head position when stroking

[Jimbojim]

I noticed today that when I'm doing the practice strokes and even the actual shot...the cue is always under my left eye, I tried to put the cue directly in the middle but I don't pocket the balls when I try. Does that mean I'm left-eye dominant? Or its just an habit that I have?

 

[DawgAndy]

I'd say you're left eye dominant. In my case I line up over my right eye. I have a small nick in shaft collar that I point twords my face and make sure it's directly under my eye. I have a "lame" left eye so lining up with that isn't an option anyway . If I'm missing shots it's generally because my cue is centered under my chin

Andy

 

[rackmsuckr]

I noticed in my last 2 tournaments that I have been missing balls due to being left eye dominant and trying to line up in the middle as well. When I remember to shift over, I make the ball. I didn't realize I had changed my stance but somewhere along the line I have, so I am working on that.

To find out which eye is dominant, make a circle with both hands and find an object approximately 12" on a wall about 6 feet away. Narrow your circle until the object is tightly framed with your hands.

Now close one eye at a time and see which one has the object centered in your circle and that is your dominant eye. This works no matter how far away or close your hands are to your eyes, just make sure they are centered between both eyes.

 

[Cameron Smith]

I noticed today that when I'm doing the practice strokes and even the actual shot...the cue is always under my left eye, I tried to put the cue directly in the middle but I don't pocket the balls when I try. Does that mean I'm left-eye dominant? Or its just an habit that I have?

It is possible that you are left eye dominant, but I can't say for certain. Another possibility is that you are not aligning yourself properly and you are moving head to compensate and make it feel right. When I play shot's left handed I tend to move my head until my right eye is over the cue. This is primarily because I don't align myself very well playing left handed.

There are tricks to find out which is you dominant eye, I believe there is an article on it on AZ Billiards. The other thing is to try keeping your head directly centered and see if it does anything. But make sure when in the standing position before you get down on the shot, make sure you are standing up perfectly straight. No hunching or leaning one way or the other.

 

[Jimbojim]

I noticed in my last 2 tournaments that I have been missing balls due to being left eye dominant and trying to line up in the middle as well. When I remember to shift over, I make the ball. I didn't realize I had changed my stance but somewhere along the line I have, so I am working on that.

To find out which eye is dominant, make a circle with both hands and find an object approximately 12" on a wall about 6 feet away. Narrow your circle until the object is tightly framed with your hands.

Now close one eye at a time and see which one has the object centered in your circle and that is your dominant eye. This works no matter how far away or close your hands are to your eyes, just make sure they are centered between both eyes.

I'm gonna try that right now

 

[Jimbojim]

I'm gonna try that right now

ok I just tried and I made myself perfectly sure that my 'circle of fingers' was exactly in the middle of my face (close or afar doesn't matter as you said) When I close my right eye (left eye open) object is still centered....and when I close my left eye(right eye still open) object is off the circle.

 

[TheConArtist]

i get so low on the cue i use to have a blue chin LOL, thats why i grew my Beard, works as a burnish also.

 

[TheConArtist]

what i did to find my dominant eye was use the corner of the walls. Or line us to objects in front of each other and see which eye is lining them up is my dominant eye.

 

[TheConArtist]

I noticed in my last 2 tournaments that I have been missing balls due to being left eye dominant and trying to line up in the middle as well. When I remember to shift over, I make the ball. I didn't realize I had changed my stance but somewhere along the line I have, so I am working on that.

To find out which eye is dominant, make a circle with both hands and find an object approximately 12" on a wall about 6 feet away. Narrow your circle until the object is tightly framed with your hands.

Now close one eye at a time and see which one has the object centered in your circle and that is your dominant eye. This works no matter how far away or close your hands are to your eyes, just make sure they are centered between both eyes.

so it has to be both hands huh, as if i use my left hand its the left eye if i use the right hand its the right eye LOL.

 

[Gerry]

I tried to mess with the whole "centered" thing for a couple of years, and wasted my time! I say, let your body find its natural comfort zone, and adjust from there. Center isn't always the answer, look at Earl, or Shannon Daulton, or Efren for that matter.

On the same thought, should anyone be centered?....if we have a dominant eye, shouldn't we tend to line up over it? unless of course you have neutral binocular vision!

Gerry

 

[Flex]

I tried to mess with the whole "centered" thing for a couple of years, and wasted my time! I say, let your body find its natural comfort zone, and adjust from there. Center isn't always the answer, look at Earl, or Shannon Daulton, or Efren for that matter.

On the same thought, should anyone be centered?....if we have a dominant eye, shouldn't we tend to line up over it? unless of course you have neutral binocular vision!

Gerry

My eyes are terrible: very nearsighted, strong astigmatism, left/right dominance not totally determined.

However, after using Joe Tucker's 3rd Eye Stroke Trainer for a time, I found something out, which may be useful to you.

Line up a long straight in shot, that one from one corner cutting across the table to the other corner with the object ball in the middle of the table. Make sure it is straight!

Now, standing straight up, line your cue up along that line, laying it down on the table. Slowly move into your stance and keep your eye on that straight line from one ball to the other to the corner pocket where the object ball needs to pot. At at certain point going down into your stance, you'll likely find a point for your head when looking at the shot with both eyes open, where everything will still look perfectly straight. At a certain point when you go lower it will probably no longer look straight. What you will have found is the range where your head is positioned above the cue where it looks straight. NEVER forget where that is! It's what I call the 100% straight zone. It may be very small, or hopefully, larger. When your head is in that zone, everything should look right. Get out of the zone, and get ready to compensate...

Flex