My aiming system/process

[cowhornz]

Aim:

There are only 3 things to focus on. Pocket, object ball, and cue ball. Begin aiming by standing over the cue ball where you have the most field of vision of all things that need focus. Begin FOCUS and sight a point of the pocket where you want to strike. Move eyes to and through object ball and find the contact area. Focus and Lock In. Assuming you are hitting center ball, once you are locked in go down on the shot. Once down, quickly glance at the cue ball to find it, now back at the object ball maintaining focus and being locked in. Fire. (I call it contact area because I am not looking at a point on the object ball, or a point on the cue ball that needs to make contact, it's just the sweet spot path that I need to bring the cue ball to, through the stroke.)

When using English, aim with process above, but after the "lock in" stage, before you go down on the shot, plan where you want to hit the cue ball, then adjust while being locked in and maintaining focus. Re-lock in on the newly adjusted contact area. Go down on the shot and fire.

After aiming like this, I am 100% confident in my aim alone and doubt I can ever go through a true slump again because of it. The only reasons I may miss is either my stroke wasn't straight or I didn't adjust for english correctly, which are two different beasts on its own.

What do you guys think? Would this be considered as playing on feel? Did I give away something that I discovered that may be a "pro secret"?

 

[boogeyman]

Aiming process

Nice system. If it works for you then use it. Though no matter what system one uses, there has to be an "adjustment" for throw—however small.

If you "gave away" a pro secret, the pro certainly wouldn't tell you it was so, lest he/she wished to let others to focus on your system.

I like systems in which a shooter need not pay any attention to the pocket, nor contact point of the ball, AND simply aim the center of the cueball at a point on or off the object ball. Wouldn't that be a wonderful aiming system?

Well, it's my aiming system based on mathematics. I am working on a book that will explain the details of this innovative system. Should be out in a few years time.
Sorry can't provide explain it now. Gotta give myself a chance to make money now, right?
"Shoot well and get lucky er... sometimes"

 

[The One]

Nice system. If it works for you then use it. Though no matter what system one uses, there has to be an "adjustment" for throw—however small.

If you "gave away" a pro secret, the pro certainly wouldn't tell you it was so, lest he/she wished to let others to focus on your system.

I like systems in which a shooter need not pay any attention to the pocket, nor contact point of the ball, AND simply aim the center of the cueball at a point on or off the object ball. Wouldn't that be a wonderful aiming system?

Well, it's my aiming system based on mathematics. I am working on a book that will explain the details of this innovative system. Should be out in a few years time.
Sorry can't provide explain it now. Gotta give myself a chance to make money now, right?
"Shoot well and get lucky er... sometimes"

There is no need for an adjustment for throw if one hits the correct contact point on the object ball that makes the ball. I think someone stole your new system and made a dvd about it already :thumbup:

 

[naji]

Aim:

There are only 3 things to focus on. Pocket, object ball, and cue ball. Begin aiming by standing over the cue ball where you have the most field of vision of all things that need focus. Begin FOCUS and sight a point of the pocket where you want to strike. Move eyes to and through object ball and find the contact area. Focus and Lock In. Assuming you are hitting center ball, once you are locked in go down on the shot. Once down, quickly glance at the cue ball to find it, now back at the object ball maintaining focus and being locked in. Fire. (I call it contact area because I am not looking at a point on the object ball, or a point on the cue ball that needs to make contact, it's just the sweet spot path that I need to bring the cue ball to, through the stroke.)

When using English, aim with process above, but after the "lock in" stage, before you go down on the shot, plan where you want to hit the cue ball, then adjust while being locked in and maintaining focus. Re-lock in on the newly adjusted contact area. Go down on the shot and fire.

After aiming like this, I am 100% confident in my aim alone and doubt I can ever go through a true slump again because of it. The only reasons I may miss is either my stroke wasn't straight or I didn't adjust for english correctly, which are two different beasts on its own.

What do you guys think? Would this be considered as playing on feel? Did I give away something that I discovered that may be a "pro secret"?

The problem is maintaining the ability to focus for long duration, as well the ability to maintain memory power to perform check list items for each shot, i know everyone go down quick and do not think about check lists, sure when you fresh you do not forget anything, but when you tight under pressure you probably forget some of the steps you are talking about, or remember all and forget to follow through, or forget you cue is not leveled, or, or, or....sure there is tricks to minimize check lists items.

Focus longevity is what separate players. We are talking hard long shots with angles larger than 1/2 ball hit here..

Classical example, Efren, he rank 4 or so racks of 10 ball on SVB when he was fresh, but at the end he could not see a ball? and that is Efren..40-50 years of playing # 1 in the world???

 

[JoeW]

A few suggestions suggestions.

1. When you are standing try to see the object ball roll down "train tracks" to the pocket. Try to visualize the ball moving down this line. Retrace the center of these tracks to the back of the OB and you will have the best location of the contact point. Visualization of a shot (in many sports) is known to increase one's accuracy.

2. Do not take your eye off the contact point as you step into and bend over the shot. Your perspective changes and your brain needs to adjust for the shooting position.

3. I aim with the dead center front of the cue ball. On a straight in shot this is what will make contact with the OB. After this is well learned you can then learn to adjust what part of the cue ball will strike the contact point.

This type of approach is often referred to as "Feel" aiming. When all is said and done this is what the brain does when one aims at the contact point. I am a psychologist by training and attempted to determine what the brain does when aiming at a contact point. Later I looked for things that would assist the process and this is what I found.

Think of the cue stick as a rifle and the tip as a bullet. Your arm is the gunpowder or something like the plunger in a tube. It is best to sight down the cue stick "barrel" from some distance back. Now you only have to learn to stay perfectly still and deliver the cue down the barrel of the rifle. This can take a life time.


I think there are two critical points: 1. The front of the cue ball strikes the OB so you have to learn how to aim with this part of the cueball. 2. When aiming at the OB use a 9" nail through the exact center of the OB to the pocket. This line protrudes about 2.25 inches (diameter of the cue ball also known as the ghost ball) behind the OB and seven inches from the front of the OB to the pocket.

Not everyone agrees.

 

[Woof Biscuit]

We need an aiming system sub forum.

 

[CreeDo]

Sounds like a pretty good process. Not so much a system, but a good pre-shot routine that you stick to carefully.

That may be the main secret to any aiming method. Our brains like to fall into patterns and lump things into categories. By having a repetitive pattern for each shot, it it probably triggers some part of your brain that's responsible for tweaking your back arm. Your subconscious already knows how to make most shots if you've hit them several times. You just gotta find a way to tap into it. Sounds like you found a way that works well for you.

 

[Mikjary]

A few suggestions suggestions.

1. When you are standing try to see the object ball roll down "train tracks" to the pocket. Try to visualize the ball moving down this line. Retrace the center of these tracks to the back of the OB and you will have the best location of the contact point. Visualization of a shot (in many sports) is known to increase one's accuracy.

2. Do not take your eye off the contact point as you step into and bend over the shot. Your perspective changes and your brain needs to adjust for the shooting position.

3. I aim with the dead center front of the cue ball. On a straight in shot this is what will make contact with the OB. After this is well learned you can then learn to adjust what part of the cue ball will strike the contact point.

This type of approach is often referred to as "Feel" aiming. When all is said and done this is what the brain does when one aims at the contact point. I am a psychologist by training and attempted to determine what the brain does when aiming at a contact point. Later I looked for things that would assist the process and this is what I found.

Think of the cue stick as a rifle and the tip as a bullet. Your arm is the gunpowder or something like the plunger in a tube. It is best to sight down the cue stick "barrel" from some distance back. Now you only have to learn to stay perfectly still and deliver the cue down the barrel of the rifle. This can take a life time.


I think there are two critical points: 1. The front of the cue ball strikes the OB so you have to learn how to aim with this part of the cueball. 2. When aiming at the OB use a 9" nail through the exact center of the OB to the pocket. This line protrudes about 2.25 inches (diameter of the cue ball also known as the ghost ball) behind the OB and seven inches from the front of the OB to the pocket.

Not everyone agrees.

I agree :thumbup: with the first two parts of the instruction with a slight change in the description. Replace "contact point" with "alignment". Finding the contact point or any aiming should be done above the ball and be accepted as your alignment as you get down on the shot.

I feel that aiming at a specific point on the object ball doesn't let the visual image in #1 work for you. In your professional experience, could this be a possibility? I feel the "pool brain" will pick up on the visual directions (#1) and sabotage the stroke if the incorrect contact point (#2) is chosen. Not allowing for the correct spin or speed while aiming at the contact point, will be adjusted for during the stroke to match the visual image the mind wants to accomplish. In my case, usually a spasm or jumping straight up!

Best,
Mike

 

[cowhornz]

Nice system.

If you "gave away" a pro secret, the pro certainly wouldn't tell you it was so, lest he/she wished to let others to focus on your system.

Thanks. I've really watched the pros and tried to figure out how they do it and this is what I came up with. If any of you are like me I have many friends who don't play pool, but if I can teach them right maybe they will enjoy the game for what it truly is.

There is no need for an adjustment for throw if one hits the correct contact point on the object ball that makes the ball. I think someone stole your new system and made a dvd about it already :thumbup:

No other "systems" make sense to me. They don't sound natural. I can't call what I described "my" system because I don't own how to shoot pool.. but what I described makes sense naturally to me.

What blew my mind in Tar 33 was Bustamante said he undercuts or overcuts THE POCKET to adjust for english and it totally makes sense and is completely different from what I do, which is to hit the object ball thicker or thinner- same result, different approach. I actually use the undercut/overcut method with banks when I vary the speed I shoot.

The problem is maintaining the ability to focus for long duration, as well the ability to maintain memory power to perform check list items for each shot,

Classical example, Efren, he rank 4 or so racks of 10 ball on SVB when he was fresh, but at the end he could not see a ball? and that is Efren..40-50 years of playing # 1 in the world???

