Immediately knowing you missed

R

ronscuba

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ever shoot and immediately know you missed ? It happens every now and then. Not regularly.

The CB and/or cue stick are not going down the line you intended. You see it immediately after you hit and know you have missed the shot.

Is this an issue due to bad alignment, aim, stroke, lack of focus, all of the above ?
 
ronscuba said:
Ever shoot and immediately know you missed ? It happens every now and then. Not regularly.

The CB and/or cue stick are not going down the line you intended. You see it immediately after you hit and know you have missed the shot.

Is this an issue due to bad alignment, aim, stroke, lack of focus, all of the above ?
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I usually know it before even hitting the shot, when I haven't really "locked in" the aim line and stroke but just (subconsciously) figure "that's close enough" or "that's all the precision I have the patience for right now". It might even happen more often with "easier" shots - the ones that just "aren't worth the trouble to aim carefully".

Sailor Stellman always said "no nonchalantin' at the pool table." I think he was talking about me.

pj
chgo
 
I agree with Patrick, but then there are the times when I only know right after the CB makes contact with the OB.

I think that is due to the exactness that the game requires. I know the shot. I've made it countless times. I've sent the CB where I intended but when it comes off the collision it's not right & I know it 'immediately'....

I hate those.

Best 2 You & All,
Rick
 
I am theorizing the issue is alignment and focus because it doesn't happen all the time and the CB and cue stick are not going down the line I was intending.

I'm guessing I sometimes lose focus and get lazy with my routine, which causes my stance and alignment to be slightly off.
 
ronscuba said:
I am theorizing the issue is alignment and focus because it doesn't happen all the time and the CB and cue stick are not going down the line I was intending.

I'm guessing I sometimes lose focus and get lazy with my routine, which causes my stance and alignment to be slightly off.
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No nonchalantin'!

pj
chgo
 
ronscuba said:
Ever shoot and immediately know you missed ? It happens every now and then. Not regularly.

The CB and/or cue stick are not going down the line you intended. You see it immediately after you hit and know you have missed the shot.

Is this an issue due to bad alignment, aim, stroke, lack of focus, all of the above ?
Click to expand...

It's the same as calling your shot when shooting a rifle.
You pull the trigger and call where the shot actually hit.
.
 
It just proves that you have a mental picture of how the two balls are supposed to look like UPON COLLISION.
jmo
After HAMB, you would have the picture of almost all collisions.
 
JoeyInCali said:
It just proves that you have a mental picture of how the two balls are supposed to look like UPON COLLISION.
jmo
After HAMB, you would have the picture of almost all collisions.
Click to expand...

Yes, when I aim, I visualize the collision and the path the CB needs to roll on to get to that collision.

Sometimes after striking the CB, I immediately know I've missed because I can see the CB is rolling off that path. It's one of those WTF moments. I'm assuming it's laziness with my routine/alignment.

Could also be time to get glasses. I am 50. I've been told that around this age is when your eyes change.
 
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It sounds to me like you're not seeing the true straight line of where your cue is aligned. I think Gene Albrecht's Perfect Aim can help OR it will confirm that you have no issue with that & can move on to examining other aspects.

I don't know what your PSR is or how you get into your stance but perhaps you are doing something that is off & setting your body up for a stroke not on your visual line.

You might try this. Do your normal what ever you do to get the line & then Kill anything else that you have been consciously doing or that you started consciously that became subconscious & JUST keep looking at the OB as you go down to shoot. Do not look at the CB until you are down & set to shoot. Then just a look at the CB & shoot.

Just a suggestion that may naturally fix what might be a bad contrivance.

Good Luck in finding your answer.

Best 2 You & All,
Rick
 
ronscuba said:
Ever shoot and immediately know you missed ? It happens every now and then. Not regularly.

The CB and/or cue stick are not going down the line you intended. You see it immediately after you hit and know you have missed the shot.

Is this an issue due to bad alignment, aim, stroke, lack of focus, all of the above ?
Click to expand...
Interesting topic Ron!

A few thoughts:

Sometimes we realize we're gonna miss during the stroke, so we steer via swiping or bridge shifting.

Sometimes, if our head is still and our eyes are quiet, we detect the CB is heading down the wrong line before it impacts the OB.

Sometimes, we think it looks ok, but we don't have a strong enough shot picture to perceive the required path, so the OB over or undercuts.

Sometimes, we have a good shot picture, hit it along the required path but misjudge the effect of throw, or we realize we didn't get the sufficient spin or speed to achieve the throw we required.

As above but for swerve and again for squirt in some situations.

