Alignment

Low500 said:
Since I began studying aiming methods a short while ago, I'm beginning to see the extreme importance of the aiming method being accompanied by a perfect, repeatable, alignment for executing the shot.
Being impressed with the thorough teachings of Stan Shuffett, I'm confident he will address that in his upcoming book and videos.
I believe it is an area that is overlooked by most of these big shot price hungry instructors who are out there. (laying the stick on the table is quite simple when no conflicting balls are in the way...but that is not reality. Most of the time, balls are in the way, so I'm going to dismiss that concept as a high percentage method of alignment)
I've been studying many of the greats..on youtube videos. And either through instruction (which I doubt for most), luck, or sheer perserverence, each has found a way to align himself or herself over and over and over.
Mosconi, Greeleaf, Lassiter, The Filipinos, David Howard, Buddy Hall, Rempe, Robin Bell in her heyday, Shaw, Appleton, Frost, even Hopkins with that crazy "poke" stroke of his....all align themselves to the shot CONSISTENTLY. It does little good to know where to aim if the body alignment is off and the cue is not delivered to the line where the eyes and brain are telling it to go.
And I don't think it's a "stroke issue" concerning the shooting hand. (Most all have some type of swerve in their stroke...I watched some Mosconi in slow motion and he swept to one side or the other during follow through. That loose windup of Bustamante was as wild as they come.)
Stan Shuffett has a consistent alignment....therefore his eyes lead and his body follows. Just like he teaches. And since he seems to be the only one out there with a very high percentage method and genuine sincerity, I keep harping on his work.
As a student of high percentage pool playing techniques, I think the alignment is equally as important as perception of where to hit a ball.
I'd be interested in any comments on this topic from serious students/players and not from any troublemakers. Thanking you in advance.
Keep on truckin'
:thumbup:
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Good post. I think you're right on here, that alignment is key to getting your stroke on the proper aim line. Whether it's achieved by a single line to the OB or multiple lines to the OB is a personal preference based on individual aiming methods. As long as the body is consistently positioned properly to allow the cue stick to stroke along the exact line needed to pocket the OB, overall playing consistency becomes easier to achieve.
 
I too also believe that getting into the proper stance to allow for the bridge, head, shoulder, tip of elbow and grip hand all be on the shot line with the stroke being delivered as naturally as possible to push the cue through the cue ball.

I posted this video some time back and I believe its worth another.
The only thing I would add to this video is, once standing behind the cue have the student walk up to the butt of the cue while keeping his eyes on the straight line and pay attention to where the butt is pointed on his/her body.
This point on the body would then become the starting point for the grip hand to line up on any shot line. The stance would then be built around the grip hand position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKoMZrg1MAg

With the end result being this.

https://youtu.be/2-yTPXlNfyY?t=1663

John
 
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One Pocket John said:
I too also believe that getting into the proper stance to allow for the bridge, head, shoulder, tip of elbow and grip hand all be on the shot line with the stroke being delivered as naturally as possible to push the cue through the cue ball.
I posted this video some time back and I believe its worth another.
The only thing I would add to this video is, once standing behind the cue have the student walk up to the butt of the cue while keeping his eyes on the straight line and pay attention to where the butt is pointed on his/her body.
This point on the body would then become the starting point for the grip hand to line up on any shot line. The stance would then be built around the grip hand position.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKoMZrg1MAg
With the end result being this.
https://youtu.be/2-yTPXlNfyY?t=1663
John
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Low500 said:
Your contribution is well received.
The guy lost me in part one, other than to check which was the dominant eye for the guy being coached.
Part two, he got rolling and came in with some good stuff. Especially the part about the stroking hand ending up on the chest, which I've believed in for many years as an alignment aid.
It clarified that there was nothing wrong with that...(I overheard one of those instructors, who posts on this site, telling a guy once "that's all wrong"...then the guy who was "all wrong" robbed mister know-it-all).:) I knew he was full of it...those snooker players on those huge tables are usually the best hitters in the world.
It's of course obvious if you're playing a half table game like mosconi or Crane (neither could play a lick of 9-ball).. most of those old guys were almost standing up most of the time. So the hand couldn't finish on the chest.
Thank you again...it was good material.
Keep on truckin'
:thumbup:
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In bold above.

