The Art of Aiming

[BC21]

In the Poolology book I call the process of aiming an "art". That's why the subtitle is, "Mastering the Art of Aiming". Art is often learned through systematic processes, but through practice and repetition it becomes less systematic and more creative, more artistic.

As a feel player, a HAMB player, I wanted to come up with a method that could help players develop a good feel or creative instinct for aiming cut shots without relying on guesswork or old school trial and error that takes so much time. Treating aiming like an art, where you begin with solid known visual references to work with, is a more efficient way to develop what most of us call feel or the PIITH (put it in the hole) method.

Anyway, this guy does a great job explaining how a system can be used to develop a good feel/instinct for pocketing balls. And no, I didn't pay him to do these videos. He bought the Poolology book, and it has helped him, so he started making these videos to help others. He makes some great videos.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Aiming is part of the skills you must master to be better then good at pool.

The list of skills necessary is long, and to be good.

All must be mastered.

 

[BC21]

Aiming is part of the skills you must master to be better then good at pool.

The list of skills necessary is long, and to be good.

All must be mastered.

It sure is. And it's a huge part.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

It sure is. And it's a huge part.

But aiming is just part of puzzle, many people can not shoot straight, because they do not understand the process.

You can have a rifle with great optics, nut if you do not have a butter smoothe trigger pull, you might not hit the target at 200 yards.

 

[BC21]

But aiming is just part of puzzle, many people can not shoot straight, because they do not understand the process.

You can have a rifle with great optics, nut if you do not have a butter smoothe trigger pull, you might not hit the target at 200 yards.

Exactly. No aiming method or system works well without a good and consistent stroke delivery. No one denies this. Or at least no one should deny this.

 

[JoeyInCali]

Looks the first ball should have not gone in .
I think this is the art of seeing the shot .

Love those colored donuts

 

[BC21]

Looks the first ball should have not gone in .
I think this is the art of seeing the shot .

Love those colored donuts

It is the art of seeing the shot. That's what aiming is all about. This guy does an excellent job explaining how to use a system (Poolology in this case) to develop that art.

 

[PoolBoy1]

But aiming is just part of puzzle, many people can not shoot straight, because they do not understand the process.

You can have a rifle with great optics, nut if you do not have a butter smoothe trigger pull, you might not hit the target at 200 yards.

If a person couldn't jerk the trigger accurately without moving the whole body then scatter gun might work. I don't think Wyatt Earp buttered smoothed the trigger at the OK Corral. Reyes has a butter smooth stroke but pumps the cue up and down. Only he know where the cue tip is going to land. Players need to adopt their own process and just repeat it built on some fundamentals. A great way to practice a piece of the time spent is to not use a practice stroke. Lay the stick down in hand and correct posture and draw it back and through the ball.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

If a person couldn't jerk the trigger accurately without moving the whole body then scatter gun might work. I don't think Wyatt Earp buttered smoothed the trigger at the OK Corral. Reyes has a butter smooth stroke but pumps the cue up and down. Only he know where the cue tip is going to land. Players need to adopt their own process and just repeat it built on some fundamentals. A great way to practice a piece of the time spent is to not use a practice stroke. Lay the stick down in hand and correct posture and draw it back and through the ball.

Seen folks at local shooting range at 5 yard could not shoot group the size of pie plate with pistol because of flinching, or poor trigger pulling technique.

BTW at OK Corral Revolvers were single action, makes a difference.

 

[PoolBoy1]

Seen folks at local shooting range at 5 yard could not shoot group the size of pie plate with pistol because of flinching, or poor trigger pulling technique.

BTW at OK Corral Revolvers were single action, makes a difference.

Take your time pulling the trigger next time someone has the draw on you.

 

[JoeyInCali]

It is the art of seeing the shot. That's what aiming is all about. This guy does an excellent job explaining how to use a system (Poolology in this case) to develop that art.

Which gets to the bottom line . Any system you use, you will still have to visualize the hit and what happens after the hit .
That mental image of the hit is really the ghost ball.

 

[LAMas]

Shape for the next shot is a consideration on how you apply English or not on the shot at hand.
Efren often said "spin" it in.

 

[BC21]

Which gets to the bottom line . Any system you use, you will still have to visualize the hit and what happens after the hit .
That mental image of the hit is really the ghost ball.

Not really. I don't visualize a ghostball.
I visualize the overlap between cb and ob, then visualize where the cb will go after contact.

