Hey its my first post on AZ, but I am an A player. And I think the only way to get to A status and above to lets say world class, is to have a consistent and highly accurate aiming technique. I mean where you can play on triple shimmed GC pockets as well as WPBA pockets. Now I have tried to explain with some fervor my aiming technique to decent players who were inconsistent. But the problem I find is when I get to the part where I can just "see" it, that's where the oh I get it stops. So the question is to other semi-professional to professional players is... Do you have an aiming technique in which part of it you can teach, but then some of it becomes intangible. Because believe me I wish I could teach it, it would make me some sweet bucks. Thanks guys.
Your aiming technique
- Thread starter RunoutalloverU
- Start date
Haha, another popular thread right now is about aiming systems but that's already controversial enough so I'm not gonna get into that subject in here. Check out "S.A.M. does anyone use it..." for that commentary. Generally I find my point of aim and shoot a la ghost ball or I use a system.
I don't really think advanced play involves all that much concious aiming technique. I think it is largely a matter of seeing the angle and feeling the shot along with where the cue balls track will go as a part of what I call the entire event. Merely pocketing the ball is only half the event. To see and feel the entire event helps it happen.
Having the confidence in your shot (especially on cut shots) to follow through is important also. Staying down, smooth delivery with unforced effort to follow through would be what I describe as advanced aiming and delivery technique.
Point of aim, point of contact, and even ghost ball concepts are not IMO advanced techniques. They are the basics.
Sometimes for me, (and I'm no pro) on a long difficult cut shot where the cue and object ball are close, but the pocket is far away, I pick a spot on the table 5 or 6 inches ahead of the object ball, along the proper path to the pocket and I use the spot as a guide since its almost impossible to sight the cue ball, object ball and pocket together when you are down nice and low and the angle to a remote pocket is steep. If the object ball passes over this spot, it will go into the pocket down table.
Sometimes I think a slight hesitation on your backstroke also aids in aiming.
Having the confidence in your shot (especially on cut shots) to follow through is important also. Staying down, smooth delivery with unforced effort to follow through would be what I describe as advanced aiming and delivery technique.
Point of aim, point of contact, and even ghost ball concepts are not IMO advanced techniques. They are the basics.
Sometimes for me, (and I'm no pro) on a long difficult cut shot where the cue and object ball are close, but the pocket is far away, I pick a spot on the table 5 or 6 inches ahead of the object ball, along the proper path to the pocket and I use the spot as a guide since its almost impossible to sight the cue ball, object ball and pocket together when you are down nice and low and the angle to a remote pocket is steep. If the object ball passes over this spot, it will go into the pocket down table.
Sometimes I think a slight hesitation on your backstroke also aids in aiming.
RunoutalloverU said:
Potting balls is all about good fundamentals, aiming generally isn't tough. But I think as you get better your aiming has to become more automatic, which helps with your confidence.
Eventually players have to start recognizing the angles, because if you are always applying your system to shots as though you've never seen it before, it's tough to get get truly comfortable.
i like to use a double image of the cueball and the eclispe of how much the cueball covers the objectball, along with a mix of Small Ball, and Center 2 Edge.
RunoutalloverU said:
i have been retired from pool since 94 and started back again, at my best I was a weak A player or a real strong B there is alot on distance in there I know. but just for the hell of it I decided that since I had such a long layoff I'd get lessions from a pro, we played for a while I won a respectable amount of games, then he sat down and watched me play, i wasnt missing much- I told him I was playing good that day for me, since the layoff. he noted 2 things I was doing wrong that was making my game inconsistant, I'm working on them now-playing worse but i need to adapt to it, pulling the trigger at the right time( its a bit more complex than that) and a slight hesitation on my final back stroke before I hit the rock, when I do it right, i can feel the difference and I'm 100% positive that i'll play better than ever soon as I make these minor adjustments, i have a great stroke etc he said, i knew that, but i still miss balls i shouldnt, with the slight changes i'm making it will produce major changes in my game, its just a very slight adjustment when you play at a high level, now the C and D players have obvious problems that any B plaayer can fix. But at my level i need a pro or someone close to that level to see whats wrong-I look like I play better than I do because I have a great stroke, but i miss to much to be a solid A player.
forget what Efren says he is in outer space laughing at the rest of us.
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Repetition tells you where to aim...after 15 or 20 years playing the game you know where to aim..its second nature...That can only be learn not taught..
One old timer who has long sinced passed told me a bit of rather unique advice...If a room is dark and has over head lighting OLD SCHOOL..the reflection on the object ball will show you the path to the pocket...It is not exact and you have to adjust a bit...But it works pretty damn well
HENCE the term SHOOT THE LIGHTS OUT
One old timer who has long sinced passed told me a bit of rather unique advice...If a room is dark and has over head lighting OLD SCHOOL..the reflection on the object ball will show you the path to the pocket...It is not exact and you have to adjust a bit...But it works pretty damn well
HENCE the term SHOOT THE LIGHTS OUT
Aiming systems confuse the hell out of me. I've always just looked at the target ball & seen where I need to hit it. It's worked for me for years. I'm not saying systems are no good, plenty of folks use them & they work for them.
