Does anyone align their site completely with the stick direction?

[iusedtoberich]

I rolled out of bed and played 2 sets of the ghost without any warmup. The first set I lost 2-7, which is about normal for me. The second set I lost 6-7, which is tied for my best ghost score in 2023. I was feeling very good. I made some super nice shots that I often have trouble with. Still too early to tell, but I'm really liking this thus far. Everything also felt natural now. No second guessing, no stroke hampering, and mostly lining up the new way, without first lining up the old way and then shifting my eyes to the "ghost stick point". It took just 3 days.

I watched some of the video, and my stick seems laser straight on almost every shot. That was my whole goal with this.

Set 2 video (sped 5x for my short attention span):

 

[iusedtoberich]

Here are some overhead stills from my ghost set, showing graphically what I'm talking about. The little circle I scribbled at the end of the line is what the vision center aligns to. It's different for any given shot situation. The key is the stick goes straight, and the eyes are aligned to the stick direction. NOT the CB direction, (it's different). NOT any other direction. The stick direction when spin is applied is unique compared to any theoretical direction typically covered in aiming discussions.

This last one if you zoom in, the center of the tip just misses the edge of the OB. But if instead you used the left edge of the stick, it would line up with the edge of the OB. You can play around with that to find a stick line that points to something easy to recognize on the object ball, shadow on the table, divet on the table, light reflection on the OB, etc. I'm still playing around with this. I'm undecided if I'd rather always use the center of the stick for consistency, or pick one edge of the stick if it aligns to something better.

These shots are all within the first 3:15 of my video if you want to see them played out.

 

[iusedtoberich]

I played another ghost set to 7. I was about to tie it 4-4, straight on the 9, when the gf got mad at me and threw all the balls on the floor. Set over.

I’d call it a win for the sighting! Ha ha.

 

[BRKNRUN]

I use a method of "triangulation" of the cue.....It may be overlooked by most that I do this as it happens fairly quick.

While standing I visualize the shot line the cue needs to basically lay on always starting with a center CB hit....I turn my cue along that shot line then set my feet to the cue......While the cue is still "above" the CB....I have the cue along the shot line and the tip on the contact point of the shot line through the center of the GB.....Being that the cue is "above" the CB I can use the CB as a "Axis" to make sure the cue is straight....and my tip is directly at my aim point....The grip hand...CB axis and contact point all get used to "square" the cue along the shot line as I drop down into the shot.......In the past I used BHE to apply english.......With a CF shaft I am using now....to apply english...I just parallel shift left or right and drop down onto the shot.......If I had a good stroke....I would never miss.....for me...that is the work in progress.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

With a CF shaft I am using now....to apply english...I just parallel shift left or right and drop down onto the shot.......If I had a good stroke....I would never miss.....for me...that is the work in progress.

Caution - reading this might hurt more than it helps...

CF doesn't eliminate squirt, so to apply sidespin successfully by parallel shifting, your CB/OB distance, cue elevation and stroke speed must be perfect for the shot (so swerve exactly cancels squirt). You're apparently making the necessary cue angle adjustments unconsciously - like many of us do.

pj
chgo

 

[BRKNRUN]

Caution - reading this might hurt more than it helps...

CF doesn't eliminate squirt, so to apply sidespin successfully by parallel shifting, your CB/OB distance, cue elevation and stroke speed must be perfect for the shot (so swerve exactly cancels squirt). You're apparently making the necessary cue angle adjustments unconsciously - like many of us do.

pj
chgo

That is very probable....I don't have anyone standing behind me so it is very possible even though I feel I am shifting both I may actually be shifting with my front hand more than the back....When I used BHE I made the adjustment while down on the shot and most times just erred right or left on the stroke to apply the english.....With the CF shaft I have had to change to make the necessary adjustments while standing up and dropping on to the adjusted path....very possible I am turning my body/shoulders with the adjustment...using a form of FHE

 

[dendweller]

let my focus follow the CB on its way to the OB, observing its path, spin, spin decay, and speed.

I've done this recently as a way of making sure I stay down on the ball and there seem to be more benefits than just staying down.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Update 10 months later:

I'm still sighting this way, and it feels natural.

But, I still stink. I don't think I'm really any better.

Carry on

 

[Oikawa]

My head/eye alignment is in terms of CB->OB. For english, I just have my bridge hand off-center, I guess some call this FHE(?). I adjust for english by simply aiming into a different point on the OB while standing (adjustment is done by feel).

This method seems the simplest and most consistent for me. Backhand is always in the same place relative to the body, no matter what english you use. The mechanics/stroke is the 100% same no matter what type of spin you use, which means you don't have to think about it while playing, always just go down the same way. In other words, much easier for me to compensate for side by just changing aim, than adjusting your mechanics/stroke somehow.

