How Does a Player Develop Feel for the Pocket?

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
For many pool players it's a natural tendency to want to spin shots in with outside "helping" English. This technique is very useful, especially if you're trying to change the natural angle of the cue ball after contact. There's another way to do this if you want to "master a shot" so you can hit the three parts of the pocket. To do this you must become more accurate and develop a "FEEL" for the pocket. This isn't any more difficult, it just requires you to simplify your Game and reduce calculations.

There are three {main} calculations you make to be accurate using "outside English," 1st) - you must judge the immediate deflection and 2nd) - you must judge how much the spin brings the cue ball "back" to it's original "shot line". 3rd) - you must decide where to hit the cue ball to accomplish the intended shot. (these calculations are related, but not necessarily connected like they are with the TOI Technique)

You will find it's necessary to hit these shots at a variety of speeds and a variety of spins to do what you need with the cue ball. This takes a LOT of different calculations because speed effects deflection AND spin. Where you hit the cue ball and how far over to get your "outside English" also effects deflection AND spin.

Over the course of hours, you will have to make numerous calculations and instinctive judgments to make every shot as planned. With the 'Touch Of Inside' system of play I am showing you how to reduce the amount of calculations and instinctive judgments considerably.

The TOI Technique shows you how to hit one "theme" of speeds, one "theme" of spins, and one "theme" of deflection. I have played many players in my life and the only concern I had was if they would play long enough. Because, even though this edge against other accomplished players may be only 1-2%, it will show up over time.

If you're cutting a ball at a "half ball" angle down the rail to the left and using "outside" (right English") you cue ball is immediately going to deflect into the object ball slightly. To overcome undercutting it you will need to spin the cue ball to make it curve back and the spin will help cut it in. This may "FEEL" like it's helping the cut, but IS IT REALLY?

You are having to hit the speed correctly, the spin correctly, the contact point (shot line) correctly and hit the cue ball precisely to do this. I'm sure you do this very well, but how about under pressure? How do you make all these calculations playing a champion player? This is where your unconscious will start to falter and break down.

You are simply over whelming yourself with these calculations and when you add pressure? I don't know, how does it effect you, do you play better or worse? How about over the course of a 5-10 hour set, do you rely on your game to get better and better or do you have "ups and downs?" With the TOI Technique I teach players how to use (as much as possible, of course there's exceptions, and less that you may think) ONE SPEED - ONE SHOT ANGLE REFERENCE (center or edge) - ONE TIP TARGET (the "Touch" of Inside).

The one thing you guard against {using TOI} is overcutting the ball, however, if you're going to miss a shot would you rather over cut it or under cut it? I don't know about you, but when I under cut a shot I feel like a "dogged it," however, when I over cut a shot I feel like I know what I need to do to correct what I did wrong.

TOI increases consistency, which strengthens confidence and makes your Game strong, reliable, and very intimidating.
 
cj
do you beleive toi doesnt make the cue ball squirt??
just in the other direction that "touch of outside" would??
i do,,,,,,,,:eek:
so everything you said about outside is the same for inside just reveresed.
if you hit a ball off the verical center axis there has to be squirt
thats how i understand it
icbw
 
The problem is when they are unsynchronised due to "less than perfect" stroking,

cj
do you beleive toi doesnt make the cue ball squirt??
just in the other direction that "touch of outside" would??
i do,,,,,,,,:eek:
so everything you said about outside is the same for inside just reveresed.
if you hit a ball off the verical center axis there has to be squirt
thats how i understand it
icbw

Yes, this "squirt" (we call it defection) is what makes the object ball over-cut slightly and the basis for TOI....the outside english also "squirts," then the spin will bring it back towards the original shot line.....when done correctly they basically cancel each other out.

The problem is when they are unsynchronised due to "less than perfect" stroking, humidity, unusual cue ball size/weight or incorrect shaft size (relative to the table, cue ball, cloth, etc).
 
Yes, this "squirt" (we call it defection) is what makes the object ball over-cut slightly and the basis for TOI....the outside english also "squirts," then the spin will bring it back towards the original shot line.....when done correctly they basically cancel each other out.

The problem is when they are unsynchronised due to "less than perfect" stroking, humidity, unusual cue ball size/weight or incorrect shaft size (relative to the table, cue ball, cloth, etc).

so you agree with me that touch of inside is the same as touch of outside except in reverse??
 
bbb,

Spread 15 balls around the table as you like, no difficult combinations or other shots. Take ball in hand and run all 15 with a tip of outside english. Now do the same drill with inside english and then tell us what you discover.

Thanks.
 
I clearly understand why it would appear to logically.

so you agree with me that touch of inside is the same as touch of outside except in reverse??

Actually I don't agree....although I clearly understand why it would appear to logically.
 
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Actually I don't agree....although I clearly understand why it would appear to logically.

cj could you explain why you dont agree please???
cj first let me say
you are a world champion
and have accomplished more on a pool table than i will ever dream of........:thumbup:
you developed a way of playing that got you to the top of the mountain
i respect that:bow-down:
please forgive me for challenging the basis of your system but it doesnt fit with how i understand the "science" of how the cue ball reacts based on where you hit it
since im a high c low b player it could be my lack of skill prevents me from understanding a higher level approach to the game
all due respect
but please explain why you disagree
thanks
 
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bbb,

Spread 15 balls around the table as you like, no difficult combinations or other shots. Take ball in hand and run all 15 with a tip of outside english. Now do the same drill with inside english and then tell us what you discover.

Thanks.

i tried your sugestion ,,,not 15 but around 10
the cue ball if it hit a rail acted as expected with the given spin
the inside seemed to me "pinch the balls"
what did you expect i should discover??
im working on my game so im always learning....:smile:
 
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I've always thought that the term "feel for the pocket" applied to developing a sense for where the pocket lay in reference to the shot you are attempting. Like what Bustamante is referring to beginning at 48:15 in this podcast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y2qoCtdiak

"I just look that that, [notice in the video he's not even looking at the pocket he's shooting at] and then I go for it... fast. Because if I look, uh... longer... make me confused, you know? And this is my problem."

A pure feel shot, with only the visible geometry of the table to guide you to the correct angle.
 
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cj could you explain why you dont agree please???
cj first let me say
you are a world champion
and have accomplished more on a pool table than i will ever dream of........:thumbup:
you developed a way of playing that got you to the top of the mountain
i respect that:bow-down:
please forgive me for challenging the basis of your system but it doesnt fit with how i understand the "science" of how the cue ball reacts based on where you hit it
since im a high c low b player it could be my lack of skill prevents me from understanding a higher level approach to the game
all due respect
but please explain why you disagree
thanks

I made a commitment to the TOI system after receiving CJs dvd's, and at first I thought the same as you. I'm only a B PLAYER myself, so I'm still trying to grasp the pattern play concepts myself.

There are a few ways cj describes why TOI should be tried, and the one that convinced me was it simplified the shot making calculations. He uses a business analogy, of when he thought having many businesses would be best, but it's not true, it's better to have a limited amount and do then very well. Same with your shot selection. You could know five different options on getting shape on the next ball, but if you could do two of them very well, your brain would default to them under pressure and you could perform. If you just drilled with TOI, and became expert in it, you would find all the other selections would be rarely if ever needed.

And that leads to his three part pocket system which TOI creates. When done correctly, the cue ball floats with exceptional action. You are asking about touch of outside being the same, and it can't be, because you would automatically be aiming thin on all shots, so your cue ball would be flying around the table really wild. With TOI, you are aiming more full on everything, and the throw pockets the ball, while the cue ball is still in control on your cut shots.

But it takes a commitment to unlearn what you have learned (if I can borrow a phrase from yoda). I'm in that process right now, scary and frustrating at first, but I've already seen rewards.
 
in the parallel shift (in TOI) you move both hands the same.

