Eyes Closed Aiming Test

Pidge

Pidge

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just a little test to judge your ability to aim (and trust your stroke for that matter).

Throw a few balls out on the table with BIH. Keep your eyes open as you get down into the address position but don't take any warm up strokes. As soon as you get down fully and your all set shut your eyes. Take no practice strokes and shoot the shot. This tests your ability to aim, get down into the correct alignment, and have faith in your ability to deliver the cue straight.

Try just running 3 balls in any order at first. If you find it too easy then add more balls. I tried it today and several racks of 9 ball. Managed a run of 34 in straight pool. Then, as I started playing normal I was playing very well and shots seemed to be easy.

Have fun with it and let me know how you get on :-)
 
Pidge said:
Just a little test to judge your ability to aim (and trust your stroke for that matter).

Throw a few balls out on the table with BIH. Keep your eyes open as you get down into the address position but don't take any warm up strokes. As soon as you get down fully and your all set shut your eyes. Take no practice strokes and shoot the shot. This tests your ability to aim, get down into the correct alignment, and have faith in your ability to deliver the cue straight.

Try just running 3 balls in any order at first. If you find it too easy then add more balls. I tried it today and several racks of 9 ball. Managed a run of 34 in straight pool. Then, as I started playing normal I was playing very well and shots seemed to be easy.

Have fun with it and let me know how you get on :-)
Click to expand...

A few years back, an up-an-comer was woofing at a bunch of players under me. They then told him to try and play me and laughed at him about it. He got a little too cocky with me and I ended up telling him I could beat him looking away on each shot. I ran 4 out of 7 racks, and ended up beating him 7-1. Really not hard to do if your alignment is true and your stroke straight.
 
Neil said:
A few years back, an up-an-comer was woofing at a bunch of players under me. They then told him to try and play me and laughed at him about it. He got a little too cocky with me and I ended up telling him I could beat him looking away on each shot. I ran 4 out of 7 racks, and ended up beating him 7-1. Really not hard to do if your alignment is true and your stroke straight.
Click to expand...

Neil,
You should be on the Pro Tour, can I have your autograph?
 
336Robin said:
Neil,
You should be on the Pro Tour, can I have your autograph?
Click to expand...

Why, just because I know how to align and stroke straight? If you can do that, there is nothing hard about shooting blind once you are in position. In fact, if one finds they can't do it, you can guarantee that they are steering the cue. The speed is just having a real good picture of the shot in your head before you pull the trigger.

I'm surprised that as long as you have been around, you have never run across someone offering that bet. You won't play at full speed unless you get the shot picture in head real good, but you would be surprised how close you can play to your regular game if your mechanics are proper.
 
Neil said:
Why, just because I know how to align and stroke straight? If you can do that, there is nothing hard about shooting blind once you are in position. In fact, if one finds they can't do it, you can guarantee that they are steering the cue. The speed is just having a real good picture of the shot in your head before you pull the trigger.

I'm surprised that as long as you have been around, you have never run across someone offering that bet. You won't play at full speed unless you get the shot picture in head real good, but you would be surprised how close you can play to your regular game if your mechanics are proper.
Click to expand...

Neil,
Im just messing with you. Ive seen people do that and play one handed 9 ball and beat most of the players around. I think my left eyed vision and right handed play makes me recheck things once Im down sometimes but I do okay for a old guy, I dont steer though. I have played some speed pool so fast that you had to be on the money when you got down and that taught me a lot and was a help actually. Not easy to play 26 racks an hour without something happening right.
 
Neil said:
A few years back, an up-an-comer was woofing at a bunch of players under me. They then told him to try and play me and laughed at him about it. He got a little too cocky with me and I ended up telling him I could beat him looking away on each shot. I ran 4 out of 7 racks, and ended up beating him 7-1. Really not hard to do if your alignment is true and your stroke straight.
Click to expand...
Its very much about picking a correct line of aim, then having the ability to get your cue onto the line of aim, then trusting you are going to cue where you intend. It isn't overly difficult, but position does suffer more than potting I've found. One thing I like about closing my eyes when I'm just messing around is it heightens my senses a little more. So I can feel every intricacy of what my arm is doing. When a shot goes well I can remember what that feeling is like and look to emulate it from shot to shot.
 
Pidge said:
Its very much about picking a correct line of aim, then having the ability to get your cue onto the line of aim, then trusting you are going to cue where you intend.
Click to expand...

Jerry Briesath has an instructional technique he uses in this area (maybe not unique to, or started by, him, I don't know). He throws out a shot on the table (usually 3/4-table, with maybe a 15-25-degree cut angle - i.e., he doesn't set up a hard shot) and then (while standing behind you) tells you to:
  1. approach the shot as you normally would
  2. drop on the shot line
  3. take no warmup strokes
  4. freeze
Then, before you have time to think, he gives the back end of the cue a sharp, straight, whack(!), and you both watch as the shot either goes, or misses.

He then uses that as the starting point for his discussion of PSR, aim, etc...
 
Pidge said:
Just a little test to judge your ability to aim (and trust your stroke for that matter).

Throw a few balls out on the table with BIH. Keep your eyes open as you get down into the address position but don't take any warm up strokes. As soon as you get down fully and your all set shut your eyes. Take no practice strokes and shoot the shot. This tests your ability to aim, get down into the correct alignment, and have faith in your ability to deliver the cue straight.

Try just running 3 balls in any order at first. If you find it too easy then add more balls. I tried it today and several racks of 9 ball. Managed a run of 34 in straight pool. Then, as I started playing normal I was playing very well and shots seemed to be easy.

Have fun with it and let me know how you get on :-)
Click to expand...

