Eye alignment.............
- Thread starter garczar
- Start date
Do you recall the title?
I only watched about 5 minutes of this, but it seems to be a lot like Dr. Dave's instructions:
NV J.133 – AIM MORE ACCURATELY by Finding Your Ideal Personal VISION CENTER - Dr. Dave Pool Info
billiards.colostate.edu
Any important differences?
pj
chgo
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
In the first 4 minutes the guy shows he understands aiming at a higher level than most instructors. It's a pretty good video, seems like a decent guy. There's no hocus pocus or anything. I'd say it's worth a watch. I did so and it didn't feel like time wasted.I only watched about 5 minutes of this, but it seems to be a lot like Dr. Dave's instructions:
NV J.133 – AIM MORE ACCURATELY by Finding Your Ideal Personal VISION CENTER - Dr. Dave Pool Info
Any important differences?
pj
chgo
thanx. i couldn't get it to post. reasons??
You couldnt see the link?
Sorry i know thats bad lol
I just watched it.
I think it was very good info.
I just learned that down and back drill a few months ago. and it is part of my warm up. very good simple control exercise.
That last drill with the 2 ball. yeah screw that for right now. I do not think i am that steady.
I think most people that look at that and say it is easy would be full of it. lol
I think it was very good info.
I just learned that down and back drill a few months ago. and it is part of my warm up. very good simple control exercise.
That last drill with the 2 ball. yeah screw that for right now. I do not think i am that steady.
I think most people that look at that and say it is easy would be full of it. lol
Yes. I felt the same. No nonsense, can explain well even to fine details and break it down to simple terms. Some might misunderstand and think it is demeaning, but no it is signs of a good teacher.
Also doesnt take himself to serious. making fun of himself in comments and throwing things at the camera. helps to keep people focused and entertained.
I also completely agreed with the begining of the video. The eyes and brain are amazing tools, do not try and use just one eye.
I remember a long time ago reading or watching something about the power of the brain to fill in missing information.
We do not see everything in our field of view. there are blind spots that the brain fills in and relays.
It is all very interesting.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
That little thing he shows in the video when he's talking about focusing is one of the keys to avoiding optical illusions. You can be assured straight is straight. There are others. Another is to keep your eyes level/square to the world. Another is to be right eye dominate on cuts to the left and left eye dominate on cuts to the right. Eye dominance is important, but it's a tool to be used. And it can be made better with practice. I used to set around at work and focus on things like a pen at arm's length and an object in the distance, checking both eyes to the doubled image. You can learn a lot doing this and it directly translates into better pool.
I understand the eye dominance thing fully, but to be frank I believe it's almost kind of a red herring, or at least not the whole picture. I choose which eye is dominant (or none) based on the shot. I'd be highly surprised if a good player, even one who promotes the virtues of eye dominance, actually plays that way on all shots. If you never change your sight (minuscule amount) you introduce optical illusions. We readily change the focal length of our eyes, that's how we focus. It's not a huge difference, as in you're probably not going to realize or notice it happening. We're talking millimeters or much less. To top it off the human brain naturally filters this stuff out. Kind of like how you don't see your nose, but if you actually pay attention you see it all the time... your brain filters it out.
The blind spot thing is really an interesting phenomenon. There are ways to see/verify they exist but it's just one of those things we can go our whole lives without knowing about. Talk about not trusting your own eyes! I'm actually surprised that it isn't talked about more in pool. Seeing stuff correctly and without optical illusions is very important. It's not really hidden knowledge or anything, but it's just not something that a lot of people are aware of.
Does this mean you have the chosen dominant eye directly over the cue for each shot? Or just closer to directly over the cue? Or neither?
pj
chgo
I think you have a different definition of dominant eye than the physical definition. With the physical definition, you don't have a choice as to which eye is dominant, which means the dominant eye sends the sight info to the brain first.
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boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
If I am shooting a straight in shot, it sets where it should for the classic definition of eye dominance/personal vision center, for me it's pretty balanced, almost center with an ever so slight bias towards the right. If I'm cutting the OB to the left the left eye is ever so slightly towards the cut direction/pocket, giving the right eye more dominance. The opposite is true for cuts to the right.
To be honest I don't really care where the stick is at. It's rote by this point. I do feather the cue and if it's unwavering I am where I need to be. If it wavers back and forth then I missed a fundamental when addressing the shot and should get up and re-chalk...
