dominant eye and cueing problems

[toupihiggins]

I need help with two problems:

The first one is my aiming. I know that my dominant eye is the right eye but when i'm aiming i put the cue under my left eye. I don't know if this affects my game. I mean i got used like this and started training like this. I tried in the last two days to try and correct this but i'm missing 80% of the pots. I was just wondering if i got used not to aim using my dominant eye is a big problem that must be corrected or else should i continue the aiming how i got used to by now.

My second problem is my cueing. This is an old problem i have that i didn't manage to correct by now but, like the first one, it's part of the routine now. When i start cueing i aim to a point on the cue ball but i strike a few mm down. The thing is that get the cue ball where i want and i don't miss the position because of that but i don't know why i aim in a place and i shot in another place. Many people told me about this problem, i've even tried to correct it but when i try to strike at the same place I aim, usually it's a miss. As i said, i get the cue ball where i want and after some months of training it's part of the routine that i've made before i strike.

In conclusion i just want to know if those problems MUST be solved or, if they are already part of my routing, I should leave them alone.

Thanks

[Terry Davidson]

Do not worry about the dominant eye thing or the aiming since both are not really a problem since the brain will work out the aiming as long as you are consistent in your technique. What concerns me is that you are not cueing under centre-chin or close to it so you may want to check out how you set up to the cueball. You can use a mirror for this although the best solution is a video camera with you actually taking the shot and then you can see the whole set-up and technique in action.

A fair number of players will line up, say, to centre ball (in height) when feathering but will change the level of the cue tip up or down on the cueball at time of strike. This is not recommended as it demands very precise timing and coordination and is just another thing to control. What I believe is you are raising the elbow at the time of delivery and just before striking the cueball so to eliminate this start with your grip arm elbow as high as you can comfortably get it and only lower it at the end of a longer backswing and at the end of the delivery, after the cueball has been strick (this is only done to keep the cue on the same plane throughout the stroke).

One other problem which might be causing the butt to come up (and thus the tip down on the cueball) is you are closing the grip fingers too soon in the delivery. This should also happen after the cueball is hit.

Without being able to see you in action I'm afraid this is the best I can think of at the moment.

Terry

[toupihiggins]

Thanks for the information given Terry. I will try to make a video and see exactly what is the source of the problem. It's very frustrating because i worked hard on my technique. I've introduced a backswing that helps not to rush the shots anymore, i've finally got a smoother cue action but, every time i correct something, a new problem seems to appear.

[Terry Davidson]

toupi:

I think your best bet would be to see a qualified coach or else video yourself and try some self-coaching. You could post a video of yourself here via a youtuvbe link but make sure you have a camera with a tripod and some kind of extra lighting (one of those desktop swivel lights would do) so the coaches on here can see the grip hand and forearm/shoulder and see what you're doing.

I would say video at least 5 long blues from directly ahead over the top pocket and then 5 more long blues with the camera directly behind the grip hand and another 5 with the camera to the side to show the grip hand up to top of head.

Terry

[toupihiggins]

Hi,

I have revived this thread in order to get a piece of advice from someone. I knew that i was having aiming problems and made some videos with myself training. My aiming looks terrible but i got used to it. Can you please look and tell what is the problem?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG6N4WA9cmA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7yMpIlh8h8

Thanks,
Liviu

[Terry Davidson]

toupihiggins:

Are you kidding? I go on and on regarding any head/shoulder movement during the backswing or delivery and all I see in your videos you lifting your head as you deliver the cue on EVERY shot, even the low power ones.

I cannot over emphasize the importance of STAYING STILL ON THE SHOT!!! Until you get that under control any improvement you see will be a lot slower than it should be.

Keep your chin on the cue throughout the backswing and delivery and keep the cue on the same plane and your head should stay still. Also imagine your tip hitting the OBJECT ball on every shot that has 12" or more between the balls

I also recommend you do some research in the coaching strings on this site

Terry

[toupihiggins]

Thanks Terry,

I'll come back next week with some new videos, hopefully improved.

