Neither are the swerve , deflection, throw or cling or the tangent line .
Calling the GHOST ball invisible is redundant STAN.
Sharivari's take on aiming systems
- Thread starter Bob Jewett
- Start date
Calling the GHOST ball invisible is redundant STAN.
The ghost ball is a crystal clear concept to understand, AND to communicate to a beginning player. The beginning player doesn't need to know anything about CB/OB collision effects. They can barely hold the stick. For a pro to use ghost ball to teach, they must be teaching a banger. Can you imagine even a C player getting a lesson from a pro and the pro said to aim at the ghost ball? wtf? Once you reach a basic understanding of the game, the language used when discussing how to hit a ball is simply "hit it thinner" or "hit it thicker". That's the universal language. Everyone past a D player understands that. When a match is commentated by pro's that's the language they use. When experienced players are teaching each other shots that's the language they use. When a player is at the table staring down a shot that's one of the thoughts in their head. GHOST BALL? No way.
Thin or thick of what...?
Many -- maybe half -- of people seeking pool instruction find the discussion of the ghost ball interesting and useful. Watch league some time and remember that most of those players, like 4s and above, are well above average for pool players. Fractional ball is often a revelation, as is the "equal overlap" system for thin shots. Follow and draw systems are almost always unknown by players seeking instruction.
A common misconception about pool instructors seems to be that lots of top players are looking for an instructor. Those players need a coach more than instruction.
Thin or thick of how you think it should be shot.
Picture an ob close to the long rail (within 1 to 4 inches or so), and a couple of diamonds from the corner pocket. Let's say your mind tells you a halfball hit will pocket the ball, and that you need to use low outside english to bring the cb back up table for position on the next shot. If you've played this type of shot enough, successfully, you'll automatically know that you must aim to hit it a little thicker, despite the known halfball aim.
Another example is on a thin cut. Your mind will might recognize exactly where to aim as soon as you look at the ob. But if you decide to slow roll the shot in order to maintain a certain position, you'll have to aim a little thinner because slow thin cuts throw more.
Thanks Brian, but I knew what it meant. What I was leading 'iusedtoberich' to was the jumping off point to which we then adjust thick or thin. For me I adjust thick or thin from the ghost ball target. No lines, no side steps, no nose tweaks, no math. Like I have said many times lately, GB gets me >90% of the way there and is the only tool that I use for PSR alignment. That said, I'm also one of those hacks that actively makes adjustments while down on the shot. IMHO, we all do either consciously or subconsciously, maybe both. Some are aware of it, some choose not to be.
A lot of poo poo'ing on ghost ball, implying that it's only for beginners and such. I happen to believe it probably the easiest and most consistent approach for those learning how to aim and develop/maintain their PSR. Is it perfect...?..., hell no, but no system is. I still use ghost ball when struggling with my aim, and don't consider myself much of a beginner. I consider ghost ball a system just as much as Poolology, CTE or fractional whatever. However it's wildly easier, and a user just requires table time to learn the compensation needed for the outside of cook cutter shots, (much like every system user does). It also provides the user an accurate reference (OB) to which to develop the GB image. The notion that some portray that the human mind can't develop the GB image with a physical reference less than 2.5" away is humourous to me.
Some use the ghost ball template to correct their "system" then claim their system works .
I understand and agree.
I suppose I learned via ghostball also. Some call it just putting the cb where it needs to be. Now I just see the shots and know how to shoot them without a lot of thought involved in the actual aiming portion. And like you, that covers most shots, the ones that happen to have come up often enough to get repeated enough times to learn them.
You say that's about 90% of your shots. That's where an aiming system can help develop a good eye or feel for those shots that just don't come up as often as need be to get good at them.
No, to clarify... The GB method gets me >90% of the way to the correct contact point to pot the OB. The HAMB portion of my game takes over at that point and does the last 10%. Which would be compensating for CIT and squirt/swerve.
Is that templet the "arrow" whose length from the knock to the point one ball diameter?Some use the ghost ball template to correct their "system" then claim their system works .
You can print that one.
The best one had a black collapsible tab that stood on the center dot.
Really helpful to see that center vertically as in relation to the OB. I can't find it now though.
Ok. But honestly, if you've been using ghostball for many years now, I believe HAMB applies to every shot when it comes to those compensations. Repetition natural transfers conscious tasks into subconscious tasks.
You play very well, no doubt. But is there any particular cut shot or type of cut shot in which you lack consistency? For most players, there absolutely is.
