I have nothing against players using this ball but it’s bafflkes me as to ‘actual’ benefit. Players don’t know where to hit the ball? As a beginner it took me all of 60 seconds to know these positions without the markings on a cueball.
Can you actually hit where you are aiming on the cue ball? How do you know? According to Mark Wilson, pros can hit within 1mm of where they are aiming on the cue ball. I bought that red practice cue ball so that I can aim at a particular dot, then check my chalk mark to see if I actually hit the dot. The dots are 3mm in diameter, and for me they are hard to hit. Apparently, pros can aim at the center of one of those dots, and the center of their chalk mark will always be inside the dot.
Also, no need to orient it.
Well, you need the orientation to know whether you hit high or low on the dot, same for left or right. Unless you know how to orient the cue ball when examining it, you can't determine whether you hit high/low or left/right.
I also use a measles ball for the same purpose. I use a permanent marker to put a black mark above one of the red measles. The measles are 8mm in diameter, so they are easier to hit (and see), and the black mark allows me to retrieve the measles cue ball and determine whether the chalk mark is high/low or left/right. The black mark wears off after 3-4 practice sessions, so if you don't like it, it's not permanent.
One thing I don't like about the red practice cue ball is that my eyesight is bad enough that it takes me too long to find the "High" orientation on the cue ball, so I'm going to use a permanent marker to circle "High". The writing "High", "High Right", etc should really be written in white so that it's easier to read. In any case, I think the red practice cue ball, as well as a marked measles ball, is a very valuable aid for practicing your stroke accuracy.
