JoeyinCali,
We see in straight lines. I'd say most people can visualize a line to an objective aiming reference and even extend that line to another aim point.
When looking for a ghostball. unless your visual skills are highly developed, there is no objective aim point. If there were an objective aim point on the ghost ball then players would have a straight visual line to that aim point.
Stan
Objective aim point is a a bulleye on a target that you shot it by properly aligning the front and rear sights.
Unless there is a hit here sign, there are no such things as objective aim points in shot making.
And you are so wrong about ghost ball not having a straight visual line to aim at. This is the biggest problem with people that do not really reseach something.
Read:
Since I like ghost ball, this is the way I got there. Back in the early 70's is when I started playing pool and back then there was nowhere near the available info on pool as there is now. It was all trial and error at first but kinda grew into using ghost ball. I played that way and was not too bad, but was not very serious about playing. More social than anything and faded from playing over time.
Back about 5 years or so, with the kids grown and time on my hands, I started playing again. Of course, I just used the old ways. The difference now is that I'm more serious than before, so I really want to improve. Read and tried fractional, parallel, light/reflection aiming systems, just about anything out there to help my quest. I even tried various banks systems.
I realized that I really didn't understand what was happening to make the cue ball actually hit the object ball to put it into a pocket. I had a general idea but nothing really solid.
So, on a sheet of paper, I drew two circles touching, one representing the OB, the other representing the GB. Where they touched is the contact point. I marked both centers on the paper. Then I drew a line from the contact point toward the direction of the pocket. Then I drew another circle somewhere on the paper to representing the CB with its centered marked. Ghost ball on paper.
Studying that drawing, I noticed a few things and kinda came up with some new terms, at least for me.
One is contact patch. That is the area where the ball meets the table and is also the center of all the circles. That’s what all balls roll on.
Another is direction of travel. That would be the direction a ball rolls. I like this because the word travel implies movement which is a big part of pool and needs to be thought about. This is also what the contact patch rolls on.
Looking at just the OB and GB circles, I noticed the OB and GB contact patches and contact point are on the same line. I then realized the direction of travel of the OB really started at the GB contact patch. Also, that the GB contact patch is always 1/2 ball from the edge of the OB, as long as both are the same size.
I then included the CB circle into the mix. First thing I noticed was that if I put the CB contact patch at the GB contact patch, the OB will go in. Second, was that no matter the cut angle, I had to put the CB contact patch at the GB patch. This is why I have a hard time believing a true 90 degree cut shot. Third, that the direction of travel of the CB after hitting a OB ball starts at the GB contact patch which also the starting point for the direction of travel for the OB.
Now, I added spin into the mix. I noticed that any hit on the center line of the CB circle is right toward the GB contact point and on the CB circle direction of travel to the GB contact patch. This also means that the cue stick should be on that same line. This is the heart of shot making.
This is why learning center ball is very important.
Since the GB contact patch is always 1/2 ball from the OB edge, adjusting for side spin is just a matter of rotating the GB contact patch in the proper direction around the edge of the OB for the side spin used. How much? That’s where table time comes in. You just can't know all about English unless you hit alot of balls with all types of spin and on different tables and hw the same table and set of balls can play different depending oh how clean and the weather. This is the biggest reason that HAMB is so important.
Something I noticed about using the direction of travel line of the OB. That was how far the pocket is from the OB really doesn't matter. What matter was this, knowing what the direction of travel of the OB would be for the type of shot being made and picking a point on that line about 4-6 inches in front of the OB. If you put the CB on the proper point on the table to cause the OB roll over that point, than the OB will go in.
Of course this was on paper, so time to go the table. This is where I started my GB visualization drill. At first I used the 8 and 1 ball and the CB. I'd place the 8 on the table as the OB and the 1 on the table as the GB and the CB somewhere else on the table like I did on paper.
I'd look at the 8/1 from a straight in shot point of view then move over to where the CB was, got in my stance as if to shoot, but didn't, but just looked the 1's contact patch. I would move the CB around or the 8/1 and repeat. It looked strange doing this drill, but I really didn't care. Drills are not always about hitting balls. This is also where the Arrow comes in handy cause you can actually have the arrow on the table and just aim at its point cause its point is the same as the GB contact patch.
Now, I have realized a few more things from this. One is the tops of the OB and CB are opposite of the contact patch. At times I use the top of the CB to sight to the where the GB contact patch would be. Sometimes I use just the tops of the CB and OB to sight. Also, I noticed my eye pattern is more up and down, looking from where the CB is to where I want to put it on the table. Unlike looking from a contact point on the OB to a spot table to where the CB should be and then back to the CB and back to the spot on the table to the contact point of the object for needed adjust.
Sometimes I use the lights to reference where the GB contact patch is. Sometimes I use fractional to reference where the GB contact is.
Sometimes I use parallel to reference where the GB contact patch is.
But I aim for the GB contact patch. There have been times, I see where the OB direction of travel starts, which is the same spot of the GB contact patch, I put the CB on that spot on the table and never really consider the OB. But this comes and goes and takes time, practice to learn.
Seldom do I even think of the contact point. I just used it to help establish the start point for the OB direction to travel. Once I have that, its forgotten. I never think about trying to hit a contact point on the OB with a contact point on the CB. It’s about putting the CB at the proper point on the table to make the OB go where I want it. I never try to "see" a GB.
Anyway, this is how I got to believe what I do about making shots in pool. I thought I had something new until I got Babe Canfields’ "Straight Pool Bible" and read the chapter about the arrow. I had nothing new, but I felt great that my thinking was almost exactly like his.
FWIW