What are the pros looking for when they do this.

[Black-Balled]

Reminds me of when I was a caveman: I was the top rock-throwing hunter and my family was all fat. Our neighbor was an awful throw with a sickly thin family. He would watch me and watch me and then I found drawings of me throwing rocks at prey that he had made in his cave. His family died shortly thereafter, of starvation.

 

[chefjeff]

I(snip) Look where the back end of the ferrule is and you have the spot where the center of the CB should be on contact. Keep your eye on that spot and pull your cue back where the tip touches that point and then lift up leaving a "little" spot to aim at. You then just have to shoot the center of the CB to that mark. A sneaky way to mark the table and no one ever catches it.

I had a friend that was accussed of marking the table after doing this. He wasn't using the mark as a guide, but his opponent thought so. I had just showed him that week the ferrule reflection techinique and he was simply doing that.

Maybe you were his opponent that day?

Jeff Livingston

 

[halhoule]

pool

I believe they are picking up the contact point on the OB then keeping that point in sight throughout.

IT IS NOT LOGICAL TO SAY THAT ANYONE CAN TRACK AN INVISIBLE CUE BALL OR OBJECT BALL CONTACT POINT. A PLAYER MAY WALK DOWN THERE, BUT HE IS NOT TRACKING ANY CONTACT POINTS. HE COULD BE CHECKING ON THE LAYOUT OF BALLS. THERE IS NO NEED TO LOOK FOR CONTACT POINTS ON CUE BALL OR OBJECT BALL. NO PRO CONTENDS WITH CONTACT POINTS. THERE IS NO NEED. HE WILL USE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SYSTEM THAN AMATEURS USE.
IF ANY OF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HOW THE TOP PROS SHOOT ALL THEIR SHOTS, GET ON THE PHONE AND I WILL TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW THEY MAKE THEIR MAGIC. CALL ME AT 484 623 4144, I WILL CALL YOU RIGHT BACK SO YOU WILL NOT ABSORB ANY PHONE CHARGES, AND YOU MAY STAY ON LINE
AS LONG AS YOU LIKE.

HAL

 

[Snapshot9]

Contact point

During 46 years of playing:

1) First, starting out, the contact was about half dollar size.
2) As you get better, it is about quarter size.
3) As you get halfway proficient, it is about a dime size.
4) Now, it is the size of a pinhead or slightly bigger, especially when lining up combination shots.

In other words, the better you get the more detailed you get for better accuracy.

Many players play for years and never get any better because they never account for the little details that pros always do. Although 'close' works a little in Pool, being exact with your shots for the situation, and your shape is very important for making it look 'easy'.

 

[8JIM9]

Actually the only time the contact point is useful, is if you are using the "Point-to-point" aiming system

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Me:
The contact point changes with the stroke?

Flex:
Yes, it can, but only by a very small amount.

By a "very small amount" I mean perhaps by 1/16" for some shots, more for others, due to effect of throw on the object ball.

I think the only way the stroke can change where you need to hit the CB is if you change the speed or direction of the hit. Is that the kind of stroke change you mean?

pj
chgo

 

[smittie1984]

Whenever my friends would do the stick line up where you take a stick and imagine you are going to hit the Object Ball. I'd do it but have the stick aiming at some goofball location in an odd angle and then hit it like I was anyways. Even on a straight in shot.

I do stare at the object ball while walking back. And on Striped balls the location is easier to keep. But if the ball has any use in it you can usually see scuffs on the ball for you to mark with your eyes.

 

[Flex]

I think the only way the stroke can change where you need to hit the CB is if you change the speed or direction of the hit. Is that the kind of stroke change you mean?

pj
chgo

It is specifically speed sensitive. Of course if you change the direction you'll get different results.

I've found that speed will affect throw. How about you?

Flex

 

[Patrick Johnson]

It is specifically speed sensitive. Of course if you change the direction you'll get different results.

I've found that speed will affect throw. How about you?

Flex

Yep. It's well known, at least on these forums, that throw is maximum at low speed and full hit.

pj
chgo

 

[third_i]

I do it all the time, especially on tough cuts or a cut shot that I need to use a lot of english on. Gives you a different perspective and gives you some time to shake out any nerves you might get from a tough shot in a big game.

 

[softshot]

don't even worry about the contact point locate the center of the ghost ball on the felt and watch that point. thats the point you need

 

[Flex]

don't even worry about the contact point locate the center of the ghost ball on the felt and watch that point. thats the point you need

I used to do that, but have since changed, (except if I have a really tough time seeing the contact point, or keeping it in my mind's eye) as different ball sets and cue balls will affect where the object ball goes, and if real precision is needed, you'll need to get a feel for the specific cue ball that is being used. If you are playing on many different tables and with different sets of balls, as often happens in tournaments, knowing how much a specific ball tends to throw object balls can really get in your head. And if you haven't ever tried quantifying what I'm saying, the next time you go to a pool hall, ask them to give you four or five cue balls, one a red circle, another red circle that is faint, a blue circle, a generic, and so on.

Then set up a specific shot that requires precision, and a moderate cut to make it. And give yourself say two diamonds distance from the cue ball to the object ball, and a shot that will require the object ball to travel 4 or 5 diamonds to the pocket. Make sure you mark the table to set up the exact same shot for each test.

You might just find that those cue balls really affect where the object ball is going. And aiming as you do will require some adjustments.

Flex

 

[Bugz]

Additionally, it also gives you a minute to breath and start fresh on each shot. It's easy to get into a rush and "slide sideways" into a shot with out standing back and looking at what you've got to do. If you have to make a lap around the table and chalk your cue twice before you're sure you can make the ball, well, that's just what you've got to do.

Thats exactly why I do it. I'm not looking for a contact point, I don't use aiming systems. I simply am looking at the angle and telling myself (yea, yea, you can make this. You've made it before, it's not that hard. The cueball will hit here on the rail and there, no scratch. Nice smooth stroke) Then I walk around the table, chalking and breathing.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Thats exactly why I do it. I'm not looking for a contact point, I don't use aiming systems. I simply am looking at the angle and telling myself (yea, yea, you can make this. You've made it before, it's not that hard. The cueball will hit here on the rail and there, no scratch. Nice smooth stroke) Then I walk around the table, chalking and breathing.

I don't use the OB contact point in a "system", I use it as a reference for aligning the shot, like I use the edges or centers of the balls. It's the most powerful reference because its the actual target, and I think using it hones targeting skills. Learning to notice where my stick is pointed in relation to the OB contact point has been a most valuable aiming lesson for me.

pj
chgo