Reyes and Rempe's aiming technique

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bizzy

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Hi everyone. I found an older article from the Pool & Billiard Magazine 1995 about the aiming systems that pros use. Here it is http://www.sfbilliards.com/PnB_aiming.pdf

And I found it ineresting to read that Efren Reyes and Jim Rempe aim directly at the contact point on the object ball. How can you always aim at the contact point to pocket cut shots. I think it works on smaller angles but always?

How can this work?
 
thats what i have awalys done, i'm not a world beater thats for sure, a weak A player at my best in 94. now days a B player who is frustrated.
 
bizzy said:
Hi everyone. I found an older article from the Pool & Billiard Magazine 1995 about the aiming systems that pros use. Here it is http://www.sfbilliards.com/PnB_aiming.pdf

And I found it ineresting to read that Efren Reyes and Jim Rempe aim directly at the contact point on the object ball. How can you always aim at the contact point to pocket cut shots. I think it works on smaller angles but always?

How can this work?
Click to expand...

I also aim at a contact point on the ball. What I do however, is to line up the contact point on the object ball with the appropriate contact point on the cue ball. Naturally, on a cut shot I do not aim the center of the cue ball at the contact point. I suppose then, that this is similar to the ghost ball system (it certainly produces the same results--I'm known for my accuracy), but I only consciously use the ghost ball system on long thin cuts.
 
I aim standing up behind the cue ball. I can visualize the path of the balls from there, all english is determined at this point. I step forward into the shot and practice stroke once or twice. At that point, if something doesn't feel right, this is my last chance to bail out and stand back up. After the brief practice strokes I pause. The pause gives my eyes just enough time to focus right on the contact point, kind of like I am locking on my target. I stroke the shot, using feel to gauge my speed.

I have found that I am lined up remarkably well as soon as I get into my stance. Additional practice strokes and staring only give me more time to mess up what is already in place. How many times have you adjusted at the last second to find that you were probably right the first time?

Is this similar to what they do or what anyone else does?
 
This is exactly what I do. No aiming points, no dividing the object ball into parts, no "light" techniques. Just visualize the path of the ball, adjust for angle and send the cue (hopefully) along the path that I visualize.

seymore15074 said:
I aim standing up behind the cue ball. I can visualize the path of the balls from there, all english is determined at this point. I step forward into the shot and practice stroke once or twice. At that point, if something doesn't feel right, this is my last chance to bail out and stand back up. After the brief practice strokes I pause. The pause gives my eyes just enough time to focus right on the contact point, kind of like I am locking on my target. I stroke the shot, using feel to gauge my speed.

I have found that I am lined up remarkably well as soon as I get into my stance. Additional practice strokes and staring only give me more time to mess up what is already in place. How many times have you adjusted at the last second to find that you were probably right the first time?

Is this similar to what they do or what anyone else does?
Click to expand...
 
StevenPWaldon said:
This is exactly what I do. No aiming points, no dividing the object ball into parts, no "light" techniques. Just visualize the path of the ball, adjust for angle and send the cue (hopefully) along the path that I visualize.
Click to expand...

Good, I'm not alone then. This works great for me and when I catch a gear, it's almost as if I don't aim at all. The balls just go right in-effortlessly.

It almost kills me to hear some of the beginners trying to teach other beginners ways to aim. It's like the blind leading the blind. Some of those systems are rediculous... The first way I ever learned was "get your contact point" and "now hit it." :p
 
Do they conciously aim like that on every single shot? I don't think so. Most of the time they're on autopilot and "know" exactly where to hit that object ball, with required amount of speed and spin of course. Comes through countless of hours of practice.
 
I only wanted to know how to understand how Reyes and Rempe do mean this. Not how to aim properly. I know exactly how to aim and don't need lessons. I'm just interesting in learning new things and that's the only reason. Maybe there is someone who knows.
 
cheesemouse said:
Hey, StevenPWaldon & Seymore15074

You guys can get in a lot of trouble telling it like it is.....:)
Click to expand...

I hit the rep button, but it gave me the following message: You must spread some around before giving it to cheesemouse again! :eek:
 
seymore15074 said:
I aim standing up behind the cue ball. I can visualize the path of the balls from there, all english is determined at this point. I step forward into the shot and practice stroke once or twice. At that point, if something doesn't feel right, this is my last chance to bail out and stand back up. After the brief practice strokes I pause. The pause gives my eyes just enough time to focus right on the contact point, kind of like I am locking on my target. I stroke the shot, using feel to gauge my speed.

