Is it your aim... or your stroke?

[Ralph Kramden]

It's possible to misinterpret missing shots because of your stroke. Do you make almost everything on certain days, and struggle to make shots on others? Your eyes say the shot looks OK.. but then you miss.

Lining up the shot may be the culprit. It could be that your aim looks OK to you, but your cue may be somewhat misaligned, causing the cue ball to deflect slightly.. and slightly is all it takes to miss.

When practicing straight in shots I'll start by placing the tip directly center CB. Then I'll look to see if the shaft is directly aligned to the OB... It would be like I was going to hit the center of the OB with an extended shaft.

That way I know my stroke hand, the shaft, cue tip, CB and OB are all on the same line.

An archer lines up his arrow by anchoring his hand at the same point on his face. The tip of the arrow is aligned to hit the bullseye on the center of the target. He does this each time before he releases the arrow.. or he'll miss.

The archer only has to release the arrow from his anchor point to make it go straight. The cue on the other hand has to be thrust forward.. and it must be thrust STRAIGHT forward.. without any sideward variance.. or you'll miss.

It doesn't take much of an off center hit to make the CB squirt sideways... (Unless your intention is to hit the CB off center). If you sometimes find days that you're struggling.. it may not be that your aiming is off.. on certain days it may be it's your stroke that's off.

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[Patrick Johnson]

An archer lines up his arrow by anchoring his hand at the same point on his face. The tip of the arrow is aligned to hit the bullseye on the center of the target. He does this each time before he releases the arrow.. or he'll miss.

The archer only has to release the arrow from his anchor point to make it go straight. The cue on the other hand has to be thrust forward.. and it must be thrust STRAIGHT forward.. without any sideward variance.. or you'll miss.

Another important difference is that the archer can sight straight along the arrow's shaft with one eye, while the cueist must sight from above the shaft with both eyes. This makes the task of knowing exactly where the shaft is pointed much more difficult for the cueist - and the likelihood that he'll get it wrong sometimes much more likely.

pj
chgo

 

[Pidge]

I would say everyone who has played the game for a few months can aim almost perfectly in that they know where to send the cue ball to pot the object ball. But the vast majority can't imagine their surroundings and take mental 3D pictures to allow them to properly align their body so the cue can get on their desired aim line and stay their. Then even less can make the cue strike the cue ball to make it travel along the desired path. Most get a misleading view of their surroundings once they start moving and getting down.

Ask a C player to align a cue on the table behind a cue ball aimed to pot an object ball. Most if not all can do this, especially on thicker shots. But most can't do this when holding the cue and getting into position.

I'd say most miss because of poor alignment. Out of the ones who successfully align most miss due to not delivering the cue along the intended line. Of those that do the previous and still miss it is down to aiming wrong, poor concentration etc. Of those that do all the previous correctly it is then down to 2 things and 2 things only. Either they are not using expensive chalk or its the tables fault.

 

[ENGLISH!]

Another important difference is that the archer can sight straight along the arrow's shaft with one eye, while the cueist must sight from above the shaft with both eyes. This makes the task of knowing exactly where the shaft is pointed much more difficult for the cueist - and the likelihood that he'll get it wrong sometimes much more likely.

pj
chgo

:thumbup2::thumbup2:

 

[Ralph Kramden]

Of those that do all the previous correctly it is then down to 2 things and 2 things only. Either they are not using expensive chalk or its the tables fault.

:killingme::killingme::killingme::killingme:
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[Cameron Smith]

I would say everyone who has played the game for a few months can aim almost perfectly in that they know where to send the cue ball to pot the object ball. But the vast majority can't imagine their surroundings and take mental 3D pictures to allow them to properly align their body so the cue can get on their desired aim line and stay their. Then even less can make the cue strike the cue ball to make it travel along the desired path. Most get a misleading view of their surroundings once they start moving and getting down.

Ask a C player to align a cue on the table behind a cue ball aimed to pot an object ball. Most if not all can do this, especially on thicker shots. But most can't do this when holding the cue and getting into position.

I'd say most miss because of poor alignment. Out of the ones who successfully align most miss due to not delivering the cue along the intended line. Of those that do the previous and still miss it is down to aiming wrong, poor concentration etc. Of those that do all the previous correctly it is then down to 2 things and 2 things only. Either they are not using expensive chalk or its the tables fault.

I'd agree with this. If you are aligned properly, you can hit the ball pretty poorly and still make it on many shots. Not to say that good cueing isn't important of course.

 

[Ron Swanson]

Perfect your stroke and you'll never need worry about your aim.

 

[Straightpool_99]

Perfect your stroke and you'll never need worry about your aim.

In order of importance in missing shots in pool and snooker

Alignment/stance > Stroke >....................Aim

Even a guy with a good stroke generally speaking, will sometimes align his body slightly wrong, and as a result mess up his stroke on that particular shot. The stroke did not cause that error, the faulty alignment was responsible.

 

[bbb]

Perfect your stroke and you'll never need worry about your aim.

i would say if you have perfected your stroke
then if you miss it HAS TO BE YOUR AIM
for most of us id guess its a little of both
but slanted towards alignment /aim rather than stroke

 

[ENGLISH!]