Sometimes it's not perceiving the required shot line, sometimes a lack of knowledge and sometimes an error in speed, elevation or offset for spin. And other times, it's just lack of focus, or not being warmed up enough.

Colin ~ Usually yells out "Rolled Off" or "See that Skid?" when such things happen!
 
Right brain sees pictures, left brain words. If you pre-visualize a miss as you are in your stance, then miss, despite word pictures to make the shot--you jump up and say I KNEW I was going to miss that one... visualize great contact with cue ball target, ob target, etc.
 
BilliardsAbout said:
Right brain sees pictures, left brain words. If you pre-visualize a miss as you are in your stance, then miss, despite word pictures to make the shot--you jump up and say I KNEW I was going to miss that one... visualize great contact with cue ball target, ob target, etc.
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How does jumping up change the line of the CB?

You can visualize all you like, if the bridge isn't in the right position for the shot to be played, the OB won't go where you want. And if one jumps up and still keeps bridge in the right place and hits pretty near to the where he was aimed on the CB, then it's hard to miss.
 
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It usually happens when I am not sure if I can get shape for the following shot. Either I try to do too much with the cue ball, or I am mentally avoiding having to take the next shot. I usually attribute it to a lack of confidence. I have tried to eliminate it from happening by playing a safety earlier than I have in the past, or by concentrating on the shot, and trusting that I will find a safety no matter where I land (within reason) after the shot.
 
Highmiles said:
It usually happens when I am not sure if I can get shape for the following shot. Either I try to do too much with the cue ball, or I am mentally avoiding having to take the next shot. I usually attribute it to a lack of confidence. I have tried to eliminate it from happening by playing a safety earlier than I have in the past, or by concentrating on the shot, and trusting that I will find a safety no matter where I land (within reason) after the shot.
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If you're referring to 8-ball, if you're not reasonably confident of clearing on that visit, it usually makes sense to play a safety as early as possible, while you have as many balls as possible in the road of the opponents' balls, and more safety options.
 
Colin Colenso said:
If you're referring to 8-ball, if you're not reasonably confident of clearing on that visit, it usually makes sense to play a safety as early as possible, while you have as many balls as possible in the road of the opponents' balls, and more safety options.
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Recently after playing so much rotation I played a fellow some 8 ball. Its such a great game with some high level moves for safety options. It was the first game I learned and really makes you look very hard at your safety option unless you like selling out. It doesnt take one long to identify what you're doing wrong...because it hurts so much to watch them run out an easy layout.
 
336Robin said:
Recently after playing so much rotation I played a fellow some 8 ball. Its such a great game with some high level moves for safety options. It was the first game I learned and really makes you look very hard at your safety option unless you like selling out. It doesnt take one long to identify what you're doing wrong...because it hurts so much to watch them run out an easy layout.
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The one thing I prefer with 8-ball v 9-ball is that committing to the out in 8-ball often forces the player to take on some hard and risky shots toward the completion of the out, conversely, in 9-ball, the closer one gets to finishing the game, the easier it tends to get, as there are no obstacles on the table, and there's always the option of a reasonably challenging safety, should position be lost.

Colin
 
Colin Colenso said:
Interesting topic Ron!

A few thoughts:

Sometimes we realize we're gonna miss during the stroke, so we steer via swiping or bridge shifting.

Sometimes, if our head is still and our eyes are quiet, we detect the CB is heading down the wrong line before it impacts the OB.

Sometimes, we think it looks ok, but we don't have a strong enough shot picture to perceive the required path, so the OB over or undercuts.

Sometimes, we have a good shot picture, hit it along the required path but misjudge the effect of throw, or we realize we didn't get the sufficient spin or speed to achieve the throw we required.

As above but for swerve and again for squirt in some situations.

Sometimes it's not perceiving the required shot line, sometimes a lack of knowledge and sometimes an error in speed, elevation or offset for spin. And other times, it's just lack of focus, or not being warmed up enough.

Colin ~ Usually yells out "Rolled Off" or "See that Skid?" when such things happen!
Click to expand...

Good stuff Colin.

I usually just say, Nope...or a delayed What the hell happened?:wink:

Best 2 Ya,
Rick
 
Colin Colenso said:
How does jumping up change the line of the CB?

You can visualize all you like, if the bridge isn't in the right position for the shot to be played, the OB won't go where you want. And if one jumps up and still keeps bridge in the right place and hits pretty near to the where he was aimed on the CB, then it's hard to miss.
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Colin,

I've said before that IMO we don't (always) miss because we jump up.

Rather we 'jump up' to try to save a shot that our subconscious knows we are about to miss.

Just some food for thought,
Rick
 
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