Pool Aiming

8/3/2019 Pool Aiming

1/7

T h e S e c re t o f P o o l?o r B a s i c I n s t i n c t . . .Dozens of Top Pros GiveUp Their Aiming SecretsBy Shari J. Stauch

Photos By Francine Massey

hen I was eleven or twelveyears old, I began hittingthe balls around on theeight foot home table in the

downstairs rec room of our home. Soonafter, my father decided to teach me somefundamentals of the game you know,the stuff everybody's got to get throughlike stance, bridge, stroke, and yes, aim.For practice, he'd draw up diagrams ofshots for me, indicating with a broken linecue ball where the object ball should be hitfor each shot. It was in this manner that I

learned to aim mostly by what is common-ly called the "ghost ball" theory today.Later, when he opened the billiard club

(okay, in 1976 it was still a pool hall), Ihad the benefit of hearing what many ofthe great, and not so great, playersthought about how to aim. In fact, it was aregular topic of discussion at Harold's, andnew theories were tested weekly amongthe regulars; some plausible, others, well,

just plain silly.But the most interesting thing to come

out of listening to all those theories andwatching their careful experiments wasthat everyone seemed to have a slightly

different way of aiming that worked forthem. Nevertheless, they were all stillsearching for that perfect method, the elu-sive "secret of pool" that would magicallykeep them from missing, ever.

The Secret of PoolThen one day, my father discovered it.

"This, Shari," he said, "is the secret ofpool." He carefully explained the new aim-ing method, simply put; to picture theobject ball on a tiny railroad track to thepocket. I tried it, just as carefully follow-ing his instruction. It worked. I shot

again. It still worked. It worked for nearlyweek, then I was back to picturing theball-behind-the-ball. It wasn't that itstopped working, it was just, well, toomuch work! And of course, he's since dis-covered a dozen or more "Secrets of Pool",so...

Today, I still find the best method ofteaching a new student is the tried andtrue "ball behind the ball" or "ghost ball"theory. Several pros agree. Others havecompletely different theories. In research-ing this article, I went home and tried

what many of the players said they used. Ialso tried what I've told you I used. I wassurprised to discover I don't use it asmuch as I thought I did, and happy toknow that in most cases, instinct hadtaken over creative visualization. But formost of us, creative visualization is notonly fun, but necessary. No matter whatyour skill level, it's also nice to have some-thing to fall back on a comfort zone ifyou're just not seeing the shots that day.

The "Ghost Ball"and otherCreative Visions...

It turns out the way I learned as achild is the way many pros learned, andsome still continue to subscribe to thetheory. Vicki Paski, ranked #16 by theWPBA and author of the monthlyAnnie and the Pro series right here inP&B Mag, says, "I picture the ghostball; seeing a ball behind the object ballthat I want to replace with my cue ball.This is easier for most people than find-ing an exact spot on a round object thatyou must hit with another roundobject!"

#11 ranked Dawn Hopkins agrees"The way I do it is look at object ball topocket, and picture the ghost ball, theextend a line straight from the cue ball tthe object ball."

Pool & Billiard Magazine player reprsentative and columnist Roger Griffisnow ranked #21 on the PBT has a slighvariation to this. "I use the ghost ball andissect the ball into 90 degrees. Both kinof give you a picture of where you hit thball, then, once you learn it you begin tplay by feel."

#24 ranked Bonnie Arnold stickwith visualizing where the ball has to hithe pocket. "When I'm aiming, I look athe pocket and I visualize where the bahas to go in the pocket. Then I look at thspot on the object ball, and visualize thcue ball to the object ball to the pocket."

Similarly, Steve Mizerak says, "Thway I find the target or contact point othe object ball is to visualize an imaginarline from the back of the pocket throug

Steve Mizerak - "Pocketing balls is an instinctiv

skill that is learned from trial and error."

116 Pool & Billiard Magazine July 1995


2/7

Aiming -- Secret of the Pros? Or Just Basic Instinct.. .continued from page 116

the object ball. During my warm-upstrokes, my eyes move back and forthbetween the cue ball and the target point.I use one or two low strokes, as if I'mgoing to draw the ball, on all shotsbecause that gives me confidence in hit-ting the cue ball correctly because thebottom of the cue ball is the strongestfoundation to build on. I have no specialtricks for cutting the ball or shooting aball down a rail."