Maybe this will help with explaining part one of my post.

Notice, the stance is built around the grip position. The grip position on the body is based on where his eyes see a straight shot line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDkP6iaP3MY

Oh, the cue will hit the chest if your type of stance a player uses allows it to happen.

Thanks for the kind words. Just trying to help. :)

John
 
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Low500 said:
It's of course obvious if you're playing a half table game like mosconi or Crane (neither could play a lick of 9-ball).. most of those old guys were almost standing up most of the time.
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Please put the trolls and naysayers like this guy Low500 on ignore.
 
One Pocket John said:
In bold above.
Maybe this will help with explaining part one of my post.
Notice, the stance is built around the grip position. The grip position on the body is based on where his eyes see a straight shot line.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDkP6iaP3MY
Oh, the cue will hit the chest if your type of stance a player uses allows it to happen.
Thanks for the kind words. Just trying to help. :)
John
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Low500 said:
..........

It's of course obvious if you're playing a half table game like mosconi or Crane (neither could play a lick of 9-ball).. most of those old guys were almost standing up most of the time. So the hand couldn't finish on the chest.
...........
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In discussing alignment, these two players (Mosconi and Crane) were probably considered the greatest pool players in the world from about 1940 to 1950. I'd say their alignment and all around skill level was pretty amazing. To say "neither could play a lick of 9-ball" is pretty disrespectful. If you believe these guys, back in their prime, could not have mastered nine ball within a few days of playing the game, you are really out of touch with the level and ability of champion-level players. Lol

They played the game of their time period. If nineball had been that game, they'd have still been the world's best.
 
Low500 said:
Ah yessssssssss!
As my mentor used to say when I was a teenager...."NOW you're gambling". :wink:
That info about the placement of the grip hand during the alignment is valuable information.
I took the idea down to the "torture chamber" for a while and where it is not immediately apparent that it's a panacea for trouble....I do know on a couple of shots that I consistently did overcuts on, they don't overcut anymore. Long cuts, table length,...shot about 23 and rattled only one of 'em. I call that GREAT help. Definitely a minor glitch in alignment...now gone!
I only wish these guys with their instructions would zero in on those LONG ones...where you know if you miss, you're done for . But, what the H....the price is right and the info is sound.
Many thanks for taking your time to do this.
Who knows, maybe I can buy you a drink at a tournament one of these days.
Regards and keep on truckin'
Pete Lowenstein
:thumbup:
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Happy I could help.

In that first video of my post, it is true that it was used to determine where the students vision guided his chin down onto the cue. What I saw was an opportunity to see exactly where on my body the butt end of the cue was pointing.

For me the butt of the cue pointed to right side (about 2") of my belly button. So now when I'm standing behind a shot my grip hand is always starting at that position to line up a shot based on my vision with total disregard of eye dominance.

Here is a video of Stan practicing stroke. (Hope you don't mind Stan :))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr4j19Gz2CM

A little off topic but:
Like Stan, Stevie Moore, Nick Varner and I'm sure there are others I have whats called a Task Specific Tremor in my right hand (grip hand) My left hand is as steady as a rock. I manage though.
Here is a movie clip that crosses my mind when I think about the tremor.
https://youtu.be/Tr9xVmCL0bA?t=48

Back on topic:
I have been doing this for years, I call it my calibration exercise. It's the very thing I do every morning before practice.

I start out with the OB 2 feet away from the QB shooting 10 balls stop shots, then 10 balls using follow having the QB follow the OB into the pocket. for a total of 20 balls.

The distance is increased by 1 diamond after each repetition for a total of 4 diamonds.
The total of balls hit is 80. The exercise of continuously seeing the shot line and getting everything lined up on the shot line is needed to guarantee that out in the field I will approach each shot exactly the same way with the same alignment.

You will want to shoot these shots diagonally across the table. Shooting the shots inline with the rails is not advised due to the rail influencing your alignment on the shots.

I agree, if you don't come with that long straight in you lose. :)

John
 
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