shadow aiming???
- Thread starter jrockstangs
- Start date
The sheep are beginning to flock. Who invented this shadow theory Al Gore??
IIRC, Ron Vitello wrote a book about shadow aiming. Spidey may know something about all this. Dave?
Best,
Mike
I put a cue ball on a white cloth and took a flashlight and aimed the light at it's center from above and it cast a circular shadow - a black disk.
When the light source was close to the CB, it was a larger diameter than the CB. As I moved the light source farther away from the CB, the disk got smaller until I held the light source about 4 feet above and the disk/shadow was the same size as the CB (actually an imperceptible bit larger).
I realized that I could imagine a line from the center of the pocket/target through the disk and where it exited the disk/shadow and I could use that as the contact point to aim. If you took a toothpick with it's tip on that point and held it vertically until it touched the ball (object ball), then where it touched the ball on it's horizontal equator would be the contact point on the OB that would send it to the pocket/target.
This applies to all cut angles.
There are different lighting conditions at different pool halls and some that don't cast a perceptible shadow, but like in GB, I can imagine that disk/shadow as a data point in aiming even if it's not there - if I wanted or needed to.
Now share and describe how you use shadows to help aim.
Be well
When the light source was close to the CB, it was a larger diameter than the CB. As I moved the light source farther away from the CB, the disk got smaller until I held the light source about 4 feet above and the disk/shadow was the same size as the CB (actually an imperceptible bit larger).
I realized that I could imagine a line from the center of the pocket/target through the disk and where it exited the disk/shadow and I could use that as the contact point to aim. If you took a toothpick with it's tip on that point and held it vertically until it touched the ball (object ball), then where it touched the ball on it's horizontal equator would be the contact point on the OB that would send it to the pocket/target.
This applies to all cut angles.
There are different lighting conditions at different pool halls and some that don't cast a perceptible shadow, but like in GB, I can imagine that disk/shadow as a data point in aiming even if it's not there - if I wanted or needed to.
Now share and describe how you use shadows to help aim.
Be well
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Here's a you tube link to the SEE system. His website is currently down. I don't know if he plans on bringing it back up. He is a member here, and you might be able to contact him through a pm. He hasn't posted in a while.
While not perfect, it is a very good system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjgp2lmYSPg
You can also look to the side of that link for other videos of him using it.
While not perfect, it is a very good system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjgp2lmYSPg
You can also look to the side of that link for other videos of him using it.
Unless there is a large amount of light shining from the side there is always a shadow under the ball caused by the overhead lighting & when you look under the ball with a low head you'll see the lighted area on the other side of the ball.
No one taught it to me. I just started using them when I was about 15 years old. I saw the shadow & the light coming from the other side of the ball. I said what the hell & gave it a try & the ball went in.
If You check Grey Ghosts's thread, you'll see that Neil had his doubts but since it was Keebe talking about it, he took it to the table & was surprised.
Maybe if you do what Neil did, you'll be surprised too, but then again maybe not.
In the thread Keebe mentioned that for the thin cuts one needs to shoot parallel by aligning the CB edge to the shadow line.
For me the issue was always when to make the change from center at to edge at the shadow line. What I started doing was aligning the CB shadow line to the OB shadow line for the intermediate cuts, sort of like contact to contact. That seemed to fill in that grey transition area for me.
So...It's not like shooting the center CB to different points on the OB. It's the 2 or 3 parts of the CB to the shadow line. It's also NOT the outer shadow.
Best 2 You,
Rick
Actual table lighting typically produces multiple shadows under each ball, none of them circular or even centered on the ball.
pj
chgo
I think Ekkes of the See system has had health problems, but has been working on a new system, to be revealed soon.
a thread about shadow aiming that you may find useful
Here's a link to a thread about shadow aiming you may find useful.. CLICK HERE
Here's a link to a thread about shadow aiming you may find useful.. CLICK HERE
What makes you say it isn't perfect?
I've used the SEE system, aswel as Ekkes new sighting and alignment system SAMBA and have had nothing but great results with them. Whether the game was C8B, snooker, pool or UK8B my pocketing was accurate when using these methods. They are far less complicated that other systems I've tried and if followed as Ekkes lays out in his videos and pdfs can really improve anyone's accuracy and consistency.
With the SEE system you don't use the shadows to aim. You use then for alignment purposes. You don't aim at a shadow, they're simply a starting point to align your vision and body a certain way for a given shot.
I would advise anyone to hold on and wait for SAMBA to be released, which is just around the corner. What I really like about it which I haven't seen before is Ekkes demonstrates how to distinguish easily with your cue stick how to tell if a shot is a certain alignment, or whether it is bumped up to the next alignment category. There is little to no trial and error when trying to figure out what category a shot is.
i believe that is in the see system video
thanks for the link.............:thumbup:
With the SEE system you don't use the shadows to aim. You use then for alignment purposes. You don't aim at a shadow, they're simply a starting point to align your vision and body a certain way for a given shot.
That's why I stated that it isn't perfect. It puts you very close to the shot line, but not always right on the shot line.
That last part is going to be great. That has been the 'bad boy' of shadows for me since I was about 15. That transition area has always been the coin toss type of thing. For the longest time, I would just abandon the shadow completely & shoot those by total feel which was not always so easy to do once influenced by the visual of the shadow. Then I developed a shadow to shadow method that works well but it too has a transition area that needs to be adressed.
Do you know when SAMBA is going to be released but more importantly do you know how Ekkes is doing health wise?
Best 2 You,
Rick
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hi rick,
last time i chatted with ekki he felt a little bit better.
about the release i know nothing til now.
bw
ingo
Thanks for the link.
Take away:
If one can see a defined edge of a shadow under the OB, One can aim at it's edge to see what the resuling cut angle that line of aim will produce - (calibrate) and use that whenever the same cut angle occurs.
the dark shadow closest to the bottom of the ball is about a quarter of the ball
aim at that on the object for about a 15 degree cut (3/4 ball hit)
aim at the edge of the object ball for a 30 degree cut
aim your stick past the outside edge of the object ball for a 1/4 ball hit (45 degree cut
and edge of q ball to edge of object ball for thinner that that cuts
its easy if your stroke is straight and repeatable......
icbw
aim at that on the object for about a 15 degree cut (3/4 ball hit)
aim at the edge of the object ball for a 30 degree cut
aim your stick past the outside edge of the object ball for a 1/4 ball hit (45 degree cut
and edge of q ball to edge of object ball for thinner that that cuts
its easy if your stroke is straight and repeatable......
icbw
the dark shadow closest to the bottom of the ball is about a quarter of the ball
aim at that on the object for about a 15 degree cut (3/4 ball hit)
aim at the edge of the object ball for a 30 degree cut
aim your stick past the outside edge of the object ball for a 1/4 ball hit (45 degree cut
and edge of q ball to edge of object ball for thinner that that cuts
its easy if your stroke is straight and repeatable......
icbw
It's always easier when your stroke is straight and repeatable.
For thinner cuts over 30 degrees, you also need to make sure that your cue is parallel to your aim line especially for those 90 degree cuts.
Thanks
the dark shadow closest to the bottom of the ball is about a quarter of the ball
aim at that on the object for about a 15 degree cut (3/4 ball hit)
aim at the edge of the object ball for a 30 degree cut
aim your stick past the outside edge of the object ball for a 1/4 ball hit (45 degree cut
and edge of q ball to edge of object ball for thinner that that cuts
its easy if your stroke is straight and repeatable......
icbw
Don't let this get out among the public, it will set pool back another 20 years...these players have little spinners on top of their beenies..