Very true, but over here I am strictly talking about aiming. I guess focus is easier to maintain when you're young, but at the end of the day with any sport or game.. it comes down to who WANTS IT more. The person who truely wants it more will force themself to maintain that focus.

 

[cowhornz]

Sounds like a pretty good process. Not so much a system, but a good pre-shot routine that you stick to carefully.

That may be the main secret to any aiming method. Our brains like to fall into patterns and lump things into categories. By having a repetitive pattern for each shot, it it probably triggers some part of your brain that's responsible for tweaking your back arm. Your subconscious already knows how to make most shots if you've hit them several times. You just gotta find a way to tap into it. Sounds like you found a way that works well for you.

Thanks. Yea I was unsure to call it a system or process because I think most people would say an aiming system has a direct defined way of CALCULATING a shot.

I guess I would call what I described a systematic approach to feel aiming. Before I discovered this, there are times I would try to shoot as fast as possible to see how correct my "feel" was, but this lead me to do well at times when I was "on" and do very poorly when I was "off". What I do now, my aim is always on. The only other factor then, which is HUGE that matters in making a shot that needs to be on is my stroke.

 

[cowhornz]

A few suggestions suggestions.

1. When you are standing try to see the object ball roll down "train tracks" to the pocket. Try to visualize the ball moving down this line. Retrace the center of these tracks to the back of the OB and you will have the best location of the contact point. Visualization of a shot (in many sports) is known to increase one's accuracy.

2. Do not take your eye off the contact point as you step into and bend over the shot. Your perspective changes and your brain needs to adjust for the shooting position.

3. I aim with the dead center front of the cue ball. On a straight in shot this is what will make contact with the OB. After this is well learned you can then learn to adjust what part of the cue ball will strike the contact point.

This type of approach is often referred to as "Feel" aiming. When all is said and done this is what the brain does when one aims at the contact point. I am a psychologist by training and attempted to determine what the brain does when aiming at a contact point. Later I looked for things that would assist the process and this is what I found.

Think of the cue stick as a rifle and the tip as a bullet. Your arm is the gunpowder or something like the plunger in a tube. It is best to sight down the cue stick "barrel" from some distance back. Now you only have to learn to stay perfectly still and deliver the cue down the barrel of the rifle. This can take a life time.


I think there are two critical points: 1. The front of the cue ball strikes the OB so you have to learn how to aim with this part of the cueball. 2. When aiming at the OB use a 9" nail through the exact center of the OB to the pocket. This line protrudes about 2.25 inches (diameter of the cue ball also known as the ghost ball) behind the OB and seven inches from the front of the OB to the pocket.

Not everyone agrees.

Thanks for contributing. What you described is a variation of the cookie cutter version of general aiming and I have read these variations many times.

IMO from what I described in the OP is we shouldn't be looking at the contact point, but instead a contact area or a sweet spot. the contact point creates an illusion to where you need to bring the cue ball.

From my aim, I mentally figure out where I need to bring the cue ball straight on. And when I "lock in" it's like a freeze frame, and I keep this frame the whole time going down on the shot till I find the cue ball. After all this, being down on the shot, I am lined up exactly how I pictured it when I was mentally figuring everything out.

I believe if you have a consistent process, even if you miss, you should miss at a consistent spot, where you need to adjust from consistently missing at an exact spot, to consistently hitting the pocket.

 

[cowhornz]

I feel that aiming at a specific point on the object ball doesn't let the visual image in #1 work for you. In your professional experience, could this be a possibility? I feel the "pool brain" will pick up on the visual directions (#1) and sabotage the stroke if the incorrect contact point (#2) is chosen.

Best,
Mike

I agree, which is why I dont look at a contact point anymore, but a "sweet spot" that I need to bring my cue ball to through the stroke. If you measure where I'm actually LOOKING at, I couldn't tell you because it is a blur, I just know if I stroke through the cue ball, it is going in.

 

[cowhornz]

We need an aiming system sub forum.

lol, I've lurked a bit, and see many mumbo jumbo aiming systems. but I really believe I discovered something worth sharing because I have never more been able to articulate what I'm doing, and to be shooting so well consistently. just trying to help out.

 

[azdiamondbacks1]

I agree, which is why I dont look at a contact point anymore, but a "sweet spot" that I need to bring my cue ball to through the stroke. If you measure where I'm actually LOOKING at, I couldn't tell you because it is a blur, I just know if I stroke through the cue ball, it is going in.

This really makes sense to me. When I am playing my best I am almost positive I am not focusing on an isolated point on the ob but more of a precise route to that point. Thanks for your contribution on a difficult to explain topic.

 

[LAMas]

This really makes sense to me. When I am playing my best I am almost positive I am not focusing on an isolated point on the ob but more of a precise route to that point. Thanks for your contribution on a difficult to explain topic.

I use the contact point on the OB to double the distance from the center of the OB to the outside of the CP on it to create the route that the CB will take for the CB CP to contact the OB CP.