My Revelation in Aiming

BWTadpole

BWTadpole

The Nitcracker
Silver Member
Well, I'll call it a half-revelation. I didn't exactly discover something completely new to me, but I did manage to realize what I do that makes the consistency happen.

I was over at Red Shoes last night for practice. I was determined to figure out what's gotten my game into its current slump. After a few drills that I do to loosen/tighten my body, I shot a few games with some people. I found that I was pocketing balls with a lot less consistency than I usually do. Back-cutting a ball that's one foot from the pocket from 5 or 6 feet away became a huge hassle. I ran out one rack in a few sets worth of games.

When the sets were over, I was practicing a few shots in particular. One was a heavy spin/stroke shot that Bobby Hunter showed me a few moments earlier. Needless to say, I was having grande problems executing. Putting that aside, I went to a shot that I make with good consistency. I spotted the 9 ball and put the cue ball on the long rail, second diamond. It's a 45-degree cut into the corner pocket off the rail. I would call this a harder shot than the before-mentioned back cut shot, but I was making it fairly easily compared to other shots. I did a quick mental comparison, and it hit me...

Every shot of every game previous, I shot using ghost ball aiming only. I was trying to put the entire cue ball into the space of the entire ghost ball. With the 45-degree cut, I focused on the contact point on the OB and the contact point on the CB, lining up so they would meet. I was focusing on a much smaller area, but the results of the shot were much better, and I felt more comfortable and confident shooting with this aiming. I suddenly recalled using this aiming on thin cut shots with great results compared to ghost ball.

I mean not to steal a quote, but I think it's from the Inner Game of Tennis (correct me if I'm wrong). It states that if you're trying to make contact with the entire tennis ball in the sweet spot of your racket, and you're not contacting it well enough, try focusing on contacting the seam of the ball. While it's a much smaller target, it intensifies your focus to the execution, and you'll hit more balls in the sweet spot. I think that's what was happening with my shot-making. I concentrated my focus from the area of the ghost ball to about the area of a pin-head on the object ball.

And I instantly began feeling more confident. Getting into stroke was a world easier from then on.

/rant

:grin-square:
 
BWTadpole said:
Well, I'll call it a half-revelation. I didn't exactly discover something completely new to me, but I did manage to realize what I do that makes the consistency happen.

I was over at Red Shoes last night for practice. I was determined to figure out what's gotten my game into its current slump. After a few drills that I do to loosen/tighten my body, I shot a few games with some people. I found that I was pocketing balls with a lot less consistency than I usually do. Back-cutting a ball that's one foot from the pocket from 5 or 6 feet away became a huge hassle. I ran out one rack in a few sets worth of games.

When the sets were over, I was practicing a few shots in particular. One was a heavy spin/stroke shot that Bobby Hunter showed me a few moments earlier. Needless to say, I was having grande problems executing. Putting that aside, I went to a shot that I make with good consistency. I spotted the 9 ball and put the cue ball on the long rail, second diamond. It's a 45-degree cut into the corner pocket off the rail. I would call this a harder shot than the before-mentioned back cut shot, but I was making it fairly easily compared to other shots. I did a quick mental comparison, and it hit me...

Every shot of every game previous, I shot using ghost ball aiming only. I was trying to put the entire cue ball into the space of the entire ghost ball. With the 45-degree cut, I focused on the contact point on the OB and the contact point on the CB, lining up so they would meet. I was focusing on a much smaller area, but the results of the shot were much better, and I felt more comfortable and confident shooting with this aiming. I suddenly recalled using this aiming on thin cut shots with great results compared to ghost ball.

I mean not to steal a quote, but I think it's from the Inner Game of Tennis (correct me if I'm wrong). It states that if you're trying to make contact with the entire tennis ball in the sweet spot of your racket, and you're not contacting it well enough, try focusing on contacting the seam of the ball. While it's a much smaller target, it intensifies your focus to the execution, and you'll hit more balls in the sweet spot. I think that's what was happening with my shot-making. I concentrated my focus from the area of the ghost ball to about the area of a pin-head on the object ball.

And I instantly began feeling more confident. Getting into stroke was a world easier from then on.

/rant

:grin-square:
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I like your epiphany.
This may be why many people have trouble getting into stroke. After many missed shots, they begin to sharpen their focus to a smaller area until the balls start going in the hole.

I think your post deserves quite a bit of consideration by all pool players, myself included.

REP coming your way. :smile:
JoeyA
 
I hate the Ghost Ball. I can't get used to shooting into empty space. Also I think my Ghost Ball sometimes varies in dimension. Using it to find the contact point is okay, but I much prefer to use the "Nine Inch Nail" suggested by the infamous JoeW.
A sort of alternative to the Ghost Ball is the Double Ball, as I like to call it. It's a little easier to visualize the object ball being doubled than an imaginary cue ball in its place.

And the seams thing is from the Inner Game. Which everyone should read.
 
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I draw a line like a laser beam, about the diameter of a long nail, from a precise point in the pocket back through the ob and put the cb in line with it.

While this "line" is coming into focus I usually see a ghost ball on the pocket side of the ob and that gives me something else to line up with. I just aim to put the cb in line with the others.

A very small precise target is part of the answer, no doubt.
 
almost all firearms shooters know this

Excellent information but to shorten it down a bit, "aim small, miss small".

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
Excellent information but to shorten it down a bit, "aim small, miss small".

