Identifying accurate target point on object ball

[Shooter1]

I learned and generally speaking, still use the ghost ball method of finding a target point on an object ball. The works relatively well especially on shorter shots. When the shots are longer, I tend to have trouble hitting the target point on the ball.
My reasoning is, how can you identify an exact contact point on a ball that has a solid color background? You can focus on a point on a ball but it is still a large expanse of color, (unless a number or striped edge in on your contact point).
Take shooting a gun for instance at a target, the target has a bulls eye or some type of mark that you align your front and rear sights on and if all is in alignment, (gun sighted in correctly), you will hit the bulls eye or mark on the target.

Executing a pool shot, (to me) is like shooting a gun and trying to hit the exact center of the target that has no bulls eye on it.
I'd like to hear some folks opinions on how they lock on to a target point on a ball that is in effect a large expanse of color with no "built in" bulls eye.

Thanks.

 

[BC21]

I learned and generally speaking, still use the ghost ball method of finding a target point on an object ball. The works relatively well especially on shorter shots. When the shots are longer, I tend to have trouble hitting the target point on the ball.
My reasoning is, how can you identify an exact contact point on a ball that has a solid color background? You can focus on a point on a ball but it is still a large expanse of color, (unless a number or striped edge in on your contact point).
Take shooting a gun for instance at a target, the target has a bulls eye or some type of mark that you align your front and rear sights on and if all is in alignment, (gun sighted in correctly), you will hit the bulls eye or mark on the target.

Executing a pool shot, (to me) is like shooting a gun and trying to hit the exact center of the target that has no bulls eye on it.
I'd like to hear some folks opinions on how they lock on to a target point on a ball that is in effect a large expanse of color with no "built in" bulls eye.

Thanks.

HAMB.

Simply put, you just keep doing it over and over and over until you've missed enough times to finally allow your mind to develop the correct alignment for that particular shot.

It's trial and error programming. Having an approximate alignment for the shot, (based on your best estimate of where the contact point is) will eventually train your mind to recognize where your body/stroke needs to be in order to send the cb to where it needs to go to pocket the ob.

When referencing contacting points, your mind is picking up more visual data than you realize. You focus on where you think the contact point is, based on your best estimation, but your mind is picking up the visual connection between the cb, ob, rails, and targeted pocket. These are puzzle pieces, and after putting the pieces together successfully over and over again for any particular shot, that shot becomes known to you.

 

[Bob Jewett]

For the way I aim, the contact point on the object ball is worthless. It is almost never what you want to point your stick at.

I look at how much of the ball I'm going to hit -- the fullness -- and judge whether that will give me the angle to the pocket. I rarely think about the actual fraction of the hit.

As Brian says, repetition is the key. But it has to be done carefully and you must observe how the shot goes. Sometimes after a student misses I ask them which side they missed on. It is clear that they are guessing or they don't even offer a guess. You need to know not only which side you missed on but by how much. And even if you make the ball, you should note whether it went in the exact center of the pocket.

I don't think the proverbial million balls (MB) is needed and there are exercises that will sharpen your aim faster than just hitting balls around.

 

[BC21]

....
I look at how much of the ball I'm going to hit -- the fullness -- and judge whether that will give me the angle to the pocket. I rarely think about the actual fraction of the hit.
....

This is the primary goal of Poolology - to help train the mind to recognize the overlap or "fullness" of hit needed to pocket any particular cut shot. The fractional labeling is not important, other than to provide a foundation for lining up the shot. From there it's a matter of visualizing the actual hit/overlap you're trying to create.

I don't think I did a good enough job stressing this point in the book. It seems that a lot of people get fixated on the math, the fractions. But it's the visualization of the hit that is most important, and, as you said, paying attention to the outcome.

The Poolology system has its flaws and limitations when it comes to the math/fractions, but the mind is fully capable of perfecting accurate visualizations from just a few solid lines of reference. So, in spite of flaws, that's the benefit of the system - consistent aiming references to help fine-tune visualization.

It's just as you say - visualize the fullness of the hit needed to pocket the ball. Pay attention to where you are aiming and pay attention to the results. That's what's important in order to develop consistent and accurate aiming skills

 

[7stud]

I learned and generally speaking, still use the ghost ball method of finding a target point on an object ball. The works relatively well especially on shorter shots. When the shots are longer, I tend to have trouble hitting the target point on the ball.
My reasoning is, how can you identify an exact contact point on a ball that has a solid color background? You can focus on a point on a ball but it is still a large expanse of color, (unless a number or striped edge in on your contact point).
Take shooting a gun for instance at a target, the target has a bulls eye or some type of mark that you align your front and rear sights on and if all is in alignment, (gun sighted in correctly), you will hit the bulls eye or mark on the target.

Executing a pool shot, (to me) is like shooting a gun and trying to hit the exact center of the target that has no bulls eye on it.
I'd like to hear some folks opinions on how they lock on to a target point on a ball that is in effect a large expanse of color with no "built in" bulls eye.

Thanks.

How do you aim at the ghost ball? Do you put your tip at the center of the ghost ball, then pivot to the CB? What happens when you lift your stick? Yeah, you know you want to hit the CB in that general direction, but to be precise enough to make the OB on a mid range to long shot, how do you aim once you lift your stick?

Another problem with using the ghost ball is "cut induced throw" or CIT. How do you adjust for that? Do you hit every cut with gearing english? Or, do you move the ghost ball position so that it is lined up pointing to the edge of the pocket rather than the middle of the pocket?

My reasoning is, how can you identify an exact contact point on a ball that has a solid color background?

