We're discussing visualizing bank angles in another thread, and I diagrammed a method that I use, but I don't think it was very clear. So here's a simplified version.
This is nothing fancy, just the simplest way I know to accurately visualize "mirror" angles for one-rail banks and kicks. It works for balls anywhere on the table for one-rail banks or kicks into any pocket.
The method is essentially the same as "paralleling", where you find a nearby "known mirror track" (like the far #1 diamond and the near #2 diamond in the diagram) then estimate a roughly parallel path for the ball. But paralleling is complicated by the fact that true mirror angle lines aren't parallel but converge toward the far rail.
To overcome this I add a second "known mirror track" on the other side of the ball (like from the far #1.5 diamond to the near #3 diamond) and visualize the ball sitting in the narrow "lane" between them. This makes it much easier for me to see exactly how unparallel the "parallel" line should be.
I visualize lanes 1/2 diamond wide on the far rail and 1 diamond wide on the near rail, like the one in the diagram. This seems to be the smallest size that's easy to visualize accurately, and is small enough to make it easy to see accurate mirror angles for most any ball within it.
The diagram shows the mirror angle bank paths (to the lower left corner pocket) for the 1, 2 and 3 balls and the "banking lane" they all sit within. If you think visualizing them this way might make it easier for you as it does for me, practice it a little bit - it gets easy pretty quickly. I see them this way now without effort and the accurate mirror angles are just obvious to me.
pj
chgo
This is nothing fancy, just the simplest way I know to accurately visualize "mirror" angles for one-rail banks and kicks. It works for balls anywhere on the table for one-rail banks or kicks into any pocket.
The method is essentially the same as "paralleling", where you find a nearby "known mirror track" (like the far #1 diamond and the near #2 diamond in the diagram) then estimate a roughly parallel path for the ball. But paralleling is complicated by the fact that true mirror angle lines aren't parallel but converge toward the far rail.
To overcome this I add a second "known mirror track" on the other side of the ball (like from the far #1.5 diamond to the near #3 diamond) and visualize the ball sitting in the narrow "lane" between them. This makes it much easier for me to see exactly how unparallel the "parallel" line should be.
I visualize lanes 1/2 diamond wide on the far rail and 1 diamond wide on the near rail, like the one in the diagram. This seems to be the smallest size that's easy to visualize accurately, and is small enough to make it easy to see accurate mirror angles for most any ball within it.
The diagram shows the mirror angle bank paths (to the lower left corner pocket) for the 1, 2 and 3 balls and the "banking lane" they all sit within. If you think visualizing them this way might make it easier for you as it does for me, practice it a little bit - it gets easy pretty quickly. I see them this way now without effort and the accurate mirror angles are just obvious to me.
pj
chgo