Liviu

[magicman]

Terry offers good advice about keeping still, but I always think 'stay down' rather than stay still, which tends to keep your chin on the cue. I'd have to beg to differ with Terry about the sighting though. If you're right eye dominant what's the point of sighting out of your weak eye? Get your chin on the cue and sight out of both eyes at least.

Secondly: You really must prepare to hit the cue-ball where you intend to hit it. If you're following through with top, then your bridge hand should be in a slightly more raised than normal position. If you're playing a screw shot then your bridge hand should be flatter than normal. To get a consistent reaction from the white, you must know exactly what will happen when you hit the cue-ball where you hit it. A slight stun back is slightly below centre, a slight stun forward slightly above centre.

[toupihiggins]

@magicman

Thanks,

I've tried today to improve my stance. I can stay still on the shot but still sometimes shot lower then i aim. The think is that the cue ball goes exactly where i want to but I don't know what inside my brain that makes me aim a bit higher on the cue ball. Maybe I should slow down the rhythm. I'll try and practice more this week and hopefully I'll post another video in the next few days.

I really appreciate you all for the advice you give me. It's really hard for me to find a proper coach nearby.

Thanks,
Liviu

[davisskeggsm]

dominant eye and cueing problems

May i ask if your left, or right handed?

Matt

[toupihiggins]

I am right handed. Why do you ask?

Liviu

[toupihiggins]

As I have said I came back with a new video. Potting is better but still hard to improve my technique. I'm still trying every time i go out there training. Unfortunately, when I play slower and i think more about my technique, I miss a lot of easy shots. Please let me know if you see any improvements in my game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP_4skc3pPo

Thanks,
Liviu

[Terry Davidson]

toupi:

Your problem isn't what you think it is and it's totally obvious on your video (despite the music). I have said this easily 100 times on here, over and over and OVER again.

YOU CANNOT ALLOW YOUR UPPER BODY TO MOVE DURING THE BACKSWING AND DELIVERY.
On EVERY ONE of your shots when you deliver the cue and right at the start of the delivery you are lifting your right shoulder and head which HAS to take the cue slightly off the line of aim and I note a lot of your pots did not go into the centre of the pocket.

UNTIL YOU START KEEPING YOUR SHOULDER AND HEAD still ALL THE WAY FROM WHEN YOU FEATHER UNTIL after YOU DELIVER THE CUE YOUR IMPROVMENT WILL BE AN AWFUL LOT SLOWER THAT IT WOULD BE IF YOU STAYED still.

Every coach in the world, good or bad, and any coach who has ever existed all agree on this point. This movement has become natural to you and it will take a lot of dedication to break the habit but you must stick with it if you want to improve.

Terry

[Particle Physics]

More of the pro players are playing one eyed nowadays. This seems a poor solution to me. The best thing is to train the weak eye IMO. Olympic shooters and archers do this, as stereo vision improves accuracy. Stereo vision appears to be very important amongst the balls and at tight angles. It also gives the player a broader view of the balls on the surface, when he gets down. It can improve all aspects of life. Folk spend hours practising shots, but don't address eye use. A couple of hours patching a day for a while will sort it. Or you can make a conscious effort to stare at the two balls with your weak eye when on the shot. Think about it, who are the greatest break builders of all time? Hendry, Davis, Ronnie, Higgins, etc. They all have perfectly balanced sighting through both eyes. And to me, when a pro player has the cue down the side of his face, boy does that look ungainly.

[Terry Davidson]

Sorry, all pro players use both eyes although there are some which appear to not do that, like Jamie Jones for instance.

The fact that the cue is not exactly on centre-chin is just a result of their own particular set-up but they are still using both eyes. The only great player who has sighted one-eyed was Joe Davis because he was almost blind in his right eye. This is where the dominant eye theory came from.

Binocular vision is the only way to go, but it doesn't mean the cue has to be exactly centre-chin. That is more dependent on the player's physique

Terry