I like this method and use it often, though not usually without any feathering which can help at times to fine tune... but worth trying.

While I try sometimes to stroke with eyes closed, I usually just take focus off the OB and stare at CCB so I can watch to see that I'm stroking straight.

Another suggestion I'd recommend is to try to see the line from in the stance and then focus purely on that line to CCB and slide into that without glancing at the OB. Then close eyes or just look at the CB from where you finish up. This can help identify if one's line from back in stance is off, or the movement into the CB with bridge has a tendency to drift off line.

A great test would be to place a curtain between CB and OB as one is sliding the bridge into place behind the CB. It would help a player improve fundamentals in pre-alignment.

Colin
 
swest said:
Jerry Briesath has an instructional technique he uses in this area (maybe not unique to, or started by, him, I don't know). He throws out a shot on the table (usually 3/4-table, with maybe a 15-25-degree cut angle - i.e., he doesn't set up a hard shot) and then (while standing behind you) tells you to:
  1. approach the shot as you normally would
  2. drop on the shot line
  3. take no warmup strokes
  4. freeze
Then, before you have time to think, he gives the back end of the cue a sharp, straight, whack(!), and you both watch as the shot either goes, or misses.

He then uses that as the starting point for his discussion of PSR, aim, etc...
Click to expand...

A friend of mine does that when you arent paying attention usually on the last ball of a run out. I am amazed at how many pot. I guess I must be setting up right. I agree that paying close attention to the initial setup is very important. I know that days I am off just a tad, thats exactly what it is and it can be a stance issue with me. Once I miss a few I usually dial it right back in because I know my tendency to place my left foot too far forward.
 
Positional Exercise

Pidge said:
Its very much about picking a correct line of aim, then having the ability to get your cue onto the line of aim, then trusting you are going to cue where you intend. It isn't overly difficult, but position does suffer more than potting I've found. One thing I like about closing my eyes when I'm just messing around is it heightens my senses a little more. So I can feel every intricacy of what my arm is doing. When a shot goes well I can remember what that feeling is like and look to emulate it from shot to shot.
Click to expand...

Something Ive never really focused on I recently starting working with was tangent line position using on top, bottom and center ball. It just never occurred to me to do it and when I did I really enjoyed it and found great benefit in it. I can see that your potting test and tangent line position planning could go really well together.
 
It sound like a good test. I also have been trying to stay away from side spin and using tangent lines. Seems to really be helping. Funny when I watch guys my speed playing. I am always saying to myself. He sure over plays a lot of shots. Well it was the same thing I was doing. Can't look at the object ball like most people say to do. Think it's a depth perception thing. Kinda like some people can stand on a ledge and be fine. While others feel like they are falling forward.
 
I like it. Have you ever tried to just align and purely look at the OB when going down?
It´s amazing how accurate you are on the CB. One stroke.
I did it with CB the other day but that´s a bit tough because it´s so easy to see the OB.

Thanks Pidge

Chrippa
 
Skippy27 said:
No, probably because your response was nothing but an ego stroke and had little relevance to the OP about it being a good thing to do to improve your game.
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Get over yourself. How can it be an ego stroke just because I can do something that thousands of others can do?? Sheesh....

I and others have talked about it a number of times on here. It doesn't improve ones game in the least. What it does do, is show you if you have a straight stroke or not.
 
Chrippa said:
I like it. Have you ever tried to just align and purely look at the OB when going down?
It´s amazing how accurate you are on the CB. One stroke.
I did it with CB the other day but that´s a bit tough because it´s so easy to see the OB.

Thanks Pidge

Chrippa
Click to expand...
This is exactly what I do when the CB is touching or very close to touching the rail. I get the picture of where the balls are in my head but the just look at the object ball as I step in and get down. Its the only time I do this. I don't know why I do this, but it seems to work :-)
 
Pidge said:
This is exactly what I do when the CB is touching or very close to touching the rail. I get the picture of where the balls are in my head but the just look at the object ball as I step in and get down. Its the only time I do this. I don't know why I do this, but it seems to work :-)
Click to expand...

Great, I actually do the opposite sort of, see the line step in and just look at CB.
That works better for me than checking the aiming up and down with my eyes, so much happens with our bodies so easily - small motions.

Haven´t thought of trying this - (only looking at the OB) in that situation though, thanks Pidge:). It can most likely work better since I can do it so easily in training it.
It´s so funny that you have to laugh sometimes, you have it right before you:p.

Thanks for the rake tips you gave out the other day, improved my way of shooting with it.
Especially the "lining up with it and then move it " and "not so short bridge length".
I had tried different ways before (long, short etc etc) now I sort of got the sequence in correct order so it made it more simple. Before I accepted it and just "poked" /made sure I hit it correct. Now I see however that I can begin training to put some side, more firm hit etc.
We most have the parts (.) correct but when the .............. is done in a wrong way everything messes up.

If I ever starts to play snooker, you would be my first choice to have as a trainer - thanks for sharing your knowledge:thumbup:

Regards

Christian
 
Chrippa said:
I like it. Have you ever tried to just align and purely look at the OB when going down?
It´s amazing how accurate you are on the CB. One stroke.
I did it with CB the other day but that´s a bit tough because it´s so easy to see the OB.

Thanks Pidge

Chrippa
Click to expand...

Hi Cristian,

Looking at the OB the whole time going down on the shot is a good way to keep on the line both with one's vision & the body that follows that vision.

If one looks at the CB going down the body can orient to that different 3 dimensional line.

This is something I just recently realised after my talks with Gene Albrecht regarding what he knows & has put out in his Perfect Aim DVD, even though it is not a specific aiming method but instead is about how to see 'properly'.

I hope You're feeling better,
Rick
 
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