Tony Ellin - "...aim is basically trial anderror and instinct, using your judgment."

Steve adds that,"It's very hard to tell aperson how to aim.Pocketing balls is aninstinctive skill that islearned from trial anderror. It can't be mas-tered from playingonce a week. Instead ofhitting twenty balls tolearn a shot, I hit twohundred balls. Ihaven't found an easierway yet!"

Basic InstinctsSteve brings up a solid point that was

repeated by many professionals. Aiminghas become second nature, muscle memo-

ry has taken over. Trial and error overhundreds of thousands of shots made andmissed by top pros over dozens of years ofcompetition heck, who needs to visual-ize anymore? According to #16 rankedKelly Oyama, "There is no set way forme. I just look at the pocket and look atthe ball and assume I then know where to

Loree Jon Jones - "Aiming comes naturally for me, where I've alwaysjust know where to hit. It's very difficult for me to teach people to aimbecause of this."

hit it. But I'd like to read the article maybe there's a better way!"

Then again, maybe not, Kelly. Thereare too many top players in agreemenwith you. Fellow top player and P&B Mag

women's editor Loree Jon Jones claimthat, " Aiming comes naturally for mewhere I've always just known where tohit. It's very difficult for me to teach people to aim because of this!"

Mike Massey is a trick and fancy shoartist and an accomplished player, currently ranked #7. He explains, "I've tried a



3/7

Aiming - - Secret of the Pros? Or Just Basic Instinct...continued from pag e 118

lot of systems but mostly you have to playfrom feel. You have to practice all types offeel, practice all type of hits. To start, youcan use the angle of the half ball hit a lotbecause it's easy to judge. You just buildyour instincts and your muscle memory that's what I did."

#11 ranked Tony Ellin also relies oninstinct. "I would say that aim is basicallytrial and error and instinct, using your

judgment. I may look at the path from thepocket through the object ball, but I hard-ly do that anymore. You develop aninstinct for aiming from playing all thetime."

#21 ranked Howard Vickery offers,"There's no real way for me to explain itexcept to hit it with the right impact. Yourhand-eye coordination compensates forthe difference in the roundness of the

balls."Howard brings up a great point here.Whatever the original aiming method youlearned from, does the hand-eye coordina-tion eventually begin to compensate forfailings in your method, optical illusionsor tired eyes? If so, how long does it take?

According to Earl Strickland, cur-

rently ranked #4 and winner of dozens ofpro events, "I've played so much that Idon't have to think about it. But I alsospin the balls in, as I think many of thepros do; they're using so much english allthe time. Pros spin the ball in the hole andthat's mostly from feel. If you're reallygoing to learn to aim, you have to knowbetter how to spin the ball, and whateffect that's having on the object ball.Amateurs who don't spin the ball willhave an easier time with straight aiming."

Catching up with Mark Jarvis at theSands Regency, now ranked #27 by thePBT, he says, "I aim by portions of theball, I don't aim at one particular spot but then again, I'm on the loser's side! Butseriously, the portion of the ball I'm look-ing at depends on where I'm sending thecue ball. For me, most of it is feel andmemory from shooting each shot manytimes."

X Marks the SpotIn contrast to a portion of the ball and

basic instinct theory is the "single spot."This other favorite theme among the pros

was focusing on a single spot on the objecball that will send it sinking neatly in itdesignated resting place. #4 ranked EwaMataya Laurance offers the mosdetailed explanation of this theory"Aiming is a four-step process. First, drawa line from pocket through the center othe ball to find the spot you want to hitThen make up your mind, before you ge

Earl Strickland - "Amateurs who don't spin thball will have an easier time with straight aiming

120 Pool & Billiard Magaz ine July 1995


4/7

Aiming -- Secret of the Pros? Or Just Basic Instinct.continued from page 120

down on the shot, as to whether or not youneed to apply english. Find your newexact spot and just keep your eye on that.Once you're down on the shot, move youreyes back and forth between cue ball andobject ball. Everybody says look at the

object ball, but that's not enough, look atthat tiny spot. If you miss then, it could bea problem with your mechanics, not youraim."

#7 ranked Nikki Benish explains,"This is how I learned, but I doubt if I useit anymore because when you're a profes-sional every shot you see you've seen andshot at least a hundred times before. Onthe toughest shots I was taught to try topick out a spot on the object ball, com-bined with the imaginary cue ball method.By finding the spot, I mean like if theobject ball was a stripe ball, maybe I could

mark my aim spot as right at the edge ofthe stripe and the white on the ball, or sayto myself, on this one, hit just to the left ofthe number."

