10 Minute Pool Warmup How to get into the

zone
One thing that I discovered with my new pool skills was that I could now walk into a pool hall and expect my first game to be
pretty decent.
However, it took an hour or more of continuous playing before I got into the zone The point at which every shot seems
equally easy; where I know even before I aim, that the shot is going in; and where I can confidently face any player in the
pool room; where I am aiming without aiming.
At this point, my game stops being just decent and becomes what I would call inspired.
I kept trying different things to see what really got me into the zone. I tried changing what time and how long I took a nap,
what I would eat, even whether or not I drank red bull before heading out. I tried wearing lucky/comfortable clothing and a
billion other things that I thought might affect my game. After months of experimentation I finally eliminated everything else
and came down to a few essential things that helped me get into this zone.
The first thing is to ensure I follow all the tips that allow me to develop perfect stroke.
The three drills below take about ten minutes at the most, but leave me in the zone, fully confident that I can win any game I
play (or at least make it very, very difficult for the other guy).
1. Table Length Draw Shot

Place the cue ball and object ball as pictured (on the diagonal line one third of the way from each pocket. Shoot the object
into the opposite pocket, and draw the cue ball into the pocket closest to you.
Even if you dont succeed in making the shot, just attempting this long straight shot while trying to draw the ball helps you
develop perfect stroke. The closer you get, the better.
Ideally, do this until you succeed (both balls have fallen into their respective pockets) at least two times in a row. Increase
this number as you get better.

2. Cue Ball Control Closed Space Position Play

Lay out the balls as pictured (in a 3 x 3 rectangular grid around the center, on the spots where the diamonds meet). Run the
table, starting with ball in hand, ideally without ever letting the cue ball touch the rails.
This drill isnt too complicated. There is no right way to do this drill.
What this drill teaches you is very fine position control using soft draw, soft follow and the stop shot. Each time you try this
drill, your subconscious mind observes and keeps track of what it attempted to do, what actually happened, what worked
and what didnt.
You learn to use follow and draw to stop the cue ball precisely within inches of where you need to be. You also learn the
limitations of your positioning ability what you can and cannot do. You learn to recover from going slightly off position and
compensating appropriately on the next shot.
When similar two-three ball positions come up in a game, you will be able to run them on automatic pilot without having to
think about it. The more you practice the drill, the more data-points your subconscious mind can fall back on when it needs
them.
3. Running Tables Confidently
The goal of this exercise is simple To get you warmed up for match/game playing mode. It also gets you used to the idea of
running several balls and playing with position in mind.
Rack 15 balls, break them, and run all 15 balls in any order (like straight pool). The idea is to pick a ball, decide the next ball,
and shoot so that you are in good position to play the next shot.
Just like the previous exercise, this teaches you to play position and to adjust and rethink your strategy in case you go out of
position.
The more you play this drill, the more balls you will learn to plan ahead for. Starting from thinking one ball ahead, you will
eventually be able to plan 6-7 balls instantly just by looking at the table.
4. Kaizen Continuous, small improvement
If you still have some time left from the warm up, this is when you pick ONE shot that you missed during a recent match or
game and that you feel seems to come up pretty often.

Not a 5 rail jump kick shot that you would only do in exhibition shows. Pick a shot that comes up again and again, that you
are inconsistent with and cant seem to rely on.
Now set it up and keep practicing the shot again and again until you think you can do it blind folded.
The final test? Once you get down on the shot and are ready to shoot, close your eyes, and shoot without looking. Open your
eyes a couple of seconds after you shoot. If the ball went in, you have subconscious competence and can move on.
Thats it. This is all I do now days. And its all I seem to need.

Aiming without Aiming How to shoot pool

like a pro
When I first started playing pool (billiards), I considered myself an average player. I could never be sure if I would make the
next shot, and running two or three balls in a row was a big achievement for me. I read books on aiming systems like the
ghost ball system, and different drills. However I still saw a clear difference between easy and difficult shots and trying
advanced things like position play would make me miss my shot.

This is the story of my journey. How I discovered the art of Aiming without Aiming. If you have played pool for a while,
chances are you will identify with and recognize what I describe. If you have played some pool, I suggest you read with an
open mind it might change your game.
If you dont play pool yet, but would like to start, then you can learn how to play pool well in under 30 minutes. If you already
understand the basics, but would like to develop the ability to run the table, you should look at my article on the basics of cue
ball
position
control.

Some time back I heard the term subconscious-competence and about the subconscious mind. This is the same thing that
allows us to walk without having to logically plan every muscle that needs to be raised to take each step We just look at
where we want to go, decide we want to go there, and then automatically end up there. It is also responsible for the times
when we might get distracted while driving, thinking about all kinds of other stuff, and suddenly realize that we have reached
home without remembering any of the turns, traffic lights or other cars on the road.
I dont think that we were ever really meant to be conscious learners. The conscious mind can handle about 5-9 things at a
time after which it zones out. The subconscious mind can apparently keep track of EVERYTHING, including things the
conscious mind wouldnt even dare try.
The
only
thing
the
unconscious
mind
really
needs
is
1.
The
initial
desire
or
thought
from
the
conscious
mind

Creating
the
goal
2.
Trusting
signals
from
the
subconscious
mind

following
your
instincts
3. Allowing the subconscious mind to learn and train itself for the goal Allowing mistakes to happen without labeling or
judging
them
and
not
getting
frustrated
by
them
4. Getting out of your own way Letting the subconscious mind do everything instead of trying to take over the wheel while it
is doing its work.

Three months ago, I wrote down in my notebook, a thought addressed to my subconscious mind I refuse to aim. You do it
otherwise we both miss. For three whole months, I did not aim. I just looked at the pocket I wanted the ball to go, and just
shot the cue ball without aiming with any system Talk about a crazy, unrealistic, leap of faith
A few days after I began, when the first difficult shot went in without aiming, I was pleasantly surprised. I assumed it was just
luck. Over the next few days as more and more people started noticing my consistent shooting luck. This was actually
working.
During this time, I still had to keep reminding myself to not try to aim. However as I started making tougher and tougher shots
effortlessly, I started getting an ego. I started getting addicted to the idea of always making the shot. When I did miss, I forgot
rule 3 and used to get angry at myself. I didnt realize that when I missed, it wasnt that my plan wasnt working, it was just
that my subconscious mind hadnt trained itself for that particular shot yet. It took several days just to accept any misses and
not try to control with my conscious mind.
With time, however, I learned to let go of outcome dependence while shooting and just play one shot at a time.
Now days every shot is easy. I spend exactly 0 seconds planning the shot. I just look at the pocket, look at the ball, wait for
that YES signal in my head, and shoot. It goes in on its own. I dont aim or shoot. My subconscious mind does. I dont take
credit for the shots since it wasnt me who really shot them. I saw my subconscious mind shooting some amazing shots
which blew my mind. It was almost like my subconscious mind was a different person, who was shooting through me.
And as it overtook me with its skills, it earned my trust and respect. I no longer dared to compete with it or try to take over the
steering wheel again. I knew, that as long as I stayed out of its way, it would do the job better than I could have ever hoped
to.
But this wasnt the real shock. Now that I could shoot without aiming, I wanted to see how far I could take this idea of trusting
my subconscious mind, and what limits my mind had. My next goal was to run a table (run all 7 balls, and the 8 ball in one go
without giving my opponent a turn).
Again, I wouldnt plan it or think about it, just make a goal and trust my subconscious to do whatever was needed. Over the
next few days, I found myself wanting to shoot one particular ball versus another, without any logical reason. I would just look
at the table, see a particular ball and think to myself- I like that one, that is what I will shoot next. Trying to logically decide
which was the best ball to shoot actually messed things up.
One week later, I broke and ran the entire table when playing with my team captain or rather my subconscious mind did.
Now days, running 4-5 balls is almost a regular occurrence. Three months ago, I would have laughed at that possibility.
The funny thing is, I dont even have to be paying attention to the table while I am shooting. I can be thinking about taxes or
some movie I watched. In fact, anything OTHER than trying to aim the shot. The balls just go in on their own. I seem to get
so zoned out, I lose track of time and place. I can now play entire pool games and not remember shooting even a single
shot. Sometimes I dont even remember the face of the person I was shooting with. Its almost like I am a spectator in a
dream like state watching someone else playing.
I think some people call it being in the zone. Some people call it instinct. Some people call it muscle memory. Some call it
trusting a higher power. Whatever you choose to call it, trusting your subconscious mind can let you live life the way it was
always meant to be effortless.

PS: Based on a lot of feedback that I received, I wrote a follow up article Aiming without Aiming Part II How I really aim a
billiards shot. For people who think that this aiming thing cant work or would like more details on aiming technique, the
extra explanation might help.

PPS: Almost a year after I started my experiments with aiming without aiming and the subconscious
mind, I discovered the book The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey. This book talks about the same concepts of
subconscious learning applied to the game of tennis and is without doubt one of the best descriptions of how to achieve
subconscious competence. I found myself agreeing with almost everything the author said, and was amazed by the new
ideas that I would have probably taken a long time to discover on my own. I guess there had to be a reason this book is
already consider a bible for inner game and has sold millions of copies worldwide. If you found this article interesting and
would like a more detailed explanation of the principles, I would strongly recommend taking a look at this book. You will find
that the concepts can be applied to any game or sport that you wish to.
Of course, aiming without aiming isnt a magic pill solution to billiards mastery. This is just one teeny piece of the puzzle.
Obviously Aiming without Aiming or subconscious competence only comes after developing conscious competence
Learning good pool fundamentals, following a simple aiming system, practicing with drills to build muscle memory. Even
after that, aiming is just a part of the puzzle. You also need to learn to control cue ball position.
The next big piece is working on the inner game of pool, learning to bounce back from bad nights and using your emotions to
win under pressure.
Since I improved my aiming, I find myself spending almost as much time on inner game as on outer game. I am still trying
to figure it all out. But every time I discover another piece of the puzzle, I try to share it.

One shot at a time How outcome

independence and being in the now can change
your game
Sometimes one little concept can be the missing piece in your game.

I recently read the book Pleasures of Small Motions: Mastering the Mental Game of Pocket Billiards by Bob Fancher. In the
very first few chapters he talks about the motivation behind playing pool Some people play because they like to win,
others because they like to hang out with their friends and have a little fun. However one particular group of people, doesnt
care about winning and losing, or about socializing. They play because they LOVE the game. These are the people who
dont even need another person to play with and are happy shooting by themselves. These are the people who enjoy drills
and practice because they can appreciate the beauty in each shot, and the practice is a pleasure in itself. During games,

they admire a good shot played by an opponent and cheer them on instead of hoping that the other person misses. All they
care about is learning and improving and enjoying the game.
However one particular group of people, doesnt care about winning and losing, or about socializing. They play because they
LOVE the game. These are the people who dont even need another person to play with and are happy shooting by
themselves. These are the people who enjoy drills and practice because they can appreciate the beauty in each shot, and
the practice is a pleasure in itself.
Reading the book made me remember why I started playing pool in the first place. Since then, Ive started enjoying pool a lot
more. Ive also got a whole lot better. Ive realized I dont care whether I win or lose. Anytime an opponent makes an
unbelievable shot, I usually ask them to teach me the shot after the game. Each time I see or learn something new, I have to
go try it myself. Suddenly each game is no longer a win/lose situation but an opportunity to learn, improve and enjoy the
game of billiards.

Another profound book that has helped change my life is The Power of Nowby Eckhart Tolle. For a
book that has nothing to do with pool, it is amazing how much the ideas from this book have helped improve my game.
The book talks about being in the present moment instead of the past or the future; about doing things for the pleasure of
doing them, and not for the result. The path to enlightenment is very simple Do one thing at a time. Dont think about why
you started the task. Dont think about what will happen once you complete the task. When doing the task, focus on only the
task and nothing else.
The path to enlightenment is very simple Do one thing at a time. Dont think about why you started the task. Dont think
about what will happen once you complete the task. When doing the task, focus on only the task and nothing else.
Eckhart Tolle convinced me that even washing dishes can be a path to enlightenment, as long as I focus on the task and
learn to enjoy it instead of considering it a chore. A couple of months after I read the book, I had this amazing experience of
happiness, joy and peace. This is one book I would recommend to anyone who is not happy and satisfied with their life and
wants to learn to live at peace with himself.
Putting these two books together, I discovered the missing piece in my pool game The art of running a table isnt just about
planning ahead. It is also focusing on one shot at a time and taking pleasure in each shot. Shooting the shot because we
enjoy it, and not as if it were a painful thing that we have to get over with before we can get to the end of the match.
The fact is, even when we have a whole table to run, once we decide what order to run the balls in we have only one shot in
front of us at a time. Nothing else. It doesnt matter who we are playing. It doesnt matter what the race is. It doesnt matter if
this is a tournament or a fun match. It doesnt matter how many more balls we need to make. All we have right now, is that
one shot.
I try to focus on that one shot as if it were the last shot I have to play.

I look at the ball I have to make and where I am shooting. I relax and let the subconscious mind do the aiming for me as I
get down on the shot. I shoot with a straight stroke and smooth follow through. I watch as the cue hits the ball and listen to
the sound of the cue ball strike the object ball. I stay down on the shot and watch as the object ball slowly rolls into the
pocket and the cue ball moves towards where I intended. And then I slowly get up to see what I have to face next. Once I
make the shot, I can focus on the next shot. If I miss, it wont matter anyway.
With so much amazing stuff going on, why would I even want to be thinking about the next shot or the previous shot? It
would be like sitting at a movie theater and day dreaming about the movie sequel instead of watching the movie right in front
of me. Why would I do that and ruin the amazing movie I have in front of me right now?
With so much amazing stuff going on, why would I even want to be thinking about the next shot or the previous shot? It
would be like sitting at a movie theater and day dreaming about the movie sequel instead of watching the movie right in front
of me. Why would I do that and ruin the amazing movie I have in front of me right now?
Over the last few weeks, especially since I started working on the bottle drill to improve my pool stroke, I have been running
6-7 balls effortlessly. And each of the times I ran a table, there was one thing in common I was only thinking about one
shot at a time.

Aiming without Aiming Part II How I really

aim a billiards shot
My article on Aiming without Aiming has been one of the most read articles on this site. It received a lot of mixed reactions.
The people who liked the article were those who found the concept interesting and tried it, or veterans who already used this
principle without realizing it.
A lot of people however missed the point the article was trying to make.
Aiming without aiming isnt the magical solution to pool mastery. A person who has never played pool before wont start
playing like a professional by trying to trust his subconscious mind after reading the article. Any player will need to learn to

shoot using a basic technique like the ghost ball system and build a sufficiently large shot memory that his subconscious
mind can use (by practicing and playing hundreds of shots). After that, learning to let go of conscious control and trusting the
subconscious mind also takes a fair amount of time (working on inner game and learning to let go of outcome).
Take the example of driving with subconscious competence A driver who has been driving for several years may be able to
reach his destination on automatic pilot without paying attention to the steering wheel or where he needs to turn. He might
even be able to multitask eating or talking on the phone while driving. However a beginner trying to do the same thing will
end up driving into the first large object nearby. A beginner needs some driving lessons and a fair amount of driving
experience before he or she can start driving without driving.
So the fact is, when I am Aiming without Aiming, its not that I dont aim; I just no longer have to consciously think about the
steps involved in aiming because I have drilled the steps into my head over a period of time.
During practice today, I started paying attention to these steps. I did everything in slow motion and stopped at significant
points so I could note what I really do when I aim my shots.
Here is what I do broken down as best as I could describe it. (While this system works great for close shots, I use a slightly
more complex aiming system for long distance cut shots.)
Ghost Ball Aiming System

1. Mentally draw a line from the pocket to the object ball and see the path the object ball needs to take.
2. Extend the line past the object ball and imagine where the cue-ball needs to hit the object ball (using the ghost ball
system). Draw a line from the cue ball center to the ghost ball center.
3. Align both my feet and the cue along the line of the ball and then go down on the shot. Ideally, if I am lined up correctly I
dont even have to adjust my aim any further. I should be able to make the shot most of the time.
4. Look at both the pocket and the shot image (the cue ball and object ball). After years of shot memory built in, I usually get
a gut feel that tells me whether or not I am going to make the shot. If my aim/alignment is off, I will get a feeling that I am
going to miss, in which case I usually stand up and realign myself until I feel confident that the shot will go in. Once I am

lined up correctly, I usually get a YES signal that tells me the shot will go in. This is an intuition/gut thing that takes time to
develop after making a lot of shots.
5. Shoot the ball using a good stroke with a smooth follow through. Watch the ball roll into the pocket and the cue ball stop
for the next shot. In case the shot is slightly off, make a mental note and calibrate future shots accordingly. If your stroke isnt
perfectly straight yet you might find it useful to practice the bottle drill.
The idea is, over time these five steps become so automatic that you dont even have to think about them and can focus on
the other aspects of the game such as learning cue ball position control.
Hopefully this explanation will make it easier for people to understand what I meant in the first article on aiming without
aiming.

P.S. I recently discovered a better aiming system that works well even for making long distance cut shots effortlessly.
If you are having trouble with the ghost ball system or are uncomfortable of long cut shots, then give the parallel line aiming
system a try.
P.P.S. If people are interested, I can share a series of drills that I use to teach complete beginners how to aim and shoot
subconsciously. I taught a friend some basics just a few days ago and she made some amazing cut shots during a game
about fifteen minutes after going through the drills. Its no substitute for years of practice, but these basics should give any
beginner a jump start and have them playing very confidently in less than 30 minutes.