I played a few games with a nice kid last Sunday. He was 21. He had a good eye pocketing balls, but would miss a shots every now and then. I asked how how long he's been playing pool, he said 8 months. I then asked how he was aiming, because he was doing pretty well. He described overlaps, fractional aiming, estimating basic quarters and adjusting when he thinks he needs to. Said his grandpa got him started on that.

We played for about an hour, 8ball, and I broke and ran 8 or 9 racks, mostly in little 2 packs with a 3 pack in there also. The kid asked if I ever miss, then laughed. I said of course, but apparently not today.

Before the tournament started I went to my car and grabbed one of two copies of Poolology that I had had stashed away for a couple of months. I brought it back in and handed the book to the kid. He said, "Cool, I've heard of this!" I told him I wrote it and he looked at me like I'd just told him I was from outer space.

I explained that the system in the book is exactly how he's aiming, but he won't have to guess anymore on the shots he doesn't easily recognize. I expect this kid will improve pretty rapidly if he opens that book. It's like he has a decent sense of direction getting to where he's going, but I gave him a map to help him get there quicker.

 

[JoeyInCali]

Not really. I don't visualize a ghostball.
I visualize the overlap between cb and ob, then visualize where the cb will go after contact.

That is still a ghost ball imo. The only difference is you divided it .
You are visualizing a ball that is not there while you are upright .

 

[The_JV]

That is still a ghost ball imo. The only difference is you divided it .
You are visualizing a ball that is not there while you are upright .

That was my thought as well... GB but with focus on the only relevant section relative to the OB. Ghost ball eclipse if you will

 

[The_JV]

I visualize the overlap between cb and ob, then visualize where the cb will go after contact.

I kinda do the same currently, when down on the ball.

I paid attention to my current process (in flux) this morning:

1. Stand over shot, get general alignment
2. Address the CB, adjust grip, parallel shift for CB english
3. Check general aim to OB <--overlap
4. Check shot line (OB to pocket) based on general OB aim
5. Adjust OB aim if required <--overlap
6. Verify aim by sweeping from CB to OB <--overlap
7. Hold focus on OB overlap
8. Gloriousness

It looks like a lot, but there's some shot routine lists on this forum that will take a decent internet connection to download...lol

Back when we were discussing 'quiet eye', I used to cycle through steps 4 to 6 rapidly many times. Now I've broken it down to these steps, and adhere to them. I don't care if I miss or not. I'm trying to instill new habits and I rather gain the negative feedback from a miss and stick to the routine, then break the cycle by stopping and reset.

 

[Boxcar]

If I hadn't been blessed with dyslexia and ADHD, I'd have been a fairly good player. By the time I get to your #2, I've already shot and moved.

 

[The_JV]

If I hadn't been blessed with dyslexia and ADHD, I'd have been a fairly good player. By the time I get to your #2, I've already shot and moved.

Not that your conditions are funny, but I did get a little chuckle out of you not making it passed #2.

I'm generally not as methodical as the steps suggest I am. However I am still attempting to ingrain a slightly different PSR so I've needed to be more deliberate so I don't default back to old habits.

 

[Boxcar]

Not that your conditions are funny, but I did get a little chuckle out of you not making it passed #2.

I'm generally not as methodical as the steps suggest I am. However I am still attempting to ingrain a slightly different PSR so I've needed to be more deliberate so I don't default back to old habits.

I have a two step PSR.

1. Don't stumble.
2. Remember sktic.....I mean stick.

 

[BC21]

That is still a ghost ball imo. The only difference is you divided it .
You are visualizing a ball that is not there while you are upright .

I probably learned via ghostball, not really sure.
But I'm not visualizing the cue ball up agaisnt the ob trying to imagine a ghostball. I simply look at the cb-ob relationship as it pertains to the pocket, then I know how far away from straight in I need to aim in order to produce the overlap needed to pocket the ball.

Ghostball is imagining a sphere where the cb is going to be when it strikes the ob. I don't do that. I look at it more as a 2D method, aiming a particular distance from a known aiming reference, using only the thickness (diameter) of the ob, not it's fat circumference. The same aiming can be done with hockey pucks or any other type of cylinder.
It can also be done with 2 square boxes or a couple of 2.25" straight rulers or match sticks, because I am using the diameter of the ob and there is no 3D visualization process.

Sometimes I will even look at the contact point on the ob that sends it into the pocket. But from behind the cb I don't try to match the cb contact point up to that spot. I just look at it because it gives me another reference for looking at the cb-ob relationship to the pocket.

Like I said, aiming is an art. And when artists are working they tend to use all the tools they need to create their masterpiece, though not every piece of work turns out to be a masterpiece, not even with worldclass artists.