Head height

[nksmfamjp]

Head height over the cue is important, I believe, but I cannot figure out how high I want my head off the cue. Sure, it is common to say it should be comfortable, but I think there is more to this. It really affects my view of the shot and therefore my aiming. I feel like I can see banks, kicks and shots where the cue is close to the object ball standing more upright. Long shots seem easier down low on the cue.

How does one establish a proper head height and keep it consistent. Pros all seem consistent with this.

One strange note. . .Have you noticed that Efren raises his head during the shot?

 

[pooltchr]

It's probably not a good idea to be aiming when you are down on the shot already. You should find your aim point and line while you are standing. As you start to get down and your bridge hand gets to the table, stop and verify that you are still aligned properly for the shot. Once you have lowered your head all the way down, you have gone from a 3 dimensional view to a 2 dimension view, and it's much harder to determine angles.
See it while you are standing
Verify it as you are getting down
Trust what you saw after you are down. If you REALLY don't like what you see down there, raise up a little bit and re-verify.

Think of it like watching a football game. From the sidelines, it often looks like a bunch of bodies hitting each other. From the press box, you can actually see the routes each player is running.

Steve

 

[randyg]

Find out what's comfortable and works great. Side to side might be dangerous. Up and down might depend on the length of the shot....SPF=randyg

 

[JLD]

Whatever height you hold your head over your cue it should be consistent as possible from shot to shot to maintain a constant sight picture. Depth perception without proper stroking technique can cause the cue tip to contact the cue ball much higher than you are aiming if you hold your head too high above your cue.

To see how this can be a problem simply hold your head a foot or so above the cue, aim at an object ball using center then drop your head so your chin is touching the cue. If you look to see where the cue tip is pointing on the cue ball you will notice it is much higher than what what it appeared to be when your head was high above the cue.

The further you hold your cue tip from the cue ball while stroking the larger the depth perception error will be forcing you to unconsiously dip the tip on the final stroke to contact the cue ball at the correct spot. Even if you get the cue tip very close to the cue ball (risking a foul by tip contact) when stroking you will still be hitting the cue ball slightly higher than what you think. This error can easily be overcome with a proper stroking technique but it is a factor that you should be aware of.