Playing under pressure Using your emotions

to get more focus

Ever had a lot of pressure during a match? Knowing that everyone in your team was watching with their hopes on you? Or
maybe playing for slightly more money than you feel comfortable? Did it make you shoot differently than you would ordinarily
have? Did it feel different than, say, a casual game with a friend after a few drinks?
Did you start feeling strong emotions, maybe a little jittery, maybe a little excited?
Now the real question Would you call these strong emotions a bad thing? Do you associate them with choking and wish
that you could be rid of them?
I dont at least, not any more.
What is the difference between fear and excitement? To me, both are the exact same feeling inside my chest, my breathing
changing, my heart beating faster, adrenaline and blood pumping, and a strong sense of anticipation. The only difference
between fear and excitement is how we decide to label them If we decide the situation is bad or unwanted, we call it fear, if
not, we call the same feeling excitement. But there is no real difference between the two.
All it really is, is the subconscious mind saying this is something new that I havent prepared for or experienced before. I
need to focus more, so I am going to pump some adrenaline and increase the bodys focus so it can do everything that it
needs to.
It is not a bad thing. It is what your subconscious mind believes you need at the moment. Even in extreme situations like car
accidents, the subconscious mind gives the body exactly what it needs, an extra surge of focus and strength to get out of the
situation safely.
So if this is such a good thing, why is it so distracting? Why do we choke when we have these strong feelings? Why do
people freeze up during moments of extreme pressure?
Well. Simply put, instead of using that period of intense focus to complete the task at hand, a lot of us tend to waste it in
fighting our selves with thoughts like -Crap!! Im feeling scared. Now I am definitely going to choke. I have to push away
these feelings and become confident again.
The fact is whatever feelings your body experiences at any time are exactly what it needs to feel at that moment. Instead of
fighting the feelings, the simplest thing to do is accept them, and understand the message they are sending. It is so much
more constructive to think Yes. My body is in adrenaline mode. My subconscious mind knows I want to win and is helping
me. I am now going to be able to use my super focus. All I have to do is take my time, and win.
A friend of mine came up with an interesting concept. He defines a whole new emotion (like happiness and sadness) called
resistance. People have this emotion when they believe that something is wrong with their current situation and complain
about it instead of accepting the present moment as it is I should have won, The equipment is crappy, That noise is
distracting, Why do I always have all the bad luck?
And this emotion of resistance stops us from appreciating and enjoying the current moment and gets us inside our head
arguing with reality instead of accepting it. It is this resistance which has us complaining about the bad roll we got on the
previous shot or a shot we missed. It is this resistance which tells us I shouldnt be feeling scared and tense right now. I
need to do something to FIX MYSELF so that I can play my normal game. It stops us from using the boost that our
subconscious is providing us to help us. We start complaining about or resisting the situation when we should be thanking
our subconscious for the extra help.
Over the last few weeks I have been winning a very high percentage of my matches, even with very skilled higher
handicapped players. One thing common about all of these tough matches was the state my body was going through at the
time Extreme adrenaline and focus. My team mates kept trying to calm me down because they didnt realize that I was

actually playing better because of it. The fact is, ever since I stopped labeling them as bad, I look forward to these moments
because of how well I play during them.
People say that the only way to learn to handle pressure is a lot of experience in high pressure situations. The reason this
works is because after experiencing it a few times we begin to accept and appreciate the heightened emotions as a natural
part of our body and are no longer distracted by them. People who continue to fight their emotions instead of learning to
accept them continue to choke under pressure. But the few gifted ones who learn to work in-spite of stress, pressure and
emotion, reach new levels of success and inspire everyone around them. In times of crisis, these people become the heroes.
Would you like to be in the first group or the second? It is completely your choice.

Table length draw How to develop the perfect

pool stroke
One thing I heard a lot while I worked on my pool skills, was the term stroke. People would admire a players stroke, and
talk about stroke being the most important thing to master. However, no one could explain what they meant by stroke, or how
I was expected to master it.
Several months later, I figured out what they meant. Stroke is essential for subconscious competence in pool. Your mind can
only guide you to a shot, if you can actually shoot straight where it tells you to. A good stroke lets you do that.
People with a good stroke can effortlessly draw a cue ball an entire table length while striking the ball just one cue tip below
center with a medium speed. Novices on the other hand, slam the ball hard as hard as they can, and still barely get a few
inches of draw. Some end up getting the perfect stop shot. (That used to be me).
So what is it that makes draw the perfect test for a good stroke? The fact is, if you can draw an entire table length, you have
already mastered all the essentials of a great stroke
1. LONG FOLLOW THROUGH: You follow through at least 6 inches to a foot beyond the cue ball. Hitting through the cue
ball instead of stopping at the cue ball. Your cue does not start slowing down until the cue ball has already left the cue.
Without follow through, there is NO way to get the cue ball to retain backwards spin for large distances. It improves your
accuracy, and ensures you dont have any silly jerky motion when you shoot. All good stuff.
2. CUE PARALLEL TO TABLE: Very few people seem to realize that the raised sides of a table causes the cue to be
pointing at a downwards angle instead of perfectly parallel. Downward stroke is what is used for masse and curve shots, and
the slightest bit of left or right english when combined with a downward shot guarantees that the cue ball curves sideways as
it goes forward resulting in a miss. Also, when shooting that way, the downward momentum is wasted and does not
contribute in any useful way to the spin. The closer to parallel you can keep your cue (perfectly parallel may not always be
possible), the more accurate your shot.
3. SOFT ACCELERATING MOTION: The longer your cue sticks to the cue ball, the longer you are imparting momentum
(and spin) to the cue ball. If you go flying at the cue ball like a rocket, you will impart some speed and english, but the
moment the cue ball leaves the cue, the green cloth will start taking the reverse spin off the ball. If however, you start slow
and keep accelerating through the ball, the cue ball sticks to the cue for at least a foot after and more and more spin
accumulates on the ball. The shot looks smoother and more effortless, and the amount of draw imparted is phenomenal. A
visualization that has helped me a lot is, move as if you were walking inside a swimming pool everything is super slow, like
Bullet Time in The Matrix.
4. STRAIGHT FOLLOW THROUGH WITH A RELAXED ARM: The upper part of your forearm does not move at all, and all
the motion comes from your lower arm. Since your upper arm does not raise or lower, the cue continues its follow through,
through the cue ball, and nearly hits the table a few feet ahead of where the cue ball was. If it doesnt, you may be lowering
your elbow, which is a NO NO. The upper arm stays steady and does not move, the lower arm moves slowly through the
shot. The fastest and most effective way of teaching yourself this is by using the bottle drill to improve your stroke.
5. STAYING DOWN ON THE SHOT: You stay down and watch the shot until all the balls stop. This allows your
subconscious mind to record every bit of the shot The line the cue ball took, how the object ball and cue ball reacted, what
line they took after they hit each other, and where the object ball went in relation to where you intended it to go. Staying down

also ensures that no twitches or jerky body motions as a result of you jumping up change the line of the shot. It also makes
you look more professional.
This little mental check list PARALLEL, ACCELERATING, STRAIGHT FOLLOW THROUGH, SWIMMING POOL SLOW,
STAY DOWN AFTER SHOT has done wonders for my consistency and my ability to draw great lengths. Any day I find my
shooting a little off, this is all I have to focus on.
You might find it useful to read this article on learning pool fundamentals in under 30 minuteswhich also has videos that
illustrate some of these concepts.
The new problem I have now is trying to control the urge to use draw on all shots just to show off.

This one shot will skyrocket your game more than every other jazzy or cool trick shot that you learn because it gives you the
perfect stroke. This exact same motion, when used on the top half of the cue gives you perfect follow, and used on the side
gives you perfect side english, while minimizing squirt and miscues.
Once you can do this, your shooting and aiming will go through the roof. At this point, you are ready to move on and learn
the next bits
1. Aiming Subconscious aiming drills
2. Essential Shots Stop, Follow, Draw, and Jab
3. Essential Position Play Paths
4. Banking and Kicking essentials
5. Dirty Tactics Common Mid-Game and End-Game safety plays

Cue Ball Position Control Basics Part III The Draw Shot
In the first two articles of this series on cue ball position control, we looked at using the stop shot and the follow shot for basic position
play.
Now, its time to look at the draw shot.
The Draw Shot
A draw shot (or screwback shot), occurs when the cue ball has a reverse spin (or backward rolling motion) at the time when it hits the
object ball. After it hits the object ball, the reverse spinning motion cause the cue ball to get backward momentum, causing the cue ball to
start moving backwards after contact.

If the cue ball is aimed directly towards the center of the object ball,
then the cue ball will first come to a dead stop, after which it will slowly start returning towards the cue stick, usually at a lower speed
than the object ball. The final speed and distance that the cue ball travel depends on the amount of reverse spin that is imparted to the cue
ball.
While it can take some practice, it is possible to draw the cue ball an entire table length by using proper stroke and follow through.

In case the cue ball is aimed off center (a cut shot), just like in the case
of the follow shot, the cue ball will deflect off the tangent line path that a stop/stun shot would take. This is the result of the reverse spin
adding a component of movement in a direction opposite to the cue balls original direction.
In the diagram, the light gray line shows the path the cue ball will take once it strikes the object ball. Notice that draw shots cause the
deflection angle to widen.
Now, that we know what this shot is, how do we go about adding the reverse spin to the cue ball?
Unlike the follow and stop shots, the draw shot can be a little tricker to master.
Typically, you add reverse spin by striking the cue ball anywhere from one to three cue tips below center as needed. Unlike with the the
follow and stop shot shots it is essential to have a straight stroke, and a smooth follow through during the shot
In fact, I have a detailed set of instructions on the essentials for mastering the table length draw shot.
Try to pot the object ball into one of the side pockets while keeping the cue ball about a half table breadth away along a straight line, so
that the cue ball slowly comes back a few inches after striking the object.
A good exercise to build your stroke that I strongly recommend is trying to draw back the cue ball and scratch in the opposite pocket to
where you just hit the object ball. This take some very decent cueing and is another shot Id recommend practicing until you can hit it
perfectly at least 9 out of 10 times.
When in a straight line, the draw shot will let you move anywhere from a few inches to a few feet back from the object balls position, as
needed. When shooting a cut shot, this will widen the deflection angle slightly, allowing you to move the cue ball to different areas than
with the stun and follow shot.
Lets take a look at an example like before.

Imagine you had to run the three balls in numerical order, starting with
ball in hand, using only the shots you have learned so far. How would you do it?
The simplest solution? Set up for a straight shot on ball 1, and draw back a few inches to get a decent angle for ball 2. Notice the tangent
line when trying to pot ball 2 will cause the cue ball to potentially bump into ball 3. To avoid this, again use draw while cutting ball 2 in
to deflect the cue ball by a wider angle, to place yourself for a relatively simple shot on ball 3.
Again, this is a simple and easy solution that would have been very difficult using only stop and follow shots.
Between the stop, follow and draw shots, you already have an incredibly powerful arsenal of tools to control the cue ball position and
play better than most of your friends who dont understand these basics of position play.
However, once you master these three shots, its time to move on to the more advanced tools, including using the half ball shot, and
using side-spin with the rails.
In the next article in this series, we will look at how the half ball shot can become one of the most important tools that you will ever use
to build long breaks effortlessly.

This entry was posted in Billiards on March 11, 2015.

Cue Ball Position Control Basics Part II The Follow Shot

In the first article of this series on cue ball position control, we looked at the stop shot, and using the stop shot for basic position play.
In this article, we will add to our position play toolkit with the follow shot.

The Follow Shot

Very simply put, a follow shot occurs when cue ball has a forward spin (or forward rolling motion) at the time when it hits the object
ball.
After it hits the object ball, the rolling motion cause the cue ball to regain forward momentum, causing the cue ball to continue moving
forward after contact.

If the cue ball is aimed directly towards the center of the object ball,
then the cue ball will first come to almost a dead stop, after which it will slowly start following the object ball, usually at a lower speed
than the object ball.
The final speed and distance that the cue ball travel depends on the amount of forward spin that is imparted to the cue ball.

In case the cue ball is aimed off center (a cut shot), the cue ball will
deflect off the tangent line path that a stop/stun shot would take.
This is the result of the forward spin adding a component of movement along the original direction of the cue ball.
An interesting thing to note is that, in roughly half ball shots the cue ball is deflected off its original path by approximately 30 degrees.
This is a special case that we will study in greater depth when we look at the uses of the half ball shot in positional play.
In the diagram, the light gray line shows the path the cue ball will take once it strikes the object ball. Note how the deflection is lesser
than if you had used a stun shot.
Now, that we know what this shot is, how do we go about adding the follow to the cue ball?
As we discussed in the previous article on the stop shot, any cue ball given reasonable time to slide on the table cloth will slowly start
rolling forward as the friction from the cloth acting on it. If you hit a cue ball center ball over a large distance, by the time it arrives at the
object ball, it will having rolling motion.
This is one of the reasons lots of beginners end up with the cue ball following the object ball into the pocket and scratching on long
straight shots. The only way to avoid this is to either hit low on the cue ball to cause a stop-shot/draw shot, or not hit a straight shot in the
first place.
For shorter distances, it is usually necessary to force the follow onto the cue ball by striking the cue above center, usually between half a
cue tip and 2 cue tips depending on the amount of follow. By combining this with a good follow through, and a medium to hard strength,
you can also get the cue ball to keep rolling a significant distance after striking the cue ball.

As with the stop shot, by using a combination of hitting hard and above center as needed, we can have the cue ball spinning forward
when it hits the object ball. Calibrating how hard or how high to hit the ball is a matter of practice.
Try to pot the object ball into one of the side pockets while keeping the cue ball about a half table breadth away along a straight line, so
that the cue ball slowly follows the object ball atleast a few inches.
A good exercise to build your stroke that I strongly recommend is trying to follow the cue ball and scratch in the same pocket where you
just hit the object ball. This take some very decent cueing and is another shot Id recommend practicing until you can hit it perfectly at
least 9 out of 10 times. If you have trouble doing this, Id recommend working on your stroke using the bottle drill.
This shot should now increase the positional options available to you.
When in a straight line, the follow shot will let you move a few inches to a few feet beyond the object balls position, as needed. When
shooting a cut shot, this will narrow the deflection angle slightly, allowing you to move the cue ball to different areas that with the stun
shot.

Lets take a look at an example like before.

Imagine you had to run the three balls in numerical order, starting with ball in hand, using only the shots you have learned so far. How
would you do it?
The simplest solution?
Set up for a straight shot on ball 1. Of course, since the 7 ball would come in the way of aiming for the 2 ball, a stop shot will no longer
work. We can use a follow shot to allow the cue ball to move a little further to a more convenient location.
Once there, a stun shot would cause the cue ball to bump into the 5 ball, so we use another follow shot while shooting ball 2, to reduce
the angle that the cue ball is deflected, placing yourself for a relatively simple shot on ball 3.
Simple isnt it?
Choosing between the stun/stop shots and the follow shots is usually dictated by which provides easier and simpler position, and just
causes subtle differences in the way the cue ball moves. However paying attention to the table and applying this information can be the
difference between perfect position on the next shot and blaming bad luck or the table for being difficult.
How many players do you know, who complain or blame luck when they make a shot, but are out of position or blocked by another ball
for the next shot?
Well, knowing what you do now, do you still think it is bad luck?
One last thing to keep in mind. Whenever you are aiming for an object ball that is far away from the cue ball, it is usually easier to use
follow since the cue ball naturally tends to get forward spin when moving over large distances.
In the next article in this series on the draw shot, we will look at the last piece of the puzzle how draw (reverse spin) can be used to
either modify the angle at which the cue ball leaves the object ball or to have the cue ball move backwards, allowing for position play
that is just not possible with the stop and follow shots.
Continue on to the next article in this series, Cue Ball Position Control Basics Part III The Draw Shot.

This entry was posted in Billiards on March 5, 2015.

Cue Ball Position Control Basics Part I The Stop Shot

When watching a master pool or snooker player in action, what stands out isnt the difficult shots that they hit, but how rarely they seem
to need to make difficult shots; how they automatically end up with relatively simple shots; and how they seem to magically make the
game seem incredibly easy and effortless.
One of my favorite players to watch for this is Ronnie OSullivan.
In fact, why dont you take a few minutes to watch one of his classic breaks and look at how easy he makes the game look.
You could have made most of the shots that he made, couldnt you?
The fact is, I wouldnt be surprised if you said that you could. Most of the shots Ronnie had in that break were fairly straight forward,
medium distance shots.
However, the trick isnt just making the shot, it is making sure that you get an easy next shot as well; and then finding a way to keep
getting easy shots until you have cleared the entire table.
That is the real secret of break building cue ball position control.
Controlling cue ball position is the most important thing you can learn once you understand the basics of aiming and making shots. It is
what separates the beginners who can make breaks of one or two balls, the intermediate players who can make 5-7 balls and the masters
(You just saw Ronnie clear 36 balls on a 12 foot table without missing even once).
Over the next few articles in this series, I will be breaking down a few fundamental elements of positional control that when combined,
will massively improve your ability to control the cue ball and make long breaks. These core shots and principles should be more than
enough to handle most of the situations that you will encounter in your games.
None of these will be hard or flashy shots, or require vast amounts of skill. The key to good position play is trying to keep things as
simple as possible.
Before you focus on position play, you should already have a decent stance and be able to make shots. If you are still struggling with
these basics, you should check out my article on how to play pool well in under 30 minutes. Also, if you want to be able to consistently
and confidently run tables, you should also develop a good pool stroke and fine tune it using practice techniques like the bottle drill.
Once you have got these out of the way, its time to look at the three basic shot types.
1.

Stop/Stun shot

2.

Follow shot

3.

Draw/Screw back shot

There are a few more shot names that you might have heard being mentioned such as drag shots and stun run-throughs, however once
you master the fundamental shots, you will find that these are just simple variations of the three basic shots.
The Stop Shot
The most fundamental of all shots is the stop/stun shot.
Very simply put, a stop/stun shot occurs when the cue ball has no forward or reverse spin at the time when it strikes the object/target ball.
What this means is the cue ball is essentially sliding on the table cloth (and not rolling) when it hits the object ball. Once the cue ball hits
the object ball, momentum is transferred from the cue ball to the object ball.

If the cue ball is aimed directly towards the center of the object ball,
then the cue ball will come to a dead stop and the object ball will start moving at almost the same speed as the cue ball, in the same
direction.
In the diagram, the light gray circle shows the point where the cue ball will stop once it strikes the object ball.

In case the cue ball is aimed off center (a cut shot), the cue ball will
move along a perpendicular line (also known as the tangent line) to the object balls path.
The speed of the cue ball is then distributed between the two balls In case of a thin shot, most of the speed remains with the cue ball,
while in the case of a more solid contact, most of the speed will be transferred to the object ball and the cue ball will slow down
significantly.
In the diagram, the light gray line shows the path the cue ball will take once it strikes the object ball.
Now, that we know what this shot is, how do we go about making the cue ball purely slide when it hits the object ball?
Well, heres the deal any cue ball when struck reasonably hard in the center, will start by sliding forward and then slowly start rolling
forward as the friction from the cloth starts acting on it. If you hit the cue ball below center, then the ball will start rotating backwards
while sliding forward, then the friction will take over and reduce the backward rotation until it stops rotation and starts purely sliding,
and finally just like in the center-ball shot, will start rolling forward.
By using a combination of hitting hard and below center as needed, we can have the cue ball purely sliding when it hits the object ball.
Calibrating how hard or how low to hit the ball is a matter of practice.

