center ball is not...

Gutz

Gutz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
center ball is not center ball, at least not to me...I was practicing my long staight in shots (cue ball and object ball about 4 diamonds apart, corner to corner pocket) and was having trouble making them. A friend stood behind me and told me that I was not hitting center ball. I was actually hitting a little off to the right. So then I tried to line up the shot and when I thought I was center, I would move my tip to the left about half a tip and I started making the shot. I don't have a problem making cut shots, I'm thinking I've already made the adjustment for those shots without realizing it...anyone else have this problem?
 
Gutz said:
center ball is not center ball, at least not to me...I was practicing my long staight in shots (cue ball and object ball about 4 diamonds apart, corner to corner pocket) and was having trouble making them. A friend stood behind me and told me that I was not hitting center ball. I was actually hitting a little off to the right. So then I tried to line up the shot and when I thought I was center, I would move my tip to the left about half a tip and I started making the shot. I don't have a problem making cut shots, I'm thinking I've already made the adjustment for those shots without realizing it...anyone else have this problem?
Click to expand...
I think it is fairly common. If I had to guess, it is due to head misalignment. In my case, I'll line up well to the left of center if I'm lazy and not paying attention. My arm does what it has to do to hit center ball.
 
It takes a long time to develop hitting the ball dead center. That is why Joe Tucker made the Third Eye. It works.
 
Gutz said:
center ball is not center ball, at least not to me...I was practicing my long staight in shots (cue ball and object ball about 4 diamonds apart, corner to corner pocket) and was having trouble making them. A friend stood behind me and told me that I was not hitting center ball. I was actually hitting a little off to the right. So then I tried to line up the shot and when I thought I was center, I would move my tip to the left about half a tip and I started making the shot. I don't have a problem making cut shots, I'm thinking I've already made the adjustment for those shots without realizing it...anyone else have this problem?
Click to expand...

I recently developed this problem for the first time. At least the first time I figured out what it was :)

If I start missing now, what I do is put the cueball on the spot, a piece of chalk on the center of the opposite end rail and then align the cue exactly over the center diamond and stroke. If I make sure the cue is straight with the diamond, CB and chalk and it looks funny, I know my head position has moved and I adjust it until it looks right.

I've found this more of a problem now that I don't play as frequently.

Cheers,
RC
 
sixpack said:
I recently developed this problem for the first time. At least the first time I figured out what it was :)

If I start missing now, what I do is put the cueball on the spot, a piece of chalk on the center of the opposite end rail and then align the cue exactly over the center diamond and stroke. If I make sure the cue is straight with the diamond, CB and chalk and it looks funny, I know my head position has moved and I adjust it until it looks right.

I've found this more of a problem now that I don't play as frequently.

Cheers,
RC
Click to expand...
I do something similar to this, with some additions.

Though unsanitary, put a dab of spit on the table to mark where your cueball should start (or use stickers if you've got them. I don't). When you finish your stroke, check the alignment of your cue over the dot, make sure you didn't swerve.

As you take your practice strokes, be aware of the diamond that is under your chin. If you can't see the diamond that is good (if you cue under your chin, centered between your eyes, otherwise YMMV).

Make sure you are really aiming at the far diamond. Sometimes you can think you are, but you are being lazy. Or, in the process of setting everything else up in a line, your head moved.

Check the alignment of your right hand (if you are right handed). Everyone holds the cue differently, so I won't tell you the right way for everyone to hold the cue. But the angle of your wrist will make a difference in the way you follow through the cue ball. The offset of this is that you can add english by varying the angle of your wrist left or right (but that's not what you're trying to do right now;-).

Finally, yes. Get yourself a 3rd Eye Stroke Trainer. Do the drills he gives you on the dvd. They will get you about 95% of the way to a perfect stroke, as long as your stance is good. I just received 10 today to distribute to my friends who were interested. Thanks Joe! I wish I were a famous player so I could really endorse it for you.;-)
 
3rd eye stroke trainer will help. Tony Robles says he has the same problem and has trained himself to find center ball. He shoots pretty sporty. :)

P.S. The avatar cue is a sugartree, no? Absolute beast.
 
thoffen said:
3rd eye stroke trainer will help. Tony Robles says he has the same problem and has trained himself to find center ball. He shoots pretty sporty. :)

P.S. The avatar cue is a sugartree, no? Absolute beast.
Click to expand...