In order of importance in missing shots in pool and snooker

Alignment/stance > Stroke >....................Aim

Even a guy with a good stroke generally speaking, will sometimes align his body slightly wrong, and as a result mess up his stroke on that particular shot. The stroke did not cause that error, the faulty alignment was responsible.

I found out about that first hand after my ruptured disc.

I was missing shots shot from out of the pocket to the diagonal pocket that were straight or nearly straight when hitting center or below & hence being a bit jacked up.

It took me a bit to figure it out as I first thought it was my stroke. But I then asked why just for those shots & reasoned that I must somehow be misaligned.

I found that I had to turn my body a bit clockwise. That solved the issue as I think it put my body back in my normal relation to my arm so that it could stroke normally instead of having to stroke abnormally to make the shot, if that makes any sense.

Yes Alignment first, but seeing a straight line as straight certainty helps getting in proper alignment.

 

[His Boy Elroy]

I would say everyone who has played the game for a few months can aim almost perfectly in that they know where to send the cue ball to pot the object ball. But the vast majority can't imagine their surroundings and take mental 3D pictures to allow them to properly align their body so the cue can get on their desired aim line and stay their. Then even less can make the cue strike the cue ball to make it travel along the desired path. Most get a misleading view of their surroundings once they start moving and getting down.

Ask a C player to align a cue on the table behind a cue ball aimed to pot an object ball. Most if not all can do this, especially on thicker shots. But most can't do this when holding the cue and getting into position.

I'd say most miss because of poor alignment. Out of the ones who successfully align most miss due to not delivering the cue along the intended line. Of those that do the previous and still miss it is down to aiming wrong, poor concentration etc. Of those that do all the previous correctly it is then down to 2 things and 2 things only. Either they are not using expensive chalk or its the tables fault.

Aw jeez, C'mon now poster people! JEEPERS! I guess my perspective has been a little bassackwards for a while. I have assumed whenever posters referred to aiming, they have been referring to the mind - set of the shooter in that regard. When I play tennis my mind tells me I am aiming for a few inches above the net. The ball occasionally ends up in a tree.

A video analysis will more than likely reveal that my bodily actions were such that the ball could do nothing but head for the tree. My mind however, told me I was aiming for a few inches above the net. So the other night in another aiming thread I claimed that I aim for the part of the ball that says "IN."

You're saying that most players know which part of the OB says "IN, their mind tells them how to hit the part of the OB that says "IN;" but, their bodies don't aim for the part of the OB that says "IN" due to imperfections with alignment and stoke. So when I read aiming threads, I guess aiming refers to what would be revealed in a video analysis of where the posters bodily actions led them to aim rather than where their mind told them they were aiming.

OK; If that's how it is I'll conform; but, I don't think everyone knows this.....Jeez!

 

[His Boy Elroy]

Perfect your stroke and you'll never need worry about your aim.

Yeah! Right on dude! I feel comforted. I have some comrades in this thread. The only problem is that most SANE pool players want to enjoy the game, acquire enough skill to be proud of, but don't wish to put in the thousands and thousands of hours required to attain perfection in their stroke. I guess this is where aiming systems enter the scene.

I'm through with my brief sojourn ino the aiming forum? I'm not going to judge anybody who adheres to an aiming system. I can't put myself into the shoes of SANE people!

 

[Ralph Kramden]

Yeah! Right on dude! I feel comforted. I have some comrades in this thread. The only problem is that most SANE pool players want to enjoy the game, acquire enough skill to be proud of, but don't wish to put in the thousands and thousands of hours required to attain perfection in their stroke. I guess this is where aiming systems enter the scene.

I'm through with my brief sojourn ino the aiming forum? I'm not going to judge anybody who adheres to an aiming system. I can't put myself into the shoes of SANE people!

Work on your stroke and the aiming part gets easier... and developing a good stroke will help to keep ones sanity.

.

 

[His Boy Elroy]

Ralph,
Rest assured; whoever inserted the question mark was not questioning the merit of your fine opening post or any of the replies other than mine. You see, I'm 55 years old and I've only been in a pool room for two hours of my life. I've spent 10,000+ hours playing in my basement.

Because of this, a few posters are highly skeptical of me. One poster obviously doubts that my alignment & stroke, etc. are refined to the point that aiming takes care of itself. Because they really don't know anything about my ability FOR SURE, and I'm fairly proficient with words, they're also reluctant to confront me directly in posts. They like to confront me a bit indirectly; hence, the question mark.

So; you anonymous question mark inserting poster you ; I understand....really. I've brought some of this on myself with stupid posts; nevertheless..... It won't be long before I walk into a pool room. It should be interesting. My shotmaking will probably garner some attention if I hang around long enough. I'm wondering If they'll think I'm a road player. Then I'm wondering if someone will challenge me to a money game. Then I'm wondering if after I tell the guy I've never played a nine ball game in my life and ask him if he'd like to teach me how, if he'll comply or call over two burly bouncers, each of whom will grab me by an arm and briskly lead me back out the door I walked in from........We'll see!: