Which system is closest to me?

ChrisWoj

ChrisWoj

Just some one eyed guy.
Silver Member
I'm a completely new player... Or at least completely new to wanting to be a damn good player. I decided last winter to turn myself into an Open caliber pool player (not sure what you call that in pool - in my sport experience "Open" division caliber means being able to compete in a completely unprotected heads up division). I know this is the sort of thing that takes years. And I want to do it right.

So what I want to know now is where I should gravitate. What system is the closest to my system of aiming, in order to get the advice that I will be the most comfortable with. I'm a proponent of the idea that as long as you have proper form and technique, then the key beyond the basics is to get to something that is the most comfortable for you and your eye.

Here's my system:

I stand over my shot for a moment and I identify the half-ball hit, where the object and the cue ball will go. From there I get down over the shot at the half ball hit, and rotate accordingly to make the shot thinner or thicker, to get the angle I need (when I say rotate - I mean using the cue ball as the pivot point for rotation of my body/stick orientation). Once done I pick the english I want to put on the shot to get my leave for the next shot, and further tweek my orientation to account for that and send the ball into the pocket.

Which aiming system is closest to this style of play? Which guru would be the best to gravitate toward? I'm sorry if this seems like a painfully obvious answer - I see all of these things popping up CTE, Ghost, Perfect Aim, etc and I've got no idea which I should be looking at (if any of those three).
 
That would be the "hamb" system. (Hit A Million Balls) Also called the "Feel system". If you don't "feel" it that day, try again another day.

edit: To be clearer, that is the system you now use. None of the actual systems are like it. You want something "easy on the eyes", well, how easy it is all depends on how used to doing something you are. Even making a closed bridge properly at first was difficult. If you like where you are, keep doing what you are. If you want something different, you will have to spend the time to learn something different. Whether that be an aiming system, or a change in your fundamentals. All aiming systems do is get you on the right line to make the shot. You still have to make it using whatever fundamentals you now have or learn, and still have to learn to control your mind properly to win. There's much more to the game than just getting on the right line to make the shot.
 
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Neil said:
That would be the "hamb" system. (Hit A Million Balls) Also called the "Feel system". If you don't "feel" it that day, try again another day.
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Haha and when I google it - a thread on these forums comes up with your name in the first post from 2010. :) I suppose 10000 posts will do that. ;)
 
ChrisWoj said:
Haha and when I google it - a thread on these forums comes up with your name in the first post from 2010. :) I suppose 10000 posts will do that. ;)
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That's interesting...when I google "hamb system", I'm not even on the first page of all that they list......;)
 
Primo said:
Keep shooting for years until you can recognize the angle from the ob to the pocket and the angle from ob to cb and how to connect them. The smart move would be to learn a system that will shorten the learning curve quite a bit.
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Well yeah - that's what I'm working on. The question is - which system is closest to the way I do things? Best guru to hear from in particular for the way I'm eyeballing it?
 
CTE
Google "Offset and Pivot Aiming Systems - Billiards the Game"
(says I need to post more than 5times before I can post a link)

I wouldnt call it as a feel-based aiming system as it incorporates the same principle found in CTE.
 
If you're looking for a 'feel' based system, I'd suggest you look into CJ Wiley's TOI. It's a very dynamic method bases on 'creating' the angles off of only two alignments.

Good Luck, Regards & Best Wishes,
Rick
 
I would strongly suggest buying Lee Bretts DVD. he's a very good player in all pocket billiard sports and one hell of a teacher. He covers fundamentals and the mental side in great detail.

On to the aiming methods. Seems to me you rely on past experience and feel. To get to an A or B standard; by that I mean purely an A or B players potting ability you would have to play for years to gather enough information for you to be able to pocket balls consistently by feel. A solid aiming system can drastically reduce the time it takes, but all will only work with a solid stroke. I recommend Stan Shuffet's CTE Pro One to any intermediate player. If you are infact completely new to pool then it may not be for you. Mohrt has his version of CTE and 90/90 aiming I believe. Just Google "Mohrt CTE" on the first page will be a link to his site. Its a much easier system to learn and will give you strong foundations to eventually move to Pro One when you are ready.

