Eye Pattern and the Pause in SPF.......

[The Renfro]

Just an observation for anyone who is having problems developing a pause in the backstroke....

Last night I played around with adding the pause at the end of my backstroke... I really could not get comfortable doing it but instead of throwing the idea out again I decided to see what made me uncomfortable and if there was something I could learn....

For me I think the problem is that I have a very active eye pattern that differs from the one taught by Scott and company... My eyes are constantly moving and they are actually moving with my cue motions. I continuously do mini and medium practice strokes as I am settling in to a shot... My eyes focus on the spot on the object ball as the tip comes away from the cueball and on the object ball as my tip goes forward and blocks the contact point on the cueball....

As soon as I made this connection. I decided to give the SPF eye pattern a go... I started taking slow deliberate practice strokes focusing on the cueball on the forward stroke and then focusing on the object ball on the back stroke..... After just a few minutes of changing the eye pattern tempo and timing I could comfortably pause at end of my back swing...
I was even able to comfortably pause at the end of my forward stroke..

I guess it would make sense in hindsight that these things could be linked... For some people I do not think one can work without the other... It's that way at least for me....

I have convergence issues and an astigmatism so usually the longer I focus the worse I get but I may give the pause and different eye pattern a test drive for a few days....

Not saying the pause is right or wrong for anyone just saying if you are having trouble getting comfortable when trying to assess it this may be why....:thumbup:

 

[chevybob20]

I guess everybody has different eye petterns. When I'm moving the cue, I'm looking at the cue ball, judging straightness of stroke and contact point target on cue ball. When I stop the cue at the cue ball, my eyes are focused on the OB and judging shot alignment. Whenever the cue is in motion, eyes are on CB. Whenever the cue stops, eyes are on OB.

Start with cue at CB - Eyes on CB - Slow back - Pause, transition eyes to OB - Finish shot. The transition of the eyes to the OB helps hold the cue stick steady for the pause. It gives me something to do other than thinking about the pause.

 

[The Renfro]

chevybob I indeed think we create our own personal patterns based on how our eyes work and how quickly we process visual information....

I think it is wise for us to be aware of things like this because they can be drivers in other aspects of the game....

I am a very very fast player... Always have been....

Now I am wondering am I a fast player because of my internal clock or because of other things....

Lets say someone deliberately focuses for 1 second at each end of the practice stroke and they take 4 practice strokes... 8 seconds 8 focusing tasks....

4 practice strokes would killlllll me.... I focus about 1/3rd of a second before my focus shifts so 3 to their 1... 8 seconds would yield 24 focusing tasks..... Geez SHOOT ALREADY!!!!