When applying "outside english" there's a slight pivot and with the TOI there isn't. When using TOI you MUST NOT pivot, or you will under-cut shots frequently. I explain this difference in the TIP Banking Secrets (TIP is Touch of Inside & Pivot).

I know it seems like you're simply hitting one on the left side and the other on the right, but it's slightly different in technique. Pivoting you move your back hand, and not the front {bridging} hand, and in the parallel shift (in TOI) you move both hands the same.

The two reactions are different, pivoting spins the ball more and parallel shifting spins it less (TOI).



[/B]
cj could you explain why you dont agree please???
cj first let me say
you are a world champion
and have accomplished more on a pool table than i will ever dream of........:thumbup:
you developed a way of playing that got you to the top of the mountain
i respect that:bow-down:
please forgive me for challenging the basis of your system but it doesnt fit with how i understand the "science" of how the cue ball reacts based on where you hit it
since im a high c low b player it could be my lack of skill prevents me from understanding a higher level approach to the game
all due respect
but please explain why you disagree
thanks
 
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calibrate your shots to the center with the ability to hit either side at will.

Eventually, should one get good enough, would you just come down in the TOI position on the ball, our do you still shift now and then?

Once you understand how TOI works by shifting you should start coming down on to the TOI spot as if it's your "new center".

I suggest shifting at first to start reprogramming your mind to how it effects the cue ball. When training someone in person I can get them through this stage in a few hours, however, by yourself it's going to take some "trial and error".

The recommendation has always been to use 'The Touch is Inside' on ALL your shots for three straight hours - it's important that you still "try" to play shape as you always have, and make yourself do it with the TOI.....you may not believe it at first, but you can do almost anything with TOI that you used to do with spin by targeting different parts of the pocket (cheating the pocket).

This will give you a true "Pro Feel" for the pocket and you can then start to calibrate your shots to the center with the ability to hit either side at will.....this takes a few weeks, but once you develop this ability your game will shoot up in performance levels.
 
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This is how you calibrate the TOI and tune it in to start creating angles.

The "TOUCH OF INSIDE" (TOI) technique is much more than just "cuing the ball precisely," although you are correct, it is important. The Cue Ball is the target in pool, not the object ball, so the object ball just "reflects" how you hit the Cue Ball.

There are a few ways to "aim" or "create angles" in pool. The most common one is to aim a part of the cue ball at a part of the object ball and try to hit it. This is the most common and it works, however you decide to "aim," whether by a system, by feel or by instinct.

The TOI technique I use creates angles a different way. It uses where you cue the Cue Ball relative to a consistent target on the object ball (either the edge or the center).

This means I'm not aiming at a "contact point," instead I'm CREATING the angle by moving the tip to the same side (inside) as I'm cutting the ball. If I"m cutting the ball to the right, I move the cue slightly to the right of center, if I"m cutting the ball to the left I move the tip slightly to the LEFT of center.

If you want to experiment with what I"m saying try this "for the sake of science." Put the Cue Ball on the head spot and the Object Ball on the foot spot. If you hit "center to center," with a center ball hit you will drive the OB straight into the rail and it will come back and hit the cue ball again (if hit perfectly).

Now, go down and aim it center to center again, but this time move the cue slightly to the right (MAKE sure to move the whole cue, don't "pivot" or just turn your tip). Hit the ball like you did {as if} it was straight in and it will cut the ball slightly to the right. Do it again and move the cue further to the right, hit it and you will see that it cuts the Object Ball further to the right (creating more angle).

Now set up a shot that is a slight cut, get down like it was straight in and move the cue slightly in the same direction of the cut and hit it. If you undercut the shot move over more on the cue ball, if you overcut it move over less from center.

This is how you calibrate the TOI and tune it in to start creating angles. My new video goes over this in detail and I explain things about the TOI Technique that I haven't even tried to explain in this Forum. This Technique is brutally strong and when you master it you will become a feared shotmaker. If this sounds "to good to be true," you haven't seen nothing yet. 'The Game is the Teacher'
 
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