Eye movement question? Cue or Object last?

preacherman

preacherman

CPPA Founder
Silver Member
I have heard both ways but basically the pattern I follow is:
Question 1:
Eye movement start with cue to object to to cue to object to object back to cue and finally with object on stroke?

Question 2:
Why in golf (though different sport) once they get ready to swing/putt they never look away at golf ball to hole. Would not the golf ball be somewhat similar to our cue ball.
 
A baseball pitcher must focus on the target the catcher is giving him. See, different sports/games require different ways to achieve the desired effect. I shoot better if I focus on the object ball for the final moments before the final forward stroke. Some people prefer the other way around, but I would bet that they are in the minority.

Maniac
 
Couple of points:

Durring practice, it is sometimes wise to watch the CB to make sure the cue tip impacts the CB where you think it should be impacting.

But Durring play, you final eye positioin should be on the target, and you should be able to watch the CB roll down the chosen line.
 
Good players seem to agree that you should look at the object ball last.
But, honestly, I don't know where I'm looking at when I shoot. Weird.
 
You should try getting down on the shot focusing on the object ball. Then once you're confident that you have the contact point (or aim point, whatever you do) locked in, then check the cue ball.
 
 
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preacherman said:
I have heard both ways but basically the pattern I follow is:
Question 1:
Eye movement start with cue to object to to cue to object to object back to cue and finally with object on stroke?

Question 2:
Why in golf (though different sport) once they get ready to swing/putt they never look away at golf ball to hole. Would not the golf ball be somewhat similar to our cue ball.
Click to expand...

I would suggest moving your eyes to the object ball before you make your final stroke, not during your final stroke. Try giving yourself about 2 seconds to lock on the object ball before you begin your final stroke forward.

In Question 2, I believe that the analogy would be more like the club head would be the cue ball and the golf ball would be the object ball and the hole/flag the pocket. They are looking at what they want to hit not what they are hitting it with. In the case of pool, we obviously have the cue, the cue ball and the object ball (two balls instead of 1 as in golf).
 
dr9ball said:
They are looking at what they want to hit not what they are hitting it with.
Click to expand...

Um...you want to hit the cueball. You're hitting it with the cue. In virtually every sport, you look at the object you're hitting, not the object IT will be hitting. In baseball, you hit the ball with the bat. You're eyes are on the ball, not the outfield. In golf, you hit the ball with the club. Your eyes are on the ball, not the pin. In tennis, you hit the ball with the racquet, your eyes are on the ball, not your target on the other side of the net.

Pool players are stupid.
 
If you had to hit a second golf ball with your golf ball and send the second ball into the hole, you would actually have a point.
 
Look at the object ball last!

preacherman said:
I have heard both ways but basically the pattern I follow is:
Question 1:
Eye movement start with cue to object to to cue to object to object back to cue and finally with object on stroke?

Question 2:
Why in golf (though different sport) once they get ready to swing/putt they never look away at golf ball to hole. Would not the golf ball be somewhat similar to our cue ball.
Click to expand...



Look at the object ball last, when I was very young I looked at the cue ball last, but was soon corrected by my elders, took some getting used to, but has worked out very well!

Golf , you have to stay focused on the ball to hit it(drive or putt it).......take basketball for instance, the shooter LQQKS at the Rim, then shoots the basketball!!!!!


David Harcrow
 
How about looking at the pocket - does anyone do that? Snooker player Stephen Hendry looks at the object ball, then the pocket, and alternates between the two.

Personally, i look only at the object ball EXCEPT for pressure balls, when I make sure I hit the cue ball right once I've lined up the shot. I've found that I miss pressure balls because I don't hit the CB correctly, not because my aim's wrong.
 
Nice thing about pool is that there is not just one way to do things.

I've been practicing a concept what I call field of view. This concept comes from when I was racing motorcycles. When in a pack of racers, it was taught not to target fixate on the rider in front of you, but to look pass him and not really focus on anything. Since you are not focused on one thing, you actually saw more things in your field of view.

Also, long time ago, I took some martial arts. When I first started sparring, I was told not to look at anyone spot on my opponent, but to look past them cause this way I could see the wole of them and not just one spot. By seeing all, I could see any movement whereas looking at , say their face, I wouldn't.

I'm learning to incorpate this into my shot making. When setting up for a shot, my eyes are not on the OB nor the CB but somewhere such that I can see the pocket, OB and CB in my field of view, but I'm not looking at one thing. Its like one of those pictures that have a hidden imagine in them, but you have to learn to relax your eyes and not focus on one spot on the picture but see the whole of the picture at once.

There are times I get in my stance and I never look at the cue ball because I don't need to since I've to noticed it my field of view along with the OB, pocket and any balls around. Strange, but it works.
 
I always believed until recently that you had to look at the object ball last, but a few really great players look at the cueball last. I do believe that your eyes need to be motionless and focused on the same spot for the majority of shots. When I play one handed I am looking at the cueball last and it is amazing the shots you can make without actually looking at them. The players who look at the cueball last are more feel players than mechanical players I think.
 
preacherman said:
I have heard both ways but basically the pattern I follow is:
Question 1:
Eye movement start with cue to object to to cue to object to object back to cue and finally with object on stroke?

Question 2:
Why in golf (though different sport) once they get ready to swing/putt they never look away at golf ball to hole. Would not the golf ball be somewhat similar to our cue ball.
Click to expand...

There only 2 pros whom I have observed who look at the cue ball last - Keith McCready and Earl Strickland. And as far as I am concerned, they both are not at the top level when it comes to making long shots. Both are great players, but IMHO they could have been better had they looked at the object ball last.
 
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