Have you considered looking at how much the OB and CB overlap rather than looking for a contact point?

 

[bbb]

in my opinion
if you want a "target" to point your stick at
then you should explore fractional aiming
and poolology is excellent for that
as brian mentioned above you also can develop a feel for what overlap produces what aim direction
if you perceive the curvatures of the object ball and cue ball you can develop a feel for what part of the cue ball has to hit what part of the object ball to make it go in the correct direction like bob mentioned above
ie contact point to contact point or overlap
and learn to point your stick to the target that makes the correct part of the curvature of the ball hit the correct part of the object ball
joe tucker has an excellent system on that with training balls
if i put a the edge of a silver dollar sticking out from the rail and asked you to hit the edge of the silver dollar
except for a straight shot you would have be able to visualize where to aim so that the curvature of the cue ball hit the edge of the sliver dollar since you could not just point your stick at the edge
jmho
icbw

 

[boogieman]

I learned and generally speaking, still use the ghost ball method of finding a target point on an object ball. The works relatively well especially on shorter shots. When the shots are longer, I tend to have trouble hitting the target point on the ball.
My reasoning is, how can you identify an exact contact point on a ball that has a solid color background? You can focus on a point on a ball but it is still a large expanse of color, (unless a number or striped edge in on your contact point).
Take shooting a gun for instance at a target, the target has a bulls eye or some type of mark that you align your front and rear sights on and if all is in alignment, (gun sighted in correctly), you will hit the bulls eye or mark on the target.

Executing a pool shot, (to me) is like shooting a gun and trying to hit the exact center of the target that has no bulls eye on it.
I'd like to hear some folks opinions on how they lock on to a target point on a ball that is in effect a large expanse of color with no "built in" bulls eye.

Thanks.

Seriously... walk over to see the OB lined up directly into the pocket/target.

Sometimes, maybe even start at the pocket looking at OB. Walk around to the OB in such a way that the OB doesn't move. Think like a steadicam. In one spot you/the world will be pivoting around the OB. When you walk around to seeing the OB lined up to the pocket, this should click. You know that's the path the OB needs to take into the pocket. You recognize it.

During this whole ordeal, keep your eye on the OB. You should be seeing the "center of the sphere" or "center of mass" of the ball. If it's not moving/changing perspective as you rotate/walk around the OB you are truly seeing/perceiving the center of the ball/sphere.

Back to where it "clicked"... while keeping the OB steady in your vision walk to the CB without looking at it purposely. You will still see the CB in your peripheral vision. Once it's where it needs to be for your stance to work, get down/into the shot and shoot it. The ball will go in like magic.

The goal is pretty much to keep the OB centered and level in your vision until you are at the ideal spot to get into stance. This is a 3D game and all the stuff matters. Level head/body during the process. It minimizes visual distortions and optical illusions. That sphere not changing as you walk around means a lot. Calibration.

If the ball doesn't go in, you must work to develop your fundamentals in such a way that you line up exactly with the sight picture of where the CB is in your peripheral vision while maintaining your gaze on the ob. You have the center of the OB and the sphere hasn't shifted, you haven't lost sight of it and seen it smoothly rotate around it's center. Your vision is both level and steady on the OB. You are seeing the truth with no optical illusions. If you lost sight of the OB or you saw it shift around, redo the part where you look at the ob into the pocket and start from there. You must maintain a shot picture for maximum accuracy, the OB sphere must not shift. You can still make shots if the ball shifted or you lost what you were seeing, but it will not result in maximum accuracy. You may only be making the shot because of the margin for error.

If you develop this method of aiming it is very solid. It does take work to develop the ability to drop into stance exactly where you should. You may find it helpful to "air stroke" while walking around as a way to feel your body and how it works. I'll be crucified for suggesting "air stroking" does anything but I feel it is a nice distraction so you can focus on feeling your body and focusing on feel is better than becoming mentally distracted. Your body is yours alone, no two are the same. Feeling it, feeling "you" is important. Recognizing (through practice) of where/how you need to get into stance for the correct shot picture is an important skill you must develop, and that takes practice and discipline to practice and follow the process.

Note: You still have to learn the game, how to "aim" to account for CIT, speed, spin, and the like. Feel. This is not an aiming system but a way to be truly looking at what you think you are looking at. It's as objective of a process as is possible in this highly subjective game. Move around the sphere and if it doesn't move you at least know you are looking at it properly and levelly. You are seeing what you think you are seeing, and that's a dang powerful place to be at square one.

 

[Brookeland Bill]

I learned and generally speaking, still use the ghost ball method of finding a target point on an object ball. The works relatively well especially on shorter shots. When the shots are longer, I tend to have trouble hitting the target point on the ball.
My reasoning is, how can you identify an exact contact point on a ball that has a solid color background? You can focus on a point on a ball but it is still a large expanse of color, (unless a number or striped edge in on your contact point).
Take shooting a gun for instance at a target, the target has a bulls eye or some type of mark that you align your front and rear sights on and if all is in alignment, (gun sighted in correctly), you will hit the bulls eye or mark on the target.

Executing a pool shot, (to me) is like shooting a gun and trying to hit the exact center of the target that has no bulls eye on it.
I'd like to hear some folks opinions on how they lock on to a target point on a ball that is in effect a large expanse of color with no "built in" bulls eye.

Thanks.

Contact points aren’t what they’re made out to be. You’re talking about a finite point that is on the surface of a round object to be struck by the finite surface of another round object that is not within your visual field . Think about it. I think more of the cue ball covering a portion of the object ball and pushing it towards the target.