Using Lights for Aiming?

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bizzy

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Hi everyone. Last night someone told me that there is an aiming system that uses lights but he didn't know exactly how it goes. He only knew that for one shot you aim center cue ball in between of the light and edge of object ball and on some shots you aim the edge of the cue ball to that middle point. But that's all he could tell.

Can anybody explain how it goes or is there an explanation on the net somewhere?

Thx
 
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bizzy said:
Hi everyone. Last night someone told me that there is an aiming system that uses lights but he didn't know exactly how it goes. He only knew that for one shot you aim center cue ball in between of the light and edge of object ball and on some shots you aim the edge of the cue ball to that middle point. But that's all he could tell.

Can anybody explain how it goes or is there an explanation on the net somewhere?

Thx
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It's an urban legend<unless you're in the country>

Dale
 
Lights Out

pdcue said:
It's an urban legend<unless you're in the country>

Dale[/QUOI beg to differ with you, but the lights come in handy on a lot of banks. I could tell you how it works..........But then I'd have to kill you!!! LOL
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The traditional 3 bulb lights are somewhat helpful, but I don't know of any "system" that uses them. What i find helpful is that the 3 bulbs cast 3 shadows, when you hold your cue over the table, creating 3 parallel lines. Maybe this can be applied to aiming, but I use it to see if there are obstructions in the path the ball is intendedto travel.

McCue Banger McCue
 
DelaWho??? said:
The traditional 3 bulb lights are somewhat helpful, but I don't know of any "system" that uses them. What i find helpful is that the 3 bulbs cast 3 shadows, when you hold your cue over the table, creating 3 parallel lines. Maybe this can be applied to aiming, but I use it to see if there are obstructions in the path the ball is intendedto travel.

McCue Banger McCue
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I spent several hours trying to come up with a systematic way to use the reflections on the balls cast by lights.

If you play on only one table, I suppose you could come up with something that would work for you. Probably need to experiment a lot to figure it out. Switch tables and lights and all bets are off, IMHO. As soon as you start compensating for contact induced throw, actual throw, the speed of the cloth and it's effect on the way a spinning cue ball with various kinds of english will curve going downtable, and so on and so forth, you'll probably come to the conclusion, as I have, that there are too many variables for aiming by the lights to work, at least consistently. You need to develop a feel for all those shots. Feel and a decent stroke, IMHO.

By the way, switch the cue ball, and how you aim may very well need to change, if you want to be consistent. Throw in a few object balls from different sets of balls and watch things really get complicated. Whoever said all this is easy to do is hustlin' ya.

Flex
 
pdcue said:
It's an urban legend<unless you're in the country>

Dale
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I think so also.


Back 50 years ago my uncle was "teaching" me how to shoot pool. He said shoot at the lights. I looked at him and said how does that help when the balls are on the table not in the air? I want to hit the ball and not the light bulb. He said shoot at the dot of light being reflected in the ball. I did and missed the pocket. He said my aim was off. He went on to run off a few balls to demonstrate. I think subconsciously he was making adjustments to pocket the ball but thought he was shooting at the light spot.

I have tried for years to shoot at a light spot. Never seemed to work. Plus I have noticed thru the years that most bar tables almost never have the lights centered or at the same height. There are just too many variables to make this a reliable method. It may work on a home table; but I am not smart enough to figure out and have been trying for years. Never seen this method discribed in any books or demonstration in videos.

I would like to hear and see the explanation.
 
bizzy said:
Hi everyone. Last night someone told me that there is an aiming system that uses lights but he didn't know exactly how it goes. He only knew that for one shot you aim center cue ball in between of the light and edge of object ball and on some shots you aim the edge of the cue ball to that middle point. But that's all he could tell.

Can anybody explain how it goes or is there an explanation on the net somewhere?

Thx
Click to expand...

Even if there was a system that worked like that, then explain what you would do when someone bumps the lights and they are swinging back and forth... You see, it's a terrible idea altogether.
 
TheBook said:
He said shoot at the dot of light being reflected in the ball. I did and missed the pocket. He said my aim was off. He went on to run off a few balls to demonstrate. I think subconsciously he was making adjustments to pocket the ball but thought he was shooting at the light spot.
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These comments bring about one of my complaints about "systems". People make subconcious adjustments they are not even aware of. FACT! That is why bad habits are so hard to break.

What he was probably telling you was to make the contact point the dot of light...not shoot right at it. You probably aimed your cue tip directly at the dot and corresponding undercut the shot. Is that how you missed the shot? Meanwhile, he was shooting for the CB to hit that spot, which means he was aiming a bit away from the dot due to the size of the CB.

These subtle differences can dictate the success or failure of any given system. For example, I bought a well-known "system" book. It is worthless to me because I can't get the "systems" to work. My only conclusion is the author makes subtle "corrections" based on his many years of experience that I am not privy to...or I am making subtle "corrections" based on my years of experience that are causing me to fail.
 
seymore15074 said:
Even if there was a system that worked like that, then explain what you would do when someone bumps the lights and they are swinging back and forth... You see, it's a terrible idea altogether.
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I don't know where you play but where I play the lights are on and nobody caomes to bump the lights!
 
bizzy said:
I don't know where you play but where I play the lights are on and nobody caomes to bump the lights!
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Go to Chris's Billiards in Chicago, or the Chicago Billiard Cafe, or Cue-Phoria in River Grove, and all the tables and lights are different... It's not about bumping anything... Much easier to develop aiming systems depending on varying cue ball sizes and weights and clean vs. dirty vs. polished balls (whew!!) and kinds of balls than the light stuff.

Flex
 
You should not speak about things you don't understand seymore! I don't care whether you think it works or not. I know that some very good players think it works. Bob Jewett wrote about it and a very fine instructor Ron Vitello who worked with Immonen, Morris and Deuel teaches this method. I only can't find any description of it.
 
the system can work, depending on certain situations. On my table for six-seven years on certain shots the reflection of the light can be in just the right spot for the contact point, but it wasn't consistent for each shot. So say the 1/4 cut shot the light was in the right place, making it a easier spot to keep my focus on that was all. After the images of the cueball and objectball that someone posted in a thread a while back. Using the top half of the cueball to be aimed is really working for better, personally. The whole eclispe image has to be the best for me to see, along with using Small Ball and Center 2 Edge.
 
bizzy said:
You should not speak about things you don't understand seymore! I don't care whether you think it works or not. I know that some very good players think it works. Bob Jewett wrote about it and a very fine instructor Ron Vitello who worked with Immonen, Morris and Deuel teaches this method. I only can't find any description of it.
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Of course it can work. I don't doubt it at all. I got it to work for me reasonably well on one table, at least. Like most things, adapting some sort of system based on it can work; in my case, it was too inconsistent for me, and tended to mess up my thought processes. If you want to have a go at it, be my guest. :)

Problem is, in some places there are no lights anywhere near the table, just very diffused lighting. Better have a good backup...
 
bizzy said:
You should not speak about things you don't understand seymore! I don't care whether you think it works or not. I know that some very good players think it works. Bob Jewett wrote about it and a very fine instructor Ron Vitello who worked with Immonen, Morris and Deuel teaches this method. I only can't find any description of it.
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Go ahead and aim at the light then... I put in my two cents, which is: do not aim with the lighting.
 
The "Light System"

You can make the system work if you adjust for the following:

1. Room Temperature. Light travels faster through colder air due to density at lower temps.

2. Zodiac. All signs with animals requires 1/4 ball adjustment.

3. You need a flashlight to confirm results.

What if the table has 4 lights or worse fluorescent? What is they don't run exactly down the middle? What height is the lights from balls? How high is your line of sight (eyes) to balls? Sounds like a "Natural Cure"...KT are you listening?

Quackery.

Nick
 
light aiming

Ron Vitello has a large book explaining it. He teaches it. He doesn't call it light aiming, but it is, because the basis is the light reflecting on the ball. He is from NYC. I spent three days with him learning the system. Any aiming system is a learning tool. After a while you will stop using a system and start to see the shot. Ron also teaches several banking and kicking systems. He is a nice guy. He might be at Valley Forge. Sometimes he plays in the amature tourny.
 
Nick B said:
You can make the system work if you adjust for the following:

1. Room Temperature. Light travels faster through colder air due to density at lower temps.

2. Zodiac. All signs with animals requires 1/4 ball adjustment.

3. You need a flashlight to confirm results.

What if the table has 4 lights or worse fluorescent? What is they don't run exactly down the middle? What height is the lights from balls? How high is your line of sight (eyes) to balls? Sounds like a "Natural Cure"...KT are you listening?

Quackery.

Nick
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Yeah.

It is astonishing to me how many folks give any credance at all to such utter nonsense.
 
kaznj said:
Ron Vitello has a large book explaining it. He teaches it. He doesn't call it light aiming, but it is, because the basis is the light reflecting on the ball. He is from NYC. I spent three days with him learning the system. Any aiming system is a learning tool. After a while you will stop using a system and start to see the shot. Ron also teaches several banking and kicking systems. He is a nice guy. He might be at Valley Forge. Sometimes he plays in the amature tourny.
Click to expand...

Me and Ron have been sharing emails, and he has been teaching me his Swivel Method. I haven't heard anything from him for awhile, last i heard from him he was taking it easy as he just had Surgeory. He is a great guy, and has told me some great stories. For the banking i think it was he said he made 15 banks in a row so his systems work. He believes all in the Tangent Lines, when working with the Swivel Method.
 
light system thats guaranteed to work

#1 turn on pool table light #2 practice, practice, practice.
 
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