What is feel aiming?

Feel is actually VISUALIZATION aiming.
You imagine the two spheres colliding, shoot.
How come when you are down, and sometimes it just doesn't look right, you shoot, then you miss ?
How did it not look right ???:wink:
 
evanlockhart said:
Lot of ignorance in this thread. I find it funny people don't understand the combination of confidence, muscle memory, hand-eye coordination, knowledge of the game, athletic ability, trial and error, etc etc etc. There isn't a concrete definition for "feel," and I can promise you that it's different for every player

The best players in the world at any given sport don't use "methods." And the guy with the mechanics comment...lol
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I once played at a friend's facility.
One of his patients was his sparring partner.
The dude was an ex-addict now a loonie.
The loonie could shoot some .
Explain that.:grin:
The dude shot fast too. Like Keith and Earl. See it and shoot it kinda player.
 
Charlie Edwards said:
To me, feel aiming means when the shot looks right and FEELS right, shoot it. In time, what looks right will be right. It's a memory thing.

That's the way I shoot non-english shots. I make conscious adjustments when spinning the CB, allowing for squirt.
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That's EXACTLY what I do. I don't even calculate fractions or anything, I just remember it
 
Reply to Thread on Feel Aiming

JoeyA said:
For those who use it, what is "FEEL AIMING"?

Thanks,
JoeyA
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JoeyA,
I will take stab at it here goes:

336Robin :thumbup: http://274928807619529663.weebly.com/


Posted by Koop 5/3/10

How Do You Aim By Feel - 05-03-2010, 02:00 PM
________________________________________
With all of the threads and posts about CTE and the way "Feel" comes into play
(subconscious adjustments) nobody has ever described how to aim by feel and why it's the best way to aim. Obviously many think it is the best way to aim because it eventually takes over at some point on ALL aiming systems including ghost ball. Here are some questions regarding it:

Answers in italics by 336Robin author of “Aim is the Game in Pool.”

1. Is feel the same for all players in determining what to do and how to use it?

No it is not, there are many ways to find reference points and many ways to play off them. The power of reference points in pool is that they are consistent and yes can be taught.

2. Is feel transferrable from one player to the next and can it be taught?

Refer to above answer------No/Yes. Depends on what you mean by transferrable but can be taught.

3. How is feel geometrically correct over all other methods?

How infinite is the amounts of contact points on a ball? How do you hit the one true contact point?

Well there are a few contact points that will work due to the width of the pockets depending on distance so its not perfectly exact science hence cheating the pocket.

You can see that and understand it but likely wont be able to run up to the ball with calipers and measure out where you should hit the ball. So feel becomes king really early on. Visual clues assist with that.[/I]

4. Can feel be illustrated on a Wie table?

Im sure you could illustrate it all you want and I use a method of illustrating it in my book but the understanding of it is the trick. You have to shoot a few shots after understanding the reference methods before you start to feel it but the good news is that you quickly begin to understand it.

5. Can the exactness of feel be shown in an algebraic or mathmatical formula which seems to be the final word to validate a system?

I’m sure if the player can understand the mathematics of parallax distances and finite widths he already knows, I’m sure that Bob Jewett or Dr. Dave might be able to locate a plottable place of contact but its of little use when all you have to do is to be able to walk up to a shot and because of your reference point be able to make a visual adjustment and nail it.

6. Is feel the same for an APA3 or anything in between compared to a short stop or pro?

Feel is the same for everyone in that feel doesn’t discriminate but, the feel is subject to a visual intelligence which is a relationship between the reference system and the user that grows, the quality of the reference system then comes into question., these reference points have ways of changing in a players game to continual refinement of finer and finer divisions until the width of the pocket seems like a canyon.

7. Is feel consistent and exact from one shot to the next or from one day to the next?

A player without rest tends to lose a sense of feel, or one that is emotionally affected.

Different reference systems work with various results from certain angles but there is at least one reference that is always consistent, it’s your understanding of that reference and its corresponding shot angles that makes up for the difference. Due to that feel is variable.

How you make sense of all of that is most important.

8. How do you know if your feel manipulation is correct or incorrect before taking the shot?

When you’ve done it a few times if your reference system is consistent you immediately can find the division on the ball that pots the shot. Your memory will serve you well if the way you are looking at the shot has been refined to a repeatable pattern. You learn that anything other that the right solution impedes the progress of the ball on the correct path of incidence to the pocket. When you learn what an impeded path looks like then you can stay on the money.________________________________________
All of the reference points in the world are no substitute for the practice using them, however a system rife with complications doesn’t help much. An absence of reference points lends to the complications you run into because you just make it harder that you need to. If you understand any system and are able to “feel” within it that is all that is needed. It depends on how much trouble you want to go to. Natural methods tend to be pretty easy to understand and are what I am in support of. I am not a cte person, what exposure Ive had to it left me confused and feeling out of line.
If you start out in line to start off with that is one thing you don’t have to worry about, then your feel is something you begin to be able to use with much less confusion.
I cannot argue the success that some players are having with cte, but its not for me and my feelings are another camp of thought that I feel haven’t been explained quiet efficiently up to this point.

That is why I wrote this book.


336Robin :thumbup: http://274928807619529663.weebly.com/
aimisthegameinpool@yahoo.com
 
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Memory is the key to learning in everything. I would bet there are many good players who can't explain how they aim. If you hit enough balls you won't have to think about it.
 
Joe T said:
Problem for me was I had to hit a lot of balls to stay in stroke to where I could just see’em and believe’em. )
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This may be THE best reason for most of us to use some type of aiming system.

An aiming system in some ways is a way to get back to basics as well when you feel unsure about pocketing balls.

While I am a strong believer that some of these aiming systems are too elaborate in a ridiculous sort of way, I do think being completely confident and comfortable in knowing and TRUSTING your aim is dead on and only requires your accurate delivery to complete your shot successfully is a key factor to getting in dead stroke.

I play straight pool mostly, 100 point games with buddies. I may loose the coin toss, break the balls and sit down for 30 or 40 balls, then when it's my turn I better perform because I can't afford to shank a ball into the rail right off the bat and let him back at the table. The cost of missing is too severe.

An aiming system helps remove some of the many variables that can make you feel unsure when you're shooting a shot. So I agree with what Joe T said very much about the importance of using some method to get comfortable from a cold start.

And now for a brief commercial .... :)

If an aiming system is complicated or vague, and it requires a ton of experimenting to even realize moderate success with it, then it's as useless as using none at all because you're still hunting while you are using it. Now, I'm not going to say what I do is easiest or the best.... even though it it is. :thumbup:
 
Charlie Edwards said:
To me, feel aiming means when the shot looks right and FEELS right, shoot it. In time, what looks right will be right. It's a memory thing.

That's the way I shoot non-english shots. I make conscious adjustments when spinning the CB, allowing for squirt.
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Well said.
 
feel aiming explained...

Remember when you were in high school at the movies on that first date with the really cute brunette and as you sat beside her you did that yawn/stretch move.....

ah, nevermind...that was a different version...:wink:

Best,
Brian kc
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
Remember when you were in high school at the movies on that first date with the really cute brunette and as you sat beside her you did that yawn/stretch move.....

ah, nevermind...that was a different version...:wink:

Best,
Brian kc
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LMAO...I don't know about you but I had a "system" for that :wink:
 
JoeyA said:
For those who use it, what is "FEEL AIMING"?
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I think "aiming by feel" is just "seeing the angle" (i.e., the required line to the pocket) and then visualizing the required aiming line necessary to create the amount of cut needed. This can be done by visualizing contact points, the ghost-ball, the amount of ball overlap needed for the cut, etc.

If you are not "aiming by feel," then you are using a clear procedure with well-defined steps (i.e., a "system"), and not relying so much on "visualization."

Examples of cut shot "aiming systems" can be found here:

Examples of kick and bank shot "aiming systems" can be found here:

All of these systems require a certain amount of "feel" to compensate for conditions, squirt, swerve and throw effects, and kick and bank effects. However, IMO, a "system" is based on a clearly defined step-by-step procedure that even a robot could be programmed to follow.

I personally think CTE-based aling-and-pivot approaches are mostly "aim by feel;" although they do have involve some "system" elements.

Good thread,
Dave
 
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Aiming by feel is like painting.. you don't need to know the exact size of an object that you're painting, because what you know and create just feels right. Of course, some paint much better than others. ;)

Looking at bank shots, on some I have to take into consideration: speed, angle, spin transfer, collission spin.. or sometimes adjust speed and angle of hit to miss the double-kiss. I can't bust out a formula and plug in my estimated angles and speed, so I have to use feel. The same can be said with other shots.. if I'm cutting a ball in the side and want to spin off the short rail and side rail to bust up a cluster, how hard do I hit it and with how much spin? I don't tell myself that I'm hitting the CB to travel a potential 6 feet, with enough draw to pull back a foot and enough spin to come off the rail at a 45 degree angle.. I think to myself, "this feels about right to hit here and there with enough power for the break-out".
 