Allen Hopkins finds the spot, but inthe end relies on feel. "I aim at a spot onthe object ball with center cue ball. A lot ofit is feel, when you play as often as I do,

you start finding that spot real easily.Occasionally I'll aim the cue stick towardthe pocket through the ball to find thatspot."

George Breedlove, ranked #20, findsa spot too, but not on the face of the objectball. "I know when I'm shooting, I'm look-ing at the object ball when I pull the trig-ger, but I find my spot on the ball on thetable, looking at the base of the ball whereit touches the table, not at any actual spoton the ball."

Tommy Kennedy, winner of the 1992U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships and cur-rently ranked #17, has another variation."I look at the object ball straight ahead,and then look little by little to the right orleft of the ball. I keep going until I see thespot where it's going to hit the bigger partof the pocket."

#14 ranked Michelle Adams opts formoving her body rather than her eyes.She explains, "I stand behind where thecue ball and object ball are in a straightline, and then I move to where I know Ihave to hit it. Somebody explained this tome once, and I thought it wasn't verysmart, but it works!"

Combining the theories mentioned sofar is #1 ranked Jim Rempe. Accordingto Jim, "First of all you have to aim differently with different cues, because somecues deflect more than others. A cue alsodeflects more or less depending on how

hard you hit the ball.I play with a Meucci, that doesn'

Nikki Benish - "...when you're a professionaevery shot you see, you've seen and shot aleast a hundred times before."



5/7

Aiming - - Secret of the Pros? Or Just Basic Instinct.continued from page 122

Efren Reyes -- "When you put a lot of englishon the cue ball, you adjust a little bit... it verymuch depends on my next shot how I will aim."

deflect, so I aim directly at the contactpoint. I also use the ghost ball theory, butit's more repetitious in your mind whenyou play a lot. In other words, I don't real-ly visualize the ball anymore, it's automat-ic."

Belinda Bearden, currently ranked#8 by the WPBA, agrees that deflection

can play a part in the spot finding aimingprocess. "I pick out the point on the objectball in line where the pocket must bestruck. Depending on the angle, you cantell which part of the cue ball must hit theobject ball. But any time english isapplied, a slight adjustment for deflectionmust be made. Depending on the amountof english applied, you will be aiming witha different part of the cue ball to hit theobject ball."

Aiming with WhiteyBelinda touches briefly on the part of

the cue ball that hits the object ball, whichbrings us to yet another theory, aimingwith the cue ball.

#12 ranked Nesli O'Hare explainswhat she was taught. "The technique I usewas taught to me by Efren Reyes.

According to Efren, there are three kindsof hits on any object ball. First, there'slooking at the center of cue ball to thepoint of aim if the shot is a full ball hit. Ifnot, you can divide the object ball into fourquarters, sighting your cue ball edge to thepoint of aim. When using inside englishwith a medium-to-hard stroke, you don't

change the point of aim. With outside english, you aim a sixteenth of an inch fullon the object ball than you normallwould. But, all bets are off when using soft stroke, because of deflection, etc."

Efren Reyes, ranked #5 and winner olast month's Sands Regency title, furthexplains. "When you put a lot of english othe cue ball you adjust a little bit, ofteaiming exactly at the contact point of aobject ball. So it very much depends on mnext shot how I will aim."

Reed Pierce - "I just pick the spot in the centof the object ball and aim towards that."



6/7

A i m i n g - - S e c r e t o f t h e P r o s ? O r J u s t B a s i c I n s t i n c t . . .continued from page 124

Sammy Jones, pro player and hus-band/coach of Loree Jon Jones, agrees. "Itdepends on the shot itself. When aimingat a straight-in shot, you're aiming bothballs directly in the center. If aiming at athin cut shot, you imagine the edge of thecue ball hitting the edge of the object ball."

Offering a more detailed explanation isnew P&B Mag instructional guru RayMartin, a BCA Hall of Fame player withthree world titles to his credit. Accordingto Ray, "I use parts of the cue ball. Inother words, if you were to have astraight-in shot, you're aiming with themiddle of the cue ball to the middle of theobject ball. Now let's say the object ballstays in the same place and you move thecue ball six inches to the left. Now you'reaiming with only a part of the cue ball. If

you've got a real thin cut, now you're aim-ing with the edge of the cue ball. I'm notgoing to stress 1/2 ball, 1/4 ball here,because that's way too broad the differ-ence could be two degrees or a sixteenth ofan inch! The important thing to rememberis the spot on the object ball neverchanges. It is a constant."