Hey, I see you are in Palm Harbor. Do you play at Capones?
Do you ever make it down to St.Pete?
:)
 
most of us

Most of us have adjusted "center ball" to match our stroke. I am working to move it back to true center ball now. Starting with a simple exercise from JoeyA, I am hitting straight across the center dot to the center diamond on the far end of the table and checking that my stick is centered over the dot at the end of follow through. One thing I have added is a piece of chalk on the diamond on the far end of the table so I can see it when I am down on the shot. Turn a flat side of the chalk cube towards you, if you use a corner with one angled side better lit than the other one the brighter side appears bigger, throwing your aim off a hair.

Line the cue shaft up over the center diamond. When you get over the shot it may well appear to be wrong at first. It took me awhile to believe that the diamonds on the table were straighter than my lying eyes. When you can do this and send the cue ball back and forth over the dot a few times with each shot you are well on your way to straightening out both your stroke and your aim.

Hu



Gutz said:
center ball is not center ball, at least not to me...I was practicing my long staight in shots (cue ball and object ball about 4 diamonds apart, corner to corner pocket) and was having trouble making them. A friend stood behind me and told me that I was not hitting center ball. I was actually hitting a little off to the right. So then I tried to line up the shot and when I thought I was center, I would move my tip to the left about half a tip and I started making the shot. I don't have a problem making cut shots, I'm thinking I've already made the adjustment for those shots without realizing it...anyone else have this problem?
Click to expand...
 
I have the same problem at times. iIuse the stop shot routine also, but use an obeject ball where I can identify the center of the ball, set it up to hit the center, and then check my chalk mark on the ball after the stroke to see if I really did hit in the center as intended.

I had a spell a few months ago where I was about 1/8 inch right and 1/8 low from center. I never really figured out the cause of problem exactly but got it corrected somehow. This thread reminds me to go back and check and see where I am now.
 
Center

Neil said:
I've mentioned this before, but it really fits here, so I'll say it again. I'm strongly against going off a rail and back to the tip to check for center ball hit.I feel that the only true test for that is set up a straight-in shot and have the cueball stop dead. Wait, hear me out on this. To hit the object ball dead center takes the exact same aim as hitting the rail perfectly parallel to the adjacent rails. I know I can't pick out that spot without using a carpenters square. And I seriously doubt many can. Now. lets assume you are actually putting a touch of left on the cueball when you hit it. Shooting off the rail, if truly parallel to adj. rails, you will rebound to the left. Now, what if you subconsciously start aiming a hair to the right? Your cueball now comes back to the tip every time. Except you still aren't hitting center ball. Using an object ball, if your cueball goes off to either side, only 2 things can cause it. Either you didn't hit the object ball square, or you had english on the cueball. Since you have to be accurate, and are assuming you are hitting the right spot on the rail in your example, we can also assume that you can hit the object ball square. So now all we are left with is unwanted english. To me this is a quick test.
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Exactly-I do this also
 
The classic drill for developing your ability to find centerball is to place the cueball on the foot spot and shoot it at the center diamond on the head rail. Freeze at the end of your follow through while the cueball comes back. The ball and your position at finish will tell you exactly what's going on. If your cue is not pointed straight at the diamond at the conclusion of your stroke, you know you have an alignment or stroke production issue, and if the cueball doesn't come straight back over the foot spot, you know on which side and how much you are cueing off center.

For the last few months, since seeing Williebetmore's post on straight pool drills, I've been doing this drill everyday for five minutes at the begining of my practice sessions, and it has refined the accuracy and smoothness of my stroke. Much thanks and rep once again to Williebetmore for that excellent series of straight pool drills.

Edit: Here's the link to the Williebetmore post I was referring to: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=23867&page=14
 
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Center ball Umm whats that? I never hit the cue ball there before.Center ball is very under rated.:) :)
 
Neil said:
I've mentioned this before, but it really fits here, so I'll say it again. I'm strongly against going off a rail and back to the tip to check for center ball hit.I feel that the only true test for that is set up a straight-in shot and have the cueball stop dead. Wait, hear me out on this. To hit the object ball dead center takes the exact same aim as hitting the rail perfectly parallel to the adjacent rails. I know I can't pick out that spot without using a carpenters square. And I seriously doubt many can. Now. lets assume you are actually putting a touch of left on the cueball when you hit it. Shooting off the rail, if truly parallel to adj. rails, you will rebound to the left. Now, what if you subconsciously start aiming a hair to the right? Your cueball now comes back to the tip every time. Except you still aren't hitting center ball. Using an object ball, if your cueball goes off to either side, only 2 things can cause it. Either you didn't hit the object ball square, or you had english on the cueball. Since you have to be accurate, and are assuming you are hitting the right spot on the rail in your example, we can also assume that you can hit the object ball square. So now all we are left with is unwanted english. To me this is a quick test.
Click to expand...

