What are the pros looking for when they do this.

H

housecue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This might be a silly question, but I have to ask. When I watch the pros play, sometimes I notice when they have a long angle shot, they would take a moment to walk and sight the path of the OB into the desire pocket, then they walk back to their CB position and get down and shoot. It seems to help them with the shot. What are they looking for when they do that? :p
 
I believe they are picking up the contact point on the OB then keeping that point in sight throughout.
 
selftaut said:
I believe they are picking up the contact point on the OB then keeping that point in sight throughout.
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That is what I thought, I try to do that but when I walk back to the cueball, I tend to lose sight of where the contact point is.

Also, even if I remember where the contact point is, it's kinda hard to aim the cueball and make it hit that point. Is there a trick to aiming at the contact point besides ghostball?
 
housecue said:
That is what I thought, I try to do that but when I walk back to the cueball, I tend to lose sight of where the contact point is.

Also, even if I remember where the contact point is, it's kinda hard to aim the cueball and make it hit that point. Is there a trick to aiming at the contact point besides ghostball?
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I don't know so much that they "remember" or keep watching the contact point. I think it is impossible to really keep your eye on the contact point; but I find when I have a tough shot and go through that process of walking over, sighting, and walking back keeping my eye on the object ball, it enhances my "feel" for where to aim. Aiming systems be damned, I think it ultimately comes down to shooting a ton of shots either in competetion or in practice and developing an aiming "feel". Aiming systems can get you in the neighborhood of where you should aim, but you've got to "feel" it.
JMHO.
 
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catscradle said:
I don't know so much that they "remember" or keep watching the contact point. I think it is impossible to really keep your eye on the contact point; but I find when I have a tough shot and go through that process of walking over, sighting, and walking back keeping my eye on the object ball, it enhances my "feel" for where to aim. Aiming systems be damned, I think it ultimately comes down to shooting a ton of shots either in competetion or in practice and developing an aiming "feel". Aiming systems can get you in the neighborhood of where you should aim, but you've got to "feel" it.
JMHO.
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You are right, thanks for clearing some stuff up for me. :)
 
Whether it's contact point, light, or spots on the balls etc, is only half, they're actually none other than the ghostball, ghostball = cueball. To be able to hit where we aim is the real thing. And that takes a lot of practical shooting = feel. JMO.
 
Snoogi said:
Whether it's contact point, light, or spots on the balls etc, is only half, they're actually none other than the ghostball, ghostball = cueball. To be able to hit where we aim is the real thing. And that takes a lot of practical shooting = feel. JMO.
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Its not ghostball or any other system, it is called physics, it is the required action to achieve desired effect. AKA/ you have to make the ball do it. A name is just a name.

And- OT- the pros are burning a path to the hole with their eye-fire.
 
Not only the pros

It's not only the pros who do this. You'll see it in any pool room with decent players. They won't do it on every shot, especially not on straight in shots or very short shots, but on longer cut shots and on game determining shots in a one-pocket game for example, the player will stand on the line from the pocket through the object ball and look at the path the object ball will take to the pocket. Heck, I'm no pro, but when a potentially game determining shot comes up in a serious one-pocket game, most times I will sight down the object ball path as I described above. For me, I am NOT trying to pinpoint the contact point, I am visualizing the object ball traveling down the path to the pocket and sort of "memorizing" that angled path as I walk back to get down on the shot.
 
I think it is impossible to really keep your eye on the contact point
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I don't think so - I can do it. It's easier if there's a mark of some kind on the ball near the contact point, like "between the bottoms of the two numbers" or "dead center in the stripe where it passes through the equator" or "just to the left of that smudge". Many times that's what you find when you're sighting the contact point. But it's also possible (at least for some) to keep the contact point in sight without any marks.

pj
chgo
 
some may well be picking out an exact contact point, but i suspect most are just getting more of a feel of the angle of the shot. short, simple shots present no problem because they're close to you, but longer shots you can't always tell well enough without walking to have a look.
 
BillPorter said:
It's not only the pros who do this. You'll see it in any pool room with decent players. They won't do it on every shot, especially not on straight in shots or very short shots, but on longer cut shots and on game determining shots in a one-pocket game for example, the player will stand on the line from the pocket through the object ball and look at the path the object ball will take to the pocket. Heck, I'm no pro, but when a potentially game determining shot comes up in a serious one-pocket game, most times I will sight down the object ball path as I described above. For me, I am NOT trying to pinpoint the contact point, I am visualizing the object ball traveling down the path to the pocket and sort of "memorizing" that angled path as I walk back to get down on the shot.
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Black-Balled said:
Its not ghostball or any other system, it is called physics, it is the required action to achieve desired effect. AKA/ you have to make the ball do it. A name is just a name.