Maybe using one would help move my game up a level. I'm always willing to learn. You have to be in this game!
Maybe using one would help move my game up a level. I'm always willing to learn. You have to be in this game!
In other sports (Basket ball, foot ball, baseball) I have good hand-eye coordination. In pool, however, I had the HARDEST time pocketing balls - I learned the cue ball and the 'right shots' way before I started pocketing balls even decent.
About 4 months ago I came across a new aiming system, which is something that I don't think I can teach - I just saw a line going from the ball to the pocket and I didn't even really aim at that line, to me it kind of looked like when I was shooting the ball it was aimed into the rail, I just saw a movie of the ball going in the pocket in my head and when it felt right I'd shoot... this worked pretty good for me - I was pocketing balls at least 3 balls better than I ever had.
In the past couple days, however, after watching a video of Earl Strickland shoot, I started wondering "why does he shoot so good with the cue way under his right eye?" - I've always had mine centered, and most people I see shoot do the same - so I tried getting down on the ball like I always do, and I just moved my head a lot to the left, so the cue was under my right eye dominantly (which happens to be my dominant eye) and now the shots all look natural, I can just see the spot to hit that goes to the hole and shoot at it - but now I'm going threw the whole process of re-training my brain, right now it's confused sometimes when I shoot, because I know how it's "supposed" to look in my head.. I spent so long fighting the urge to hit where I thought I was supposed to...
I think it has something to do with how much sports I played as a kid, every ball I ever shot, basket ball, baseball, foot ball, they were all thrown from my right side of my body - so it makes sense that my hand-eye coordination would be designed to be accurate from when I'm shooting with the cue under my right eye instead of under my chin.
I'm by no means an A player - but I'd like to think I'm about as knowledgeable (play wise) as one.
About 4 months ago I came across a new aiming system, which is something that I don't think I can teach - I just saw a line going from the ball to the pocket and I didn't even really aim at that line, to me it kind of looked like when I was shooting the ball it was aimed into the rail, I just saw a movie of the ball going in the pocket in my head and when it felt right I'd shoot... this worked pretty good for me - I was pocketing balls at least 3 balls better than I ever had.
In the past couple days, however, after watching a video of Earl Strickland shoot, I started wondering "why does he shoot so good with the cue way under his right eye?" - I've always had mine centered, and most people I see shoot do the same - so I tried getting down on the ball like I always do, and I just moved my head a lot to the left, so the cue was under my right eye dominantly (which happens to be my dominant eye) and now the shots all look natural, I can just see the spot to hit that goes to the hole and shoot at it - but now I'm going threw the whole process of re-training my brain, right now it's confused sometimes when I shoot, because I know how it's "supposed" to look in my head.. I spent so long fighting the urge to hit where I thought I was supposed to...
I think it has something to do with how much sports I played as a kid, every ball I ever shot, basket ball, baseball, foot ball, they were all thrown from my right side of my body - so it makes sense that my hand-eye coordination would be designed to be accurate from when I'm shooting with the cue under my right eye instead of under my chin.
I'm by no means an A player - but I'd like to think I'm about as knowledgeable (play wise) as one.
If it comes down to a shot with my case $20 on the line The last thing I would rely on would be some aiming system. If I miss I would rather know I dogged it. Better than to use some aiming system and then say " what happened"? If I dogged it I would know what happened. If I don't know what happened how can I correct that?
why guys thanks for the responses ive enjoyed reading them. A few observations....its not your stroke. I mean up to a certain point it isnt. And I think a simple illustration shows this. I see a lot of ok players with beautiful strokes, but of course they miss a lot. And when they miss they inevitably look back at their arm and do the whole obligatory practice stroke after I miss thing. But I hate to tell them it isnt their stroke, its the fact that they have no consistent aiming technique therefore no real true consistent play. And after you have an aiming technique that makes pocketing balls easy, and yes all shots easy, you then can work on cue ball control. How many times have you got perfect shape on your next shot, but missed. Or you make a good shot, only to not get good position. You need both and you need both consistently. I know it isnt easy, but I play on a west coast tour, and believe me if you can break and run out (not just play some silly "ghost" game in your garage) against an opponent your well on your way to beating a lot of decent to good players.
I think once you find a way to pocket balls stick with it, instead concentrate on the speed of your shots, this has a huge impact on how good you pocket balls. there are a variety of differnt speeds needed for differnt shots, whether its a big draw shot or a thin angle with alot of spin. or a stop shot. I set up a shot I know Im having trouble with and shoot them with differnt speeds until I know its right, I then shoot 5 or more reps to burn this into my head, then I move to something else.
So I think if you had the best sytem ever in the world, but your speed is bad, you could struggle for 100 years and never achieve a WORLD CLASS status. Or a good B player with the worst aiming sytem but good speed will walk all over you.
SPINDOKTOR
So I think if you had the best sytem ever in the world, but your speed is bad, you could struggle for 100 years and never achieve a WORLD CLASS status. Or a good B player with the worst aiming sytem but good speed will walk all over you.
SPINDOKTOR
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As someone who, once upon a time, could "just see it," but who now can't, I know exactly what you're talking about. Not only could I instantly see the contact point on the ob, but I could just as quickly see the corresponding point on the cb that would line up with it and the target line. When you can see like that, you can't help wondering about all the talk about aiming systems - it's like someone writing a 3 volume treatise on taking a sip of water. 
I occasionally read about an instructor's aiming system that is said to take all the guesswork out of it, and about the students having good results. Hey, whatever works for you. As for me, I'm firmly in the "you just see it" camp. If you can't just "see it", you haven't played enough or maybe haven't been paying close enough attention.
Every time you hit a ball, you have another demonstration of what hit produces what path. Pay attention to these demonstrations! After a while they will become second nature. You can accelerate the process by hitting the same shot many times in a row. Pay attention to the collision. Pretty soon you will be mentally saying "That looks a little too thick .... now maybe it's a little thin .... now it looks about right", and fire. The more exprienced you become, the faster this mental calculation will take place.
The younger you are, the easier the "seeing it" process will come to you. Kids learn stuff like this faster than adults.
Every time you hit a ball, you have another demonstration of what hit produces what path. Pay attention to these demonstrations! After a while they will become second nature. You can accelerate the process by hitting the same shot many times in a row. Pay attention to the collision. Pretty soon you will be mentally saying "That looks a little too thick .... now maybe it's a little thin .... now it looks about right", and fire. The more exprienced you become, the faster this mental calculation will take place.
The younger you are, the easier the "seeing it" process will come to you. Kids learn stuff like this faster than adults.
Rich93 said:
I agree, alot of players use so much effort just to pocket a ball, that its hard for them to run out, sure they made the ball but whatabout the position?, so I agree.. Pay attention to whats happening...
I think anyone who is rated as an A player should have a handle on speed and position, if you find yourself constantly with tough runouts you need to rethink your position. If your just missing balls badly, Id take a look at your stroke, if you feel your lining up correctly. Useualy there is always a key obstacle in a persons game thats causing a glitch.
Right now my problem is playing position to avoid banks, whitch isnt good at times, thus my run outs are much more complicated than they should be. Its weird because if I play one pocket I do fine. 9 ball, I just cringe when I have to bank. Im not confortable with it, and at times instead of taking the easier shot, Im forced to play a long shot at tough angles, or use alot of spin to position the cue ball. This makes for tough games, and stress, If your constanly stressed every rack something either mentaly or physicaly is wrong.
The best way is to use mirror's or video s, to evalute your game, especialy when you feel your run out could have been better. you'll pick up things your not aware of while your shooting. I use to take the video camera with me to the hall all the time, at first they gave me hell, but after a few times they even helped out.
SPINDOKTOR
Rich93 said:
I sure can't argue with the fact that kids eyes see better than us older players. My son, (now 30) shot 8' long shots into the pocket like nothing when he was 9 yrs old. Even more so than the eyes however, I always felt that he never knew this was tough to do. He just did it. Or in other words, no negative thoughts to cloud his ability to pocket the ball.
I believe the voices inside are more responsible for our missing than most of us may think. I also believe that aiming systems give our brain something to specifically focus on, there by impeading the negative thoughts somewhat and giving us focus. I'm confident that similar positive results would come from any variety of methods of focus whether they have anything to do with aim or not.
I consider myself a B+ to A player and I think that at that level and above the games misses become largely a product of poor focus or negative thoughts. When I'm in stroke and playing well, there is no aiming going on, its just happening and I'm almost a innocent bystander.
I hear alot of guys even my own teammates say to each other when someone misses. "Your Standing Up" sometimes it might be due to that, but i find myself standing up when i am in a hurry and i think the shot is a Gimme. I know about 90% of the time i miss is due to not aiming. Either in my pre shot routine while standing, or down over the shot. My motto for me was if i have a aiming system that i am consistent with and helps me make the ball it doesn't matter where the cueball landed i can make it. A perfectionist thing that i always had, i think it came from Video Games when i was a kid. Me, i believe the aiming systems help me as i can rely on them, i never ever was one to just get down and shoot, i wanted to have a routine on what to do for a certain shot, and where my eyes look. I learn things quick but the problem for me was i am too mechanical at the things i like to do or play. I do have a system but i am too tired of trying to explain it, it might be crazy but it does boil down the same thing on all systems.
TheConArtist said:
Hi. When I read that, the first thought that came to mind relative to your statement on standing up causing missing, was that if you focus on the path of the cue ball, (post object ball contact) it will do two things for you at least. It will 1. give you a point of focus, and 2. it will prevent you from getting up or jumping up from your stance too soon.