Aiming
What ball to look at last
The process of aiming has been highly debated for many years, do you look at the cue ball last, or the object ball last before delivery? I believe this depends on what game of billiards the player is playing, if it be one of the small games, e.g., straight rail, balk line, or one cushion, it would probably be more helpful to look at the cue ball last, because the slightest variance in English would affect the shot more drastically than in 3 cushion. The correct stroke and amount of object ball in 3 cushion billiards is more important to achieve.
The initial lining up of a shot
We start off the aiming process during our pre-shot routine, by standing behind the shot and lining up the cue, (Photo 1a) through the cue ball where you want to apply the English through the point the player wants to contact the object ball or cushion first. Then with the cue in the bridge hand, the player takes their position to the cue ball. During many years of playing, I’ve seen many different ways players aim, the most faulty being, they always start out aiming center ball, then right before they deliver, they move to the English they desire. This shifting of the cue causes a faulty stroke right from the beginning and the intended line of aim is lost. The player must always approach the cue ball with the intended effect through the cue ball to the target point, whether it be object ball, or cushion.
Photo 1a
What are you aiming with?
How and what spin to aim at the target is another debatable question. Do you aim the cue ball at the target, to imagine a ghost ball at the object ball, or do you aim the cue tip at the target? For me, I believe the latter is more accurate, for the simple reason that the player is holding the cue in their hand. This is what you have complete control over, not the cue ball. Aiming the cue tip at the target will give the player a more precise way of contacting a specific portion of the object ball. There is an exception to this rule. If the player is trying to contact the object ball extremely thin without or as little English as possible, then you aim the edge of the cue ball to the edge of the object ball.
Deflection or no deflection, that’s the question?
I really struggled internally to even include this information on aiming and deflection, for fear of the wrath of the so called “scientific” pool community, but I’ve always been somewhat fearless. Let me say that science has its place in every sport. Yes, pool and billiards are sports. To understand some physics of the game is always helpful, but to take it to a level where the player forgets about natural feeling, may cause, “paralysis by analysis”. This is where confusion can occur with too much analysis and information.
When aiming at a target with English, the determining factor concerning whether the cue ball will deflect, or not, depends on, how far the cue ball is from the first object ball, the speed, the amount of English applied, and the stroke being used and if the player is using a conic billiard cue, (a billiard cue with a constant taper.) If the cue ball is 24 inches or less from the first ball, there will be no or very little cue ball deflection, no matter how much English or stroke used. Obviously, the further you are from the target the more chance the cue ball has to curve with Extreme English, this will be reduced greatly by playing with a cue that is conic in design, and applying a shorter follow through, this will keep the shaft of the cue from flexing as much at impact. The harder the player strikes the cue ball, the more flex; hence, this will cause more curve and deflection to the cue ball.
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