And- OT- the pros are burning a path to the hole with their eye-fire.
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Well, I'm not sure if anyone knows about the "12th secret" (dunno how this term came about) stated in 'Pool Players Edge'. They call it aim without aiming and it's for pros..I believe this is yet another term for 'feel'. It goes something like this, if you look at the pocket then the ball, bend down shoot, if you miss or hit the rail then you're not ready yet. But if you make the ball, then you've achieved the secret of aim without aiming..Personally I started out with contact point, but it gets difficult as the angle gets wider. Later I switched over to ghostball, then center ball, till now I still find center of the ghostball is easiest for me.
 
They call it aim without aiming and it's for pros..I believe this is yet another term for 'feel'. It goes something like this, if you look at the pocket then the ball, bend down shoot, if you miss or hit the rail then you're not ready yet...
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...Grasshopper.

pj
chgo
 
Housecue,
If you are having a problem with it then you may have more going on than just aiming. Might want to try being able to stroke straight through the ball being very careful not to put any accidental English on it. Sometime the vertical/center axis can be very hard to hit consistently unless practiced or gifted. Then there are those players that are aware of the problem and adjusted their games accordingly.
 
Snoogi said:
Well, I'm not sure if anyone knows about the "12th secret" ...if you miss or hit the rail then you're not ready yet... if you make the ball, then you've achieved the secret of aim without aiming...
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You believe the fortune teller too?:D

Otherwise phrased as: tell me something that wasn't apparent...
 
Patrick Johnson said:
I don't think so - I can do it. It's easier if there's a mark of some kind on the ball near the contact point, like "between the bottoms of the two numbers" or "dead center in the stripe where it passes through the equator" or "just to the left of that smudge". Many times that's what you find when you're sighting the contact point. But it's also possible (at least for some) to keep the contact point in sight without any marks.

pj
chgo
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Count me in on that one. I think it's necessary to develop that feel for the contact point, and how it changes depending on the stroke and english put on the cue ball. If there's a marking on the object ball, it certainly helps, but is by no means essential.
 
Flex said:
Count me in on that one. I think it's necessary to develop that feel for the contact point, and how it changes depending on the stroke and english put on the cue ball. If there's a marking on the object ball, it certainly helps, but is by no means essential.
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It is amazing how aiming varies from person to person. I don't think I've ever thought about a contact point ever, I'm just thinking where I should aim. I assume contact point, angle of the shot, etc. is all flushing through my sub-conscious, but I'm not thinking about it, I'm just aiming. Works for me anyway and for all my shortcomings in pool, aiming isn't one of them.
Like throwing a baseball, truly amazing what is going on inside our heads to control the speed of the arm, the direction, when to let go, but somehow that magnificent brain crunches all that data from the sense organs and directs the muscles.
 
housecue said:
This might be a silly question, but I have to ask. When I watch the pros play, sometimes I notice when they have a long angle shot, they would take a moment to walk and sight the path of the OB into the desire pocket, then they walk back to their CB position and get down and shoot. It seems to help them with the shot. What are they looking for when they do that? :p
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They are drawing that imaginary line from the center of the pocket thru the OB to the contact side to get their contact point.
 
I think it's necessary to develop that feel for the contact point, and how it changes depending on the stroke and english put on the cue ball.
Click to expand...

The contact point changes with the stroke?

pj
chgo
 
housecue said:
This might be a silly question, but I have to ask. When I watch the pros play, sometimes I notice when they have a long angle shot, they would take a moment to walk and sight the path of the OB into the desire pocket, then they walk back to their CB position and get down and shoot. It seems to help them with the shot. What are they looking for when they do that? :p
Click to expand...

If I am standing to address the shot from the cue ball perspective and feel uncertain about my object ball to pocket angle, I'll go over and look at the line between object ball and pocket (what part of the pocket I want to his as well).

I am rarely paying attention to the contact point of the object ball (unless it's a kick or combination).

That is just so I am certain of what angle this shot is. Then go back over, address the shot from the cue ball, go through the routine and shoot.

Edit: I learned this game and how to pocket balls by mastering angles. Not contact points. If you use aiming systems, then the contact point comes more into play.
 
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