Hu
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That's why Walt Frazier was so scared to play you.:D

JoeyA
 
BWTadpole said:
Every shot of every game previous, I shot using ghost ball aiming only. I was trying to put the entire cue ball into the space of the entire ghost ball. With the 45-degree cut, I focused on the contact point on the OB and the contact point on the CB, lining up so they would meet. I was focusing on a much smaller area, but the results of the shot were much better, and I felt more comfortable and confident shooting with this aiming. I suddenly recalled using this aiming on thin cut shots with great results compared to ghost ball.
Click to expand...
Check out Joe Tucker's aiming by the numbers. He uses the CB contact point to OB contact point system. Only he focuses down to a small number on the equator of the ball. This is a very powerful aiming method.
 
Playing against.....

Bobby Hunter, will make a lot of people miss!!!! :wink: That's as good a mentor as anyone could find!

td
 
I see allot of different aiming system threads. Is this just as simple as matching the thickness of two balls? I'm not sure why it needs to be so hard. My problem is in delivering the cue ball on the line to the spot...Not so much in seeing the contact points? I was shown to simply find the spot on object ball as if you were going to shoot it in. then go back to cue ball, while watching the contact point, get down low, and line up thickness. I'm terrible at writing/explaining. Maybe someone else could to better. My point, some of these systems are way to complicated. There, IMHO are allot of more important things to think over. Once someone learns to feel a shot, they then can apply a solid aiming system, that's when the fun starts. But i would find it rare that a aiming system has one missing balls. I would put way more focus on stroke, wrist, cue ball contact area.
 
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swami4u said:
I see allot of different aiming system threads. Is this just as simple as matching the thickness of two balls? I'm not sure why it needs to be so hard. My problem is in delivering the cue ball on the line to the spot...Not so much in seeing the contact points? I was shown to simply find the spot on object ball as if you were going to shoot it in. then go back to cue ball, while watching the contact point, get down low, and line up thickness. I'm terrible at writing/explaining. Maybe someone else could to better. My point, some of these systems are way to complicated. There, IMHO are allot of more important things to think over. Once someone learns to feel a shot, they then can apply a solid aiming system, that's when the fun starts. But i would find it rare that a aiming system has one missing balls. I would put way more focus on stroke, wrist, cue ball contact area.
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The problem comes with aiming, not finding the contact point. I'm sure most of the people here can find the contact point. What a lot of people have trouble with is matching the contact point on the cue ball with the contact point on the object ball. If you aim straight through the cue ball to the contact point, you're going to miss about 98% of your shots. Also you still have problems like collision-induced throw.
 
David Beck said:
The problem comes with aiming, not finding the contact point. I'm sure most of the people here can find the contact point. What a lot of people have trouble with is matching the contact point on the cue ball with the contact point on the object ball. If you aim straight through the cue ball to the contact point, you're going to miss about 98% of your shots. Also you still have problems like collision-induced throw.
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I talked about this stuff a little here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg2_b2NpvnM
 
I just use the contact points needed to achieve the proper directional movement after contact. When I find myself using a ghost ball I begin to become more inconsistent in my shooting. I basically concentrate on contact points.
 
Not only do I agree with you I suggest taking it one step further and it too will make your game that much better.

When you have identified the smallest contact point and the line the OB will travel (I place a 9" nail through the OB) try to see the OB ball actually move down this line for a few inches before completing the stroke. This is difficult to do and requires a substantial amount of focused concentration. I got the idea from Jack Nicklus' comments and it really improved my shot making.

It works so well that now I also try to see the line and the CB as it travels before and after the stroke is completed. I think that the required enhanced concentration leads to a much more accurate stroke.

By the way, the most helpful information I got from the old Billiards Digest article where they asked many pros how they aim came from Jenette Lee who said to try and see the smallest possible contact point. For me this traslates into the size fo the red dot on a red dot CB. Makes a good reference and a reminder. Now I try to see the center of the red dot !
 
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JoeW said:
Not only do I agree with you I suggest taking it one step further and it too will make your game that much better.

When you have identified the smallest contact point and the line the OB will travel (I place a 9" nail through the OB) try to see the OB ball actually move down this line for a few inches before completing the stroke. This is difficult to do and requires a substantial amount of focused concentration. I got the idea from Jack Nicklus' comments and it really improved my shot making.

It works so well that now I also try to see the line and the CB as it travels before and after the stroke is completed. I think that the required enhanced concentration leads to a much more accurate stroke.

By the way, the most helpful information I got from the old Billiards Digest article where they asked many pros how they aim came from Jenette Lee who said to try and see the smallest possible contact point. For me this traslates into the size fo the red dot on a red dot CB. Makes a good reference and a reminder. Now I try to see the center of the red dot !
Click to expand...

Joe,
Is this similar to the 9" nail you are imagining going through the Object BAll?

CueTable Help



Thanks,
JoeyA
 
Yes JoeyA that is exactly what I try to see. The key, for me, is to see the OB move, to actually try to see the ball roll down that line. It takes effort but it can be imagined and I found that at times it leads to a correction in the aim that I can "feel" but do (did) not think about.

Something like feeling your finger adjust when you go to grasp something but you don't really think about moving your fingers, they just seem to move on their own initative.

Sounds weird but if you pay close attention it can be "felt."

I think that learning the ability to imagine motion is a very real key to the improvement of one's ability to aim. Apparently Jack Nicklaus also believes it. I know that when I try it on the golf course or when shooting skeet it works in these situations as well.
 
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