Right handed, right eyed professional player?

[Strickimicki]

Hi all, I've been absent for quite sometime,

I was just wondering if any of you can name any right handed right eyed players? The thing is, I'm a RH/RE player and I really struggle to get myself behind the shot. I've tried cueing with the cue under my right cheek bone, but that feels very very strange and I'm having difficulties with it.

I found, better said I've been told that I lean my head to the right which obviously doesn't help (this brings the left eye more towards the cue and the right further away).

I'd just like to see some footage of how others manage this problem!

Thanks,

Brian.

[cuemaxx]

I think Nigel Bond is.

[CoachGavin]

Think john virgo was heavily right eyed if I remember right.

[Strickimicki]

Or of course somebody could tell me how to do it!

It's like this, I've been playing with my cue quite central but just to the right of center. I'd like to get my eye over the cue because sometimes it's difficult to differentiate with which eye you are really sighting with (sounds stupid, I know). The thing is, my left shoulder is somehow in the way so I can't get my head further to the left!

I've got lots of 50+, 60+ and even a few 70's and 80's but I miss on the other hand to many easy balls!

Any ideas?

[frazz]

Shaun murphy am sure, bond as mentioned earlier.

[cuemaxx]

Here is a thread about the subject, http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...t-eye-question

[Terry Davidson]

stricki:

After a lot of discussion and a lot of research we all found out that it's not necessary to sight under or via your preferred eye but with the exception that the vision out of your left eye has to be as good as your right eye. A university in the States did a study on baseball players where all the right-handers have to sight out of the left eye to see the ball coming in.

When you use your right eye to sight when down in the address position this makes your set-up a little less compact and your technique suffers a bit. John Virgo used to have the cue on his right cheek but he never achieved great things in the game as he only ever won one or two ranking tournaments and that was way back.

The scientific study also discovered 70% of RH men had a dominant or preferred right eye but also a large number of those were using their left eye for sighting. In snooker this leads to a more compact set-up and more consistency. However, if you find you either cannot or don't want to spend the time re-training to sight out of your left eye then I would suggest you keep your set-up the same as it is but try and turn your head to the left a bit more to bring the right eye more over the cue. But, be warned, this could lead to some major neck strain as you get a bit older.

Terry

[Strickimicki]

Hi Terry,

Long time since I heard from you, but I knew you'd put in your knowledge if I asked a question! ;-) (Thanks)

How would one go about realigning ones self to become left-eyed, I'm not sure I would want to go through those pains of repeatedly missing but just out of interest!

I have through mine own insight and viewing of others come to the conclusion that those who cue across (righthand - left-eyed or visa versa) are the more exact players. I think it's because they can more easily get behind the ball in their stance! As where I have to push my head into my shoulder they can move their heads quite freely to where there is room.

Terry please go into as much detail as you can here!

Thanks,

Brian.

[Terry Davidson]

Brian:

The problem is there's a major argument regarding dominant eye theory and no one agrees. A lot of coaches and books say the 'ideal' is to cue centre-chin so that everything lines up behind the shot however some coaches and books advocate lining the cue up more underneath the dominant eye but this is not shown in the facts amongst the professionals as the majority of right-handers line up either centre-chin or else favouring their LEFT eye.

So keep in mind that without seeing you in action it's very hard for me teo recommend you do something to alter your set-up plus you've become used to that set-up and it will be VERY difficult for you to change things unless you are very determined. So here goes:

If you believe you will play better with everything aligned (there's a lot of proof this is so) then you can try the following when doing solo practice. It's complicated but bear with me. It really would help if you can set a mirror over the baulk line so you can actually see the results of what you're going to try here.

So, assuming you can get a mirror, adjust it so you can see from the top of your right elbow down to the bridge hand. Get into your normal stance and address position and take a good look in the mirror, checking to see if everything is aligned and this should be the head, shoulder, elbow and bridge hand. Now I'm pretty sure you won't be aligned as your head will be slightly to the left as you favour your right dominant eye. Ensure your right foot is on the line of aim and the left foot is in a position which is comfortable.

Now WITHOUT MOVING YOUR FEET AT ALL stand up again and then CLOSE YOUR EYES and assume the address position again and make any adjustments you need to so you are comfortable with no strain anywhere. Then take a look in the mirror and see where you have the head, shoulder, elbow and cue aligned. This might be the same as you were previously since you are used to that position, but if it's different then this new set-up will be closer to what your individual physique feels is natural and comfortable.

If your head is still aligned to the right eye is more over the cue then while still in the address position swing your hips slightly to the left and see if the alignment of the head changes to more centre-chin or at least more towards the left eye. Check and see if this is comfortable. Ideally you will have adjusted the cue to centre-chin or almost there although if you over-do it you may be more under the left eye.

