T ball approach to aiming
- Thread starter duckie
- Start date
Smart. Why didn't I think of that?
Maybe because the teacher sucks? How about you just worry about being a good little ghostball student and not be so concerned with what everyone else is doing? Who asked to learn anything from you anyways?
Magic rack + a golf tee would work.
Here's something to try, for those that aren't too lazy.
Place a ball on the spot. Freeze a ball to it such that it is dead on into the center of a corner pocket. Place the CB, on the table, at some angle to the ball on the spot but not too far away.
Ball on the spot of course is the ghost ball. Now, remove the ball on the spot. The spot represents the GB contact patch, which is also what the arrow represents and not the center of the ghost ball as some seem to want to believe.
Notice also that the spot on the table is on the same line from the center of the pocket that the OB contact point is on. The point of the arrow represents the same thing. This line represents the OB direction of travel.
Now, take a length of string and tape one end to the exact center of the spot, if you can. This string represents the CB direction of travel line. Holding the other end and keeping the string tight, move until the string splits the CB in half. Then lower the string until it touches the top of the CB.
This string represents something else that is greatly overlooked. Line of sight. If you are looking at the contact point, your line of sight is offset to the CB direction of travel where as using the looking at the spot on the table, your line of sight is in the same direction as the CB travel. Also not discussed is how you use your peripheral vision comes into play. My line of sight is at the contact patch, but my peripheral vision adds to my sight picture my including how the balls are laid out on the table.
Now, get in your stance. Point the tip of the cue to the spot on the table. Using center ball, place the center line of the cue on the same line as the CB direction of travel which your line of sight will also be on.
Your line of sight may not always be able to be on the cue stick center line, but the cue stick center line always has to be on the same line as the cb direction of travel when using center ball. When I shot one handed, my line of sight is where the GB contact patch is, but my stick center line is on the CB direction of travel line.
This is how I can say for me, all shots are straight shots and what the actual angle degree is useless to me. The amount of the angle only comes into play on how much CB ball speed I can or need to use for a certain shot.
All aiming systems have these components above. You may not be aware of it, but they are there.
Now, if you can, where the sting that is splitting the CB in half is touching the CB, place a small black dot. Remove the string. Now you have two real world points to use for aiming. The spot on the table and the spot on the CB.
Just aim the spot on the CB to the spot on the table. get behind the CB, put your cue stroke center line in the aim line of the two points and stroke to the spot on the table.
It is being able to stroke straight all the time that matters and not what aiming system you use. But to stroke straight all the time, takes time, years. This is what alot of people fail to understand. It appears that those who are firm xxx system fan must have a perfect stroke. I bet far from it.
I'd like to see a cute little CTE calling visual video of a rail first shot, or sending the CB two or more rails to hit a OB, but they are just cut shots.
I could produce the same type of video, calling out the above "visual" even though they don't exist in the real world and it would prove nothing. Well maybe one where I just put one ball and cue ball on the table and send the cue ball two rails to the OB and repeat from where the balls stop rolling, or the three rail into the side pocket I do....all using ghost ball and hours and hours of practice.
If you are lazy, you will never play excellent pool, never.
Place a ball on the spot. Freeze a ball to it such that it is dead on into the center of a corner pocket. Place the CB, on the table, at some angle to the ball on the spot but not too far away.
Ball on the spot of course is the ghost ball. Now, remove the ball on the spot. The spot represents the GB contact patch, which is also what the arrow represents and not the center of the ghost ball as some seem to want to believe.
Notice also that the spot on the table is on the same line from the center of the pocket that the OB contact point is on. The point of the arrow represents the same thing. This line represents the OB direction of travel.
Now, take a length of string and tape one end to the exact center of the spot, if you can. This string represents the CB direction of travel line. Holding the other end and keeping the string tight, move until the string splits the CB in half. Then lower the string until it touches the top of the CB.
This string represents something else that is greatly overlooked. Line of sight. If you are looking at the contact point, your line of sight is offset to the CB direction of travel where as using the looking at the spot on the table, your line of sight is in the same direction as the CB travel. Also not discussed is how you use your peripheral vision comes into play. My line of sight is at the contact patch, but my peripheral vision adds to my sight picture my including how the balls are laid out on the table.
Now, get in your stance. Point the tip of the cue to the spot on the table. Using center ball, place the center line of the cue on the same line as the CB direction of travel which your line of sight will also be on.
Your line of sight may not always be able to be on the cue stick center line, but the cue stick center line always has to be on the same line as the cb direction of travel when using center ball. When I shot one handed, my line of sight is where the GB contact patch is, but my stick center line is on the CB direction of travel line.
This is how I can say for me, all shots are straight shots and what the actual angle degree is useless to me. The amount of the angle only comes into play on how much CB ball speed I can or need to use for a certain shot.
All aiming systems have these components above. You may not be aware of it, but they are there.
Now, if you can, where the sting that is splitting the CB in half is touching the CB, place a small black dot. Remove the string. Now you have two real world points to use for aiming. The spot on the table and the spot on the CB.
Just aim the spot on the CB to the spot on the table. get behind the CB, put your cue stroke center line in the aim line of the two points and stroke to the spot on the table.
It is being able to stroke straight all the time that matters and not what aiming system you use. But to stroke straight all the time, takes time, years. This is what alot of people fail to understand. It appears that those who are firm xxx system fan must have a perfect stroke. I bet far from it.
I'd like to see a cute little CTE calling visual video of a rail first shot, or sending the CB two or more rails to hit a OB, but they are just cut shots.
I could produce the same type of video, calling out the above "visual" even though they don't exist in the real world and it would prove nothing. Well maybe one where I just put one ball and cue ball on the table and send the cue ball two rails to the OB and repeat from where the balls stop rolling, or the three rail into the side pocket I do....all using ghost ball and hours and hours of practice.
If you are lazy, you will never play excellent pool, never.
So am I allowed to use tape, string, and a marker in a real game?
You're not allowed to use a laser level either.
But, instructors don't tell you that.
Great idea. :thumbup: