I think the method can work but creating the setup is beyond the effort a typical pool student is willing to do. I see the laser alignment as useful for an instructor who can use the same setup for multiple students, maybe in a dedicated practice/training room in a pool hall.
How many hours did you have to spend with the laser before you noticed an improvement? Maybe it's too early to say, but did you see back-sliding that required additional training time? (Of course how well the training "sticks" will depend on the individual.)
I think this discussion probably belongs in the instructor forum rather than in the aiming forum since it applies to a part of fundamentals that has no direct connection to aiming.
It would definitely be useful for an instructor, but also for anybody with a home table. It really doesn't take much effort to get it set up. Once you have the hole reinforcers in place, it is easy to set up the laser. If I want to check my alignment I'd say it takes less than 2 minutes to put it on the table and make the alignment. It would also be fun to have it at a demo table at the expo, etc. where people could try it out.
I purposely didn't get into the details of what my stroke was doing because, well, who cares! lol. I can say that my stroke was pretty good before the laser. I had more than one way to swing the cue and I wasn't sure if one was better than another. The laser gave me the feed back I was missing. I found that with one particular draw back my cue started aligned too much toward my body. Another was spot on. Note, the only reason I had more than one way to stroke the cue is because more than one worked but I wasn't sure if one specific one was "right." I found the "right" starting position, the "right" final position of the back hand at the back of the cue, and the "right" direction for the tip to take on follow through.
As far as backtracking, I did have some of that, and I don't know, maybe still do. Within 5 minutes of using the laser I had answered questions I was wondering for years. For one, "Is the cue tracking straight or am I introducing offsetting errors that result in a good outcome"? I thought I was doing some things wrong because I had inconsistent results. After using the laser, I am more confident that I am doing it right and shotmaking AND position play are more precise. No doubt about it.
I might use the laser for 15 minutes or 30 minutes and then hit some balls. I might use it again the next day or might not for several days. Then I would go back to it and find that I was off a little again. That went on for a few weeks I'd say and now I'm pretty secure in what I'm doing. When I run balls I know I'm doing it right because of the look at alignment, the "tug" of the solid cue ball against the tip, and the behavior of the cue ball. These are things we can all observe, but getting the laser feedback confirms that the mechanics are good.
Sometimes it is hard to check your alignment on the laser because when you get down on the shot the bright green line is staring right at you so it is hard not to set up on that line. I try to ignore it or even close my eyes after planting my hand and then look at the alignment. I suppose if I had a voice activated laser that turned on after I got down on the shot that would be ideal.
I should say, for reference, that my shot making and position play were pretty good before, so we are talking about subtle differences. What is not subtle, though, is the increased consistency in hitting perfect strokes.
I asked Mike if he could move this thread to the instructor's forum.