For the most common half-table-breadth distances a firm shot, within half a cue tip below center is usually enough.
Try to pot the object ball into one of the side pockets while keeping the cue ball about a half table breadth away along a straight line, so
that the cue ball stops while the object ball goes into the pocket. This is one shot Id recommend practicing until you can hit it perfectly
at least 9 out of 10 times.
Now try setting up a cut shot, and watch the object and cue ball go in perpendicular directions.
Learning this shot alone should significantly improve your ability to control the cue ball. So how do you use this shot in practice?

Lets take a look at a simple example shown in the illustration.

Imagine you had to run the three balls in numerical order, starting with ball in hand, using only the shot you have learned so far. How
would you do it?
The simplest solution? Set up for a straight stop shot on ball 1, then stun the cue ball slightly while shooting ball 2, so that the cue ball is
deflected to place yourself for a relatively simple shot on ball 3.
By keeping your cue ball off the straight line shot, you can move the cue ball as far along the tangent line as you need for your next shot,
by controlling the pace of the cue ball and the angle at which you are shooting.
In fact by planning one or two balls ahead, you should be able to make fairly long runs as long as you maintain a little angle which will
allow you to move the ball along tangent lines instead of just stopping it in place.
Of course, not ever ball is an easy tangent line position away. Sometimes you might need to go in a slightly different direction from the
basic tangent line. That is where follow and draw shots come in.
In the next article we will look at how follow (forward spin) and draw (reverse spin), can be used to modify the angle at which the cue
ball leaves the object ball to achieve finer control over position.
Continue on to the next article in this series, Cue Ball Position Control Basics Part II The Follow Shot.

This entry was posted in Billiards on February 5, 2015.

Learn how to play pool well in under 30 minutes

Ever wished you could not suck at playing pool? Not be considered the worst player in the group? Maybe even win when playing with
your pool player friends and surprise everyone? Well, I am here to tell you that its not that hard.
It takes surprisingly little effort to beat the average pool player. Most players (outside of pool leagues) have no technique, no consistency
and rely on luck or the inexperience of their opponents to win. All it takes to beat them are some basic drills and techniques to improve
your consistency.
As someone who loves both to play pool and teach others, I came up with a series of drills that I use to teach complete beginners how to
aim and shoot subconsciously. I taught a friend these basics a while ago and she made some amazing cut shots and ran two-three balls at
a time during a game about fifteen minutes after going through the drills. Considering it was the second or third time in her life she had
held a cue-stick, it was amazing improvement.
Its no substitute for years of practice, but these basics should give any beginner a jump start and have them playing very confidently in
less than 30 minutes, easily beating most untrained or amateur players.
These are the essential basics that any beginner needs to go through to become a good intermediate level player
1. Learning to Stand and Hold the Cue Properly The Stance, The Grip and The Bridge
Beginners tend to stand very awkwardly when they try to shoot pool. Most stand in a way where they have no balance and will fall over
if pushed. Some can barely hold the cue steadily because their whole body is shaking from the strain of trying to maintain their weird
posture.
Simple Advice? Get comfortable when you stand, hold the cue stick gently, and stay relaxed when you shoot. Check out this video for a
quick explanation

When I am teaching, I first get students to learn a good stance and bridge and make sure their cue-ing is straight (using the bottle drill if a
bottle if available).
They do not get to touch the cue ball or make a shot until they can maintain their balance in their stance and have a clean, straight stroke.
Sometimes I even try to gently push them to test if they are in a stable stance. Ideally you should be so comfortable, you can stay in this
position indefinitely.
2. Learning to hit the cue-ball straight and smooth The Stroke
The next essential element after you learn to stand, is developing a good stroke. Bad stroke is the biggest reason for unpredictability in a
persons game. Ever had days when you can make difficult shots, and other days when you cant even make easy shots? Or find that the
cue ball isnt going where it should? Bad stroke is usually the culprit.
The bottle drill is probably the easiest way to fix a persons stroke and can teach a beginner in minutes what some players with years of
experience dont realize.
This includes not moving their head during the shot, holding the cue stick gently, and a good clean follow through with no jerkiness in
the cue action.
For a detailed explanation, you can read my article on the essential elements of of a good billiards stroke where I go over each of these
elements in detail.
Simple Advice? Hold the cue softly. Dont move any part of the body other than the forearm while shooting. Follow through. And get up
only after the cue ball has stopped moving. Check out this video for a quick explanation

When I am teaching, I have the student practice hitting a cue ball from one side of the table into the opposite corner pocket to improve
their confidence. If you can hit the cue ball into the opposite corner consistently (the longest possible shot on the table), then your stroke
is steady enough.
3. Learning where to hit the cue ball An Aiming System

Most beginners dont realize that learning to hit straight in step two is the hardest part of learning pool. If you have learned to accurately
hit where you aim, then all you need is someone to show you where to aim the cue ball.
Ever had a friend place a finger on the table to show you the point to aim and you found that by aiming there you made the shot easily?
Well, the ghost ball system is a simple little trick to find that point without needing someone else.

You can read my article on the ghost ball system for a detailed explanation of how it works. For longer
distance cut shots, I recommend using the parallel line aiming system.
Simple Advice? Imagine a ghost ball pushing the target ball into the pocket from the opposite side and aim at the center of the ghost ball.
Check out this video for a quick explanation.

When I am teaching students to aim, I start by giving them progressively increasing cut shots. I start with a straight shot, then an easy cut
shot, then a tougher one until they are comfortable with most cut shots.
When aiming, I usually place a second object ball as a ghost ball and ask them to use it to line up. Once they do so, and are down on the
shot, I remove the ghost ball and let them shoot. After doing this enough number of times, I make them repeat the shot without a ghost
ball. In case they start missing, I bring back the ghost ball and let them shoot a few more shots.
I then try to give them the gist of the aiming without aiming concept of just getting down on the shot and trusting their subconscious
mind. Surprisingly, complete beginners are able to pick up the system a lot faster than people who have been shooting for a while.
4. Learning to control the cue ball for the next shot Position Play
Ever seen a professional player playing? He not only makes the shot, but the cue ball then rolls around the table right next to the next
shot. To be able to do this, you need to understand the elements of positioning the ball and shot selection. If you would like to learn
position control, check out my new article series on learning cue ball position control.
i) Controlling the Ball Obviously, for a quick crash course, I ignore the basic elements of position play. For people who have the time,
or come back for a second lesson, we go over the stop shot, the follow shot and the draw shot. Check out this video for a quick
explanation of follow, draw and stop shots.

ii) Positioning the Ball Once you can control the cue ball, you need to start using the 90 and 30 degree rule and apply them for simple
position play. Then comes learning to use follow, draw and side english to control where the cue ball goes after each shot. I have a
separate workout to explain position play. If your are at the stage where you are able to make shots reasonably well, you might want to
read my article series on cue ball control and position play, which should give your positioning ability a significant boost.
iii) Shot Selection The last piece of the puzzle is learning to choose which ball to aim at so you are left with another shot after making
the current ball. This is how you can make/run more than one ball at a time. After going over position play, I usually just play while I
discuss and illustrate shot selection while using position play.
Thats it!!!
Mastering these fundamentals takes any person from barely able to hold the cue to playing at an APA 2-3 level in under an hour. What
separates an APA 2-3 from an APA 4-5 more accuracy, consistency, and learning to control the cue ball for position play. And what
separates a 4-5 from a 6-7, is inner game, emotional control, and even more consistency.
Of course, There is a LOT more to pool than just aiming or running tables. The fact is, even after learning to aim well, there is still so

much to learn and do. Better cue ball control, better position play, better safety play, better kick shots, better bank shots, learning breakout shots. Once you have mastered the basics, I recommend more advanced warmup drills to fine tune your stroke and position play.
At the professional level, its no longer about just shooting skill, but also the mental game of billiards. Once you get good at aiming,
bigger things start mattering such as controlling your own emotions, playing against more experienced players with defensive play or
learning to face new experiences and situations that you havent faced before.
How far you decide to go and where you decide to stop learning depends entirely on your own journey and motivation behind playing
pool.

If you have any questions or are interested in more details about these steps, please leave a comment below. Based on feedback, I can put
together a more detailed guide.

This entry was posted in Billiards and tagged billiards, drills, learning, pool on September 28, 2011.

Aiming without Aiming Part III A system for making long cut shots
I recently moved to India where snooker tables are a lot more common than pool tables. The pockets are very tight (1.3 balls at the most)
and the rails are incredibly unforgiving. Also the tables are much larger than pool tables (either 10 feet or 12 feet long). As a result
playing pool on snooker tables is more about shot making ability and less about position play that uses cheating of pockets.
Having played pool for so long, I saw that I played fairly well as long as I played within half a table (short to medium range game)
however I found it incredibly difficult to keep up with others when it came to making cut shots 8 feet away. People with no positional
ability could destroy me using just their shot making ability.

The ghost ball system just fails at those kind of distances. It is incredibly hard to aim at the center of an imaginary ball 6-8 feet away and
hit it perfectly. I found myself missing the pocket by as much as a foot unless I was concentrating a lot. It was also very tiring, both
physically and mentally.
While looking around for ideas to improve my long distance shooting, I discovered the parallel line aiming system. It works beautifully
for shots that are at the other end of the table. When combined with the ghost ball system, it also works really well for short distance
shots.
This is how the parallel line system works.
1.

Draw a line from the center of the pocket to the center of the object ball and extend it to the opposite side. This point (A) is
where the object ball needs to be hit by the cue ball.

2.

Draw another line parallel to the first, passing through the cue ball and identify the point (B) on the cue ball that needs to hit
the object ball

3.

