My Aiming system, Your comments.

[RunoutalloverU]

Interesting approach.

First, your tactic of APPROACHING the shot and getting down on it in a systematic way is SPOT ON. A lot of errors are induced by faulty set up positions.

HOW you approach is influenced by such things as body type and your stance over the shot. Some use the classic 45 degree foot position while the former snooker champions tend to set up more open.

I tend to set up more open...because Allison Fisher taught me to do that in her and Gerda Hofstatter's GREAT Pool School. So, because of that, I imagine a line running through the CB/OB back to where I am standing and approach the table so that my right foot steps on that line. Doing so sets me up correctly for MY personal stance.

Your approach may be different but the fact that you are approaching and getting down over the shot in a systematic way is GREAT.

As for your system itself, it relies on being able to visualize imaginary spots on the CB and OB and to KEEP those spots mentally there. Some people have more visual minds than others and it is a GREAT skill to have.

And when you say..."I can see where the cue ball must travel in a straight line to make contact with the object ball to pocket it."...that essentially equates to the ghost ball system which works better for people who have visual minds than people who don't.

Everyone can see the ghost ball at first but many can't KEEP the ghost ball (mentally) in place as they get over the shot.

But DO always keep in mind that "geometric" systems are not only fine as a baseline starting point...,they are ESSENTIAL....BUT as Byrne and Koehler point out, raw geometry is not flawless due to the operation of collision-induced throw that influeces most shots to greater and lesser degrees depending on cut angle and the condition of the balls..chalk...powder...hand oil etc.

Collision throw can cause geometric OB paths to vary by as much as 11 degrees and 4 degrees even with clean balls! The compensation for collision throw is to hit thinner so as you continue to develop your system, you might want to adopt the montra..."When in doubt...thin it out" keeping in mind that the throw error becomes more important when the OB is further from the pocket.



Good luck!

Jim

Thank you very much for your insight. I have a pretty decent memory with what I read and hear, my friends actually make fun of me for it. And I have good vision. The way you set up at the shot, where you take your feet positions into consideration, is one of the things they go into extensively in Answer to a poolplayers prayers. And although I have a normal pool stance, I mostly shoot with an open bridge. Its baisically like Wu chia ching's. And im not as (this is a compliment) robotic as the female snooker turned pool players are. Im more loose. Man I hear so much about throw, back hand english, etc. To be honest I can't really even explain that stuff. I mean I get that what you do to the CB relates to what happens to the OB, but that is completely feel, im not thinking about angles or degrees when I need to back cut an OB and drive the CB off a rail to get position, I just do it. I am now a fairly accomplished player, and I can hang with most that ive played on the west coast. It was like night and day when I actually figured this thing out. I (on tight pockets) couldn't make a ball (almost literally). Now I can run out rotation racks (given the right spread) on my table at home with practice pro pocket reducers in the jaws. When it hit me it was like winning the freaking lottery. But in no way do I see a ghostball. I never could, I guess this is like a coach telling someone to do one thing, to get them to do another. In baseball they tell you to throw the knob of the bat at the ball. Which in turn gets to swing level, among other things. Well this equates to what I guess is ghost ball, without actually using that technique per se.

 

[RunoutalloverU]

an aiming system is a method or technique to calculate how to pocket the ball e.g. quarter, half ball etc. the method mentioned is more a visual tool. i think the strength in this technique is it keeps the line of sight in line with the cueball path. it does not, however, calculate for the player how thick or thin to hit the object ball in order to pocket it. hence, not an aiming system. i'm just clearing semantics. doesnt matter what you call it though if it helps you pocket more balls.

First off you are a good player. I would have to play you even. And you are absolutely right about it being a visual tool. But the beauty of it is that it DOESN'T calculate how thin or thick to hit the OB. You don't need to calculate that. Its already calculated for you. Thats the whole point. It corrects me. I can't "naturally" see where to aim for anything. Id be rattling the jaw of the pocket 90% of time, literally! This "system," "visual tool," or whatever, takes me out of it. Atleast thats the way it feels. For the first few months of using it, I thought in my head wow this doesn't look right, or I dont think im going to pocket this ball. And then when I pocketed ball after ball after ball, everytime, I was like....EXACTLY! It doesnt look right to me, when it is right. Now that ive gotten used to it, it atleast looks right to me now, but I still can't pocket anything without it, like if i had to get down over a shot without standing over it first, im maybe an ok C player. With it an low A to A depending on where im playing.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Me:
I think your method is a good one, but it's not really an aiming system. An aiming system's purpose is to show where the CB needs to go to make the shot. Your system is more of a "shooting" system: it helps you to deliver the CB to the spot where you already know it needs to go.

av84fun
I don't agree.

In that case I'm certainly right.

pj
chgo

 

[RonV]

Here is how I make every shot like a straight in shot for me. Now I haven't been able to teach this to anyone, because one of the fundamental aspects of my aiming method is slightly untangable. I mean ive tried, I just havent really been successful. So im just going to throw this out there, and lets see where I fall short in explaining it.

When I stand over a shot, any shot, I can see where the cue ball must travel in a straight line to make contact with the object ball to pocket it. So I center the cue ball in this line with my body. So the cueball as im standing over the shot, is centered with my body i.e. the middle of my chest, my nose, etc. I then make an imaginary dot that is on the top of the cue ball. I take that dot or...point, think of a period on the end of a sentence, and look directly across from the cueball and where the object ball is i make an imaginary point there. And then as im bending over the shot, I keep those two points together. Now on cut shots with less angle, the point/dot in on the object ball. With more angle is gradually moves away from the object ball and then is on the table next to the object ball. And this makes every shot easy, no matter what it is (within reason), and they all become like straight in shots for me.
So get it? Tell me what you think.

