Can you eye-ball perpendicular?

CaptainJR

CaptainJR

Shiver me timbers.
Silver Member
Should I actually pass this kind of good stuff along, for free?

Just to you good folks here on AZBillards.

I just can't believe it is that original anyway. However, I don't recall ever seeing anyone else use it and I've been ask 'what the heck are you doing' by some pretty good shooters. So I'll pass it along here and maybe it will help someone.

We have all walked up to the table and saw one of those shots that look like it can't quite be cut. Or can it. Wouldn't it be nice to know for sure. This is how I know, for SURE.

The first requirement is that you have the ability to eyeball perpendicular. Most people can. Some people can't. Its like straightening a picture on the wall. Some people can see it, some can't. If your a descent pool player, you probably can.
Walk over to the object ball behind the intended pocket and hold your cue stick above the object ball, but perpendicular to the shot. (brown line in illustration) Look straight down on the shot. If the cue ball is beyond the cue stick, the shot can be cut. (cue ball in illustration) If the cue ball is touching the stick or behind it, it can't be cut. (6 ball in illustration)

This is a confidence issue as much as anything. Without using this you may wonder if the shot can be cut. With this you KNOW FOR SURE.

http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/

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Great post Capt.

I use the brown line (man at this point I wish you had used a different color) for a different sight line. I will stand up and hold my cue above the table and sight up perpenducular to the shot. Easy way to do it is try and line the cue up so the edge of the cue is right on the contact point of the object ball (just like the brown line in CaptJR's example). Now the line you just formed with your cue is the path that the cueball will follow after hitting the object ball if you don't use any high or low. This is helpful for 3 reasons. First if your cue is pointing at a pocket then you have a good chance of scratching unless you use follow or draw to alter the path of the cueball. Second if you want to carrom this will tell you if you are already lined up on the shot. Third if you plan on "running" the rails this will tell you what angle you will be coming into the rail and give you an idea of where your cueball will end up.
 
Thank you very much!

I *really* need this kind of advice at this point in my playing. I kind of know what cut shots I can make and can't make, but sometimes don't quite know until I try it. Now I have a tool to better define this grey area of my playing. Thanks!
 
Johnny "V" said:
Great post Capt.

I use the brown line (man at this point I wish you had used a different color) for a different sight line. I will stand up and hold my cue above the table and sight up perpenducular to the shot. Easy way to do it is try and line the cue up so the edge of the cue is right on the contact point of the object ball (just like the brown line in CaptJR's example). Now the line you just formed with your cue is the path that the cueball will follow after hitting the object ball if you don't use any high or low. This is helpful for 3 reasons. First if your cue is pointing at a pocket then you have a good chance of scratching unless you use follow or draw to alter the path of the cueball. Second if you want to carrom this will tell you if you are already lined up on the shot. Third if you plan on "running" the rails this will tell you what angle you will be coming into the rail and give you an idea of where your cueball will end up.
Click to expand...


Tough to correct someone who starts off saying it was a great post. But there are a couple of things I need to emphasize that Johnny seems to be doing differently.

I named the post 'Can you eye-ball perpendicular' for a reason. It is not an easy thing to do. Maybe I'm wrong but the way I'm reading Johnny's reply, he is suggesting trying to do this from behind the shot instead of behind the pocket. Also he mentions putting the tip of the cue at the object ball. Both of these things make it much more difficult to 'eye-ball perpendicular'.

The point of my post is, making sure what you think might be perpendicular is perpendicular and it is easier to do this from behind the pocket with the middle of the stick over top of the object ball.

In other words it is not what I'm doing, everyone already does it. It is the way I'm doing it.
 
No not the tip. I hold my cue up so that it is perpendicular to the line the object ball will travel. I line it up somewhere around the joint so I can see the line better. All I am doing is seeing where the line the cueball will travel. Basically look at your brown line in your sample. Now from standing behind the cueball hold your cue (above the table) so it covers your brown line. Thus showing you the tangent line, which if this was a perfect world, would be the path of the cueball after the shot.
 
[QUOTE="JohnnyV]First if your cue is pointing at a pocket then you have a good chance of scratching unless you use follow or draw to alter the path of the cueball. Second if you want to carrom this will tell you if you are already lined up on the shot. Third if you plan on "running" the rails this will tell you what angle you will be coming into the rail and give you an idea of where your cueball will end up.[/QUOTE]

For more info on altering the path of the cue ball, check out Spin and the Tangent Line .

-djb
 
Johnny "V" said:
No not the tip. I hold my cue up so that it is perpendicular to the line the object ball will travel. I line it up somewhere around the joint so I can see the line better. All I am doing is seeing where the line the cueball will travel. Basically look at your brown line in your sample. Now from standing behind the cueball hold your cue (above the table) so it covers your brown line. Thus showing you the tangent line, which if this was a perfect world, would be the path of the cueball after the shot.
Click to expand...

Oh boy, LOL Here I go again. I understand what your saying now. And I wouldn't want to change anything that works for you. I just don't want it missunderstoud that what your doing has anything to do with what I'm talking about. Your talking about aiming and I'm talking about finding out if the shot can be made at all. If the aiming line your talking about was perpendicular the shot cannot be made.
 
oh no... like I said great post.

I was merely pointing out that I use the same cue measuring device. You use it to see if a shot can be cut, I use it to find out where the cueball is going. We were talking apples and oranges I just thought it was interesting that we used the same way to figure out different things.

JV
 
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