I have found that I am lined up remarkably well as soon as I get into my stance. Additional practice strokes and staring only give me more time to mess up what is already in place. How many times have you adjusted at the last second to find that you were probably right the first time?

Is this similar to what they do or what anyone else does?
Click to expand...

Yes, I would say I do mainly the same thing. I only incorporate more assurance. Recently, I'm being helped my great players older than I and one of them told me to ensure that when approaching the shot, that it is done correctly at that time, NOT correct it during practice strokes.
 
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I find a spot on the table that is 1/2 ball distance from the edge of the object ball. This spot is located on the OB direction of travel line that will send it into the pocket. From there, I make adjustments as needed.

Bored at work one day, I drew a circle. This was my Object Ball. From one side of it, I drew a line to represent the OB direction of travel to a pocket. Of course, this line split the circle in half and also continued a few inches past the other side.

Next, I drew a circle next to the OB circle, touching it at the starting point of the direction of travel line. This represented the contact point. This circle represented the Ghost Ball.

Next, I drew a line that went through the Ghost ball and also the OBject ball. This was my Cue Ball direction of travel. So for a straight in shot, both lines were pointing the same way.

Next, using the center of the ghost ball circle, I rotated the CB direction of travel line to say the right x amount. I did this a few more times, always increasing the angle. What I noticed was that for a pure shot, meaning no english, squit, deflection and so on, the CP never moved nor did where the center of the Ghost Ball circle was. It was always 1/2 a ball from the edge of the OB circle. Also the center of the Ghost Ball circle is inline with the CP of the Object Ball.

So, if I have a cut shot and will use outside english, I just rotate that spot for more full of a hit and so on.

This has helped visual where the cue ball needs to go, not so much where I need to hit the object ball. For me, a shot is two parts, 1) making the OB, 2) putting the cue ball in a position for my next shot. This is why I think more in the cue ball path then hitting a spot on the OB ball.
 
I read the article, and Earl said this: "I've played so much that I
don't have to think about it. But I also
spin the balls in, as I think many of the
pros do; they're using so much english all
the time. Pros spin the ball in the hole and
that's mostly from feel. If you're really
going to learn to aim, you have to know
better how to spin the ball, and what
effect that's having on the object ball.
Amateurs who don't spin the ball will
have an easier time with straight aiming."


Efren said: "When you put a lot of english on
the cue ball you adjust a little bit, often
aiming exactly at the contact point of an
object ball. So it very much depends on my
next shot how I will aim."

Rempe said: "...you have to aim differently
with different cues, because some cues deflect
more than others."




Pretty good advice.
 
seymore15074 said:
I aim standing up behind the cue ball. I can visualize the path of the balls from there, all english is determined at this point. I step forward into the shot and practice stroke once or twice. At that point, if something doesn't feel right, this is my last chance to bail out and stand back up. After the brief practice strokes I pause. The pause gives my eyes just enough time to focus right on the contact point, kind of like I am locking on my target. I stroke the shot, using feel to gauge my speed.

I have found that I am lined up remarkably well as soon as I get into my stance. Additional practice strokes and staring only give me more time to mess up what is already in place. How many times have you adjusted at the last second to find that you were probably right the first time?

Is this similar to what they do or what anyone else does?
Click to expand...

I do this too.....but there is more which I am hesitant to even mention on here because it is so uncoventional I figure I'll be disbelieved or worse. Once I am lined up I find myself most accurate when I am looking into the pocket instead at the object ball. I think this works because if you are relaxed,confident and let your mind go it will subconciously make minute adjustments on the fly as you unleash your stroke and fire the ball into the hole. I generally will do my banks in this manner too:)
 
StevenPWaldon said:
This is exactly what I do. No aiming points, no dividing the object ball into parts, no "light" techniques. Just visualize the path of the ball, adjust for angle and send the cue (hopefully) along the path that I visualize.
Click to expand...

Same here. I use an 'alignment system' to put my cue on the right line, but that's done while I'm standing over the shot and descending down to it.
 
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