Could we start a list of what the various terms are in CTE aiming that people have issues with in an attempt to define them? These definitions are not intended to form a set of instructions.
I can edit this post as needed.
CTE - Center to Edge - a system of aiming that uses the center of the cueball and the edges of the object ball.
Edge - refers to the horizon of the balls. The outermost portion of the ball that can be seen clearly from the shooter's perspective. This is the perimeter of the ball at 3 and 9 o'clock positions for the purposes of using the CTE system.
CTEL - Cueball center to Edge Line
Perception - the visual alignment to the 15/30/45 or 1/8th to 1/8th overlap.
Visual Sweep - the movement of the eyes from an offset across the cueball leading the body to the shooting position. A sweep is left or right and it can be an Outside or Inside Sweep.
Inside Sweep - a starting head position that thins the shot from where it would be IF the shooter did not sweep into shooting position.
Outside Sweep - a starting head position that thickens the shot from where it would be IF the shooter did not sweep into shooting position.
Visual Intelligence - (needs definition) I don't think that this is a CTE term per se. I think it's on par with what Bob Jewett termed "pool sense". In my mind this is something that is gained through experience and practice. For example your visual intelligence gets to a certain level with the Ghost Ball method if that's what you actually practice. And it would be different if you practice some other method. Anyway, feel free to offer your definition and we can hopefully come to one that everyone can agree on.
ETA/B/C - Cue ball edge to A,B,C points on the object ball.
Pivot - the movement of the cue from an offset position to center cueball address. The pivot follows the body alignment caused by choosing a perception.
Half-Tip Offset - where the tip goes pre-pivot.
Half-Ball Pivot - placing the tip at the edge of the cueball pre-pivot.
Fixed Cue Ball - This refers to getting your eyes and body into a position where you can clearly perceive the cue ball and the object ball relationship. The cueball is effectively pinned in position between the shooter and the object ball. (may need correction)
Shot Line - (my term) This is the line that the cue ball must travel down to make the object ball using a center ball hit. Some people call this the aiming line. I don't think it's right for CTE though to call it this.
Aiming Line - commonly known as the shot line for most other systems. For CTE though it doesn't apply because the aiming/alignment is done using the perceptions and thus the resulting shot line is taken as given through the process instead of identified first and picked.
Alignment - the act of using the CTEL combined with the Perceptions to orient the body before going into the shooting stance.
Solution - this is the combination of perception and sweep/pivot that lands the shooter on the shot line. I also like to call this a Key instead because to me it is like having a set of keys and choosing the right one unlocks the aim for the shot being faced.
Pocket Connection - sometimes stated as "CTE connects to the pockets on a 2:1 table." What this means is that it has been discovered that by using the CTE system the resulting shot pathways seem to always lead to a pocket in most situations. The context for this is that for most shots one perception will lead to a shot line directly to a pocket and another perception will lead to a dead-on bank shot to another pocket and as one progresses through the perceptions the object ball will often go multiple rails to different pockets. And if there are two or more pockets which a ball can be shot into directly then there will be a different perception/solution that works for each one.
Cut Angle - this is the actual angle to the shot line that the cueball is offset. It has no real use in CTE aiming but is used in discussions and comparisons to other methods.
Objective - in the context of CTE aiming objective refers to the use of the physical balls and choosing an perception to align the body to with no bias or guessing. For example any CTE user who is well versed in the system can simply tell another experienced CTE user a Solution - such as 31 23 L C 3 L and the second CTE user would be able to step to the table, set up the shot and get on the shot line without any guessing at all.
Subjective - in the context of aiming in general this refers to guessing where the shot line is based on estimation in contrast to using CTE Perception Solutions (Keys).
BHE - Backhand English - a method of applying sidespin that is preferred by some CTE users. Basically a pivoting of the cue with the bridge hand as the pivot point so that the tip moves from center ball to the desired spin position. CTE gets the shooter to the center ball shot line. The application of spin falls back towards the subjective estimation of how much to use and at what speed. This has nothing to do with CTE other than it sometimes comes up in discussion how one would account for side spin when aiming using CTE.
- That's it for now - I will edit this post as needed. Feel free to discuss any of the definitions. Argue if you want to but keep in mind that the idea here is to find definitions that can be agreed on for the purposes of making future discussions better for all of us.
I can edit this post as needed.
