Sighting The Ball

[humperdingle]

Regarding sighting the shot...

I somethimes find myself doing the following:
I stand back, look at the angle of object ball to pocket and then move round to the cueball, get down on shot, but in a somewhat diagonally downward motion. I'm assuming this is where the "Head straight down" rule comes in?

I need to focus on seeing the angle of pot and move round to cueball, and get straight down, not an angled approach...

Is this right? It's so difficult getting rid of old habits, but I really need to start potting more consistently!

[Terry Davidson]

humper:

Yes you are limiting your chances quite a lot by doing that. Except for pots to blind pockets or really difficult pots there should be no need to walk behind the red to check the angle. If you do this then you should not take your eyes off the object ball as you return to the cueball and that makes no sense as you have to look at the cueball to find it on the table. If you feel you must do this for a lot of pots (it should only be done around 3-5% of the time anyway) then look from behind the red to the pocket to ensure you have the angle fixed and then walk over to behind the cueball and stand behind it and imagine a ghost cueball in the plant position on the object ball.

For 95% of your shots you should imagine the ghost cueball and pick your line of aim to hit the centre of that ghost cueball. Place your straight leg foot on that line of aim and while still standing up ensure your head is right behind that line of aim and over your straight leg foot. The straight leg foot should then be placed directly on the line of aim and directly underneath your grip hand and while either leaning over or by twisting your hips while standing up you should bend the other leg, keeping the eyes on the object ball and take up the address position but ensuring you drop your head straight down on the line of aim.

NEVER come in from the side when getting down into the address position as then you have to re-acquire the line of aim and you don't get a good perspective for that when your eyes are down close to the table. This might be the reason you are having difficult potting, especially long shots or pots to closed pockets.

Terry

[humperdingle]

humper:

Yes you are limiting your chances quite a lot by doing that. Except for pots to blind pockets or really difficult pots there should be no need to walk behind the red to check the angle. If you do this then you should not take your eyes off the object ball as you return to the cueball and that makes no sense as you have to look at the cueball to find it on the table. If you feel you must do this for a lot of pots (it should only be done around 3-5% of the time anyway) then look from behind the red to the pocket to ensure you have the angle fixed and then walk over to behind the cueball and stand behind it and imagine a ghost cueball in the plant position on the object ball.

For 95% of your shots you should imagine the ghost cueball and pick your line of aim to hit the centre of that ghost cueball. Place your straight leg foot on that line of aim and while still standing up ensure your head is right behind that line of aim and over your straight leg foot. The straight leg foot should then be placed directly on the line of aim and directly underneath your grip hand and while either leaning over or by twisting your hips while standing up you should bend the other leg, keeping the eyes on the object ball and take up the address position but ensuring you drop your head straight down on the line of aim.

NEVER come in from the side when getting down into the address position as then you have to re-acquire the line of aim and you don't get a good perspective for that when your eyes are down close to the table. This might be the reason you are having difficult potting, especially long shots or pots to closed pockets.

Terry

Thanks Terry - I appreciate your time.

Must admit, I must have got the wrong end of the proverbial stick... I thought that looking at the OB/Pocket angle helped "See the angle", but I must have mis-read other posts!

This probably explains why I seem to pot better when not looking too far into things and playing a faster game.

I have problems with the ghost ball technique, though - Just can't seem to suss that one out.

Will definitely try the above technique next time out.

Thanks again.

[Terry Davidson]

humper:

Ghost ball and BOB are exactly the same thing, just using your imagination different. When you first picked up a cue and tried to pot a ball you automatically knew you had to hit the object ball directly opposite the pocket opening however you just couldn't deliver the cueball to that point.

I think everyone starts out by knowing they have to get the leading edge of the cueball to hit the spot on the object ball directly opposite the pocket. You may have imagined the real cueball striking the object ball in the plant position, so what you imagined was a 'ghost cueball' up against the object ball in the plant position and you aimed for the centre of that ghost cueball to get the real cueball to the correct contact point (which is called Back-Of-Ball or BOB).

You may have done it differently though and imagined the real cueball covering an arc on the object ball which again is exactly the same as ghost ball where you try and get the real cueball to contact the object ball and covering a specific arc of the object ball at contact.

The real basic problem with all of this is a huge majority of the players out there cannot deliver the cue consistently straight. They firmly believe they are (a video would soon prove them wrong) so they blame their aiming or sighting when every player with decent vision easily figures out the correct aiming point after a bit of experience but just cannot get the real cueball accurately to that point.

Terry

[humperdingle]

humper:

Ghost ball and BOB are exactly the same thing, just using your imagination different. When you first picked up a cue and tried to pot a ball you automatically knew you had to hit the object ball directly opposite the pocket opening however you just couldn't deliver the cueball to that point.

I think everyone starts out by knowing they have to get the leading edge of the cueball to hit the spot on the object ball directly opposite the pocket. You may have imagined the real cueball striking the object ball in the plant position, so what you imagined was a 'ghost cueball' up against the object ball in the plant position and you aimed for the centre of that ghost cueball to get the real cueball to the correct contact point (which is called Back-Of-Ball or BOB).

You may have done it differently though and imagined the real cueball covering an arc on the object ball which again is exactly the same as ghost ball where you try and get the real cueball to contact the object ball and covering a specific arc of the object ball at contact.

The real basic problem with all of this is a huge majority of the players out there cannot deliver the cue consistently straight. They firmly believe they are (a video would soon prove them wrong) so they blame their aiming or sighting when every player with decent vision easily figures out the correct aiming point after a bit of experience but just cannot get the real cueball accurately to that point.

Terry

If i'm using one of those techniques, it's purely subconscious... I just see an angle that 'looks right', i.e. an angle to equal that from the pocket to OB. But yes, my cueing definitely isn't 100%, but i'm working on that, too lol

[kadobau]

humper:

When you first picked up a cue and tried to pot a ball you automatically knew you had to hit the object ball directly opposite the pocket opening however you just couldn't deliver the cueball to that point.

Terry

This is my problem.... sometimes I can even hit the other side of the cue ball during long distance pot.... left instead of right or right instead of left.

[kadobau]

humper:

The real basic problem with all of this is a huge majority of the players out there cannot deliver the cue consistently straight. They firmly believe they are (a video would soon prove them wrong) so they blame their aiming or sighting when every player with decent vision easily figures out the correct aiming point after a bit of experience but just cannot get the real cueball accurately to that point.

Terry

Bingo, my cueing isn't straight ~~~ especially the delivery is even worst !
I knew, I knew it ~~ but I just can't make it straight ~~~~

[nrage]

This is my problem.... sometimes I can even hit the other side of the cue ball during long distance pot.... left instead of right or right instead of left.

This is probably because you've accidentally played with some side - side spin will cause the white to skew/squirt/head off on the wrong line and then will swerve back the other way. So, you've probably aimed it just fine but hit it wrong.

[nrage]

Must admit, I must have got the wrong end of the proverbial stick... I thought that looking at the OB/Pocket angle helped "See the angle", but I must have mis-read other posts!

It does help, but ideally you want to be able to see it from behind the white so it's best to practice that and only go round behind the OB if you're totally unsure.

This probably explains why I seem to pot better when not looking too far into things and playing a faster game.

Often this is because you are not allowing yourself time to 2nd guess your unconscious aiming ability. Playing faster helps, but it's not essential, you can get the same result with some discipline. Envision the ghost ball, or the line of aim, get down on the shot and provided it "looks good" take the shot. If at any point it looks wrong, get up and start again. You can take your time with this process, you don't have to do it quickly. By being disciplined about it you will more quickly train your mind to pick the correct line of aim.

[nrage]

Bingo, my cueing isn't straight ~~~ especially the delivery is even worst !
I knew, I knew it ~~ but I just can't make it straight ~~~~

If you can post a video we can give pointers. Generally a slower smoother delivery is easier to control. Practice playing dead straight short blues across the table with top, try to get the white to follow into the pocket. Both balls should go into the very middle of the pocket, ideally. Can you pot 10 in a row and follow with the white all 10 times?

[alabadi]

I still have some trouble picking the angle, I am getting better just standing behind the white, but still go round behind the object ball to check, maybe I am doing it too often and should start learning to do it without the walk around, unless the shot is a difficult one.

I still have some issues with the black from high, I was practicing yesterday and it was weird, every time my mind would tell me I am overcutting I actually undercut it. I was playing the black into the top pocket from the green side about 1/2 cut.

It took me several shots to get the angle right but it was a battle between my eyes and brain, what I saw was right but my brain was conflicting this image. I spoke to my coach who I will see again next Wednesday for another hour, he said trust your eyes, I need to keep forcing it until the brain accepts it as the correct angle.

I think because I am not sure I might be introducing some movement by trying to steer it to where my brain thinks the correct line is.
I find this a bit controversial in the sense how can a person override what the mind is saying when it is it that controls everything, from sight to movement... really tricky

Alabbadi

[nrage]

I think because I am not sure I might be introducing some movement by trying to steer it to where my brain thinks the correct line is.
I find this a bit controversial in the sense how can a person override what the mind is saying when it is it that controls everything, from sight to movement... really tricky

The brain has 2 hemispheres and they "talk" to each other. Perhaps the eyes and brain in your example are separate hemispheres and one has more direct control over the hands.

[j6uk]

Everyone misses, even the best, we see it all the time. From the twenty break maker to the top players in the world. Knowledge and practice being the divider.
Sometimes it is what it is and that is that. line up a 3/4 ball black and brown. For the black you'd put the white parallel with the black and side cushion. For the brow, to replicate the same shot, you'd put the white between the crescent of the D and the cushion directly behind the brown spot.. Its the same shot.
This goes on all over the table.

[alabadi]

For the brow, to replicate the same shot, you'd put the white between the crescent of the D and the cushion directly behind the brown spot.. Its the same shot.
This goes on all over the table.

I would need a diagram for that to be clear where to put the white

[j6uk]

Straight behind the brown. On or just off the baulk cushion.

I would need a diagram for that to be clear where to put the white