Bert Kinnister is a big advocate of this. His Mighty X and 60 minute workout both address this.
 
Simply put!

Practice stopping the rock.
1) Do not shoot at pockects
2)All distances up to 5 feet
3)Hard enough to move the cue ball a 8 foot draw or a 12 foot follow
Watch the cue ball after contact
if it does not stop dead
if it spins and stops dead
you did not hit the center ball for that legnth shot.
When you can stop the ball 6 out of 10 times on differant legnth shots up to 5 or 6 feet at a good speed you will have a stroke that will never fail you.
You will have to learn what works for you and how to see differant legnth shoots a way that is in a line with your stroke.
Everyone can see where to hit the object ball.
This will at least put your eyes in line with your stroke.
6-12 months of this and you will more than likely be able to hit what you are aiming at.
If not try golf!
Good Luck
Nick :)
 
Bob Jewett said:
I think it is fairly common. If I had to guess, it is due to head misalignment. In my case, I'll line up well to the left of center if I'm lazy and not paying attention. My arm does what it has to do to hit center ball.
Click to expand...
Yeah that was what I was going to say, when I used to have this problem all I had to do was get my head lower and began to notice that I was hitting right of center ball, just practice practice practice hitting the ball straight down the table and back to your tip until you can do it very consistently, this will show you you have centerball and are not putting right or left on it and help you make the necessary adjustments in the process.
 
what makes this work

Neil,

Two things make the spot shot work. One is putting the center diamond directly under your cue stick on your practice strokes. If you steer, your cue tip is very unlikely to end up over the spot if you started off lined up with it and the center diamonds on the head and foot rails. Also stroke correction is simply BHE and while it may bring the cue ball back across the spot once, another lap of the table reveals the falsity of the stroke. The main advantage of this over hitting an object ball is that it saves time chasing after balls.

A real acid test is Joe Tucker's shot. Put the cue ball on the head spot, an object ball on the foot spot. Shot the object ball with stun and so that it rebounds and hits the cue ball, sending it to the head diamond. If you can hit a ball positioned exactly in front of the head diamond on the rail, you are ready to take on the world, at least with that proposition bet played back and forth!

Hu



Neil said:
I've mentioned this before, but it really fits here, so I'll say it again. I'm strongly against going off a rail and back to the tip to check for center ball hit.I feel that the only true test for that is set up a straight-in shot and have the cueball stop dead. Wait, hear me out on this. To hit the object ball dead center takes the exact same aim as hitting the rail perfectly parallel to the adjacent rails. I know I can't pick out that spot without using a carpenters square. And I seriously doubt many can. Now. lets assume you are actually putting a touch of left on the cueball when you hit it. Shooting off the rail, if truly parallel to adj. rails, you will rebound to the left. Now, what if you subconsciously start aiming a hair to the right? Your cueball now comes back to the tip every time. Except you still aren't hitting center ball. Using an object ball, if your cueball goes off to either side, only 2 things can cause it. Either you didn't hit the object ball square, or you had english on the cueball. Since you have to be accurate, and are assuming you are hitting the right spot on the rail in your example, we can also assume that you can hit the object ball square. So now all we are left with is unwanted english. To me this is a quick test.
Click to expand...
 
I forgot another classic test. Shoot up and down the table using the 8 ball. Shoot into the middle of the number "8" after chalking up your cue. Afterwards, look at the white part. The chalk on the "8" will show if you are left, right, top or bottom of center. Clean it off and try again.
 
I sometimes hit the cb off center because of a tendancy to drop my left shoulder (I'm left handed). The result is I hit the cb with a little high left english.

I use the measles cue ball athome and I practice hitting straight in shots diagonally the lenght of the table. I hit a little draw and watch the cb to see if it spins any all.

Sometimes I do the table length drill putting the cb on the head spot and shooting over the foot spot with the intent to have the cb come back and hit my cue. I also watch to see if the butt of the cue is passing over the diamond while I perform my stroke.
 
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