Just before you pull the trigger...
- Thread starter wild west
- Start date
I always focus on the object ball. In fact, once I get down, I glance at the cueball to make sure I'm cued up right and immediately turn my focus to the object ball. I want to know I hit it precisely as planned.
wild west...It depends on the shot. For the majority of shots, your eyes should be locked on the OB...this is, however, after you have focused for at least 2 full seconds, at both the contact point ("dot") on the CB, and the contact point on the OB. Then you look at the CB as you perform your warmup cycle...stop...change your eyes from CB to OB...pull back the cuestick, and finish your stroke, with your eyes still on the OB. For some shots, like the break, a jump shot, a masse', and a kick shot, you're focusing on the spot on the CB, when you move your stroke forward, because the CB is the more important ball, in these situations. The OB is most important in most shots, and your cue goes where your eyes go!
The reasons for the eye pattern being best this way are discussed in the "Quiet Eye Study". Opthamologists and neural surgeons tell us that the eyes work most efficiently with the brain, if they're allowed to take in a substancial amount of visual information (minimum 2 seconds on each place you need information about...i.e.: CB & OB)...which is then processed by the brain, and returns feedback (usually go, or don't go...sometimes a simple muscle command, like "move your arm"). As I've said before, learning and adding a proper personal eye pattern to your game can be the most effective change you can make...with the greatest long-term benefits!
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
The reasons for the eye pattern being best this way are discussed in the "Quiet Eye Study". Opthamologists and neural surgeons tell us that the eyes work most efficiently with the brain, if they're allowed to take in a substancial amount of visual information (minimum 2 seconds on each place you need information about...i.e.: CB & OB)...which is then processed by the brain, and returns feedback (usually go, or don't go...sometimes a simple muscle command, like "move your arm"). As I've said before, learning and adding a proper personal eye pattern to your game can be the most effective change you can make...with the greatest long-term benefits!
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
wild west said:
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Scott Lee said:
I read the same article about the quiet eye. This information that Scott posts is 100% accurate.
I just went over this youtube my friend posted of me. If you go over it a bit, you can watch how my eyes do not move at all once I'm down on the shot. I admit, I do pull the trigger a little fast so it may be tough to notice but if you watch my eyebrows, you'll see they don't change.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab7D2vpUWfM
I always look from center pocket, through object ball (object ball contact point), cueball contact point, and finally object ball contact point. I might repeat this once or twice depending on my confidence level, but it's the best system IMO, and I've been deadly accurate since I adopted it.
Have you noticed you've got some "dynamic BHE" going on? I just wondered because I don't remember you mentioning that you use it on purpose.
pj <- was that a favor or a shark?
chgo
Scott, your evidence is logical, and I'm convinced that that's the best method. However I've been looking somewhere in between for so many years, that it's difficult to change. I've practiced looking at the OB during the final stroke, and it does seem more effective. I always end up going back to my old way, which is to look towards the OB, but not at it. It's funny-- I've tinkered with just about every aspect of the stance and stroke, but yet I've been unable to simply look at the CB when I'm shooting the CB.Scott Lee said:
Doc
gulfportdoc said:Scott, your evidence is logical, and I'm convinced that that's the best method. However I've been looking somewhere in between for so many years, that it's difficult to change. I've practiced looking at the OB during the final stroke, and it does seem more effective. I always end up going back to my old way, which is to look towards the OB, but not at it. It's funny-- I've tinkered with just about every aspect of the stance and stroke, but yet I've been unable to simply look at the CB when I'm shooting the CB.
Doc
Next time Scott is in your area ask him to show you Mother Drill #3. A week of this drill should have you corrected......SPF=randyg
whilst looking at the object ball last is most common, there is still a logical argument for looking at the cue ball last. i know a few top players do, forgot the names though.
i mean, in theory, once you are aligned for the shot and completely set up, your cue/stroke should go through straight on a straight line regardless of where your peepers are focused. so the logical thing is to focus on the cue ball so you can get the exact amount of eglish/draw/stun you want.
i mean, in theory, once you are aligned for the shot and completely set up, your cue/stroke should go through straight on a straight line regardless of where your peepers are focused. so the logical thing is to focus on the cue ball so you can get the exact amount of eglish/draw/stun you want.
worriedbeef said:
The same argument works in reverse: assuming your stroke is true and you're properly aligned, you can trust yourself to hit the exact spot on the CB, so you should concentrate on the OB.
It seems that focusing on the OB should help more with aiming and focusing on the CB should help more with tip placement. The importance for each of these is different for different shots. They also have different importance generally for different players. So my conclusion is it depends on the shot and the player.
pj
chgo
Exactly what I was thinking. Looking intently at where I want to hit the cueball during my 2 warm-up strokes, as taught by you and Scott, I groove my final stroke in and can move my eye to the object ball at the set position and still hit the cueball where I intended.randyg said:
I wonder how many truely focus intently on the spot on the OB...
What I mean by that is...If I completly tunnel vision in on that exact spot on the CB...I tend to lose the shot picture and tend to lose the spot on the OB which can lead to a miss.
If (while looking at the OB) I maintain the visual (peripheral) picture of the OB going into the pocket...I make more shots...
So..I wonder...if at least for some...there is a degree of "over focus" on the spot on the object ball.
What I mean by that is...If I completly tunnel vision in on that exact spot on the CB...I tend to lose the shot picture and tend to lose the spot on the OB which can lead to a miss.
If (while looking at the OB) I maintain the visual (peripheral) picture of the OB going into the pocket...I make more shots...
So..I wonder...if at least for some...there is a degree of "over focus" on the spot on the object ball.
