Ghost ball imagination

[Francis_abear]

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster.

This is another question about aiming, apologies.

I'm sure everyone knows what the ghost ball is, and the theory of the ghost ball.

My problem is actually imagining the ghost ball. I try to visualise an invisible cue ball set in the correct position to ensure the pot, but my brain really struggles to create this image.

Does anyone else have this problem? Any hints or tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, and you have a great community here

Francis

[Mark187187]

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster.

This is another question about aiming, apologies.

I'm sure everyone knows what the ghost ball is, and the theory of the ghost ball.

My problem is actually imagining the ghost ball. I try to visualise an invisible cue ball set in the correct position to ensure the pot, but my brain really struggles to create this image.

Does anyone else have this problem? Any hints or tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, and you have a great community here

Francis

Two options for getting used to ghost ball:

1) Put an actual ball there. Play to hit it full ball and pot the object ball. Then replace it, look at it, remember the line of aim, remove it and play the shot again. Rinse and repeat, alot.

2) stand right behind the object ball in line with the pocket. Put the tip of your cue a half ball width behind the object ball on this line. Keeping the tip where it is, rotate the cue so the butt points at the cue ball. Leave the cue on the table, walk to behind the cue ball, and your cue will be pointing exactly where you need to aim. Burn the line of aim into your memory, pick up the cue and take the shot. Rinse and repeat. You'll fairly quickly be able to repeat the process without all the steps (ie. by pointing the cue at the point and not having to rotate it and leave it on the table) , next step is to do it all in your mind.

Both these methods are starting points. They'll help you build up a subconscious bank of how to aim different shots. The main aim is to put the ground work in so you can cut out this level of conscious aiming altogether.

[Zelig]

Hi there,

Same problem as you, I solved it by skipping ghost ball theory. Instead, (1) I fix the tiny point of the object ball that I want to hit like if there was a laser pointing there, and then (2) I try to hit the object ball exactly there. Point (2) requires you to take into account the spheric form of the cueball on the side opposite to the one that you see during the strike. This might sound hard to some, and it can indeed be hard at the beginning; but once you master that, you can skip the ghost ball story (or if you prefer, you are implicitly using ghost ball theory without having to imagine a ghost ball). With practice, I realized that this way was just easier for me than imagining a ghost ball. To identify the tiny point on the object ball, I do more or less what this guy does here with the laser...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnlSBoh3m8

...but I do it without using the laser, I just imagine it (because if I start using the laser then I get used to it, and next, I will be lost without laser during a match...).

One good thing that I noted with this method is that I find it easier to make adjustments for deflection when I use side -- after a while, you learn by how much the tiny target point has to be "moved" on the object ball relative to the "plain shot" case. Also, I find it easier to make adjustments for cut-angle shots -- for shots like these, ghost ball theory becomes imprecise and you need to make slight adjustments as Barry Stark explains here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTl5ZzLfitA

I hope this helps,

Best