What do the Top Players in the World AIM at?

12squared said:
Lou,

I am not a TOP 3C player, but I had my moments.

One thing that I used for aiming was the ghost ball in reverse. Meaning, I imagined the line I wanted the cue ball to travel and imagined a ghost ball behind the object ball in the same line I wanted the cue ball to travel. I aimed at that. There are some limitations but even if I needed too thin of hit to aim at the ghost ball directly, I still envisioned the ghost ball to help visualize the line I wanted to travel.

This does not work exactly the same with pool balls because I'm guessing of the size/weight difference.

I too am hoping some top players would answer this because we all seek their wisdom on how they aim to make balls. Some know what they do possibly can explain it, and some just do it and can't explain it, making balls is second nature to them.

Nice thread Bill, I hope we all get some answers.

Dave
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Thanks Dave. you're a PRINCE!:thumbup:

Bill Smith "Mr3Cushion"
 
mr3cushion said:
Lou; Honestly, you must really be mentally defective, what does THIS say?
In 3C the TOP players in the world all have a certain way they AIM at the first object ball, They ALL have a CERTAIN way not the SAME, if you're going to call me out at least have the facts straight!!!!

Bill Smith "Mr3Cushion"
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To use your vocabulary again: duh.

Of course, everyone from tyro to pro has "a certain way they aim at the first object ball." What you said in your first post was, "In 3C the TOP players in the world all have a certain way they AIM at the first object ball..." I think a reasonable interpretation of that is that you're implying all the top players all use the same certain way. If you didn't originally mean it that way, then I will take that at face value, apologize, and we can forgetaboutit.

But before we dispense with gay repartee on this subject, I have noticed that just so far in this thread you've used the word "idiot" and "mentally defective" in referring to me. And if you want to continue to go thataway, I can play too, but would prefer to exercise restraint. If you insisted on continuing down this path, then I'd probably start out by mentioning that many of your Chicago buddies have personally told me that you are the biggest douche bag in the city.

But why go there. Let us be merry instead :-)

Lou Figueroa
 
12squared said:
Lou,

I am not a TOP 3C player, but I had my moments.

One thing that I used for aiming was the ghost ball in reverse. Meaning, I imagined the line I wanted the cue ball to travel and imagined a ghost ball behind the object ball in the same line I wanted the cue ball to travel. I aimed at that. There are some limitations but even if I needed too thin of hit to aim at the ghost ball directly, I still envisioned the ghost ball to help visualize the line I wanted to travel.

This does not work exactly the same with pool balls because I'm guessing of the size/weight difference.

I too am hoping some top players would answer this because we all seek their wisdom on how they aim to make balls. Some know what they do possibly can explain it, and some just do it and can't explain it, making balls is second nature to them.

Nice thread Bill, I hope we all get some answers.

Dave
Click to expand...


Thanks for the explanation Dave. Actually, I've played my share of 3C and have a chance to play some top talent on both coasts and George Ashby and the late Harry Sims. I usually get crushed like a ripe grape, but sometimes I'm able to hang :-)

But, being mostly a pool player, I see billiard shots pretty much the same way I see pool shots. Which means no ghost ball for me. I just see the shots. Still, it would be cool if Bill, "Mr. Three Cushion," hisself would get off his high horse and share something, instead of just spitting in the communal punch bowl.

Lou Figueroa
 
lfigueroa said:
Thanks for the explanation Dave. Actually, I've played my share of 3C and have a chance to play some top talent on both coasts and George Ashby and the late Harry Sims. I usually get crushed like a ripe grape, but sometimes I'm able to hang :-)

But, being mostly a pool player, I see billiard shots pretty much the same way I see pool shots. Which means no ghost ball for me. I just see the shots. Still, it would be cool if Bill, "Mr. Three Cushion," hisself would get off his high horse and share something, instead of just spitting in the communal punch bowl.

Lou Figueroa
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You're welcome. I have known George since the early 70's while living in the Detroit area and knew Harry well from both LA and the bay area. If Harry only had a lathe that was straight?? lol. He is missed. I did get a chance to see him before he died while living in St. Louis in 2003 or 4, so I'm glad for that.

Dave
 
12squared said:
You're welcome. I have known George since the early 70's while living in the Detroit area and knew Harry well from both LA and the bay area. If Harry only had a lathe that was straight?? lol. He is missed. I did get a chance to see him before he died while living in St. Louis in 2003 or 4, so I'm glad for that.

Dave
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Dave, I only got a chance to play George once, at a national qualifer 3C tournament, eight years ago. He was very nice and said some complimentary things about my game, after he pounded me 20-9.

Harry was an incredible talent on the billiard table and I got a chance to see him do a few things that I don't believe I have ever seen anyone else do -- some really remarkable stuff. Now, about the lathe thing... I do have to say that around St. Louis, Harry's lathe became known as "The Beaver." Almost every player here, at one time or another, entrusted a cue to Harry, only to rue it when they got what was left of the cue back, after his complimentary "cleaning."

Lou Figueroa
 
Johnnyt said:
I believe what Grey Ghost is talking about is that you find a contact point on the OB and then find the spot on the rail or anywhere close to the table that lines up with the contact point on the OB and the QB (Mirror Method). A lot of players used this method when spotshots came up in 9-ball, Chicago, and other games a lot. If you couldn't make a spotshot a very high % of the time...forget about your $$. I use it myself for spotshots and some blind pocket shot still today. Johnnyt
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your talking about the spot on the wall.....but no thats not what I do, tho there is a slight similarity in the two.....
 
Just curious if the OP read the linked article earlier in the thread. It had the TOP players, such as Mizerak, Sigel, Strickland, Varner, Reyes, Ellin, Breedlove, Rempe, etc.

For TOP players that post on AZ, you should PM the following people and ask them. I believe most will take the time to write you a response.


Below list are active posters that are/were also TOP players:
Grady
Billy I
Keith (might want to PM JAM to get his attention)
Schmidt
Dick
Billy Stroud

You of course know you can get 3 of these players from Onepocket.org.
 
iusedtoberich said:
Just curious if the OP read the linked article earlier in the thread. It had the TOP players, such as Mizerak, Sigel, Strickland, Varner, Reyes, Ellin, Breedlove, Rempe, etc.

For TOP players that post on AZ, you should PM the following people and ask them. I believe most will take the time to write you a response.


Below list are active posters that are/were also TOP players:
Grady
Billy I
Keith (might want to PM JAM to get his attention)
Schmidt
Dick
Billy Stroud

You of course know you can get 3 of these players from Onepocket.org.
Click to expand...

What about Max Eberle, Donny Mills , or Chris Bartram? Some great talent there for sure!

Best,
Mike
 
lfigueroa said:
Now, about the lathe thing...

Lou Figueroa
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Lou,

Funny that Harry's lathe and cue making skills followed him to St. Louis :). Here's a quick story of his cue making technique:

While in San Jose, CA, Harry had his shop in the back of the original California Billiards where the billiard tables were. His process for completing a cue was to turn it down til it's the right size, then take it out to one of the billiard tables to roll it, file down one side of the flat-faced joint, roll again, file some more, repeat as often as necessary until it rolled straight.

That's how out of square his lathe was. It was impossible to have him make a second shaft after the fact, because after his "custom" adjustments, one of the shaft would not be rolling straight. It was a trip to watch. But in all fairness, his cues played pretty well.

Harry was a good friend and an incredible talent on the table. He once told me that pool was too easy that's why he switched to 3-cushion - he said he ran 11 or 13 racks of 9-ball when he made the decision. He had the stroke to do it but I never saw any evidence of his pool playing at that level. He is missed. One of the great characters in billiards.

Now back to the original thread :).

Dave
 
Johnnyt said:
Pocketing any ball you have to have a contact point. weather it's on the OB, rail, cloth, reflection from the light, or a spot on the wall. No matter what system or method you use you still have hit a contact point. If you can't aim straight to hit it, all the sytems and methods in the world won't help you pocket the ball. Johnnyt
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Johnny, I agree there is always one contact point for any given shot. I'm just a low B/high C player, but I've never in my years of playing isolated a spot on ANY of the balls or equipment to aim for. I know some people do, just not me. All I'm saying is you don't have to play that way to be able to shoot.

Don't ask me how I am, because I honestly couldn't tell you. I NEVER stand behind the object ball. I do all of my judgment from only the shooting position behind the cueball. I have no sense of dividing the cue ball or object ball into halves/quarters, etc. I just see the shot and stroke.
 
cuesmith said:
Billy, Don't mean to hijack your thread but I thought you may get a chuckle out of this. You probably don't remember me, but we met once about 15 years ago at the Chicago Billiards Cafe. I was on my way to Minneapolis to pick up my CNC machine. I hit Chicago near rush hour and decided to stop and wait til the rush hour traffic passed. You were showing Deno, who I knew from the internet, a shot on the pool table next to the counter where I was getting some coffee. When I heard Deno's name I struck up a conversation because we hadn't met in person at that point. Deno told me in confidence that you were the top 3C player around.

I owned a poolroom in Cincinnati and also made cues. One of my customers who played on our 3C table pretty much, Bucky Bell, made a comment that he'd play any pool player, 3C for cash. I said OK Bucky, I'll take yopu to Chicago and take you up on that. He asked who he had to play. I told him Billy Smith. He kind of went white in the face and said you're trying to put me in a trap! Shit, he's the best American 3C player in the world! I said I didn't know, I only saw him shoot on a pool table! LOL I just thought you might get a kick out of that, but I was wanting to put you in the box with him and see you play 3C.
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sherm why didnt you come watch the one pocket match i played with vita?
 
lfigueroa said:
To use your vocabulary again: duh.

Of course, everyone from tyro to pro has "a certain way they aim at the first object ball." What you said in your first post was, "In 3C the TOP players in the world all have a certain way they AIM at the first object ball..." I think a reasonable interpretation of that is that you're implying all the top players all use the same certain way. If you didn't originally mean it that way, then I will take that at face value, apologize, and we can forgetaboutit.

But before we dispense with gay repartee on this subject, I have noticed that just so far in this thread you've used the word "idiot" and "mentally defective" in referring to me. And if you want to continue to go thataway, I can play too, but would prefer to exercise restraint. If you insisted on continuing down this path, then I'd probably start out by mentioning that many of your Chicago buddies have personally told me that you are the biggest douche bag in the city.

But why go there. Let us be merry instead :-)

Lou Figueroa
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Hey Lou.

I should stop by the Main Forum more often. This thread is better than Comedy Central. :lmao:

>ps. Bill....You would be surprised of how many balls are half ball hits on a pool table. :thumbup:
 
klockdoc said:
Hey Lou.

I should stop by the Main Forum more often. This thread is better than Comedy Central. :lmao:

>ps. Bill....You would be surprised of how many balls are half ball hits on a pool table. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

It's only a half ball shot if you think it is!:grin-square:

Bill Smith "Mr3Cushion"
 
mr3cushion said:
It's only a half ball shot if you think it is!:grin-square:

Bill Smith "Mr3Cushion"
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Excuse me but I do not understand what you are talking about with this comment. A half ball "shot" is totally different than a half ball "hit".

You were originally talking about the spot shot, which is a "half ball" hit when placing the cue ball slightly inside the long rail at the head string.

This shot occurs many times in different forms in pool. Not sure of the half ball shot. (unless your interpretation of "shot' ="hit".
 
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