Billiard Aim Trainer

ljmoss said:
paul,
your testimony to the angles system is like a breath of fresh air, as this is what hal houle has been trying to tell players on the forums for years.
research in rec.sport.billiards forum years ago to the last few and this forum more recent. the start was in rec. sport and of course he did post in billiard digest and others .
yes, i am aware that in england this has been more or less a chosen method for years.
i would love to communicate with you in another manner if you would care to email me at ljmoss@aol.com.
i was not intending to discredit your" bat' method of aiming, but was familiar already with the work that had been done by joe tucker.
as hal and i have contended , anyone that introduces ideas and ways to improve a players game that gets "positive results" is to be commended.
in fact, if hal was younger and in better health, he would have put together products such as you and joes to help teach this method .
he had talked with me years ago about this, but he went on with the phone call lessons and enjoyed meeting and speaking with so many people.
i should like to try your 'bat aim trainer" and would like to send one to hal who currently is offline, waiting for his new home to be finished. i think it would make him happy to see that what he has been trying to teach for years has come to life , so to speak and will live after him.of course he maintains he could die anyday, but has been telling me that for 12 years. loll i am sure he would love to speak with you at some time.
i am friends with richard brompton and sarah ellerby from england .
bca league operator
diamond table sales
founding member of spirit tour of fl
kbt of fl member
Click to expand...
Thanks LJ. My hope is the BAT will revolutionize the amateur game, because so many players just hopelessly guess when aiming. The 3 cut system promoted by the BAT is really the easiest and most logical way to aim. It is much more scientific.

I would be happy to send a complimentary BAT to Hal. Just send his address to my email at paul@billiardstraining.com

Thanks for your support.
- Paul
 
Scaramouche said:
Don't know which book I saw this in:

With the cue ball hit straight down the centre line, no side spin:

A ball on the head spot needs a 3/4 hit to be pocketed in a corner pocket at the foot (14 degree cut)

A ball at the centre of the table needs a half ball hit to be pocketed in the corner pocket (25 degree cut)

A ball at the foot spot needs a quarter ball hit to be pocketed in the corner pocket (45 degree cut)

From there it becomes how well you identify the angle of the shot and adjusting.
Click to expand...
A small correction is needed here. The actual angles created for the 3/4,1/2 and 1/4 cuts are closer to: 14, 30 and 49 degrees. It sounds weird but this is the fact.

But you are right, once you start to see these angles on the table, aiming becomes a whole lot easier. The BAT teaches you to recognize these angles.

If you want to see the correct position of the balls to set up perfect 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 ball cut shots, go to: http://www.billiardaimtrainer.com/html/training_drills.html

- Paul
 
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issycue said:
Cool posts... I always wondered if anyone actually developed an aiming system that could be used with some consistency. The other night, an old timer was giving me tips on aiming, and at my LPH he suggested that I look at the shadow that the ball makes on the table... Since the lights above those tables are directly above the balls, the shadows seem to be good representations of the balls edge i guess...and if I were to aim center ball hit for a spot that was inline with the center pocket, the center of the object ball, and 'one tip from the shadow' of the object ball, I would pocket all the time. Anybody else here this one?
Click to expand...
The shadow system has been around for a while, but like most other such systems it is unscientific because the shadow is always relative to the position of the lights above the table and in the room.

The best reference for aiming is the edge of the object ball. It never changes. It's there in front of you. Forget about spots, shadows and "ghost balls", just look at the edge. When you view the edge of an object ball from the position behind your cue ball, that edge represents a perfect half ball cut. By aiming straight at the edge, you are in effect cutting that ball in half. The angle created by this contact is ALWAYS 30 degrees. It is geometry.

Now, turning this information around, when we recognize a 30 degree angle on the table, we now know that we just have to aim for the edge. How simple can you get? With practice you will start to recognise if a shot is slightly more or less of this half ball cut. The same applies for the 1/4 and 3/4 ball cuts.

Learn these 3 cut shots and you'll be way ahead of your opponent who is still guessing.

- Paul
www.billiardaimtrainer.com
 
Batman said:
Thanks LJ. My hope is the BAT will revolutionize the amateur game, because so many players just hopelessly guess when aiming. The 3 cut system promoted by the BAT is really the easiest and most logical way to aim. It is much more scientific.

