What should I look at on striking the CB?

[thelongbomber]

I know the recommendation is to look at the object ball but I have found over the years, that unless it's full ball, I end up hitting it thick because I end up unconciously swerving "into" the object ball. I also know that looking at the cue ball on the back swing can reduce this problem, but the moment my eyes look back up to the object ball, I'm not always striking the cue ball in the correct place again. My cueing is swerving either in or out.

I came up with my own method for keeping my cuing more straight by finding a spot "below" the object ball to focus on, and for the most part, it works well, but it's still imperfect. I have tried looking through the cue ball down the line, and into the ghost ball, but I find that difficult also.

Can someone clarify what exactly they look at on the final strike? Can you describe in detail what you see?

[j6uk]

i watch my cue come back on the final bs say about half way then i flick the eyes back to ob just before the bp..
as far as cueing straight goes its about cueing along the baulk line and doing the matchbox. just like all the pro's have done and, still do it!

[hotpot]

I think 99 % of players will say object ball , sound like there is some body movement etc and your not cueing straight as a result . Theres naturally more emphasis put into the shot when striking an object ball than just striking the cue ball alone . When Terry Davidson put a video up of him a while ago you could see him grimissing as he hit the white causing shoulder movement , perhaps its the same with you .

[thelongbomber]

Very good information as well here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SR_zHr9VM8

Go to 31:20

[thelongbomber]

i watch my cue come back on the final bs say about half way then i flick the eyes back to ob just before the bp..
as far as cueing straight goes its about cueing along the baulk line and doing the matchbox. just like all the pro's have done and, still do it!

What's the matchbox you speak of? I have never looked at the cue before, will try.

[thelongbomber]

I think 99 % of players will say object ball , sound like there is some body movement etc and your not cueing straight as a result . Theres naturally more emphasis put into the shot when striking an object ball than just striking the cue ball alone . When Terry Davidson put a video up of him a while ago you could see him grimissing as he hit the white causing shoulder movement , perhaps its the same with you .

You could be right about the body movement. I will have to record myself and review.

[j6uk]

What's the matchbox you speak of? I have never looked at the cue before, will try.

you can cut a 13-15mm hole through the middle of an opened matchbox and use this as a cueing aide. not talked about much on tsf but its as old as the hills

[DeanH]

Has been mentioned before, whether drilling a hole, or just the outer sleeve of the match box and cue though that (sometimes sitting on top of the up-side-down inner tray ), as J6uk says, to aid cueing straightness.
Others have mentioned the use of a plastic bottle opening to cueing.

[jrc750]

has been mentioned before, whether drilling a hole, or just the outer sleeve of the match box and cue though that, as J6uk says, to aid cueing straightness

Think i'll try it with the Daz soap powder box, i might manage that ok

[j6uk]

Think i'll try it with the Daz soap powder box, i might manage that ok

not my cup of tea but, you do like a baggy one jr

[jrc750]

not my cup of tea but, you do like a baggy one jr

With the size of my cue i need one etc ..........

[j6uk]

With the size of my cue i need one etc ..........

so you play with a peradon

[hotpot]

i watch my cue come back on the final bs say about half way then i flick the eyes back to ob just before the bp..
as far as cueing straight goes its about cueing along the baulk line and doing the matchbox. just like all the pro's have done and, still do it!

Not saying its not a good exercise but there is nowhere near the same emphasis with this as there is when playing a shot , it does not replicate it .

[j6uk]

Not saying its not a good exercise but there is nowhere near the same emphasis with this as there is when playing a shot , it does not replicate it .

there must be something to it if the top players are doing it right? i know what you mean as regards to maybe the timing of the shot but, have you done this a lot?

[itsnoteasy]

I cue through the sleeve of a swan vesta box ,it's very narrow and very good to check if your cueing straight, it doesn't replicate hitting a shot as it doesn't have that mental thing of having to hit an object, but as an exercise among other things to do I think it's a good one. So is cueing along the baulk line it's not the only thing to do but it's not a bad exercise.
For me if your not bringing the cue through straight I wouldn't be reinventing the wheel, I would be looking at my basics as it's one of those that is wrong. The front of the cue is attached to the back end, so if that's coming off line, I would be looking at what I'm doing at the back end. Flicking a slight amount of side on a ball is not that uncommon say quarter ball up and down the table( only guessing here) but if you are noticeably swerving the white that's quite a fault , I doubt you are doing that LB as it didn't look like it on your video.