Eye Movement: Do You Look at OB when Stroking?

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Dr_CollieCue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been working on my eye movement when lining up the shot as part of my pre-shot routine. I gather most look at the object ball when stroking the shot. Why look at the object ball when the cue ball is your target. I previously moved my eyes between the cue and the object ball. I am taking a couple of warmup strokes while looking at the cue ball and they shifting my focus to the object ball through the rest of the shot.

What do you you think? It seems like you should be watching the ball you are hitting (the cue ball) as is the case with most other activities when you hit a ball. I couldn't imagine looking at the hold when putting in golf, for example. However, the pool instructional materials are clear about keeping your eyes on the object ball (more specifically, the portion of the object ball that you are targeting with the cue).
 
Dr_CollieCue said:
I have been working on my eye movement when lining up the shot as part of my pre-shot routine. I gather most look at the object ball when stroking the shot. Why look at the object ball when the cue ball is your target. I previously moved my eyes between the cue and the object ball. I am taking a couple of warmup strokes while looking at the cue ball and they shifting my focus to the object ball through the rest of the shot.

What do you you think? It seems like you should be watching the ball you are hitting (the cue ball) as is the case with most other activities when you hit a ball. I couldn't imagine looking at the hold when putting in golf, for example. However, the pool instructional materials are clear about keeping your eyes on the object ball (more specifically, the portion of the object ball that you are targeting with the cue).
Click to expand...

What instructional material would that be? I don't think any of the instructors on here teach that.
 
Aloha

There has always been the age old discussion as to where to look. Really it does not matter.

If your fundamentals are correct, alignment, stance, stroke...Ect. Then you should be able to close your eyes and still make the shot. So really it does not matter.

Just one Mans opinion.

Aloha
 
Dr_CollieCue said:
... I gather most look at the object ball when stroking the shot. Why look at the object ball when the cue ball is your target. I previously moved my eyes between the cue and the object ball. I am taking a couple of warmup strokes while looking at the cue ball and they shifting my focus to the object ball through the rest of the shot.

What do you you think? It seems like you should be watching the ball you are hitting (the cue ball) as is the case with most other activities when you hit a ball. I couldn't imagine looking at the hold when putting in golf, for example. However, the pool instructional materials are clear about keeping your eyes on the object ball (more specifically, the portion of the object ball that you are targeting with the cue).
Click to expand...

I see you are pretty new here, so you may not be aware that this topic has been discussed in considerable detail many times on this forum. Here are some of those threads from the past:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=394030

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=302225

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=288158

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=252918

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=207620

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=200115 (beginning with post #72)
 
As usual, how about you?

Soda pop has too many calories and I can only handle one cup of coffee a day. Water is pretty tasteless. Unless you add Barely and Hops to it.
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
I'm generally looking at the waitresses ass or another young ladies.

Which is why I frequently miss.

Back and forth.

I probably follow what Sam Diep does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYTyG00dhLg
Click to expand...


After I retired, I got a part time job for awhile. I was sitting at a lunch table with a woman who was probably pushing 70. A pretty girl walked by and my eyes shifted to the young lass's ass. She said why is it a man has to always look at a woman's ass. It struck me real funny and I'll never forget that comment. P.S. I guess maybe I'll stop when I'm dead.
 
 
Ralph Kramden said:
Never?... :confused:

.
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Nope, never. I don't consider cue tip placement on the cue ball consciously or look to see if I'm there. Nor do I consciously pick an aiming point on the object ball either. I picture in my mind the object ball being pocketed from its current lie and the cue ball's resultant path to where I want it to be for the next shot after it strikes the object ball. Once I've clearly "seen" this in my minds "eye" I drop on the ball and execute leaving these little variables to be handled by my subconscious from input from lord knows how many previously executed shots. Sound crazy? It actually works extremely well.
 
Dr_CollieCue said:
I have been working on my eye movement when lining up the shot as part of my pre-shot routine. I gather most look at the object ball when stroking the shot. Why look at the object ball when the cue ball is your target. I previously moved my eyes between the cue and the object ball. I am taking a couple of warmup strokes while looking at the cue ball and they shifting my focus to the object ball through the rest of the shot.

What do you you think? It seems like you should be watching the ball you are hitting (the cue ball) as is the case with most other activities when you hit a ball. I couldn't imagine looking at the hold when putting in golf, for example. However, the pool instructional materials are clear about keeping your eyes on the object ball (more specifically, the portion of the object ball that you are targeting with the cue).
Click to expand...

The cueball is not the target, the object ball is. Most players, like 99% look back and forth but look at the object ball last when shooting. There are exceptions. Tommy Kennedy used to look at the cueball last, he maybe still does.


Willie Hoppe looked at the cue ball last and taught that but he was playing billiards. In fact when he was learning I would say he was playing straight rail billiards and maybe that is how they aimed playing that game back then.
 
I spent my first year playing looking at the CB (arthritis in my neck makes seeing the OB difficult). I struggled.

One day I decided to look at the OB...and haven't looked back since. For me it was a night and day difference; my ball-pocketing improved expotentially by looking at the OB. Now I'm laser-focused on the OB, so much so that I take a "snapshot" of the CB-OB collision; the primary benefit of the snapshot is that it forces me to stay down on my shot.

IMHO the OB is the target. I think of it like archery: The bow and arrow are like the cue and CB. You don't look at the bow and arrow...you look at the target.
 
Neil...It's ours...SPF training. CB when peforming warmups...OB when shooting (your cue goes where your eyes go), with 4 exceptions...kicks, jumps, masse' and the break. It's backed up by the the Quiet Eye Study.

Frank...Are you struggling with this? If you are, give me a a call please.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Neil said:
What instructional material would that be? I don't think any of the instructors on here teach that.
Click to expand...
 
Guitar players dont look at their picking fingers, quarter backs don't look at the football....and I don't look at the cue ball.
 
Scott Lee said:
Neil...It's ours...SPF training. CB when peforming warmups...OB when shooting (your cue goes where your eyes go), with 4 exceptions...kicks, jumps, masse' and the break. It's backed up by the the Quiet Eye Study.

Frank...Are you struggling with this? If you are, give me a a call please.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

The way I read what he wrote, is that he is saying to only look at the ob, and never the cb.
 
eddie0776 said:
Guitar players dont look at their picking fingers, quarter backs don't look at the football....and I don't look at the cue ball.
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Guitar players don't put english on the strings, nor football players the football. Even small differences in where the tip strikes the cue ball make a difference in how it reacts at impact and after.

I can't imagine not looking at the cue ball at all?
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
I'm generally looking at the waitresses ass or another young ladies.

Which is why I frequently miss.

Back and forth.

I probably follow what Sam Diep does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYTyG00dhLg
Click to expand...

I guess I'm getting old, I don't know this player, nor have I ever seen this clip either, but I know there are lots of ways to pattern your eyes. There is the way she explained it, and lots of wrong ways. :thumbup:

Thanks for the link.
 
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