This isn't to try to sound cool or something, I sight when standing and where I come down is the correct spot. Cue is in line. Unless the feathers tell on me, then I gotta get back up and do it again.
Unfortunately I have about 3 different stances depending on the condition my body is in for the day. That's why I've added the feathering of the stick into my routine. I have to because this crappy back will not allow some motions on some days. Some days I am chin on the cue, some days I'm upright like the old timers but most days I'm in between.
There is the physical definition. There are also ways to focus and let one eye take dominance. When I'm talking about letting one eye take dominance I'm not talking about personal vision center. Personal vision center is the baseline for the adjustments. If you shoot only from P.V.C. you will probably do some of this automatically. It's very slight and could be something most don't even realize is happening. Unless someone is wearing a halo type brace they are probably doing it and may not realize it.
You reminded me of one of my problems i am working on.
Since coming back to the game earlier this year i have noticed sometimes while down on a shot i lose my focus or line of sight/aim. And stupidly shoot anyways knowing i lost it. I need to remember its ok to stand up and restart the approach.
I have made some progress at remembering to do it.
Boogie can you post a picture of this feathering you are talking about? I am curious and a visual would help.
Thanks
Dan
"Feathering" usually means the same as "warm-up strokes". Some people call it "fiddling".
Oh wow. thanks for that bob.
Yes, i do this as well i get it now.
I'm a dolt, i read his post and pictured feathers on the shaft. lol
WilliamK
Registered
Different strokes for different folks.
If you can focus through the dominant eye then by all means align the cue accordingly. However you may find that pushing too much aside can be detrimental because the other eye still has a view. Without two eyes you lose depth of perception needed to judge distance.
If you look closely, a lot of pro snooker players are aligned dead centre even when having a dominant eye. Some others have the cue under one ear where there is no eye.
I think playing with the cue directly under the dominant eye is preferable because it’s the most like sighting along a rifle barrel: with one eye directly behind it rather than two eyes over it. But, as you say, that means having a very strongly dominant eye or being able to purposely focus your sight through just the moderately dominant eye.
I can temporarily focus my sight through either my dominant or non-dominant eye, but I’m so used to using my normal “vision center” combo while aiming that I haven’t bothered to learn to do it while playing. Maybe I should - could maybe be a sighting improvement if the required focus shift doesn’t distract too much from other aspects of the shot.
pj
chgo
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My experience in training players as well as my own playing, is that those who have a slightly dominant eye can center the cue under both eyes or close to it. However, when the eye is severely dominant, it's better for them to just make an aim adjustment and keeping their dominant eye over the shot line rather than force a head placement that they will be fighting for the rest of their playing days, even if under their dominant eye is not their optimal sighting line.
This is why I don't agree with Dave's vision center theory. Where you see best isn't always the best option for you. The severity of your dominant eye is more important in determining your head placement.
Of course, if there are eye pathologies involved, such as overall poor vision in the dominant eye, then head placement adjustments may have to be made.
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boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Watch the first 3 seconds of this, the little back and forth before he takes his final stroke. Notice how short those strokes are. They aren't "practice strokes." He's not "practicing" what he wants his final stroke to be. He's seeing that the cue is in line and feeling if it's balanced in his grip hand correctly. Watch many pros and really try to analyze what they are doing.
Doing full fledged strokes before your final stroke is a practice stroke. Shane is essentially feathering the cue and one stroking it in this clip.
In this next clip, watch fedor. He goes back, then forward and a short back feathering. He is feeling if it feels right. These guys know their alignment so they don't need to make much of it. When you're learning to get a straight stroke as a rote action, watching the tip feather confirms you're on line.
I really don't feel like arguing terminology or semantics. There's a lot of variation in "practice strokes" or feathering even amongst pros. I call the short little ones feathering. Often the long pronounced practice strokes are seen in amateurs, though again it varies wildly between people of all skill levels. It's kind of like getting the feel of a stone before you skip it on the water. With a rock you kind of juggle it a bit in your hand. Watch the pros and most good players... their "practice strokes" aren't practicing anything. They are checking the cue is straight and calibrating speed and balance on the grip hand. In that little back and forth on the shane clip notice how little of a thing it seems. That little feathering gives so much info that it's hard to overstate the importance of that step. It isn't talked about a lot but there is a lot to learn and info to gather from that little movement.
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