I would be happy to send a complimentary BAT to Hal. Just send his address to my email at paul@billiardstraining.com

Thanks for your support.
- Paul
Click to expand...
paul,
i shall email you hals address. i am sure he will be glad to take a look at your work. the similaritys are remarable down to the wording that "every shot" is a straight shot. that is what i have always quoted him as teaching me 1st.
in another post i shall copy and paste one of his earlier postings from years ago on the angles only.

ljmoss
 
paul and all az for your reading enjoyment,
from ljmoss on behalf of hal houle

"There are only 3 angles for any shot, on any size table. This includes;
> caroms, single rail banks, double rail banks, 1, 2, 3, and 4 rail banks,
> and double kiss banks. Any table has a 2 to 1 ratio; 3 1/2 x 7, 4 x 8, 4 1Ž2
> x 9, 5 x 10, 6 x 12. It is always twice as long as it is wide. The table
> corners are 90 degree angles. When you lay a cue from the side pocket to
> the corner pocket, you are forming an angle of 45 degrees. When you lay a
> cue from the side pocket to the middle diamond on the same end rail, you
> are forming an angle of 30 degrees. When you lay a cue from the side
> pocket to the first diamond on the same end rail, you are forming an angle
> of 15 degrees. When you add up these 3 angles, they total 90 degrees, which
> is the same angle formed by the table corners. The cue ball relation to
> object ball relation shot angle is always 15, 30, or 45 degrees. The
> solution is very simple. There are only 2 edges on the cue ball to aim
> with, and they are always exactly in the same place on the cue ball. There
> are only 3 exact spots on the object ball to aim to, and they are always
> exactly in the same place on the object ball. So, 2 edges on the cue ball,
> and 3 spots on the object ball; 2 x 3 = 6 which is the total number of
> table pockets. This means that, depending upon how the cue ball and object
> ball lie in relation to one another, you may either pocket the object ball
> directly into a pocket or bank it into any one of the remaining 5 pockets.
> Of course, the reverse is true. If the relationship of cue ball to object
> ball can only be a bank, so be it. There is never a need to look at a
> pocket or cushion while lining up the edge on the cue ball to the spot on
> the object ball. You have only those 3 angles Your only requirement is to
> recognize whether your shot is a 15, 30, or 45 degree angle. Recognizing
> those 3 angles can be accomplished in an instant by aiming the edge of the
> cue ball to one of the spots on the object ball. It will be obvious which
> object ball spot is correct. There will be no doubt. Any time either one of
> the 2 edges on the cue ball is aimed at any one of the 3 spots on the
> object ball, that object ball must go to a pocket. Choose the correct spot
> and the object ball will most certainly go to the chosen pocket. The top
> professional players in the game have always known about this professional
> aiming system, but they are a closed fraternity, and you are the enemy.
> Interested in where those spots are located?
> The 2 places on the cue
> ball are the left edge of the cue ball when you are cutting the object ball
> to the left; and the right edge of the cue ball when you are cutting the
> object ball to the right. The 3 spots on the object ball are the quarters,
> and the center. The quarters and center of the object ball face straight at
> the edges of your cue ball, not facing toward the pocket. In other words,
> if you were on a work-bench at home, there would be no pocket, so you would
> just line up the edge of the cue ball straight to your target on the object
> ball. When you cut to the left for 15 degrees, aim the left cue ball edge
> at the object ball left quarter. When you cut to the left for 30 degrees,
> aim the cue ball left edge at the object ball center. When you cut to the
> left for 45 degrees, aim the cue ball left edge at the object ball right
> quarter. When you cut to the right for 15 degrees, you aim the cue ball
> right edge at the object ball right quarter. When you cut to the right for
> 30 degrees, you aim the cue ball right edge at the object center. When you
> cut to the right for 45 degrees, you aim the right cue ball edge to the
> object ball left quarter. If you'll just get down and aim your old way,
> you'll be close to where you should be aiming. Look to see (without
> changing your head or eye position) just where the cue ball edge is aiming
> at the object ball. You'll see that on every shot that the cue ball edge is
> always aiming at the same targets on the object ball. Remember, this system
> is for any shot on the table; banks, caroms, combinations, and so forth.
> The only shot remaining is the extreme cut for any shot over 45 degrees.
> Aim the cue ball edge to the eighth of the object ball (which is half of
> the quarter). Don't let the pocket influence you. Have a friend hold the
> ball tray between the object ball and the pocket, so you cannot see the
> pocket, and you'll see that those 3 angles will handle just about anything.
> Of course, you would have chosen the 15, 30, or 45 degree angle before your
> friend put the ball tray in place. It also makes it much more interesting
> if you don't tell your friend how you are pocketing the ball without seeing
> the pocket. Have some fun. For any questions, call me. Regards, POOL HAL"
 
ljmoss said:
paul,
i shall email you hals address. i am sure he will be glad to take a look at your work. the similaritys are remarable down to the wording that "every shot" is a straight shot. that is what i have always quoted him as teaching me 1st.
in another post i shall copy and paste one of his earlier postings from years ago on the angles only.