The rote method of HAMB is always at work, regardless of aiming method or system. The mind is always being programmed through rote - pure repetition. Buy certain shots simply don't come up enough.
So we look at a shot and our mind says, "oh, this sort of looks familiar...shoot it like this." And we miss. Then we don't see that shot again for quite some time, and the mind hasn't experienced it enough to learn it. The next time we're facing that shot or one like it, our odds of success will be no better than a coin toss, unless we have a better way to analyze the shot, better than our insufficient experience.
Maybe I mis-spoke... What I'm trying to say is that 'ghost ball' is the tool I use to find the shot & aim line when I'm struggling, and then when I'm down on the shot I use HAMB to dial in what I need to do to get the CB to the required OB contact point. Otherwise, it's all HAMB... Ghost ball 'alignment' is coniscous effort on my part to pull myself out of funk.
The amount of CB spin and subsequent compensations are purely HAMB. Ghost Ball is merely the vehicle I use to reach the point of applying HAMB.
Thanks and yes there is... A blind back cut to my left. I've identified this as a eye dominance issue, and if I don't consicously make note of it prior to pulling the trigger, the result is hitting it thick. I avoid such shots within my pattern play, so they don't come up to often. Most likely why my subconsicous hasn't taken hold of the compensation.
Exactly...
Consicous fore though has been working for me....lol. I tend to miss that blind back cut (to the left) if I'm playing loose.
However you're completely correct. When I get down on that particular shot, it will appear as though I'm exactly where I near to be. I'll then have to force myself to visually over cut the shot to make it fall. I have been shown how to correct for my eye dominance issue, but it takes me out of my PSR comfort zone, and I can't justify the new trick when this old dog knows the work around already.
Good post.
That's a good question. For me, its "thick or thin" of what my memory remembers from the prior experience to the particular shot in question.
I get what you are saying that the ghost ball is a good starting point, then you can go thick or thin from there as needed. That make sense, and I'll agree that can be a good use of the ghost ball. I'm sorry I was too harsh dismissing the ghost ball. I can see it can have uses.
For me personally, when I'm down on a shot, I get down on the line that pockets the ball (that is my intention anyway!, ha ha). The stick already has the english applied, the stick is already angled to compensate for the squirt, the fullness of hit is already set to make the ball and get position. Its all natural to me, no thought required. That whole "shot picture" has a certain appearance to it that my brain knows. Its not relative to the ghost ball in my brain. (although it can certainly be referenced to it if someone wanted to). It is simply the picture I see.
Now, when I have a certain shot I have trouble with, and my brain remembers I had trouble with it, my brain will say "hold on, this shot picture looks right, but it doesn't work for this particular shot. Body, move your stance to go thicker or thinner on this shot than what you thought, otherwise the shot won't work". So for me, the "thicker or thinner" is relative to how my body naturally lines up for a shot on instinct, but my brain will say "hold on, this didn't work the last few times".
One example of a shot I personally have trouble with is a harder speed 3 or 3:30 o'clock hit. Most times I'm hitting outside spin shots with more draw than that. But when I need to hit them closer to pure outside with less draw, and a higher speed, the squirt takes over more than the swerve. I went a long time not understanding why I was very inconsistent on this type of shot. So now when I have this shot, my natural instinct is still to line up on it like I would if I was using a softer hit with low outside. But my brain says "wait, this is wrong for a harder hit with only outside". So I will line up thinner so the shot will work. And the whole time I'm down on the shot it really look unnatural, but my brain says stick with it it will go. And it does. So in this case the "thinner or thicker" is relative to a similar shot that is ingrained in me (the low outside softer speed shot).
I agree.
"...I'm trying to say is that 'ghost ball' is the tool I use to find the shot & aim line when I'm struggling, and then when I'm down on the shot I use HAMB to dial in what I need to do to get the CB to the required OB contact point."
The bolded bit is a glowing example of how many different ways people can opt to play this game. I cringe at the thought of back hand aiming. At least that's what I'm envisioning you say that the cue is angled to compensate for squirt. When I adjust from center to apply english I do so with a parallel shift. So if I decide to strike the cue ball at 3 o'clock a tip from center the whole cue shifts. Compensation for the subsequent squirt is done by adjusting aim line.
I also always get down on the shot aligned for a center ball strike and then shift to the predetermined english strike point.
The arrow is a useful tool to teach.Some use the ghost ball template to correct their "system" then claim their system works .
Any tool that accurately shows where the center of the ghost ball is , is a useful tool to me.
Specially ones you can just lay-out on the cloth .
Hole re-enforcers are great too .