Old Dogs New Tricks aka Cue Ball vs Object Ball - Mosconi Team Members Answers

[JoeyA]

Because Jayson Shaw recently revealed that he looks at the Cue Ball last when shooting, I was able to get Bobby Hilton (Yale Sharkstream) to ask the panel to each answer which ball they look at last and I was surprised that there was anyone other than Jayson who did the same. It seems to me to be quite difficult to look at the cue ball last while coming through the shot so it may not be possible for this old dog to do this new trick.

Here were the answerrs:

Thorpe.....................CB
Styer.........................OB
Gorst........................OB
SVB...........................OB
Woodward.............OB

Shaw........................CB
Kaci...........................He said Back & Forth but never specified which was last
Krause......................He said Same as Kaci but never specified which was last
Alcaide.....................He made a joke that I couldn't make out but don't believe he specified which ball was last
FSR............................Got everyone laughing saying he now looks at the chalk last because of his recent monumental miscue but finall did say OB.

So of the ten MC team members, 5 said they look at the OB last, 2 (Shaw & Thorpe) said they look at the CB last and 3 (Kaci, Krause & Alcaide) did not specify which ball was last.

He may not still be but Jayson was considered to be one of, if not THE BEST shotmaker in the world so we have to give a lot of weight to what he says and Billy is no slouch either with respect to his shotmaking capabilities. I've been to the table a few times trying the look at cue ball last method and I was not comfortable or successful with it.

I know there was another thread or two running on this topic but I wanted to share what these elite 10 players hadto say about it and I believe it deserved its own thread.

Herte's the video of their answering the question and if anyone can share what David Alcaide is saying Iwouldapprfeciate that clarification.

Good post Kickin' Chicken. Ralf Souquet has said in the past that he looks at the cue ball last. Photos of him striking the cue ball, often shows he is looking at the object ball last. I think players sometimes say things that may not be 100% accurate. I think watching close-ups of players eyes when they shoot might reveal what they are actually doing. JoeyA

 

[jasonlaus]

To me it's a huge departure from a fundamental but it's working for one of our sports best shotmakers ever. TBH, I was very surprised that anyone else said they do the same but Billy said he does this too.

Between those 2 and myself, it pretty much shows CB last is the best

2 be completely honest, I don't look at either

 

[straightline]

Good post Kickin' Chicken. Ralf Souquet has said in the past that he looks at the cue ball last. Photos of him striking the cue ball, often shows he is looking at the object ball last. I think players sometimes say things that may not be 100% accurate. I think watching close-ups of players eyes when they shoot might reveal what they are actually doing. JoeyA

If I may include myself in the same category (humans that have shot pool) I'm a CBL nazi but sometimes the shot presents other concerns that need observing - or something frivolous like you feel like watching the object ball slam into the hole.

 

[Submerge]

CB first. It’s the target, what’s actually hit by the cue. When aiming you will see the hit point on the cue ball, so why look at the object ball? The OB will surely be there but does not need to be the focus. The hit point on the CB must be the focus in my opinion. Everyone thinks differently. Happy holidays.

 

[gregcantrall]

Guess i could try to get artistic with the bridge. Shrug and oh yeah the garter strap is a good one too. They see that strap and think, "his nickname must be Crash." One witness said I got 15 feet when the turning car launched me.

 

[ANTJR122]

For years I used to look at the cue tip while taking practice strokes to feel the rythm of the pendulum action and once the cue stick was moving forward for the last time, I would switch my gaze to the OB (object ball) but then a Master BCA instructor told me to look at the object ball for several seconds as the last look. I tried that but it did not work for me so I now use a modified version of what he said- I still look at the cue tip during practice strokes but I switch my last glance to the OB (object ball) a second or 2 before striking the cue ball. That method seems to work well for me.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... but I switch my last glance to the OB (object ball) a second or 2 before striking the cue ball. That method seems to work well for me.

Studies show that top performers focus sharply on the target for about 0.7 seconds or more just before the action. You can find more by searching for "quiet eye" in sports physiology.

 

[Poolmanis]

I am watching more my aiming line between balls. I see object ball in the end, but i don't focus on it. Focus is more to shaft direction compared to aiming line. When i made my first 147, I was super focused to line between balls.

 

[gregcantrall]

Studies show that top performers focus sharply on the target for about 0.7 seconds or more just before the action. You can find more by searching for "quiet eye" in sports physiology.

"the target" ? My target is definitely the cueball. I do visualize a bullseye on the cueball. Where my cue tip strikes the target and the force vector determines where whitey goes.
I am guessing that some consider the object ball the target. That logic could lead to consideration of the pocket as the target.