As you will know being able to pocket balls won't be enough to get you where you want to be. Search Youtube for "Dr. Dave". Watch all his videos because they are second to none. Covers everything you could possibly want to know about pool.

http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/aiming.html

The above link is the aiming section from Dr. Daves site. Plenty of aiming methods on there that are explained clearly. If you have a table at home try all the methods on there and eventually you will find one that works for you. If not, bookmark the page on your phone or tablet and take it to your pool room and try it there.

All the best, buddy.
 
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Pidge said:
I would strongly suggest buying Lee Bretts DVD. he's a very good player in all pocket billiard sports and one hell of a teacher. He covers fundamentals and the mental side in great detail.

On to the aiming methods. Seems to me you rely on past experience and feel. To get to an A or B standard; by that I mean purely an A or B players potting ability you would have to play for years to gather enough information for you to be able to pocket balls consistently by feel. A solid aiming system can drastically reduce the time it takes, but all will only work with a solid stroke. I recommend Stan Shuffet's CTE Pro One to any intermediate player. If you are infact completely new to pool then it may not be for you. Mohrt has his version of CTE and 90/90 aiming I believe. Just Google "Mohrt CTE" on the first page will be a link to his site. Its a much easier system to learn and will give you strong foundations to eventually move to Pro One when you are ready.

As you will know being able to pocket balls won't be enough to get you where you want to be. Search Youtube for "Dr. Dave". Watch all his videos because they are second to none. Covers everything you could possibly want to know about pool.

http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/aiming.html

The above link is the aiming section from Dr. Daves site. Plenty of aiming methods on there that are explained clearly. If you have a table at home try all the methods on there and eventually you will find one that works for you. If not, bookmark the page on your phone or tablet and take it to your pool room and try it there.

All the best, buddy.
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Yep I discovered the Dr Dave page for myself straight off in December, and it has been incredibly valuable. I've been absorbing everything that I'm capable of absorbing. Some things are too filled with terminology and lingo I'm unsure of at times, but most of it is fantastic. I'll take a look at the Lee Brett stuff next.

I'm not above looking for instruction. I'm getting $50 for a quick disc golf lesson on Wednesday, I am planning on paying it forward to the best bank player I can find around here (someone I've met and am confident he is a capable teacher, not just a player). Anything to speed the process what little you can over pure experience.
 
Chris,

I'd like to add that I agree with Pidge. (& Neil)

I am intrigued with CTE/Pro1 & am myself waiting for the new DVD.

I was suggesting CJ's TOI because, to me, it is not as technically structured as it very much involves 'feel' & is dynamic it that it utilizes the effects of an off center hit instead of being dependent on a center hit.

To me, TOI is simple in its foundation by aligning to just the center or edge of the object ball & then dynamically 'creating' the angle to pocket the ball from those base lines.

It just seemed to me by your post that TOI might be a better fit. I am very much a feel player myself & I like TOI as much if not more so than shooting nearly every shot with english.

Again CTE/Pro1 is intriguing.

You should garner as much objective info as you can & make your own determination as to what direction you wish to go.

Best Wishes & Good Luck on the Journey,
Rick
 
Try several methods. Picking something close to what you do now may not be optimal, as what you do now is simply what you happened to learn first.
 
I use the Hal Houle system which is easy but only thing is...learning and recognize the angles. There is Left Edge,Left quarter,Center,Right quarter and Rright edge. Now all those is a hitting points to make the ball into the pocket. You use the left edge and left quarter to make a shot going right. right edge and right quarter to go left. Center are for straight in shot.

