I found out iv been doing it wrong for 15 years

Fastrockyf

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I look at the cue ball during my final stroke I thought every body shot like this I always did it like this I was playing with a very good player and he said your the only player I've ever seen look at the cue ball last Every body looks at the object ball last so after years I spent the whole day trying object ball last and I hate it I'm missing like crazy so I'm asking after all these years should a change should I look at object ball last it will take weeks to get used to is it very inportent are there any pros that shoot cue ball last .......... Please help I know I post a lot on here but I've been in love with this game since iv been 12 years old and I want to get better more then you could believe. My wife has a saying :pool was his first love ill alway be number 2 lol
 
Rodney Morris looks at the cue ball last. He says if your aligned up right then it doesn't matter.
 
Eye Pattern

Eye Pattern is important. I would say to try to go the 2 or 3 weeks and switch to looking at the object ball. The hands have a way of following the eyes.

Any sport (archery, shooting, baseball, football...) the athlete looks at the target and not the ball/gun/arrow.
 
I look at the cue ball last and play pretty decent, as do others that have been mentioned (Rodney et al). I just learned that way on my own as well, find it very eerie for some reason to be looking at the OB when I pull the trigger.

I do look up at the OB during the backstroke, as do most who say they look at the CB last. Generally people will look up during the pause in the backswing or near that transition point. You just need to guard against lifting your head as well, especially on longer shots where the OB is not in your near field of vision.

That being said, most people do definitively look up at the OB before starting their backswing, and that is the generally accepted way of doing things except on certain specialty shots. The CB will just get in the way of the stroke, and looking up at the OB can give you a strong sense of target. You also don't want to dwell on the CB too much since you want to see what happens to the shot so you can feel that mental computer and make future adjustments etc.


As RWOJO stated above, most people use the analogy of shooting, throwing a ball, etc. I counter with a different analogy - hitting a tennis ball with a racquet, or putting a golf ball. In both you are making a swinging motion with the object in your hands and trying to strike a ball to direct it somewhere specific, and in the case of golf the ball is also stationary as it is in pool. You can look up at the hole when putting - that's a common drill used to fix some issues - and the ball will get in the way of the putter, just like looking up at the OB last in pool. It's interesting how these two precise activities evolved into two different standards.

Scott
 
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I look at the cue ball last and play pretty decent, as do others that have been mentioned (Rodney et al). I just learned that way on my own as well, find it very eerie for some reason to be looking at the OB when I pull the trigger.

I do look up at the OB during the backstroke, as do most who say they look at the CB last. Generally people will look up during the pause in the backswing or near that transition point. You just need to guard against lifting your head as well, especially on longer shots where the OB is not in your near field of vision.

That being said, most people do definitively look up at the OB before starting their backswing, and that is the generally accepted way of doing things except on certain specialty shots. The CB will just get in the way of the stroke, and looking up at the OB can give you a strong sense of target. You also don't want to dwell on the CB too much since you want to see what happens to the shot so you can feel that mental computer and make future adjustments etc.


As RWOJO stated above, most people use the analogy of shooting, throwing a ball, etc. I counter with a different analogy - hitting a tennis ball with a racquet, or putting a golf ball. In both you are making a swinging motion with the object in your hands and trying to strike a ball to direct it somewhere specific, and in the case of golf the ball is also stationary as it is in pool. You can look up at the hole when putting - that's a common drill used to fix some issues - and the ball will get in the way of the putter, just like looking up at the OB last in pool. It's interesting how these two precise activities evolved into two different standards.

Scott

Thank you for you response I know you have better things to do with your time then help a stranger I'm very happy to here that you also learned cue ball last I was feeling a little crazy the player that told me ob last was Dennis spears who my regular one pocket match and he realy got in my head I think he sharked me to be honest I spent 12 stright hours not makeing 3 balls in a row ob last I just can't get the hang of it I'm gonna stick with what I know. Ps I love this forum it reminds me of my old room Pjs in linden where people actually helped each other it's kind of like cheers where every body knows you name. Any honestly thank all of you for your help:thumbup:
 
In my opinion, I think you have been doing it wrong. There are some exceptions where looking at the cue ball last benefits the player, such as, very close shots, jump shots, and with some players --- hard break shots.

But other than that, I have found that it's vitally important to see the space between the cb and ob as you are focused on the ob because it helps the player calibrate the proper speed. Once you let go of that visual as you are striking the cb, you are just guessing.
 
I'm not much of a pool player, but shooting I know. With a pistol you focus on the front sight. The rear and target should be slightly soft.
 
Eyes on CB during warmups...eyes on OB when shooting. The cuestick follows the eyes. Most people are more comfortable looking up at the OB before starting the final backswing. Focusing on both CB and OB before starting the warmup cycle is key. In training, we teach 2 seconds on each ball. In competitive play that will likely reduce to about a second on each ball.

Scott Lee
 
Eyes on CB during warmups...eyes on OB when shooting. The cuestick follows the eyes. Most people are more comfortable looking up at the OB before starting the final backswing. Focusing on both CB and OB before starting the warmup cycle is key. In training, we teach 2 seconds on each ball. In competitive play that will likely reduce to about a second on each ball.

Scott Lee

Scott correct me if I'm wrong but when we first met didn't you use and teach looking at cue ball last. If I'm not mistaken when and why did you change.

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Shev...That is true. I switched back more than 10 years ago, after reading some studies about how the eyes work best with the brain. We still teach looking at the CB last for some specialty shots (i.e.: the break, a kick, a jump or a masse').

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Scott correct me if I'm wrong but when we first met didn't you use and teach looking at cue ball last. If I'm not mistaken when and why did you change.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
 
. We still teach looking at the CB last for some specialty shots (i.e.: the break, a kick, a jump or a masse').

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Interesting, Why the break and kick. Some jumps like nearly vertical or all?

Guess we need to get together and talk over a cup of coffee. I'll buy, my bank paid me nearly $6 interest for 2013. Its burning a hole in my pocket.
 
Love to Tom! It's been a while! $6 huh?...guess we won't be going to Starbucks! :grin: LOL Yes, all jumps. The reasoning is that exceptionally accurate contact with the CB is more important on those four shots, so looking at the CB last becomes the norm in those situations.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Interesting, Why the break and kick. Some jumps like nearly vertical or all?

Guess we need to get together and talk over a cup of coffee. I'll buy, my bank paid me nearly $6 interest for 2013. Its burning a hole in my pocket.
 
I would like to add my two cents to Fran's point. When you look at making close(r) shots and use any side, draw or follow, a half of a tip's difference could greatly affect position. I prefer CB last when it doesn't affect accuracy of making the OB.
 
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