I love what you just said. You just made my point for me. You picked up pointers and mannerisms from all of the guys you just mentioned. Quite the plethora of people to learn from. They all use different methods. They don't all use one "system."
So, I'll cherish the things I've learned from Johnny, Coltrain, Earl, Stevie, Tony Watson, and the drunk guy who always taught me the spotshot. See? I learned and compiled my system too.
It's not a bad thing that we talk about the game. It's only bad when some neophyte reads about something that he thinks if he learns in a vacuum, he'll become the next Efren.
Yeah but the difference is that you want to say that there is no shortcut and that's not true. Anytime anyone shows you something that takes years off the learning curve it's a shortcut.
I spent years practicing kick shots Grady's way that he teaches on one of his videos. That was starting at the foot spot and kicking to every diamond without english and learning the paths, then when I had mastered that kicking to each diamond with spin. Developing my feel. Still though my kicking wasn't great. I could kick to every diamond on demand though.
Then I met Jimmy Reid and he taught me the double the distance method. Literally within MINUTES my kicking percentages shot WAY up. Not only that I could kick better but now I could kick to either side of the ball.
Last night I played a very good player who missed a kick shot by a ball. I stopped the set and taught him the double the distance method and he kicked the same ball in three times in a row. This guy plays better than me - he runs out better, pockets balls better, but I just showed him something that will take his game to an even higher level.
None of us here have ever said that every body only uses one system. It's clear to anyone who studies the game that there are so many techniques out there for everything that no one can know them all.
And when you are in the box you can't break out the slide ruler and the laser pointer to triangulate the aiming line. All that is clear.
But what you can do is try out all sorts of things and what sticks you focus on and make that part of your game. If it's an aiming system then you don't have to wear the T-shirt that says "CTE User".
Only HERE we like to talk about thing that interest us. I like to share things that work for me. Not because I want to "sell" anything but because this is a place to discuss pool in all it's aspects.
I don't get why people don't just change the channel if they don't want to talk about aiming. Just let it go. I don't want to talk about lots of subjects in pool so I just skip those threads.
It is 100% true that there are aiming SYSTEMS which work. People like Fred Agnir, Tom Simpson, Eric Hu, and many other good and decent players as well as highly intelligent people know that they work. Of course they don't work on autopilot.
I can get down in a critical set for the cheese and dog the nine even though I am dead on the aiming line. We have all done it. I saw Shannon Daulton miss a three foot shot to the corner that cost him $10,000. Everyone watching saw that he was dead on the aiming line and he just choked.
I know for myself though that without an aiming system I am going to miss more shots, especially the weird off angle mid-table shots and the close distance full table shots. With an aiming system I make more of those shots.
So no I don't think that I made your point. Your point was that feel gets you there and hitting a million balls develops the feel. My point is that hitting a million balls the wrong way with bad habits only reinforces the bad habits and increases the frustration level.
IF I had known at 17 what I know now about aiming systems AND THEN put in the hours I have no doubt that I would be shortstop speed or better right now.
I went the way of putting in the hours practicing and gambling.
I have spent many 10-20 hour sessions gambling. I have played plenty of tournaments, been on good league teams with great players. Won a few decent sized events.
I understand what it means to grind it out playing your heart out. I understand what it means to face a long tough cut up the table with $1500 riding on the shot and feeling scared to death because this is your "worst shot", the one you hate to shoot.
And now I understand what it means to walk up to the table on the same shot and literally whack it in like a hanger. Believe me when I tell you that the second feeling is WAY WAY WAY better than the first.
When you make shots like that over and over you literally make your opponents wilt from the pressure.
I was the guy who wilted before watching people whack in balls that I knew I could not make with consistency.
Now I am the guy who applies the pressure.
:boring2:
