Problems: right handed and LEFT eye dominant

[thelongbomber]

One of my m8's is struggling with aim/alignment and has exhausted all avenues trying to fix it. We even spent some time with HD video but I can't seem to figure out what the single major issues are. Does anyone have advice on how to properly align your eyes and cue so that the left eye dominant player can still cue properly and cleanly when down?

When standing at the shot (before getting down), he is centre aligned and can see the "line" clearly - his nose is in line with the shot line (where the cue ball should go).

However, when he get's down, it seems that he stands the way a right eye dominant player would with the cue, bridge hand, and back hand slightly under his right eye and that of course throws every shot off. He thinks he is aligned on the shot but I can clearly see (even without the camera footage), that his cue is not in line with the shot line. He seems to hit all left cut shots thin, and all right cut shots thick.

Personally, I believe it's his table approach and foot movement that needs to change (so that he drops over the cue properly and in alignment) but I'm not sure.

Thanks!

[thelongbomber]

Thinking about it some more, shouldn't your cue always be under your chin regardless of dominant eye? If you can agree that we all see with both eyes and that the brain compensates for eye dominance to form a clear image, shouldn't our cue then be centre aligned also?

But then again, look at Neil Robertson. He seems to be right eye dominant and left handed because of the way he positions his head (actually not square to the shot).

Myself, I find when I'm shooting well that the middle of my chin is touching my cue, and I don't really have to think about eye dominance. I walk in properly, and directly down the line of the shot line and bring my cue across my body (a bit like Stephen Maguire).

Ugh! All this eye dominance is rather confusing!!

[nrage]

I think we can get used to just about any eye/cue position with enough practice. However, ideally, we want what we 'see' to be 'correct'. I believe that most people should have the cue fairly central, with an eye either side. But, as you say there are a lot of top level players who have the cue to one side or the other. I wonder if this is what gives them the 'correct' image, or whether they have just gotten used to it.

Something Terry showed me when we had a coaching session was to get down on a shot aiming at the edge of the pocket leather of a pocket which is 12ft+ away, then to close first one eye and then the other. With my left eye closed the cue appeared to me to be lined up with the edge of the leather but with my right eye closed the cue appeared to be very slightly off the pocket leather. I reckon this indicates that I am right eye dominant.. or perhaps I just had the cue in slightly the wrong position for my left eye.. maybe there is a position where both eyes appear lined up.. this is something I meant to experiment with and forgot.

If you do a bit of a search you should be able to find Terry's advice on how to get down on a shot, the key is a hip twist after placing the feet, but before bending over (so while still standing) which brings the head back into the center, and the nose back on the line. This means you're bending directly down over the line, as opposed to bending and twisting at the same time, which causes you to swoop down and left/right onto the line. I think this technique improves the accuracy of getting down on a shot.

[thelongbomber]

Excellent thanks for the info nrage. I'm going to try the eye opening/closing myself too

[Terry Davidson]

bomber:

If you think this player needs to line the cue up under his dominant eye the easiest way to do it without impacting his set-up is to have him turn his head slightly to the right so the nose is pointed to the right about 20-30 degrees of the line which will bring the left eye more over the cue but not exactly over it. It doesn't take much of a head turn.

After my eye surgery I am now right-handed and left dominant (I was right dominant all my life) and I find when I turn my head slightly and close my right eye the cue looks accurately lined up on the shot. I've tried the Joe Davis thing with the cue running under the left side of my chin but that felt really weird and soon went back to just turning slightly

Terry

[thelongbomber]

Thanks Terry for replying. Oddly enough, that's what I suggested as well when I noticed Neil had a slight head cock too. I'm going to speak with him and see if he can manage.