[lfigueroa]

Originally Posted by Dan White

I think most people who think they aimed wrong actually can't get the cb to go where they want it to. Sometimes it is impossible to tell whether it was aim or stroke. Many think they have a better stroke than they really do so they assume it is aim.

It's all about the stroke, baby.

Aiming, with a good setup/stroke, is an afterthought IMO.

Lou Figueroa

[born2push]

Originally Posted by duckie

Well, since you asked........it could be either.....only the person doing the shot will know why they missed.



That’s why it’s critical to correctly identify why you missed and not guess at why you missed.



And that takes time and practice....

I struggle with that. Maybe im trying too hard and dont see what actually happened when i missed.

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[born2push]

Originally Posted by bbb

if you stay down on the shot long enough to see it hit the object ball (if you dont you should..jmho )
1) do you miss because you dont hit what you were aiming at most of the time???
thats flaws in your fundamentals not aiming
or
2) do you miss because you hit where you were aiming and it was the wrong target??
i would bet $1.50 that the majority of you miss because of #1 not #2
so work on your stroke will get you farther than an aiming system
jmho
icbw
your thoughts?

Both are nessacary. But the stroke comes into play even more on a long shot. Any movement can effect the stroke. Also unstable bridge hand effects stroke. If you stay focused you can see if you hit the target, then you should know why you missed.

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[Logandgriff]

When I miss I think it is usually because I misjudge the cut angle on fairly severe cuts. Also I can miss because I misjudge the deflection. But I can hit the cue ball and the object ball where I want to almost all of the time.

[straightline]

'Mold so my eyes have deviated somewhat from symmetrical. On good tables, thin ones from a distance used to be cake. Now just eyeballing them can result in thick hits one way and completely missing the ball the other. The thing that sticks out about it is my errors are consistent. From way back in the clueless banger days, I've used this epiphany to ratchet up my abilities with simple adjustments. This process while slow and only the first stage, (centralizing and incorporating the compensations are another magnitude of work) should work for now and maybe on out. lol...

[BilliardsAbout]

Originally Posted by bbb

if you stay down on the shot long enough to see it hit the object ball (if you dont you should..jmho )
1) do you miss because you dont hit what you were aiming at most of the time???
thats flaws in your fundamentals not aiming
or
2) do you miss because you hit where you were aiming and it was the wrong target??
i would bet $1.50 that the majority of you miss because of #1 not #2
so work on your stroke will get you farther than an aiming system
jmho
icbw
your thoughts?

But some have serious aim issues, for example, not aiming to the true pocket center for most shots. Then they swerve during the stroke, often subconciously.

It's what you wrote (straight stroking) but also, commitment during play.

Weak players tend to focus on immediate percentage, not long term growth. They'd rather swerve their stroke to make balls than commit to a straight stroke.

If you always commit to a straight stroke, noting when you over cut or under cut shots will help refine your aim by instinct.

[BC21]

About 4 years ago I setup some shots and had my wife shoot using traditional ghostball guesstimations, then had her shoot the same shots, which were 1/2 ball and 3/4 ball shots, telling her to aim straight through ccb to the ob edge or halfway between ob center and ob edge. She was a D player, but would occasionally be able to pocket 3 or 4 shots in a row.

We started with straight in shots just to make sure I had the cb close enough to the ob to minimize wonky stroke errors. The distance was about 8 to 10 inches, and the ob was about 25 inches from the pocket. I think she shot a total of 130 shots. The results proved without a doubt that knowing exactly where to aim, compared to guessing or estimating where to aim, can drastically increase pocketing percentage.

If I had set the shots up with 2 or 3 feet between cb and ob, the results would've been inclusive because her inconsistent cue delivery/mechanics would have influenced the aiming experiment, and I wanted to minimize that element of her shooting in order to highlight the difference between aiming methods -- the difference between knowing where to aim and guessing or estimating where to aim.

The same theory can work to highlight inconsistent stroke mechanics by simply increasing the distance between the balls and using a known aim point to pocket each shot. If the aim line is 100% known, and you shoot the shot 20 times, pocketing the ob cleanly each time, then your stroke is fine. If you miss some of the shots that would indicate a stroke error or an alignment or visual error.

Let's say you pocket 50 balls in a row, each shot being a halfball aim. That would prove that you have a good stroke and alignment to strike the cb along a known path. Next you randomly roll the cb and ob out to a shot, ensuring that the distance between cb and ob is about what it was on the 50 shots you just finished, then shoot the ball based on where you think or feel or estimate the aim to be. Do this 50 times, 50 random shots anywhere from straight in to about a quarter ball hit. Don't setup world beater cut shots or bank shots...keep it simple.

If you make all 50 then you have excellent stroke mechanics and excellent aiming skills. But if you miss a few, or miss a bunch, it would indicate an error in aiming skills/judgment. Your feel/estimation/guessing isn't the best. You'll have to put in a lot more table time. Or you can adopt an aiming system or method that will help you recognize certain shots with more regularity.

[Tony_in_MD]

Parallax is not the same as perspective.

Originally Posted by 336Robin

I said "Parallax" but perspective represents the human reaction to it. So yes they are one in the same.

I routinely line up and make spot shots by aiming my cue tip at the edge of the object ball. So you're right whatever you can find that works for you
just works and you adjust from what works.