IF YOU WANT AN AIMING SYSTEM, I`VE GOT IT...I HAVE BEEN GETTING EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FOR PHONE LESSONS...I HVE DONE SIX OF THEM AND THEY WORKED...I WASN`T SURE IF IT WOULD BUT THEY ALL GOT IT..IT`S THE SWIVEL OR AS SOME CALL THE PIVOT SYSTEM...IF YOU WANT SOME INFO ABOUT IT WRITE TO ME OR CALL ME AT ...VITELLOAIM@AOL.COM OR 212-737-0077 (h) 917-656-7189 CELL RONV

 

[cubc]

when i create my own aiming system that works my keyboard will automatically engage caps lock indefinitely without a way of undoing it too.

 

[av84fun]

deleted. duplicate post.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

when i create my own aiming system that works my keyboard will automatically engage caps lock indefinitely without a way of undoing it too.

lol. It does seem to be a pattern...

pj
chgo

 

[champ2107]

IF YOU WANT AN AIMING SYSTEM, I`VE GOT IT...I HAVE BEEN GETTING EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FOR PHONE LESSONS...I HVE DONE SIX OF THEM AND THEY WORKED...I WASN`T SURE IF IT WOULD BUT THEY ALL GOT IT..IT`S THE SWIVEL OR AS SOME CALL THE PIVOT SYSTEM...IF YOU WANT SOME INFO ABOUT IT WRITE TO ME OR CALL ME AT ...VITELLOAIM@AOL.COM OR 212-737-0077 (h) 917-656-7189 CELL RONV

hahahahahha

 

[CueAndMe]

Here is how I make every shot like a straight in shot for me. Now I haven't been able to teach this to anyone, because one of the fundamental aspects of my aiming method is slightly untangable. I mean ive tried, I just havent really been successful. So im just going to throw this out there, and lets see where I fall short in explaining it.

When I stand over a shot, any shot, I can see where the cue ball must travel in a straight line to make contact with the object ball to pocket it. So I center the cue ball in this line with my body. So the cueball as im standing over the shot, is centered with my body i.e. the middle of my chest, my nose, etc. I then make an imaginary dot that is on the top of the cue ball. I take that dot or...point, think of a period on the end of a sentence, and look directly across from the cueball and where the object ball is i make an imaginary point there. And then as im bending over the shot, I keep those two points together. Now on cut shots with less angle, the point/dot in on the object ball. With more angle is gradually moves away from the object ball and then is on the table next to the object ball. And this makes every shot easy, no matter what it is (within reason), and they all become like straight in shots for me.
So get it? Tell me what you think.

I, for one, happen to think this is brilliant. And you did describe it well. I would agree with the suggestion that this is not an aiming system in the conventional sense. But I think it's a very efficient two part routine.

You are first using your pocketing experience to simply sense when you are centered behind the cueball correctly. Then the visualization of dots is an alignment technique to make sure that the already sensed cueball path stays where you found it when you get down into position to shoot.

I would also agree with the statement that this is a modified ghost ball system, but not for aiming. I think you're "feeling" the ghost ball, not visualizing it. You sense its boundaries/thickness/firmness, and for the sole purpose of precise alignment (after you've already centered your body behind the cueball path by feel) are able to subtract the unneccessary parts of the ghost ball to visualize ony its center or bottom. Maybe you're even sort of sensing its boundaries FROM its center or bottom. Very Zen!

Connecting the dots is so pure and simple. Imagining paths/lines is unnecessary because you don't have to aim. That's already been accomplished by trusting your feel. You just have to match up the dots and you're ready to fire. If the dots match up, the only thing else that has to be sensed (or checked) is that the cue isn't pointing askew.

Thanks for sharing.
Jeff

 

[av84fun]

an aiming system is a method or technique to calculate how to pocket the ball e.g. quarter, half ball etc. the method mentioned is more a visual tool.

It really doesn't matter but you brought the issue of semantics and for purposes of accuracy, yes it is a "system."

You referred to it as a "method" which is a synonym of system. In addition, the procedure he describes fits well with the definition of the word "system."

You and others have applied an overly narrow definition of what is actually a very broad term.

Regards,
Jim

System

1. An organized set of interrelated ideas or principles
8. An organized and coordinated method; a procedure. See synonyms at method.

Method
A means or manner of procedure, especially a regular and systematic way of accomplishing something: mediation as a method of solving disputes.
Orderly arrangement of parts or steps to accomplish an end:.

Runout's

 

[av84fun]

When I stand over a shot, any shot, I can see where the cue ball must travel in a straight line to make contact with the object ball to pocket it.

Regarding the ghost ball issue, even though you may not think of it on a conscious level....and I am not remotely suggesting that you should...what you have described above is essentially what the ghost ball technique is.

When you say you can see the straight line the CB needs to travel "to make contact with the object ball to pocket it."...putting the cb in that place...i.e. where it needs to be to pocket the ob...is where the ghost ball is and what you are doing that is interesting, is drawing a mental line that guides you to the ghost ball's place.

Traditionally, the system works the opposite way...i.e. the player visualizes the ghost ball's position first and then attempts (by various means) to shoot the cb so as to replace the ghost ball.

The dots you use are an alternative to other methods of aiming for the purpose of replacing the ghost ball.

Very cool to hear that your system is working so well for you. NOW...spend 10 times as much time working on position routes and CB distance/direction control...and playing safeties as you do on shot making and who knows how great you may eventually become!!!

Regards,
Jim