 

[greyghost]

I have not tried this eye alignment method when I started the thread:

Put your vision center aligned completely with the stick/stroke direction. Not with the CB, not with the OB, not with the "theoretical, non-friction" Ghost Ball. Let's call it a "ghost stick point" near the OB.

If you are lined up perfectly on the shot, already accounting for all cut and english "real world friction effects", you would extend a line from your stick to near the OB. Wherever that line would land near the OB to make the shot, is where your vision center would lock onto. Depending on the cut angle, english applied, squirt of the stick, throw of the CB/OB collision, speed, and swerve characteristics of the ball and cloth, this spot could fall somewhere on the OB, or it could fall over a ball's width away from its edge.

My hypothesis is this will keep your brain from steering the stick, because the eyes would be aligned with the actual stick/stroke direction.

Its perhaps a takeaway or adding onto Geno's lessons, which I've had a few of over the years.

I'm sort of doing this now, but I'm using the CB "real world ghost ball position" (which accounts for all spin/friction effects) to align my eyes to, rather than the stick direction.

Asking if anyone might already be doing this. I'll be trying it this coming week.

Thanks

Yes I’ve done this for ohhh closing in on 20 years. I air pivot from the stand up and have my eyes locked into the shafts line there al the way down dropping into setting at the position at the cb (English or not)

the most deviance ill show is nose left or right of the shaft for some cuts similar to what geno teaches. But it ain’t much I may shift a shafts width with my head, and that happens in the air as well don’t do it after I get down.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Yes I’ve done this for ohhh closing in on 20 years. I air pivot from the stand up and have my eyes locked into the shafts line there al the way down dropping into setting at the position at the cb (English or not)

the most deviance ill show is nose left or right of the shaft for some cuts similar to what geno teaches. But it ain’t much I may shift a shafts width with my head, and that happens in the air as well don’t do it after I get down.

Have you found any tricks to keep your eyes from veering onto the object ball, on the types of shots where the "spot" is somewhere off of it?

 

[Brookeland Bill]

I have not tried this eye alignment method when I started the thread:

Put your vision center aligned completely with the stick/stroke direction. Not with the CB, not with the OB, not with the "theoretical, non-friction" Ghost Ball. Let's call it a "ghost stick point" near the OB.

If you are lined up perfectly on the shot, already accounting for all cut and english "real world friction effects", you would extend a line from your stick to near the OB. Wherever that line would land near the OB to make the shot, is where your vision center would lock onto. Depending on the cut angle, english applied, squirt of the stick, throw of the CB/OB collision, speed, and swerve characteristics of the ball and cloth, this spot could fall somewhere on the OB, or it could fall over a ball's width away from its edge.

My hypothesis is this will keep your brain from steering the stick, because the eyes would be aligned with the actual stick/stroke direction.

Its perhaps a takeaway or adding onto Geno's lessons, which I've had a few of over the years.

I'm sort of doing this now, but I'm using the CB "real world ghost ball position" (which accounts for all spin/friction effects) to align my eyes to, rather than the stick direction.

Asking if anyone might already be doing this. I'll be trying it this coming week.

Thanks

I’ve brought something similar up before using the angle of your cue in lining up the shot.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

I sight along my stick, aiming it an estimated distance from the OB contact point, taking into account the usual variables (tip placement, cut angle, squirt/swerve).

pj
chgo

 

[greyghost]

Have you found any tricks to keep your eyes from veering onto the object ball, on the types of shots where the "spot" is somewhere off of it?

I don’t have issues with my eyes wanting to veer being that I use them together…yet reference with “parts” of them individually….

hal had center to edge in regards to the cb/ob

I superimpose the shaft over the cb and the center of the shaft or one of its edges will be in line with my ob contact point…..which is always either the edge of the ob on extreme cuts and the rest I’m lining up to the v point made by the shadow coming out the base of the ob that objectively moves circumventing the base of the ball as you walk around the table in relation to the pocket….

straight in my nose is centered on the shaft and the medial inside corner of each eye is lined up with the left and right edge of my shaft respectfully.

when I am cutting to the right. My right eye the medial inside corner (the left corner of my right eye) will be on the line of the contact point on ob wether that happens to be its edge or that v I explained earlier (lets call that the contact point eying line)

The left eyes inside corner will be referenced to the left edge of the CB

referenced is a bad word here because this all happens while standing and again the shaft becomes the cb and its edge the shafts edge lines up to my aim point

because I’m slightly turned in while addressing while standing back that slight left or right skewing of my head across the shaft even tho its still between the center of my eyes….gets those parts all in place….

and when I drop in it’s a big magnified overlay I get to do cool things like using parallax to my advantage increasing accuracy instead of being distracted by the general fuzzy visual distortion I’d say most people label it as…worried about binocular sight….when monocular gives you more information on a flattened 2d plane.