CTE - Center to Edge - a system of aiming that uses the center of the cueball and the edges of the object ball.
Edge - refers to the horizon of the balls. The outermost portion of the ball that can be seen clearly from the shooter's perspective. This is the perimeter of the ball at 3 and 9 o'clock positions for the purposes of using the CTE system.
CTEL - Cueball center to Edge Line
Perception - the visual alignment to the 15/30/45 or 1/8th to 1/8th overlap.
Visual Sweep - the movement of the eyes from an offset across the cueball leading the body to the shooting position. A sweep is left or right and it can be an Outside or Inside Sweep.
Inside Sweep - a starting head position that thins the shot from where it would be IF the shooter did not sweep into shooting position.
Outside Sweep - a starting head position that thickens the shot from where it would be IF the shooter did not sweep into shooting position.
Visual Intelligence - (needs definition) I don't think that this is a CTE term per se. I think it's on par with what Bob Jewett termed "pool sense". In my mind this is something that is gained through experience and practice. For example your visual intelligence gets to a certain level with the Ghost Ball method if that's what you actually practice. And it would be different if you practice some other method. Anyway, feel free to offer your definition and we can hopefully come to one that everyone can agree on.
ETA/B/C - Cue ball edge to A,B,C points on the object ball.
Pivot - the movement of the cue from an offset position to center cueball address. The pivot follows the body alignment caused by choosing a perception.
Half-Tip Offset - where the tip goes pre-pivot.
Half-Ball Pivot - placing the tip at the edge of the cueball pre-pivot.
Fixed Cue Ball - This refers to getting your eyes and body into a position where you can clearly perceive the cue ball and the object ball relationship. The cueball is effectively pinned in position between the shooter and the object ball. (may need correction)
Shot Line - (my term) This is the line that the cue ball must travel down to make the object ball using a center ball hit. Some people call this the aiming line. I don't think it's right for CTE though to call it this.
Aiming Line - commonly known as the shot line for most other systems. For CTE though it doesn't apply because the aiming/alignment is done using the perceptions and thus the resulting shot line is taken as given through the process instead of identified first and picked.
Alignment - the act of using the CTEL combined with the Perceptions to orient the body before going into the shooting stance.
Solution - this is the combination of perception and sweep/pivot that lands the shooter on the shot line. I also like to call this a Key instead because to me it is like having a set of keys and choosing the right one unlocks the aim for the shot being faced.
Pocket Connection - sometimes stated as "CTE connects to the pockets on a 2:1 table." What this means is that it has been discovered that by using the CTE system the resulting shot pathways seem to always lead to a pocket in most situations. The context for this is that for most shots one perception will lead to a shot line directly to a pocket and another perception will lead to a dead-on bank shot to another pocket and as one progresses through the perceptions the object ball will often go multiple rails to different pockets. And if there are two or more pockets which a ball can be shot into directly then there will be a different perception/solution that works for each one.
Cut Angle - this is the actual angle to the shot line that the cueball is offset. It has no real use in CTE aiming but is used in discussions and comparisons to other methods.
Objective - in the context of CTE aiming objective refers to the use of the physical balls and choosing an perception to align the body to with no bias or guessing. For example any CTE user who is well versed in the system can simply tell another experienced CTE user a Solution - such as 31 23 L C 3 L and the second CTE user would be able to step to the table, set up the shot and get on the shot line without any guessing at all.
Subjective - in the context of aiming in general this refers to guessing where the shot line is based on estimation in contrast to using CTE Perception Solutions (Keys).
BHE - Backhand English - a method of applying sidespin that is preferred by some CTE users. Basically a pivoting of the cue with the bridge hand as the pivot point so that the tip moves from center ball to the desired spin position. CTE gets the shooter to the center ball shot line. The application of spin falls back towards the subjective estimation of how much to use and at what speed. This has nothing to do with CTE other than it sometimes comes up in discussion how one would account for side spin when aiming using CTE.
- That's it for now - I will edit this post as needed. Feel free to discuss any of the definitions. Argue if you want to but keep in mind that the idea here is to find definitions that can be agreed on for the purposes of making future discussions better for all of us.
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You would be left with a clear edge around the largest remaining visible circle. So if you imagine the ball facing you where 180 degrees are visible then the back half of the ball may as well not exist like schrodinger's cat.....as it is not able to be seen or used in any way that matters. Only the visible edge matters.
