I think the center-to-edge line is a super powerful preshot routine reference (this is not an aiming suggestion - just using this as an alignment tool).
If you think of the CTEL as an actual plane (think of a sheet of glass coming up from the table), you can use that as a strong reference as to where to align your body - based on the shot.
For example, you can categorize your body alignment based on thick or thin shots. Regardless of what method you use to aim, you can position the core of your body on one side of this plane or the other --- even so much as to "lean" on the plane with certain parts of your body (based on your body type).
For shots thicker than a half-ball hit, you obviously want to position your core on the outside of the CTEL (maybe leaning against it, maybe not-- depends on body type) and for shots thinner than a half-ball hit, you obviously want to position your core to the inside of this plane.
By doing so, you always approach each and every shot in the same manner, with the same process and eliminate the chance of being skewed or malpositioned from the "wrong" side because of a sloppy setup (you're taking 1/2 of the total alignment mistakes out of the equation right out of the gate).
Experiment with using the CTEL as an alignment guide and you'll find your consistency begin to increase. Over time, you can find different ways of positioning your body (parts of your body) either beside or against that plane.
Dave
Dave:
This is an EXCELLENT post. For someone using a Lance Perkins classic pool stance, the CTEL is as good a physical reference as any. And, the pool stance allows for any post "going down on the shot"
pivoting that needs to happen -- e.g. the sliding of the bridge hand, contortion of the bridge hand, hip pivot, or slight lateral movement of the grip hand to effect the pivot.
But I don't think any stance is more effective at getting and locking someone on the shot line than the snooker stance. Once down on the shot, one is locked-in physically -- the right side of the player's body (e.g. for a right-handed player) is on the shot line, and all (or most) of the body's physical joints from the foot upwards -- i.e. the foot, the ankle, the knee, the hip, the shoulder, the elbow, and the grip hand -- are on and facing into the shot line.
Also, because of this locked-in nature, it's not easy to effect a "pivot" when down on the shot. The grip hand is very close to the hip, and the arm is locked-in close to the body as well, so there's not much clearance for any kind of post-"getting down on the shot" pivoting or adjustment. An air pivot (while still standing) would have to be implemented. Think of it this way -- the decreasing flexibility of getting down into a snooker stance looks like a "V". That is, while standing, you have the utmost flexibility, much like the distance between the top tips of "V". But as you start to descend into the snooker stance, that gap closes until you are locked-in, much like the way the two lines converge down at the bottom of the "V". There is no lateral leeway once you're down on the shot. If you have to make an adjustment, you have to rise-up out of the stance and resituate yourself.
For me, my calculations of the final fire control solution (i.e. the shot line) includes compensation for sidespin/english while still standing. Once I pick out the shot line, I descend down on it, and once done, that's it -- finito. The decision then becomes either "fire," or abort/ascend/resituate. I can't do backhand english adjustments or any pivoting while down on the shot. Technically, I *could* move my grip hand away from my body for any adjustment of the cue tip to the left, but the feeling of that is so unnatural, because the rest of my body is in alignment and now suddenly my arm feels it isn't -- it feels like I'm "side-arming" the shot.
The snooker stance isn't for everybody -- it does require bearing a bit of uncomfortability while muscles stretch for the first time (i.e. the calf and the back of the thigh -- much like when doing that stretching exercise where you stand straight and bend over at the waist to try to touch your head to your knees). But like with that stretching exercise, the more you do it, the muscles stretch and naturally accept that position, and pretty soon it's natural -- no thinking or effort. The beauty is once this stage is reached, you now have a stance that resembles a construction/shipyard derrick (crane), and it positions and locks the body on the shot line. It also teaches you to always view the shot line *while 100% over* the shot line, because once you descend into shooting position, if you've made a mistake in perception of that shot line (i.e. you've viewed it at somewhat of an angle), you now see that you're off line, and can't make adjustments "down there" -- you have to ascend and resituate.
Summary: it might be helpful if the OP investigates the snooker stance. Like Steve Jennings (pooltchr) said, even tall people have been successful in implementing it, and there's no better stance for instilling a sense of "descending accurately down upon the shot line" like the snooker stance.
A good video introduction:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gSK4w_9S_x0
-Sean
<-- a little biased, but hey, it's a view from a side of a fence that not many pool players get to see, because they've not tried it before
). 