Align yourself along the line from B to A, and visualize the point B hitting the point A and pushing the object ball into the
pocket.

I spent the last couple of weeks practicing with the new system (and also perfecting my stroke). Using precise points instead of
imaginary ghost ball centers makes it easier for the subconscious mind to aim at the target. I found it took much less concentration to
shoot using this system and within a few days I was able to aim and align shots subconsciously again. This has made it much easier to
keep up with others on the big table. Now that my aiming is more confident, I can use stroke and top/bottom english to position the ball
around the table again and am able to run more balls.
If you are having trouble with the ghost ball system or are uncomfortable with long cut shots, then give this system a try.

This entry was posted in Billiards and tagged aiming, billiards, pool on June 22, 2010.

Aiming without Aiming Part II How I really aim a billiards shot

My article on Aiming without Aiming has been one of the most read articles on this site. It received a lot of mixed reactions. The people
who liked the article were those who found the concept interesting and tried it, or veterans who already used this principle without
realizing it.
A lot of people however missed the point the article was trying to make.
Aiming without aiming isnt the magical solution to pool mastery. A person who has never played pool before wont start playing like a
professional by trying to trust his subconscious mind after reading the article. Any player will need to learn to shoot using a basic
technique like the ghost ball system and build a sufficiently large shot memory that his subconscious mind can use (by practicing and
playing hundreds of shots). After that, learning to let go of conscious control and trusting the subconscious mind also takes a fair amount
of time (working on inner game and learning to let go of outcome).
Take the example of driving with subconscious competence A driver who has been driving for several years may be able to reach his
destination on automatic pilot without paying attention to the steering wheel or where he needs to turn. He might even be able to
multitask eating or talking on the phone while driving. However a beginner trying to do the same thing will end up driving into the first
large object nearby. A beginner needs some driving lessons and a fair amount of driving experience before he or she can start driving
without driving.
So the fact is, when I am Aiming without Aiming, its not that I dont aim; I just no longer have to consciously think about the steps
involved in aiming because I have drilled the steps into my head over a period of time.
During practice today, I started paying attention to these steps. I did everything in slow motion and stopped at significant points so I
could note what I really do when I aim my shots.
Here is what I do broken down as best as I could describe it. (While this system works great for close shots, I use a slightly more
complex aiming system for long distance cut shots.)
Ghost Ball Aiming System

1. Mentally draw a line from the pocket to the object ball and see the path the object ball needs to take.
2. Extend the line past the object ball and imagine where the cue-ball needs to hit the object ball (using the ghost ball system). Draw a
line from the cue ball center to the ghost ball center.
3. Align both my feet and the cue along the line of the ball and then go down on the shot. Ideally, if I am lined up correctly I dont even
have to adjust my aim any further. I should be able to make the shot most of the time.
4. Look at both the pocket and the shot image (the cue ball and object ball). After years of shot memory built in, I usually get a gut feel
that tells me whether or not I am going to make the shot. If my aim/alignment is off, I will get a feeling that I am going to miss, in which
case I usually stand up and realign myself until I feel confident that the shot will go in. Once I am lined up correctly, I usually get a
YES signal that tells me the shot will go in. This is an intuition/gut thing that takes time to develop after making a lot of shots.
5. Shoot the ball using a good stroke with a smooth follow through. Watch the ball roll into the pocket and the cue ball stop for the next
shot. In case the shot is slightly off, make a mental note and calibrate future shots accordingly. If your stroke isnt perfectly straight yet
you might find it useful to practice the bottle drill.
The idea is, over time these five steps become so automatic that you dont even have to think about them and can focus on the other
aspects of the game such as learning cue ball position control.
Hopefully this explanation will make it easier for people to understand what I meant in the first article on aiming without aiming.

P.S. I recently discovered a better aiming system that works well even for making long distance cut shots effortlessly.
If you are having trouble with the ghost ball system or are uncomfortable of long cut shots, then give the parallel line aiming system a
try.
P.P.S. If people are interested, I can share a series of drills that I use to teach complete beginners how to aim and shoot subconsciously. I
taught a friend some basics just a few days ago and she made some amazing cut shots during a game about fifteen minutes after going
through the drills. Its no substitute for years of practice, but these basics should give any beginner a jump start and have them playing
very confidently in less than 30 minutes.
Please leave a comment below if you would find that useful.

This entry was posted in Billiards and tagged aiming, billiards, pool on February 22, 2010.

So why do you play pool? The power of motivation

I recently read the book Pleasures of Small Motions: Mastering the Mental Game of Pocket Billiards by Bob
Fancher. In the very first few chapters he talks about our motivation behind playing pool Some people play because they like to win,
others because they like to hang out with their friends and have a little fun. However one particular group of people, doesnt care about
winning and losing, or about socializing. They play because they LOVE the game.
These are the people who dont even need another person to play with and are happy shooting by themselves. They enjoy drills and
practice because they appreciate the beauty in each shot and the practice is a pleasure in itself. During games, they admire a good shot
played by an opponent and cheer them on instead of hoping that the other person misses. All they care about is learning and improving
and enjoying the game.
The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.
Martina Navratilova
It is impossible to motivate yourself to practice drills by yourself if you dont love billiards and all you care about is winning. Practice
becomes a painful chore that you have to finish before you can reach your wins. How can you learn and enjoy the game itself if you have
to wait till the end of the game to decide whether or not you are allowed to be happy?
However when the beauty of the game itself motivates you, you can enjoy even watching a good shot. You realize that a single game
means nothing in the grand scheme of things, and your motivation becomes to enjoy each moment and each shot. You can enjoy shooting
well, and be happy whether you win or lose.
Recently I had started caring too much about winning and was extra hard on myself whenever I lost. After a recent losing streak, I started
getting sick of pool and stopped wanting to even play. Reading this book made me remember why I started playing pool in the first place.
How I used to spend hours at the table by myself just shooting. How much I loved playing that perfect shot and watching the ball
slowly roll into the pocket.
Ive realized it doesnt matter whether I win or lose. Anytime an opponent makes an unbelievable shot, I usually ask them to teach me
the shot after the game. Each time I see or learn something new, I have to go try it myself. Suddenly each game is no longer a win/lose
situation but an opportunity to learn, improve and enjoy the game of billiards again.
Since then, Ive started enjoying pool again. Ive also got a whole lot better.

This entry was posted in Billiards and tagged billiards, pool, self improvement on August 22, 2009.

Having a bad night? Why bad nights are good for you
There is a tendency in all of us to desire to be our best selves all the time. We hate it when we are not doing as well as we know we can.
I am a little off today I am usually much better.
I love nights when I am confident and feel like I can do anything the good nights. These are the nights that I am completely in the
present moment and not inside my head. I am in the zone; doing things better than I have ever done before.
But not every night is like this. All of us also have nights when nothing seems to be going right. You can either call these nights bad
nights and hate them, or call them learning nights and use them to grow.
All of us also have nights when nothing seems to be going right. You can either call these nights bad nights and hate them, or call
them learning nights and use them to grow.
A few days ago I had a really off night. A night when I was missing even straight in shots. Where I was second guessing everything I
did. Where I didnt have the confidence to run more than two balls, even with ball in hand.
I never realized how important these nights are and how much they help improve my game
I love nights when I am in dead stroke. Every shot seems so effortless and I am aiming without aiming. I dont have to care about
position play If I can see the ball, I know I will make the shot. I dont care whether I have three balls in front of me or seven. All I need
is a turn at the table. I know that I can run all of them. On nights like this, I win lots of games by intimidation alone. Opponents start over
thinking after watching me shoot and end up choking just because they know that if they miss, it might be their last chance on the table.
Next come the nights when I am not in dead stroke but I am still in stroke. I still have to think about position play because I dont have
the same confidence to make any shot. I have to think about what I am going to play before each shot, plan the english, wait till my mind
is settled and make it. However I can reasonably execute anything that I decide I want to. Days like these are when I have to consciously
remember to play one ball at a time and not rush it by thinking too far ahead. I have to concentrate on each shot or I might miss it.
This is how it was last night. I was winning several games, but the amount of concentration it took was almost exhausting, and I had to
stop after a few games and take a break. Its definitely not as easy as being in dead stroke, but I can still do it. If I never had a night like
this, I would never be able to build the stamina to concentrate for several games, one shot at a time, while being out of stroke. If I ever
had an important match and was not in dead stroke, I would end up losing because I wasnt prepared for it.
But the most important nights are the ones when I am completely out of stroke. Where every cut shot seems to miss the pocket by a few
inches and even the straight in shots rattle out.
But the most important nights are the ones when I am completely out of stroke. Where every cut shot seems to miss the pocket by a few
inches and even the straight in shots rattle out. Where I have to stop thinking about position because just making a ball seems like a
miracle. Its as if I just started playing pool for the first time. As if I am not the same person who gets rackless night patches and can run
tables. These nights usually happen when I am really exhausted from a long day or have a lot on my mind.
I had a night like this a few days ago. I had no confidence in my ability to make more than one shot with ball in hand. I just could not
make cut shots. My opponent was on the hill because I kept missing shots and giving him the turn with a reasonably easy leave.