Next, try turning the head a little bit to the right while still keeping the cue at centre-chin then get back up and with your eyes open see if you can repeat this set-up. Do everything slowly to give your brain a chance to learn. When you get back down check the alignment again to see if firstly and most importantly if the cue is aligned right over the baulk line and then if the head and elbow are also aligned or nearly so for the elbow.

Now just get down with no cueball on the yellow spot and using this new set-up aim your cue as the exact juncture of the edge of the leather and the cushion cloth (this gives you and exact aiming point). Now close your eyes alternately and see which eye gives you the better image of the cue aligned exactly at the edge of the leather. If it's the left then you are now sighting under the left eye. If it's the right then nothing has happened to change things except the cue is now centre-chin. If neither eye gives you what you feel is a good sighting image then staying down in this position try turning the head first to the right and alternately closing each eye and this should give you a better sighting image from the left eye.

I cannot offer any guarantees here because your brain has become trained in using your right eye for sighting and it will be a very difficult thing to do to change that and most likely it will be 1 step back and hopefully 2 steps forward as you re-train the brain to use the image from the left eye.

Perhaps others can comment and maybe someone will come up with a better idea as I've never tried to change the sighting eye of a student before and this is my best thoughts on how to do that.

Remember, the adjustments are all in the hips (which will swing the shoulders more to the right if you keep your back straight) and the slight turning of the head to the right. And GOOD LUCK by the way. If you can accomplish this I believe you will be more compact and better aligned which should lead to more consistency BUT ONLY IF YOU CAN GET A GOOD SIGHTING IMAGE FROM YOUR LEFT EYE.

Terry

[DeanH]

I think Stuart Bingham is a clear RH/RE player.

[vmax4steve]

Hi all, I've been absent for quite sometime,

I was just wondering if any of you can name any right handed right eyed players? The thing is, I'm a RH/RE player and I really struggle to get myself behind the shot. I've tried cueing with the cue under my right cheek bone, but that feels very very strange and I'm having difficulties with it.

I found, better said I've been told that I lean my head to the right which obviously doesn't help (this brings the left eye more towards the cue and the right further away).

I'd just like to see some footage of how others manage this problem!

Thanks,

Brian.

It's all about your stance Brian.

Hendry had a square stance and sighted with his right eye, Ronnie has a boxer stance and sights with his left eye. The cue is very rarely right under the dominant eye but is more commonly closer to it according to just how dominant it is, so it's down to your own particular eyesight and how your brain uses one eye over the other to judge distance and angles and find the line of aim.

Forget about central chin and just follow your vision and allow it to place your feet and your cue just where it needs to be to suit your own particular eyesight.

[ace man]

Given enough time and practice the brain adapts to whatever cue position you prefer, be it under your dominant eye, non dominant eye, central chin...etc.
Can anyone give an example of a player who changed his cue position relative to his eyes and suddenly experienced big improvement? I have never heard of anything like that.

[Strickimicki]

Well I went to the club last night for a knock, and tried to concentrate on the square stance as suggested by vmax4steve. It's not that I had much hope in that but it was the easiest fix, so why not try that first I thought. Anyway I do tend to go for a boxer stance which brings the following problem of my shoulder getting in the way of my head. In the square stance this is not so and allows much more freedom of movement in the neck area while getting down on the shot (not during obviously).

I had a bad motorcycle accident about 10 years ago which smashed up my right hip and getting into the correct square stance is let's say not as easy as it should be and gives twinges on the way down. Maybe that's why I have taken on the boxer stance? Remembering to get into the correct stance for EVERY shot is at the moment difficult but with a bit of time it should be first nature.

I'm gonna stick with it for a few weeks and see where I am. I got a very nice start to it though, a lovely 56 clearance which felt quite good on every shot!

The truth behind all this is though,

If it's not broke don't fix it! We all have bad days/patches if you go away from what was fine, it's sometimes very hard to find your way back.

Thanks,

Brian.

[j6uk]

This lads right, right with boxer. Sure you can pick something up here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP4RvZJMPd8

[j6uk]

I cued center chin as a young player but became partially sighted in my right eye due to an accident.
When I started playing again after a long break I had to retrain my alignment. I found simply cueing along the baulk line helped, not only getting my cue action back but also with how I was sighting the cue along the line.
I noted: watching the cue straight on the line I needed to 'fractionally' turn my head to the right so, the cue was slightly left of center chin and I was cueing inside my left eye as a right hander, then I saw a dead straight alignment and proceeded to knock in the breaks as before.