!!!!!!! unknown pro ghost dosn't work on all shots. How I know is the man that greated it Tom Simpson said it dosnt work that is good for me!!!!!!!
 
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Patrick Johnson said:
I'm guessing that Shawn means the target(s) on the back "wall" or facing of the pocket, not the one on the table surface. ...
Yes, but I think the back of the pocket is the wrong target to choose. I think a lot of beginners miss shots because they are aiming at the back of the pocket from somewhere other than the full opening. This is particularly fatal for side pocket shots.
 
Scott Lee said:
Shows what you know Bob. Do some research. You'll find Einstein's "Receding Sphere Theory". He was a pool freak of the first order! :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I'm not sure who's showing what they do and do not know here: "Receding Sphere Theory" is a googlenope (Google can't find that phrase on the internet). Forgive me if I'm being naive, but if this were really a theory developed by Einstein, Google would most definitely know.

-Andrew
 
Scott Lee said:
Shows what you know Bob. Do some research. You'll find Einstein's "Receding Sphere Theory". He was a pool freak of the first order! :D
...
I assume that the smiley means that you're kidding and you don't know of any reference that Einstein really made to pool.
 
Do you guy known Hals system. Is this thread about aim systems or crap I dont care about!!!
 
Bob Jewett said:
Well of course that will work if you don't actually align your cue stick along the line joining the center of the cue ball and the edge of the object ball. As we all know, if you do that and stroke straight, the resulting cut angle is about 28 degrees. A 32-degree cut shot requires you to do something else.

You're talking about a system with a lot of subconscious correction. I don't consider that to be a "system."

Bob:

Mind you, there's more than what I'm typing here.. I'm only listing partial info. The basis of what I'm saying, center of CB to the edge of the OB, is a fact for every single shot on the table even if you're shooting zero degrees (straight in). I feel stupid speaking in cryptic terms, but I deeply respect the person who invented the system and promised not to disclose (the same way Scott Lee or Randy wouldn't want someone to spout off about how they train and what they do-- as it's proprietary).

My intent for posting anything to begin with was to say there's stuff WAY beyond ghost ball or 6-part aiming systems.

Regards,
Dave
 
breakin8 said:
Do you guy known Hals system.
Hal Houle has many systems for aiming. I've discussed one or two with him. If you would like to know more about them, I probably have his phone number around here somewhere. He's always glad to talk about them and doesn't charge for the discussion.

He also prefers not to have them discussed on-line.
 
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