Striking the CB in the middle

TheThaiger

TheThaiger

Banned
99% of the shots I miss are because I haven't hit the cueball where I intended to. I even miss simple, straight drop shots sometimes because I haven't hit the CB dead in the centre. Measle balls makes this very easy to see.

Firstly, why does this occur?

Secondly, is there any way of analysing where you are hitting the CB, which you can plot over time?
 
For the vertical axis (follow/draw), use a stripe ball to practice with. For the horizontal axis (left/right english), I would recommend Joe Tuckers third eye stroke trainer. Just a small attachment you put on your cue that will help you to find center ball. I realized very quickly that what I thought center ball was, really wasn't center ball. I still pull out the stroke trainer when something just doesn't feel right in my stroke.
 
The center can only be seen at the very top of the CB and where the CB touches the cloth. Everything in the middle can cause an illusion.
 
There are a couple of ways...measle cue balls are great, so is lining up a stripe and watch to see if your hit is center (no wobble). You can also chalk up well and line up a numbered ball as a cue ball, so the number is straight dead center where you want to hit it. Stroke it (to shoot another object ball, so it's an actual shot) and see where the chalk mark ended up, will tell you how your stroke is moving.

A pretty basic drill is to stroke a cue ball dead into a spot on the rail and hold your follow through, trying to get the the cue ball to roll back straight enough to hit your tip. Do this from side rail to side rail until you can do it 10 times without a miss, then do it again from head rail to foot rail. It's the first thing I do coming in off the street to begin a warm up.

A technique I've picked up and try off and on is aiming all my pre-shot strokes at the spot where the cue ball sits on the cloth, then bring my tip up to hit the cue ball where I need to. That's guaranteed dead middle line of the cue ball. Lots of pros do this, but it works well to just do it two or three times to ensure your bridge hand and stance are comfortable and lined up along your center cue ball aim point, then adjust your tip for a couple of pre-shot strokes (I like to pause on the forward position, some like to pause on the pull back).
 
This is a very good suggestion, and the chalk mark on the stripe ball will show exactly where you are hitting.

dareads said:
For the vertical axis (follow/draw), use a stripe ball to practice with. For the horizontal axis (left/right english), I would recommend Joe Tuckers third eye stroke trainer. Just a small attachment you put on your cue that will help you to find center ball. I realized very quickly that what I thought center ball was, really wasn't center ball. I still pull out the stroke trainer when something just doesn't feel right in my stroke.
Click to expand...
 
dareads said:
For the vertical axis (follow/draw), use a stripe ball to practice with. For the horizontal axis (left/right english), I would recommend Joe Tuckers third eye stroke trainer. Just a small attachment you put on your cue that will help you to find center ball. I realized very quickly that what I thought center ball was, really wasn't center ball. I still pull out the stroke trainer when something just doesn't feel right in my stroke.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I'll google the Joe Tucker thing, but suspect it's perhaps aimed at beginners. I'd like something that plots where I'm hitting the CB over, say, 1000 shots. I may miss 10% of those 1000, so would like to know the correlation between missing the pot and not striking the CB where intended. It will be very, very high, I reckon.

It is my observation that most shots are missed because the CB is hit incorrectly, not through aim, misjudgement, conscious/sub conscious or any other psychobabble losers come out with to justify why they're no pro.
 
For the cheap people, like myself, try an empty pop or beer bottle. Lay it on it's side and stroke into it continuously for a couple minutes at a time.
 
TheThaiger said:
Thanks - I'll google the Joe Tucker thing, but suspect it's perhaps aimed at beginners. I'd like something that plots where I'm hitting the CB over, say, 1000 shots. I may miss 10% of those 1000, so would like to know the correlation between missing the pot and not striking the CB where intended. It will be very, very high, I reckon.

It is my observation that most shots are missed because the CB is hit incorrectly, not through aim, misjudgement, conscious/sub conscious or any other psychobabble losers come out with to justify why they're no pro.
Click to expand...

Please don't review before you try...
 
TheOneGnat said:
For the cheap people, like myself, try an empty pop or beer bottle. Lay it on it's side and stroke into it continuously for a couple minutes at a time.
Click to expand...

That doesn't show you Center ball as someone else said.

It also doesn't work very well if you use a pendulum stroke as the tip will point down when you finish the stroke for most people who use this method.
 
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TheThaiger said:
It is my observation that most shots are missed because the CB is hit incorrectly, not through aim, misjudgement, conscious/sub conscious or any other psychobabble losers come out with to justify why they're no pro.
Click to expand...

It could be they just need to work on developing an accurate and repeatable stroke (i.e. delivering the cue to the exact spot on the cue ball they want to hit). :)
 
Neil said:
Sorry I couldn't read your mind, since you never stated that. (are you a female by chance??) I'm used to reading bigger things, so I guess I missed it.;)
Click to expand...

Oooo, Neil, you chauvinist, you! Are you trying to say females, like TheThaiger, have smaller brains? :p

J/K -- to both of you, but I couldn't resist,
-Sean
 
I found through practice that for me to hit center ball I have to line up what looks to me as a 1/2 tip below center. Sometimes you just have to learn what works for you.:thumbup:
 
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