How Do You Aim At Air?

3

3RAILKICK

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member


I have trouble aiming at air, I mean - when the aiming line for the cb is off the object ball. For me that is when the cut is sharper than a '1/2" ball hit. So, I look at any cut shot as a "1/2" ball hit and then adjust(I am guessing where to aim the cb). This may not make sense to those that just 'see' the shot and execute it well. I struggle. I have trouble using the edges of cb to establish the cb aiming direction as opposed to using the center of cb.

Anyone have a suggestion for aiming at air? Any help is :confused: appreciated.

Thanks,
3railkick/
Bill
 
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maybe try getting lower on the cue ball. If you are behind the cue ball and you aim the center of the cue ball at "air" you should still be able to see the side of the cue ball blocking sight of your OB. If you see all of the CB and all of the OB, you're going to whiff (Unless you're using Spin, but you shouldn't be until you get the basics down)... Not sure if this helps you out at all. Once you start to get a feel for the actual area of the CB that you can use to hit the OB, you may begin to get a feel for it naturally. God luck, hope this is along the lines of what you were looking for.
 
Use the edges of the OB and CB. If it is a 1/4 ball line up the edge of the CB with the spot that is midway between the center and edge of the OB.

You can also line the edge of you cue to the edge of the OB for a hit that is less than 1/2. You can also put a space between the edge of the shaft and OB for a thinner hit and etc
 
Setup a thin shot about 50 or more degrees.Put a piece of chalk down with the corner aimed along the line to the pocket. That is if you drew a line from the center of the pocket through the center of the object ball ball, the chalk would be centered on that line. The chalk should be laying diagonal on the table with the imaginary line going from corner to corner through the center of the chalk.
The width of the chalk is roughly half the width of the object balls. Once you get used to it you just imagine the chalk there and it gives you a reference point to aim at. The trick is you have to imagine the chalk at the same angle to the shot. It sounds complicated but is fairly simple and helps on thin shots.
 
There are several things in pool that I learned by trying to find the extremes.

When I wanted to learn how low I could go on a draw stroke, I started by trying to draw so low that I scooped the ball and went from there. I am now very comfortable shooting extreme draw shots because I know my limits.

When I wanted to learn extreme angles on cut shots, I just practiced the 90 degree cut shot until I felt very comfortable with it. It made 60, 70, and 80 degree shots a lot easier for some reason. I'm at the point now where I am comfortable shooting and making "air" shots. I prefer using the tops of the OB and CB for references. It works for me.

I hope this helped somehow. :smile:
 
TX Poolnut said:
There are several things in pool that I learned by trying to find the extremes.

When I wanted to learn how low I could go on a draw stroke, I started by trying to draw so low that I scooped the ball and went from there. I am now very comfortable shooting extreme draw shots because I know my limits.

When I wanted to learn extreme angles on cut shots, I just practiced the 90 degree cut shot until I felt very comfortable with it. It made 60, 70, and 80 degree shots a lot easier for some reason. I'm at the point now where I am comfortable shooting and making "air" shots. I prefer using the tops of the OB and CB for references. It works for me.

I hope this helped somehow. :smile:
Click to expand...
'tops of cb and ob'- by that are you guaging how far out in the air you are aiming by creating a 1 1/8" center cb to contact point on ob? Sorry- I'm just having trouble visualizing a method that is repeatable for me. I'll try it and maybe something will 'click' for me.

Thanks,
3railkick/Bill

no wonder I don't get it/I was trying to respond to 'tops of balls' post-I can't even do that!
 
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center to edge = edge to center

when your primary aiming line is no longer available.. use your secondary aim line

thats what I do

Good luck
 
maybe this schematic will help you judge how much air you need to use for aiming

Point your cue at the contact point on the object ball, then rotate the butt of your cue over the same point on the cue ball... then slide the cue to the side & parallel (over the center of the cue ball) with this line & you have the shot line...
 

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If you want to aim 5mm off the OB edge:

1) align CB center to OB edge
2) parallel shift your cue 5mm opposite to the direction of the cut
3) pivot so that you are now aiming cue at the OB edge again
4) parallel shift the cue back to CB center
5) you are now aimed exactly 5mm off the OB edge.


If you have a 60 degree cut, the shift distance is 24mm (just shy of an inch). Try it.
 
Sight the shot like you do any other but aim for the rail where you need to hit the OB.
 
i just think about the contact point of the cb and the ob. its always the horizontal axis thru both balls so if i aim that spot in the cb to hit the ob then it goes in....maybe im making it harder. let me know if anyone has any other ideas..ill try em all.
 
For thinner than 1/2 ball hits, where the center of the CB is actually aimed to miss the OB, it can be tough to judge where to aim to achieve the desired contact point. I find it's a little easier if I visualize a stripe, 2.25" wide, representing the path of the CB (the entire CB, not just the center of it). I find it's mentally easier to aim this stripe at the correct point than to try to aim a part of the CB at the correct point on the OB. I suspect this is something that varies greatly from person to person; what works best for me to find the right line of aim may not be what works best for you.

-Andrew
 
All of these methods are worthless... Just practice the shot and forget about aiming in the air, once you start practicing the same shot over and over you will aim at the correct point on the object ball and will compensate without even knowing it. It will look and feel natural.....
 
Take the 8 and 1 ball. Put the 8 6 inches from a pocket. Put the 1 right next to the 8 as to make a straight in shot. The 1 is the ghost ball. Now move to different points around the table and just look at the 1.

You will start to see where the cue ball needs to be to make the shot.
 
ceebee said:
maybe this schematic will help you judge how much air you need to use for aiming

Point your cue at the contact point on the object ball, then rotate the butt of your cue over the same point on the cue ball... then slide the cue to the side & parallel (over the center of the cue ball) with this line & you have the shot line...
Click to expand...

When do you stop rotating?

I think you're thinking of the method where you rotate your cue over the midpoint between the CB and OB until your butt is over the CB's center.

pj
chgo
 
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I sorta do that

duckie said:
Take the 8 and 1 ball. Put the 8 6 inches from a pocket. Put the 1 right next to the 8 as to make a straight in shot. The 1 is the ghost ball. Now move to different points around the table and just look at the 1.

You will start to see where the cue ball needs to be to make the shot.
Click to expand...

Your description is probably mostly what I try to do. The big issue for me still is accurately consistently deliverying the cb at that 'ghost ball location' when it hits the OB. Maybe I just need to miss another 2-3000 times to get it right. I know there is no substitute for table time.

Thank you everyone for your help.

3railkick/Bill
 
One of the most boring, but very important drill is what I call single shot drills.

Just set up the same shot over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

There is table time and then there is table time. I see alot of people make excuses for their level of play where I go. But I never see any one of them doing any kinda of focused drills.

They miss a shot, they just keep going instead of setting up that shot again and making it 15 of 15 or more times.

Your practice time at the table has to be focused. It has to have meaning or its wasted time.
 
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