depth perception I believe is important when we are standing walking around the table to gauge distance and becomes part of our applied speed equation….

once I’m down depth perception is a waste of brain

im not reaching to grab anything….my stance and stroke are calibrated so the tips at the ball when my arms at “90°” I deliver the cue stick and the ball goes as far as it needs to….lacking depth perception (stereopsis) if I play or practice with the eyes closed on my final delivery has never once made the cb fail to get to where it was going

im getting a little silly here but don’t get me wrong its a very complex Thing how this all works but don’t get that wrong either because the Individual aspects all fall together extremely easy….theres no numbers, no letters….just some pictures you eyes see everyday anyway… thoughtless, its all visual.

I’ve taught this to plenty people over the years just over the phone much less in person …i sure could write a scientific thesis thick like the Gutenberg bible on it but theres no reason for any of that to be able to master and effectively apply it…..but for what? Science? lol gimme a nickel keep the rest save the Forrest’s and go enjoy a game of pool


Over the years I’ve only spoken about this a handful of times on here…..because life’s too short but i had fun shoddily explaining some of what happens between my ears

anyways if yall got questions yall know where to find me…if you can’t find me when I’m not passing by here your not looking hard enough

BOO!
-grey ghost

 

[boogieman]

I don’t have issues with my eyes wanting to veer being that I use them together…yet reference with “parts” of them individually….

hal had center to edge in regards to the cb/ob

I superimpose the shaft over the cb and the center of the shaft or one of its edges will be in line with my ob contact point…..which is always either the edge of the ob on extreme cuts and the rest I’m lining up to the v point made by the shadow coming out the base of the ob that objectively moves circumventing the base of the ball as you walk around the table in relation to the pocket….

straight in my nose is centered on the shaft and the medial inside corner of each eye is lined up with the left and right edge of my shaft respectfully.

when I am cutting to the right. My right eye the medial inside corner (the left corner of my right eye) will be on the line of the contact point on ob wether that happens to be its edge or that v I explained earlier (lets call that the contact point eying line)

The left eyes inside corner will be referenced to the left edge of the CB

referenced is a bad word here because this all happens while standing and again the shaft becomes the cb and its edge the shafts edge lines up to my aim point

because I’m slightly turned in while addressing while standing back that slight left or right skewing of my head across the shaft even tho its still between the center of my eyes….gets those parts all in place….

and when I drop in it’s a big magnified overlay I get to do cool things like using parallax to my advantage increasing accuracy instead of being distracted by the general fuzzy visual distortion I’d say most people label it as…worried about binocular sight….when monocular gives you more information on a flattened 2d plane.

depth perception I believe is important when we are standing walking around the table to gauge distance and becomes part of our applied speed equation….

once I’m down depth perception is a waste of brain

im not reaching to grab anything….my stance and stroke are calibrated so the tips at the ball when my arms at “90°” I deliver the cue stick and the ball goes as far as it needs to….lacking depth perception (stereopsis) if I play or practice with the eyes closed on my final delivery has never once made the cb fail to get to where it was going

im getting a little silly here but don’t get me wrong its a very complex Thing how this all works but don’t get that wrong either because the Individual aspects all fall together extremely easy….theres no numbers, no letters….just some pictures you eyes see everyday anyway… thoughtless, its all visual.

I’ve taught this to plenty people over the years just over the phone much less in person …i sure could write a scientific thesis thick like the Gutenberg bible on it but theres no reason for any of that to be able to master and effectively apply it…..but for what? Science? lol gimme a nickel keep the rest save the Forrest’s and go enjoy a game of pool


Over the years I’ve only spoken about this a handful of times on here…..because life’s too short but i had fun shoddily explaining some of what happens between my ears

anyways if yall got questions yall know where to find me…if you can’t find me when I’m not passing by here your not looking hard enough

BOO!
-grey ghost

Do you ever use the different eye's perceptions on say a kick or a bank shot?

I've noticed that you can fine tune some stuff that way, especially if you can remember where the pocket is with spacial awareness, you can kind of tune into the ghost pocket or fly on the wall... different types of shots look different but when you see it you see it. You've done a good job explaining your system. A few will say hooey but I get where you're coming from. That's one thing the "system that shall not be named" folks are smart about. You have two eyes and you can use them like a tool, multiple reference points. (and you're not flicking your eyes around like a lizard, just selectively focusing and using your eye muscles.

I'm an inspector at work and there's all sorts of tricks 'o the eyes that you can use to get an accurate measurement, especially on "analog" tools. Of course feel is another thing that can be trained. Watch any old school machinist and it's amazing what that "touch" build over decades can do.