Try this on the break, Very Interesting
I'm sure someone, someplace has brought this up before. But maybe not?
I noticed when I break the balls that I didn't really see the cue ball hit the head ball real well. It was like I was gazing at it instead of looking at it.
Finally I noticed that as I stroked with power on the break my head was drifting to the left kind of making my right eye see the shot more than the left.
I'm left eye dominant.
This kind of explained why it kind of felt like a gaze instead of flat out seeing the head ball when I broke.
Bottom line I was trying to figure out why I was having so much difficulty hitting the head ball squarely?
I'm opposite eye dominant so I wanted to find out if this was just a problem with opposite eyed players. I had 10 opposite eye dominant players players try this and the results were all the same pretty much. They all drifted to the left if they were right handed and to the right if they were left handed during the break stroke.
Then I thought maybe all players drift like this so I had Joey A try it at Four Bears when we were there. He is right eye dominant and right handed.
Low and behold his head drifted about 6 to 8" while stroking the break.
After I got back to the business of teaching I kept experimenting with this thought on every student I taught. It turned out pretty much everyone drifted over during the break stroke. Not just the opposite eye dominant players.
Not only did I find that this was a consistent problem with almost everyone but it was also a problem when we want to hit a ball with a real strong stroke. The head drifts to the right if you are left handed during the stroke and the head drifts to the left if you are right handed.
This seems to be a natural kind of motion when the arm comes forward on that side of the body.
I did have a few players that kept their heads dead solid and didn't drift at all but at the sacrifice of power in the stroke. They did hit the head ball more squarely consistently though.
Get a friend to watch you break the balls. Give it a good wallop and have them see if your head drifts like this also. You might be surprised. Even just an inch or 2 can take your eyes out of the picture.
The solution to the problem seems to be going straight forward as you break to keep from drifting to the side. This seems to help the player use power and still hit the head ball straight on.
On the break we are aiming the shot. It makes sense that if you are not seeing the shot through the stroke there is going to be an accuracy problem.
One thing I do when I'm trying to figure something out is I try it myself and with many other players. Fortunately I have the benefit of working with a lot of players in a short period of time.
I'm interested in players input after they try this with a friend watching.
Then their input when they try to keep straight going forward a little instead of to the side.
I think this is going to be kind of interesting.
Some of the best breakers in the business appear to go straight forward with no drift to the side.
It takes a little bit of coordination and effort. So don't give up after the first try.
Good luck Geno........Please post your results.........
Hopefully you'll find that you will actually start seeing the cue ball hit the head ball. This means that the dominant eye was still in the correct position.
I'm sure someone, someplace has brought this up before. But maybe not?
I noticed when I break the balls that I didn't really see the cue ball hit the head ball real well. It was like I was gazing at it instead of looking at it.
Finally I noticed that as I stroked with power on the break my head was drifting to the left kind of making my right eye see the shot more than the left.
I'm left eye dominant.
This kind of explained why it kind of felt like a gaze instead of flat out seeing the head ball when I broke.
Bottom line I was trying to figure out why I was having so much difficulty hitting the head ball squarely?
I'm opposite eye dominant so I wanted to find out if this was just a problem with opposite eyed players. I had 10 opposite eye dominant players players try this and the results were all the same pretty much. They all drifted to the left if they were right handed and to the right if they were left handed during the break stroke.
Then I thought maybe all players drift like this so I had Joey A try it at Four Bears when we were there. He is right eye dominant and right handed.
Low and behold his head drifted about 6 to 8" while stroking the break.
After I got back to the business of teaching I kept experimenting with this thought on every student I taught. It turned out pretty much everyone drifted over during the break stroke. Not just the opposite eye dominant players.
Not only did I find that this was a consistent problem with almost everyone but it was also a problem when we want to hit a ball with a real strong stroke. The head drifts to the right if you are left handed during the stroke and the head drifts to the left if you are right handed.
This seems to be a natural kind of motion when the arm comes forward on that side of the body.
I did have a few players that kept their heads dead solid and didn't drift at all but at the sacrifice of power in the stroke. They did hit the head ball more squarely consistently though.
Get a friend to watch you break the balls. Give it a good wallop and have them see if your head drifts like this also. You might be surprised. Even just an inch or 2 can take your eyes out of the picture.
The solution to the problem seems to be going straight forward as you break to keep from drifting to the side. This seems to help the player use power and still hit the head ball straight on.
On the break we are aiming the shot. It makes sense that if you are not seeing the shot through the stroke there is going to be an accuracy problem.
One thing I do when I'm trying to figure something out is I try it myself and with many other players. Fortunately I have the benefit of working with a lot of players in a short period of time.
I'm interested in players input after they try this with a friend watching.
Then their input when they try to keep straight going forward a little instead of to the side.
I think this is going to be kind of interesting.
Some of the best breakers in the business appear to go straight forward with no drift to the side.
It takes a little bit of coordination and effort. So don't give up after the first try.
Good luck Geno........Please post your results.........
Hopefully you'll find that you will actually start seeing the cue ball hit the head ball. This means that the dominant eye was still in the correct position.
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