I was watching a good, but very vocal player in a tournament the other day. There was a shot where the cue ball had to pass between two closely spaced balls a good distance away. He said, "My eyes tell me this won't go, but my heart says it will." He shot and made it.

When you throw a paper wad in the basket, do you use a system? When that idiot whips out in front of you, and you hit the brakes, steer to the right, and grab your phone to keep it from flying through the windshield--all in a fraction of a second--how much planning did you do?

I think our subconscious minds are smarter than our conscious minds, and it's easy to think too much when playing pool.
 
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Banks said:
Aiming by feel is like painting.. you don't need to know the exact size of an object that you're painting, because what you know and create just feels right. Of course, some paint much better than others. ;)

Looking at bank shots, on some I have to take into consideration: speed, angle, spin transfer, collission spin.. or sometimes adjust speed and angle of hit to miss the double-kiss. I can't bust out a formula and plug in my estimated angles and speed, so I have to use feel. The same can be said with other shots.. if I'm cutting a ball in the side and want to spin off the short rail and side rail to bust up a cluster, how hard do I hit it and with how much spin? I don't tell myself that I'm hitting the CB to travel a potential 6 feet, with enough draw to pull back a foot and enough spin to come off the rail at a 45 degree angle.. I think to myself, "this feels about right to hit here and there with enough power for the break-out".
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I think I know what you're saying. Like on those straight back banks that look impossible but if you crank it it will come straight back and in? There is definite feel on those shots.
But even then what are you doing with your eyes? Are you aiming a point on the CB to a point on the OB? Are you seeing an imaginary line from one to the other? Or none of that?

Also, in talking about breaking up the cluster, I don't think the discussion is about after the ball is made, it's about how you made the ball.
 
UNcluttering your mind in order to play good pool can be a beautiful (and helpful) thing.

In my humble opinion, of course.

Best,
Brian kc
 
Koop said:
I think I know what you're saying. Like on those straight back banks that look impossible but if you crank it it will come straight back and in? There is definite feel on those shots.
But even then what are you doing with your eyes? Are you aiming a point on the CB to a point on the OB? Are you seeing an imaginary line from one to the other? Or none of that?

Also, in talking about breaking up the cluster, I don't think the discussion is about after the ball is made, it's about how you made the ball.
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I usually find the target spot for the neutral angle of the OB. From there, I figure out where I'm going to be hitting it from where the CB lays. If I'm coming across it, I'm going to be imparting a little collission spin, so I'll need to add that in and shorten up the spot on the rail. If I need to avoid a scratch or do anything with the CB, I'll figure out where abouts I'll need to hit the CB and then figure that into the equation for the OB target spot. I guess it's sort of cross-referencing each hit spot (CB, OB and rail) until my mind says go. It can also be as easy as having a slightly wide angle on a cross-side and just tightening it up with some english.

Maybe I misunderstood.. but when I shoot, I consider the hit and english when lining up the shot. It's like a soft masse or a kill shot.. I'd say most people guestimate those. You have to take into consideration the funny stuff you're doing with the CB when you're taking your shot.
 
Banks said:
I usually find the target spot for the neutral angle of the OB. From there, I figure out where I'm going to be hitting it from where the CB lays. If I'm coming across it, I'm going to be imparting a little collission spin, so I'll need to add that in and shorten up the spot on the rail. If I need to avoid a scratch or do anything with the CB, I'll figure out where abouts I'll need to hit the CB and then figure that into the equation for the OB target spot. I guess it's sort of cross-referencing each hit spot (CB, OB and rail) until my mind says go. It can also be as easy as having a slightly wide angle on a cross-side and just tightening it up with some english.

Maybe I misunderstood.. but when I shoot, I consider the hit and english when lining up the shot. It's like a soft masse or a kill shot.. I'd say most people guestimate those. You have to take into consideration the funny stuff you're doing with the CB when you're taking your shot.
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Thank you. I see what you're saying.
In all honesty, I am a system user but by no means do I think it's the only way to go. There a couple of local guys, ok more than a couple, that can absolutely drill me and have no idea what they do to aim.
Systems do work but without some natural talent you're only going to go so far. Just ask me :)
 
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