ljmoss
Click to expand...
Some legal basics FYI
Under the Berne copyright convention, which almost all major nations have signed, every creative work is copyrighted the moment it is fixed in tangible form. No notice is necessary, though it helps legal cases. No registration is necessary, though it's needed later to sue. The copyright lasts until 70 years after the author dies. Facts and ideas can't be copyrighted, only expressions of creative effort.
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copyright.html

ljmoss
 
that is the greatest description of one of Hals systems i have ran across on the net, you can come up with alot of them by simply typing in Hal Houles Aiming in yahoo LOL. The RSB forum shure has alot of his Systems just have to do some searching.
 
issycue said:
Cool posts... I always wondered if anyone actually developed an aiming system that could be used with some consistency. The other night, an old timer was giving me tips on aiming, and at my LPH he suggested that I look at the shadow that the ball makes on the table... Since the lights above those tables are directly above the balls, the shadows seem to be good representations of the balls edge i guess...and if I were to aim center ball hit for a spot that was inline with the center pocket, the center of the object ball, and 'one tip from the shadow' of the object ball, I would pocket all the time. Anybody else here this one?
Click to expand...

Great system also but i found it wasn't very consistent as moving and playing table to table. Plus the further away the balls are the harder to see the shadow unless you don't get as low as i do on the cue:D Hals Center 2 Edge or Edge 2 Center, Shish Ka Bob, and Small Ball work just fyne for me.;)
 
Someone mentioned Joe Tucker. He has an aiming system that is based off of numbers (each number is a position on the ball and cue ball - and you basically 'connect the dots'). Works extremely well! I play a lot of straight pool and I would frequently miss break shots that were harder back-cuts. His aiming system gave me something "physical" to look at - and lock up the shot. I'm assuming that's what this BAT does. This BAT looks pretty awesome - I might have to try it.

I seldom give product endorsements on here but Joe Tucker's advanced racking secrets DVD is a must have for the advanced player. Helps you make breaking adjustments based on gaps between balls (it's not always good to have someone re-rack and make them tight). He ran into me at Valley Forge and asked me to buy it for $20. I thought, I've wasted $20 a million times so I might as well try it. Ended up being the best $20 investment I ever made in pool.
 
SpiderWebComm said:
Someone mentioned Joe Tucker. He has an aiming system that is based off of numbers (each number is a position on the ball and cue ball - and you basically 'connect the dots'). Works extremely well! I play a lot of straight pool and I would frequently miss break shots that were harder back-cuts. His aiming system gave me something "physical" to look at - and lock up the shot. I'm assuming that's what this BAT does. This BAT looks pretty awesome - I might have to try it.

I seldom give product endorsements on here but Joe Tucker's advanced racking secrets DVD is a must have for the advanced player. Helps you make breaking adjustments based on gaps between balls (it's not always good to have someone re-rack and make them tight). He ran into me at Valley Forge and asked me to buy it for $20. I thought, I've wasted $20 a million times so I might as well try it. Ended up being the best $20 investment I ever made in pool.
Click to expand...
Hi SpiderWebcomm,

You're right. The BAT gives you something tangible to aim at. It uses the edge of the object ball as the reference, because the edge is right there in front of you. And more importantly it can be easily seen from a distance. The only problem I see with Joe's system is that the numbers are harder to see from long distance.

- Paul (Batman)
 
Batman:

Good point - I guess you're right. I've only used the number system for closer shots. I've been thinking about the BAT's system a lot-- makes sense to me. I'm eager to try one out as soon as my back recovers.