Easy way to learn it is putting the tip not on the object but little bit away from the object ball pointing at the pocket....once got that....keep that tip there but move the cue to the where the cue ball is at center of the cue ball. from there you gotta know which it pointing at LE,LQ,CENTER,RQ OR RE. If don't know about quarter system.....http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=3528607 click on it and scroll down on it and you see it. I don't do center cue ball center to the fraction point/hal houle system. I aim center cue ball but at same time as I am center I got the edge of the edge of the shaft/tip aiming at the fraction/hal houle system or at the point. if going left use the left edge if going right use the right edge. That pretty much How I been aiming for 21 yrs. It take out the guess work and ghost ball method

Good luck to ya and if got question...can PM me
 
You are using what I would call objective feel. This is because you are starting with a known point that is fairly easy to recognize, the half ball hit. Then you adjust based on your feeling of whether the hit needs to be thicker or thinner. This is a very basic version of fractional aiming which includes the quarter ball hit and the 3/4 ball hit as aiming points with micro-adjustments in between.
 
I feel Hal Houle system very good than just haveing " Feeling or over thinking" Hal Houle System help you learn as you go learning how angle look and knowing what quarters and edges to hit at instead of thinking okay it that point okay it over at that point and other thinking( that all like guessing and guess feeling to me) me I can tell by looking at cue ball and angle relationship and says okay it a RQ hit and fire away and boom it went into the pocket. finding point or thinking that the point is guessing. Hal Houle system help ya choosing quarters and edges. I mean all you gotta do is choose of one them base on angle and fire at it. in reality.....you can hit like Hal Houle system then hit off just a bit off that RQ and still make it into the pocket. Choosing contact point is guessing.
 
JB Cases said:
You are using what I would call objective feel. This is because you are starting with a known point that is fairly easy to recognize, the half ball hit. Then you adjust based on your feeling of whether the hit needs to be thicker or thinner. This is a very basic version of fractional aiming which includes the quarter ball hit and the 3/4 ball hit as aiming points with micro-adjustments in between.
Click to expand...

John, shoot me a pm or email when you get a chance.
Thanks
 
ChrisWoj said:
I'm a completely new player... Or at least completely new to wanting to be a damn good player. I decided last winter to turn myself into an Open caliber pool player (not sure what you call that in pool - in my sport experience "Open" division caliber means being able to compete in a completely unprotected heads up division). I know this is the sort of thing that takes years. And I want to do it right.

So what I want to know now is where I should gravitate. What system is the closest to my system of aiming, in order to get the advice that I will be the most comfortable with. I'm a proponent of the idea that as long as you have proper form and technique, then the key beyond the basics is to get to something that is the most comfortable for you and your eye.

Here's my system:

I stand over my shot for a moment and I identify the half-ball hit, where the object and the cue ball will go. From there I get down over the shot at the half ball hit, and rotate accordingly to make the shot thinner or thicker, to get the angle I need (when I say rotate - I mean using the cue ball as the pivot point for rotation of my body/stick orientation). Once done I pick the english I want to put on the shot to get my leave for the next shot, and further tweek my orientation to account for that and send the ball into the pocket.

Which aiming system is closest to this style of play? Which guru would be the best to gravitate toward? I'm sorry if this seems like a painfully obvious answer - I see all of these things popping up CTE, Ghost, Perfect Aim, etc and I've got no idea which I should be looking at (if any of those three).
Click to expand...
If you a completely new player, I suggest CJ Wiley's "Ultimate Pool Secrets". It contains some aiming system as well as a pool player foundation lessons necessary for a successful player. Any aiming system itself helps only if you have a solid consistent stroke, stable posture, feel of the table (all tables are different) and special mindset.

Personally for me, principles described there helped me a lot.
 
I think a fractional system would seem intuitive for you - Joe Tucker I think has a good DVD/book on this.

I also think any of the pivot systems - Pro1, SEE - would also be good choices, as they are based on visualizing an initial relationship or overlap between the cue ball and object ball and performing visual or manual pivots or sweeps to land on the correct aim line.

I have some sample videos and information on my website, not to mention thousands of posts here you can wade through... :)

Scott
www.mypoolblog.com
 
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