On CueMoving backwards from the object ball

and cue ball, we have our group of playersthat aim with the cue stick itself, but with

a great deal of diversity in their methods.The PBT's #7 ranked Reed Pierce says,"I take the cue stick and try to line it up inline. I just pick the spot in the center ofthe object ball, and aim towards that.Even if you need to cut a ball real thin,you just still need a square hit, so you aimfor the contact point with your cue."

The WPBA's #2 ranked Robin Belladds to this. "When I line up on the cueball to the object ball, I first visualize theactual location on the object ball where Ineed to hit it. Then I put my cue downtowards that spot. When I'm down shoot-ing I'm sending the cue straight through

the cue ball to that spot on the object ball.Picturing it that way allows me to alwaysfollow through."

Fellow WPBA pro Mary Guarinooffers a new slant. "I aim with the shaft ofmy cue stick. If you're hitting a straight-inshot, obviously, your cue is in the center. Iimagine the cue ball is in quarters. In

example for 15 degree cuts, you split thquarter. For a thirty degree cut I split thedge with my shaft and 45 degree cutsuse the edges of my shaft."

If you can do that, then you'll have nproblem with #14 ranked Nick Varnerwords of wisdom. Nick explains, "Whatdo is use parallel lines. The first line I se

Jim Rempe - "...you have to aim differenwith different cues, because some cues deflemore than others."



7/7

Aiming -- Secret of the Pros? Or Just Basic Instinct..continued from page 126

is a line from the edge of the cue balltoward the contact point on the objectball. I keep my shaft on a parallel line tothat and if you're cutting ball to left thatline, it will be on the right. But if you'reusing left english, it will be the same line,

and with center or right english, it will beparallel. Once I shoot, my eyes are actual-ly focused on the contact point on theobject ball."

Yet Another AngleAiming with angles, that is. Loree Jon,

who earlier explained that she mostalways just sees the shot, also admittedthat she occasionally checked out theangle on her shots. "Sometimes I look atthe angle between the cue ball, object balland pocket, and stroke through to that

spot, looking at the object ball last."And Jeff Carter, ranked #21, says he

also looks at angles. "Every shot angles tothe right or left, right? I look at thoseangles to aim.. If the shot is straight in ofcourse it's a straight line, but most shotswill have an angle."

Look Away...Jeff Carter continued his explanation

by explaining which ball he looks at last,which brought up a whole other topic ofdiscussion, one that most pros had a defi-

nite opinion on. According to Carter,"What you look at first or last, the cue ballor object ball, varies from shot to shot. Ona long shot, of course I'm going to watchthe cue ball go up to the object ball. Letyour eyes do what they want to do natu-rally, but keep your head down, that'swhat's most important."

Michelle Adams leans towards themore popular theory of looking at theobject ball last, "except on the break shot,or a masse or jump shot, when you need topay more attention to where your cue tipwill contact the cue ball."

Sammy Jones opts for honesty. "I wish

I knew! I'd lean towards looking at theobject ball last, but I have never figuredthat out. What's interesting to note is thatwhen the top pros line up, Buddy Hall is agood example, the cue tip is the distance ofa razor blade's width from the cue ball."

Loree Jon then explains that this only

proves the object ball-last theory. "It's likthat trick shot where you line up, take thcue out of your bridge hand, slide it bacin, look away and shoot. Once you're lineup, you don't need to see that cue ball,top player is going to know they're there.

Summing up the more commonheard theory is Allen Hopkins who says, look first at the cue ball, then object bathen back and forth from cue ball to objeball, always looking at the object ball last

The Final SecretThere you have it, the secrets of aimin

from dozens of the top players who do best. But then again, is the secret realout? #2 ranked C.J. Wiley offers that yomust aim before you get down on the baby lining up correctly, of course, but addthat as far as his aiming method itsel

"There are certain things you don't teLast time I wrote anything about aiminsomebody copied it and started selling it.

I considered Chinese water torture, bI don't think he would've cracked.

I guess the secret may still be othere... somewhere.


Documents

Pool Aiming