-Spiderman
 
ljmoss said:
Some legal basics FYI
Under the Berne copyright convention, which almost all major nations have signed, every creative work is copyrighted the moment it is fixed in tangible form. No notice is necessary, though it helps legal cases. No registration is necessary, though it's needed later to sue. The copyright lasts until 70 years after the author dies. Facts and ideas can't be copyrighted, only expressions of creative effort.
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copyright.html

ljmoss
Click to expand...

Is this implying that there could potentially be some legal ramification becuase this guy is marketing an aiming system that is similar to what Hal put on the internet years ago?

I'm very interested in the system (Either Hals, or the BAT) and would've have never heard of Hal had this thread not been posted?

DJ
 
Batman said:
Hi SpiderWebcomm,

You're right. The BAT gives you something tangible to aim at. It uses the edge of the object ball as the reference, because the edge is right there in front of you. And more importantly it can be easily seen from a distance. The only problem I see with Joe's system is that the numbers are harder to see from long distance.

- Paul (Batman)
Click to expand...

I don’t mean to be a “nit” or start an aiming issue but the problem that you referred to really isn’t a problem but I can see why you think it might be.
My method is meant to teach players the answers of what actually has to take place before they get down to shoot and to use those answers to constantly improve their perception of the balls, their equators, the contact points and to also use this information as a guide while settling into their shots. If I’m 8 feet away with whatever numbered contact point I’m shooting I also use the center or edges of the balls as guides. I’ll go down identify the cp and what number it is, see where it is and then I’ll be able to walk back down table and see where that spot is, how far from the edge or how close to center it is and then send the matching point on the cue ball to that point. And now I don’t really have to go down to see the actual spot, as soon as I know what number it is I can look right to that spot even if I was 12 feet away. I’ve just learned to know where they are.

I know you probably didn’t mean much by the statement but if I said the only problem I see with the bat is bla, bla, bla and it really wasn’t a problem, you’d probably send me a similar message.

Sorry for being a nit and I congratulate you on getting your product out and about, I know it’s no easy task and I wish you all the best.
 
Joe.

Sorry about that. You are right. I hear a lot of praise for your product, so it is certainly a good product and you are helping a lot of players.

No harm intended, but I will careful with my choice of words in the future.

- Paul (Batman)
 
PlynSets said:
Is this implying that there could potentially be some legal ramification becuase this guy is marketing an aiming system that is similar to what Hal put on the internet years ago?

I'm very interested in the system (Either Hals, or the BAT) and would've have never heard of Hal had this thread not been posted?

DJ
Click to expand...
The system the BAT uses is very old. Nothing new really. The BAT however is the first product on the market that has been able to show and teach this system.

I also never heard of Hal and his teaching, but I can assure you that the 3 cut system was around long before Hal starting teaching it.

In any case, if you study the way I am teaching it and the way Hal does there are differences.

- Batman
 
Batman said:
A small correction is needed here. The actual angles created for the 3/4,1/2 and 1/4 cuts are closer to: 14, 30 and 49 degrees. It sounds weird but this is the fact.

But you are right, once you start to see these angles on the table, aiming becomes a whole lot easier. The BAT teaches you to recognize these angles.

If you want to see the correct position of the balls to set up perfect 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 ball cut shots, go to: http://www.billiardaimtrainer.com/html/training_drills.html

- Paul
Click to expand...
Geometry 101

For those following this discussion, the actual degrees for the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 cuts are:

14.48, 30.01, and 48.59 degrees. When creating the BAT, I decided to round these numbers down to 14,30, and 49.

- Batman
 
I Took 9th Grade Math For 3 Years, But Rounded It Down to 1

Batman said:
Geometry 101

For those following this discussion, the actual degrees for the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 cuts are:

14.48, 30.01, and 48.59 degrees. When creating the BAT, I decided to round these numbers down to 14,30, and 49.
- Batman
Click to expand...



The sun is 93,000,000 miles away, but I rounded it down to 93 miles, so that I could see it more clearly....
Doug
( the numbers are what they are )
 
Smorgass Bored said:
The sun is 93,000,000 miles away, but I rounded it down to 93 miles, so that I could see it more clearly....
Doug
( the numbers are what they are )
Click to expand...
Doug,

Point taken, but when trying to make the product as user friendly as possible, it was necessary to do this. The lines on the "BAT Degree Window" are accurately aligned to the exact degree, but the numbers above these lines and in the product manual are rounded up or down.

It is hard enough to get people to understand what 49 degrees is what to speak of throwing 48.59 degrees at them!

- Paul (BATman)
 
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