Pro player question

[Charles Hartfield]

When I watch the pros play, some of them get directly behind the object ball and the pocket before they go back behind the cue ball to set up for the shot. Why do they do this? The only guess I have is that they are determining the contact point on the object ball. Thank you in advance for the reply’s.

 

[straightline]

They might also be checking how the ball sits on their default shot lines. IOW how much pocket, obstacles etc. It's also good ME time. Milking it. The invisible shark... lol...

 

[Greg M]

I've always assumed they're visualising the tangent line from the very rear of the object ball to the pocket or the general position they're looking to play to.

 

[Rocket354]

I've always assumed they're visualising the tangent line from the very rear of the object ball to the pocket or the general position they're looking to play to.

Agree with this. I'm not a pro, but a near-pro who mentored me told me to *always* look the object ball into the pocket. I've found that with sharper cut shuts (you know, the ones that you can't look the object ball into the pocket from more or less at the cue ball) it can really clarify the exact angles involved, both for the pocketing and for the intended position. It is something I've always tried to do since...and even in my rank amateur haste, sometimes have succeeded

 

[dardusm]

I think it might be a mental "take a few seconds" type of break to get ready for a shot that is fairly tough or one that is in a high pressure situation.

 

[hang-the-9]

When I watch the pros play, some of them get directly behind the object ball and the pocket before they go back behind the cue ball to set up for the shot. Why do they do this? The only guess I have is that they are determining the contact point on the object ball. Thank you in advance for the reply’s.

It's not just pro players that do that, it's good practice for everyone to do. If you don't look at the shot line and angle you may be shooting the wrong aiming line. When I get lazy on easy shots I skip looking at the shot from the angle to the pocket and miss often, even simple ones. Just getting down and shooting at the cueball without seeing the shot properly from several angles for aim and position is like gunning your car though a stop sign hoping that nothing will get in your way instead of stopping to look first.

It is also good to reset your mental game and keep a nice flow to the mechanics and shot procedure you go through, can help calm down nerves. You are too busy paying attention to going through the shot mechanics properly to worry about missing or your opponent or the score or that girl with the boobs bending over next table.