Precision Aiming in Safety Play

Set a good example

TheThaiger said:
Firstly, I think aiming was just about the ONLY sporting related endeavor not mentioned in that thread, so staying strictly on topic is not that common around here. Secondly, had I not mentioned your stroke, this thread would've died a death at around post #8.

All publicity is good publicity, John. :wink:
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Set a good example, gentleman, and stay on topic. :wink:
 
BryanB said:
Thanks for posting that John. I've always just played by feel. Maybe that's why I'm only an A player. I'll give it a try Monday when my table gets covered
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If you have spent any time around John Schmidt you would have seen him start showing a lot of unusual shots. These are shots that most people have no idea exist nor how to do them consistently. John does because he has spent the time to discover them. Those shots don't just come to most of us on the fly they are the result of deliberate practice in discovery mode or they are flukes that we then learn to duplicate on purpose.

I think you can be an excellent player and yet still have a lot to learn on the table. Everywhere I have been in my life I have been regarded as an A player in the handicap systems. But I also found that this doesn't mean that I am close to pro level. What they know isn't apparent because most of what they show in matches are seemingly "textbook" runouts. It's easy to miss the subtle differences that show a command of the game we haven't reached yet.

This use of the DTD system came about because I was playing around with a safety that I had missed a few days prior in a game. By feel I was pretty inconsistent with it and I figured out that it was because I didn't have a good grasp on where to aim. So I was not only aiming wrong but I was trying to adjust with speed as well.

Once I snapped to the aiming method I was able to get the ball to land pretty much where I wanted as you can see in the video. Then it's a question of touch and speed. I think it's the things like this that take your normal sense of feel for the shot and hone it to another level entirely. Eventually I think that you simply can measure the DTD with your eyes pretty quickly and don't need to do all the measuring. But as with GB aiming in general using something to estimate lines is better than nothing.



TheThaiger said:
Firstly, I think aiming was just about the ONLY sporting related endeavor not mentioned in that thread, so staying strictly on topic is not that common around here. Secondly, had I not mentioned your stroke, this thread would've died a death at around post #8.

All publicity is good publicity, John. :wink:
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Ok well then thanks for the bump I guess. I haven't opened that thread yet and might not. So I have no idea where that thread went.

In case you haven't figured it out yet these videos are my version of the modern hustle. I do them with a wonky stroke and far out systems and that makes everyone think I can't play so I can negotiate ridiculous spots and take off the world. Ok so far no one has taken the bait but just a few more videos and there will be line out the door willing to give me the five out and the snaps........
 
Wow!!!

JB Cases said:
I discovered a neat way to aim when playing safe. When banking balls to spots on the rail I often tend to under or over-hit the ball and leave a shot instead of laying down a good safe.

The other day I figured out that I can use the Double the Distance method to figure the contact point on the object ball for any place on the table that I want the object ball to go to.

Here is is. This a 34 minute video and it might be a little confusing to some of you but this is a powerful weapon for me now. With a little practice I think you will see how many ways and in how many games this can be useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbjl_8wtcS8
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I was just 13 min. into this and found it to be some of the BEST information I have come across in a long while. Great Discovery John!!! Thanks.
 
JB Cases said:
I discovered a neat way to aim when playing safe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbjl_8wtcS8
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Great video and concept, thanks for posting.

I noticed a lot of threads become off-topic due to the vastness of things that can be discussed and criticized. I don't think all of those criticisms are personal attacks but rather helpful feedback. Best to do a quick acknowledgement, not become defensive and stay on topic.
 
John,
Thanks so much for taking time out to make the video and post your "discovery". I'm sure all who have not reached the feel level of bank play will benefit from your post-I know I have. Steve
 
scottjen26 said:
It does make a difference when using the mirror system for rail first shots near a rail though. For those, when approaching at a shallow angle, you want to measure to the rail track, and when approaching at a sharper angle you measure to the nose of the cushion. That accounts for the differences in slide that occurs when the cue ball hits the cushion.

Again, thanks John, I hope to be able to use this for some killer safeties soon... :)

Scott
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On rail first shots I try to imagine a mirror image ball outside of the rail, and the same distance of the OB.
I just aim to make a reverse cut on the image ball into the pocket, if that should make any sense at all.
 
I think that would essentially be the same thing, since I'm using the ghost ball position and measuring an equal distance from the rail track or nose of the cushion. So one or the other would need some sort of adjustment, but good way to visualize the shot.
 
Nice video, John. I use a different method. I draw a line through the object ball to the point on the rail I want the ball to go to and hit the contact point where the line comes out. Like back of the ball aiming. Works for bank shots, too.

Best,
Mike
 
John, thanks for the video, very well done! I used this twice tonight in my APA 9 ball match. Worked near perfect both times, I won by 5 balls.
 
Ralph Kramden:
On rail first shots I try to imagine a mirror image ball outside of the rail, and the same distance of the OB.
I just aim to make a reverse cut on the image ball into the pocket, if that should make any sense at all.
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scottjen26:
I think that would essentially be the same thing, since I'm using the ghost ball position and measuring an equal distance from the rail track or nose of the cushion. So one or the other would need some sort of adjustment, but good way to visualize the shot.
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For shallow rail first shots, use the gutter next to the rail as the mirror (not the cushion nose), but aim about 50% past the mirror image because balls don't rebound at the equal angle.

pj
chgo
 
A person can really use this to his advantage on his regular playing table against an opponent. If you set up permanent visual spots/marks like bob jewett said. This is why you need to get to know a unfamiliar table and the surroundings around the table and use it to your advantage. This technique has a lot of potential with the object ball and cue ball. This also can be a good banking system for odd positions and you know where your going to leave ball if you miss. A creative person can do a lot with this, very interesting to me!

No wonder efren kicks everyone butts with all those funky shots he does!
 
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