TAR Podcast Bustamante: "I just see it and hit it"

C

ChrisBanks

Banned
Bustamante: "Ok, this is the aiming I'm using........ go straight, and hit the ball.

Bustamante also implies that other Philippine greats also use the same system.

What do you think?
 
Yea, that's why his shaft is lined up low left on most of his shots and is re-routed during the stroke... ;)

I've played with him at a clinic and watched him shoot while right next to and behind him, I knew what he was doing but others didn't, putting right english on the ball but lining up low left. Someone asked him what english he used and he said he was "using the feeling" to put the ball where he wanted. He and some of the other Filipinos may very well have things so automated now that they don't think about it, but I'm pretty sure at one point there was a lot of conscious thought and practice put into their aiming approach, stroking techniques, allowances for english, etc. Not many others do it so well...

Scott
 
scottjen26 said:
Yea, that's why his shaft is lined up low left on most of his shots and is re-routed during the stroke... ;)

I've played with him at a clinic and watched him shoot while right next to and behind him, I knew what he was doing but others didn't, putting right english on the ball but lining up low left. Someone asked him what english he used and he said he was "using the feeling" to put the ball where he wanted. He and some of the other Filipinos may very well have things so automated now that they don't think about it, but I'm pretty sure at one point there was a lot of conscious thought and practice put into their aiming approach, stroking techniques, allowances for english, etc. Not many others do it so well...

Scott
Click to expand...

What does he do when he wants left english?
 
I'm saying I think he reroutes his cue to hit wherever he wants on the cue ball - left, right, high, low, etc., all from the same starting position. It's pretty evident when watching any of his matches, more so standing next to him... IMO, he's learned to combine some sort of CTE type approach to aiming, pivot to center, and taking into account BHE for english. Since he didn't divulge any secrets, I can only speculate. I think Spidey had a conversation with him and might be able to add to this.

But much like some of the pros aim low and still hit with follow, he seems to do something similar even with right/left english.

Scott
 
ChrisBanks said:
Bustamante: "Ok, this is the aiming I'm using........ go straight, and hit the ball.

Bustamante also implies that other Philippine greats also use the same system.

What do you think?
Click to expand...

I think you should follow that advice. Couple it with Willie's advice to "don't miss" and you should be beating the world in no time.
 
scottjen26 said:
I'm saying I think he reroutes his cue to hit wherever he wants on the cue ball - left, right, high, low, etc., all from the same starting position. It's pretty evident when watching any of his matches, more so standing next to him... IMO, he's learned to combine some sort of CTE type approach to aiming, pivot to center, and taking into account BHE for english. Since he didn't divulge any secrets, I can only speculate. I think Spidey had a conversation with him and might be able to add to this.

But much like some of the pros aim low and still hit with follow, he seems to do something similar even with right/left english.

Scott
Click to expand...
Unlike the OP who is trying to make a point, I hung out with Bustamante (along with my friend Donny Perryman who is a cue maker at Lambros Cues) smoking cigarettes at Allen's Million Dollar 9Ball event a few years back.

He went into detail about how he was taught center to edge aiming many, many years ago once he demonstrated promise at the game. He continued to say most of the elite players over there use it as their baseline, with the exception of Marlon Manalo (who came from a snooker pedigree).

He pivots from the left, because as a right hander, that's the natural side. He also continued to say he still mechanically pivots because it worked so well, he never cared to air pivot -- which is what most of the others progress to. After the last cigarette he said he couldn't imagine making a ball using ghost ball and thought it was testament to some U.S. player's natural ability that they could play at that level doing exactly that.

Regardless of what he said in that TAR broadcast, it is what it is -- and it's clearly visible from the table. Coincidentally, what he said in that TAR broadcast is totally different from what he told many people in that Charlie Williams/Dragon Instructional Tour where someone called to tell me he asked Busty that same question and he said he uses ghost ball. So, he paid $1000 for the opportunity to ask Bustamante how he aims and he got the ghost ball answer. Maybe because it just moves people on and less stressful.

Fact of the matter is he didn't peep a squeak until he knew both Donny and I were educated and even then it took a few cigs to loosen him up a bit. He's not about to get into a detailed diatribe of how he REALLY REALLY aims. A) It's too much effort to an audience who won't "get it" and B) He's not about to educate anyone if they could get it.
 
Aiming/Bustamante Comments

ChrisBanks said:
Bustamante: "Ok, this is the aiming I'm using........ go straight, and hit the ball.

Bustamante also implies that other Philippine greats also use the same system.

What do you think?
Click to expand...

I think this says a lot about how important it is that you be able to recognize "visually" what it is you need to do.

This is the bedrock of what Ive worked on and find important in my game.

I dont think anything is more important. This is the first thing you need to learn how to do.
 
His answer isnt all that strange...

Honestly, if you ask any homegrown Filipino pool player to describe their aiming technique, they'll just try to describe it a little and if you interject and say oh that sounds like ghostball or that sounds like cte they will just nod their head and say ok yeah.. Not to put language barrier in this but growing up Filipino with parents who grew up in the PI, it's just the automatic response to just be like, yeah thats it if they dont know how to really explain so you understand..I bet you anything if someone asked them in tagalog to explain in tagalog how they aim, you will get a totally different answer than what you are looking for. I've watched interviews on Filipino tv of efren and he even contradicts what he says when interviewed in english speaking interviews..its the language barrier and not being able to really explain because they cant find the right words to express themselves.
 
PistolPat said:
Honestly, if you ask any homegrown Filipino pool player to describe their aiming technique, they'll just try to describe it a little and if you interject and say oh that sounds like ghostball or that sounds like cte they will just nod their head and say ok yeah.. Not to put language barrier in this but growing up Filipino with parents who grew up in the PI, it's just the automatic response to just be like, yeah thats it if they dont know how to really explain so you understand..I bet you anything if someone asked them in tagalog to explain in tagalog how they aim, you will get a totally different answer than what you are looking for. I've watched interviews on Filipino tv of efren and he even contradicts what he says when interviewed in english speaking interviews..its the language barrier and not being able to really explain because they cant find the right words to express themselves.
Click to expand...

About twenty years ago I thought I'd sold the biggest contract of my life when executives at Philippine Airlines agreed to my proposal. I didn't know that they were just being polite by agreeing to anything they didn't understand. It's like Efren's "I got lucky" motto: when you can't understand the question - or answer it well in English - just say Yes.
 
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