This is when I realized that I could either cry about not being in stroke and blame the entire situation on fate, or I could use all the
knowledge I had, consciously focus on playing with a good stroke and play within my abilities.
I started shooting one or two balls and then playing strong safeties. There were times when I thought to myself, if I had been in stroke, I
could have easily run all five of these balls, yet Im playing a safety. I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and focused on playing the
perfect safety. I think my opponent gave me at least 10 ball in hands during that time. I won all the remaining games and the match
without ever being able to run more than two balls at a time.
So why do I like these bad nights?
Nights when I am out of stroke force me to improve my game consciously so I can play better on the nights that I am not playing with
subconscious competence. I was forced to learn by observing flaws in my own game, asking people for help and looking for good
reference material. I did things like making a checklist of things to focus on for a good pool stroke. I discovered and started practicing
the bottle drill to improve my stroke.
The mark of great sportsmen is not how good they are at their best, but how good they are at their worst.
Martina Navratilova
The thing I discovered is that as you learn to push yourself on these off nights, your off nights start getting better and better. With each
bad night, you get closer and closer to playing like your best self.
Use the nights you are your best self to inspire you. Use the nights you are not playing well to improve, by discovering your weaknesses
and working on them. Aspire to be your best self, and work towards it consciously every day. That way, every day you are working
towards becoming the best that you can be.
You also start winning on your bad days.

This entry was posted in Billiards and tagged billiards, pool, self improvement on August 22, 2009.

One shot at a time How outcome independence and being in the now can change your
game
Sometimes one little concept can be the missing piece in your game.

I recently read the book Pleasures of Small Motions: Mastering the Mental Game of Pocket Billiards by Bob Fancher. In the very first
few chapters he talks about the motivation behind playing pool Some people play because they like to win, others because they like to
hang out with their friends and have a little fun. However one particular group of people, doesnt care about winning and losing, or
about socializing. They play because they LOVE the game. These are the people who dont even need another person to play with and
are happy shooting by themselves. These are the people who enjoy drills and practice because they can appreciate the beauty in each
shot, and the practice is a pleasure in itself. During games, they admire a good shot played by an opponent and cheer them on instead of
hoping that the other person misses. All they care about is learning and improving and enjoying the game.
However one particular group of people, doesnt care about winning and losing, or about socializing. They play because they LOVE the
game. These are the people who dont even need another person to play with and are happy shooting by themselves. These are the
people who enjoy drills and practice because they can appreciate the beauty in each shot, and the practice is a pleasure in itself.
Reading the book made me remember why I started playing pool in the first place. Since then, Ive started enjoying pool a lot more. Ive
also got a whole lot better. Ive realized I dont care whether I win or lose. Anytime an opponent makes an unbelievable shot, I usually
ask them to teach me the shot after the game. Each time I see or learn something new, I have to go try it myself. Suddenly each game is
no longer a win/lose situation but an opportunity to learn, improve and enjoy the game of billiards.

Another profound book that has helped change my life is The Power of Nowby Eckhart Tolle. For a book that
has nothing to do with pool, it is amazing how much the ideas from this book have helped improve my game.
The book talks about being in the present moment instead of the past or the future; about doing things for the pleasure of doing them, and
not for the result. The path to enlightenment is very simple Do one thing at a time. Dont think about why you started the task. Dont
think about what will happen once you complete the task. When doing the task, focus on only the task and nothing else.
The path to enlightenment is very simple Do one thing at a time. Dont think about why you started the task. Dont think about what
will happen once you complete the task. When doing the task, focus on only the task and nothing else.
Eckhart Tolle convinced me that even washing dishes can be a path to enlightenment, as long as I focus on the task and learn to enjoy it
instead of considering it a chore. A couple of months after I read the book, I had this amazing experience of happiness, joy and peace.
This is one book I would recommend to anyone who is not happy and satisfied with their life and wants to learn to live at peace with
himself.
Putting these two books together, I discovered the missing piece in my pool game The art of running a table isnt just about planning
ahead. It is also focusing on one shot at a time and taking pleasure in each shot. Shooting the shot because we enjoy it, and not as if it
were a painful thing that we have to get over with before we can get to the end of the match.
The fact is, even when we have a whole table to run, once we decide what order to run the balls in we have only one shot in front of us at
a time. Nothing else. It doesnt matter who we are playing. It doesnt matter what the race is. It doesnt matter if this is a tournament or a
fun match. It doesnt matter how many more balls we need to make. All we have right now, is that one shot.
I try to focus on that one shot as if it were the last shot I have to play.
I look at the ball I have to make and where I am shooting. I relax and let the subconscious mind do the aiming for me as I get down on
the shot. I shoot with a straight stroke and smooth follow through. I watch as the cue hits the ball and listen to the sound of the cue ball
strike the object ball. I stay down on the shot and watch as the object ball slowly rolls into the pocket and the cue ball moves towards
where I intended. And then I slowly get up to see what I have to face next. Once I make the shot, I can focus on the next shot. If I miss,
it wont matter anyway.

With so much amazing stuff going on, why would I even want to be thinking about the next shot or the previous shot? It would be like
sitting at a movie theater and day dreaming about the movie sequel instead of watching the movie right in front of me. Why would I do
that and ruin the amazing movie I have in front of me right now?
With so much amazing stuff going on, why would I even want to be thinking about the next shot or the previous shot? It would be like
sitting at a movie theater and day dreaming about the movie sequel instead of watching the movie right in front of me. Why would I do
that and ruin the amazing movie I have in front of me right now?
Over the last few weeks, especially since I started working on the bottle drill to improve my pool stroke, I have been running 6-7 balls
effortlessly. And each of the times I ran a table, there was one thing in common I was only thinking about one shot at a time.
Each of the times I ran a table, there was one thing in common I was only thinking about one shot at a time.

This entry was posted in Billiards, Self Actualization and tagged billiards, pool, self improvement on July 22, 2009.

The Bottle Improve your billiards stroke phenomenally without leaving your home
Not everyone owns a pool table. And going to a pool hall to practice every day can get both inconvenient and expensive. So how do you
get better without practicing?
I recently wrote about the Kaizen way how small one minute tasks can make a big difference. I wanted to find an easy way to practice
pool for a minute every day. What I decided on was the bottle drill.

Place an empty bottle on a level surface (I use an ironing board). Place

your hand about a foot away from the mouth of the bottle and stroke the cue into the bottle without touching the sides. I do this for just
about 30 seconds to a minute, after which I switch hands and repeat the exercise.
This drill is perfect for the subconscious mind to learn quickly because it provides the brain with a simple goal and immediate feedback
for auto-correction.
The first two days I did this drill, I touched the bottle a lot while stroking. However by the third day my subconscious had already
realized what I was trying to achieve and had started fixing anything that was causing me to touch the sides. I started loosening my
back arm muscles, softening my grip. I also discovered exactly where I need to keep the cue below my eye so that I can aim perfectly.

Over a period of two weeks, I can now go 20 30 strokes without touching the sides (and 3-4 with my left hand). This exercise is
improving my concentration and ability to hit the cue ball exactly where I need to. It is also making it a habit for me to stay down on the
shot (since getting up makes the cue tip hit the bottle).
The improvements on the pool table have been phenomenal. I had no idea my stroke needed so much correction. I thought I shot well
before, but over the last couple of weeks my shooting has been getting better. Last night, I hit full table length, straight in, stop shots
perfectly and consistently. Even my table length draw shots are getting consistent.
I had been going through a losing streak the last couple of months, and this one little exercise has got me shooting better than I have ever
shot before. It has me feeling excited about shooting and playing pool again.
The cool thing is, because it is only one minute a day, I find this drill both easy and convenient to do. I havent skipped this exercise even
one day since I started.
For people who would like to improve their shooting and need a convenient way to practice and improve their game, this is probably the
answer you are looking for. If you are in a slump or plateau, the reason for it is usually a defect in the pool stroke. This simple, almost
silly, little practice exercise will change your game for ever.

AIM HOW DO THE PROS DO IT?

9 pages preface by Fast Larry Guninger 10-14-04, rev 12-14-07, 9=15-08, published in DC, bpn, czm, upp, rsb.
AIMING THE FAST LARRY AIMING SYSTEM
I HAVE NO SYSTEM. I JUST PLANT MY HAND WITH ZERO THOUGHT AND SHOOT. I JUST SEE THE SHOT. Am I a
moron? No, I am just being totally honest with you about it.
It is all what I call, a leap of faith. But I have years of experience and millions of ball potted and plotted into my computer. So
what I can do, the newbie cannot. He needs aiming systems so he can one day, get to where I am, and no longer use them.
That is the main point; you see them like training wheels on your bike as a kid. You cant wait for the day when you can throw
them away and ride with the wind using no thought or direction. So learn a system, and then get rid of it ASAP.
When I miss a shot or a cut, I set it back up and keep shooting it until I make it. To master a new shot I will shoot it 500
times. To perfect it I will have to shoot it 5,000 times. To really perfect it 15,000 times. Soon my on board cpu, my brain,
stores the image and will match every shot that then comes up with the perfect image of a previous shot perfectly made. My
cpu can run through my 10,000,000 shots on file and find a match in less than a second. There is your aiming system.
I even let my cpu frame and see the shot. I then let cpu plant me, it puts my body and hands down on the shot in perfect
alignment every time without me thinking or directing anything. Now all I have to do is a couple of strokes and boom, in she
goes. It does not get any deeper than this and that is how I play, by feel, by imaging. All the pros play the same way. We all
turn the shot loose in 2 to 3 seconds or less after our hand plants on the table so you tell me how much time we have to
think or be calculating any aim lines within 2 seconds. The answer is we dont think. We free wheel in dead stroke and
usually in the zone. All we are doing is feeling, seeing, doing. Its all emulation by experience.
But I am using aiming systems. I am just not thinking about them. When I apply English I am using backhand English. My
cue begins straight pointing at the center of the cue ball and if I want to use one tip right at 2:00 the tip then angles off to the
right. The butt goes to the left and the tip to the right. That is the way I teach you to learn it. I am doing my aiming standing
up from the port arms position. When my hand plants I already know I am using one tip right to make the next position and
my cue tip automatically goes to that spot on the cue ball without any thought or direction from me. I am completely on auto
pilot.
I don't use the common fractional-ball aiming systems as that causes the brain to be thinking and calculating which is what
you are trying to shut off. A beginner may do them for a while just to learn these geometrical angles but he needs to lose this
in time.
I personally use a combination of straight intuition which is just "seeing the angle. Yes I see and use the ghost ball aiming
with running English but stop and recalculate on no English and reverse English to re aim for the cling and throw. I use my
POL, point of light visualization. I just visualize the aim without using any kind of fractional on fixed-reference compensation
system and allow it to put me on the POL which I then tightly focus into. I certainly don't use any kind of math or numbers
when I aim, like some people have suggested. I think my aim is usually very good; although, my stroke isnt always perfect.
Aim all you want, but if your stroke is not perfect in and out, it all falls apart.
One of the reasons newbies miss so many cuts are they shoot them using center ball on the CB. The pro hits most of his
cuts using running English which cancels out the cling so where he aims the ball goes. The newbie is never taught cling and
throw and on center ball he has to over cut and on reverse English which he never rarely uses he has to double over cut. All
of his aim lines are wrong and if he makes a cut it just slops in. Therefore teaching a ghost ball system without teaching the
effects of cling and throw IMHO is wrong. I have another article which goes into this in detail.
When you get the real pro players to tell the truth, many and maybe even most of them would say that aiming comes
naturally. They admit it is totally intuitive or they just "see the angle, because they have played so much this is very hard for
them to admit. You want to know if there is some super inside secret here, and they want to sell it to you in a lesson or tape.

Allow me to bottom line it all for you. Once you pot a million balls, you know how to aim. Once you pot 2 million balls, you are
one with the shot without thought. The balls just go in for you. For many of the top players, they do not have a clue how that
happens, not do they ever think about it.
Aiming is difficult because it involves 3D visualization, visual perception, physical and visual alignment, and compensation
for no English, running and then reverse on different shots and then cling, squirt, swerve, throw and the more English you
add the crazier it all gets. You have 3 things to contend with. You have to get on the CB right using the correct English, align
to the POL on the OB, then align into the correct path into the pocket so as to not hit a rail or point going in. Play for 10 to 15
years and one day it will all kick in. It is all far above the newbies comprehension.
Aiming isn't a science, despite what some system people think. It involves many kinds of estimation and guess work which
gets good by time and experience.
Estimating where the OB contact point is, the POL, is by aligning it with the pocket, picking out an aim point into it, from a
distance and an angle. This is not easy to do and there is no way to perfect it.
Estimating how to adjust the OB contact point for throw is all feel, forget trying to calculate it. It will drive you nuts and it will
never work. Turn it over to your cpu and it will learn to do it for you automatically without any thought or direction from you.
Even with a perfect stroke aiming isn't a simple, mechanically repeatable process. The more you practice, the better it will
get.
You will have to learn how to have a perfect body plant and alignment. If that is not right, and most have flaws in theirs, then
you aim will always be affected.
You want to set up on the CB, be looking at it and make 3 really fast little jabs. They your eyes move up to the OB, where
they re acquire the total aim angle seen in the upright port arms position. You establish the POL, the next point into the
pocket, and now do 3 slow slightly longer slower jabs, with your eyes fixed tightly on the POL. You are locked on the shot,
good or bad. You are committed to it. If it does not feel right, you pull up, if you get cpu green go, you shoot. You do not
change angles, or think in this spot, and you have your monkey brain, turned off so it cannot jabber at you or question what
you are doing.
We want you to now devote double the amount of time you are now spending in the final focus on the OB.
If you look at the quiet eye studies, you will find one bit of consistency about the studies of pool, of putting, of basketball free
throws, and of other aims involving stationary targets. Consistently a group of experts is compared to a group of beginners.
Consistently the group of experts focuses on their target on an average for a notably longer period of time in the "set"
position. Normal players will be at 2.5 seconds versus 1.5 seconds for the very experienced pro. It has become increasingly
clear that this slightly longer focus time to be locking on to your target for enough time is crucial for processing the
information necessary to aim successfully. Double the time over the OB to 3 seconds, 3 long strokes. When you master this,
that time over that ball can be, or will be automatically be cut in half. Do this and your potting success rate will climb.
You need to tighten up your entire aiming process because it is sloppy. You now look at a fuzzy OB, focus on a very small
exact aiming point, or POL. You now just look up and glance at the OB and shoot. Now, focus on it longer, stare at that POL.
You now look at a black pocket. See an exact aim point in it the size of a dime. When you do that many of your new aim
points will not be into the black area of the pocket, but into the correct entry which will be an aim point on the facing covered
with cloth.
"Approximating" systems include those taught by Hal Houle, Cue-Tech, RonV, Stan Shuffet, Joe Tucker and others, going by
such names as "fractional aiming", "3-angles", "S.A.M.", "center-to-edge", "Pro 1", etc., etc. Some users and teachers of
these systems will tell you that they are "exact" systems that need no adjustments, but they're wrong. All of them are
approximation systems and all of them require you to adjust your aim by feel. The only one that I'm aware of that actually
admits this fact openly is Joe Tucker's system. I had a student, a very bright guy who had told me has fully understood the
Tucker system and had it mastered. I filmed him and was going to put it on my next DVD. It would take him 30 to 45 seconds
to calculate the cut angle and the shot which IMHO is ridiculous.

Since they do not really work, then why even use them. Why, because beginners think they have to have one and they will
buy any one coming down the line. You will waste years of valuable time going down the wrong road with these. Just admit
now, there is no system. System players, are all losers, none of them ever get on top. Feel players are the winners.
Do not be a system player, avoid all systems. Several of our greatest players of all time never went to school and were
virtually illiterate such as Willie Hoppe and Minnesota Fats. They could not add 2 and 2. They proved you can play the game
without any systems.
When they asked Fatty what did he think about that book on the physics of pool he said, what does physics have to do wit
shootin pool?
This is a feel game, it must be learned and played, by feel. That is my message, that is my lesson, but few believe this, which
is sad. They will never be, one with the shot, Grasshopper.
The most difficult thing any one new to the game faces is trying to make cuts. They just can not see the cut angles. I have
long written and taught that you have to pot a million balls until the game gets easy and you see the cut angles. How long
does that take most people who dont play every day, 10 to 14 years? I teach when you miss a cut in practice, keep setting it
up until you make it. If you miss a cut in a match, diagram it and then make your self shoot it 100 times. You must drill these
cut angles into your brain. There is no shortcut to this, no magic system that gives it to you over night. To really learn and
master any shot or cut angle, you must shoot that shot 375 to 500 times. You can not practice these too much.
I agree with almost all of what is written by Mizerak, Massey, Ellin and Hopkins on how to aim. Greenleaf lined up this way. If
he then wanted to use one tip right English to twirl the cut in, when he moved the shaft now one tip over right maintaining
that same parallel line to center, he allowed his head to float with the shaft and both settled in on this new line of aim. This in
time happens automatically with no conscious thought or direction. I use this on some short shots and on all artistic shots
because they are up close as well. On longer 9 ball shots it tends to cause more deflection than backhand does.
My POL aim system is not covered here which is part of my system I only go into one on one with a private lesson with a
student.
The Ghost ball method taught today does not work and is flawed. Anyone teaching it then does not have a clue what throw
or cling is.
I use a modified ghost ball aim system that takes into account cling and throw and then it will work for you. More on that later.
There are so many other issues here the pros did not get into but they did give you a lot.
This discussion about aim occurred on RSB and here is a copy of that post.
>In the July 1995 issue of P&B is an article by Shari Stauch that
>is the best thing I've seen in print about the question, "How do
>the pro's aim?"
Several people were interested in the Pool and Billiard article that had aiming 'secrets' of several pros. I found the article,
which is in the July, 1995 issue. For brevity, I'll just post the relevant points. For my 2 cents worth, I don't see any secrets
here. Just look at the spot you need to hit, and practice until it becomes second nature. Anyway, here goes:
Excerpts from article written by Shari J. Stauch (who hopefully won't mind this):
AIMING- THE SECRET OF POOL? OR BASIC INSTINCT...
Dozens of Top Pros Give Up Their Aiming Secrets.
[Paraphrasing the opening paragraphs]: The "ghost ball" teaching method is best, and several, though not all pros agree.
Instinct eventually takes over when aiming, but it is nice to have a system to fall back on when you're not seeing the shots
very well that day.
THE GHOST BALL AND OTHER CREATIVE VISIONS

Vicki Paski: I picture the ghost ball; seeing a ball behind the object ball that I want to replace with my cue ball.
This is easier for most people than finding an exact spot on a round object that you must hit with another round object.
Dawn Hopkins agrees: The ways I do it is look at object ball to pocket, and picture the ghost ball, and then extend a line
straight from the cue ball to the object ball.
Roger Griffis: slight variation to this. I use the ghost ball and dissect the ball into 90 degrees. Both kind of give you a picture
of where you hit the ball, then, once you learn it you begin to play by feel.
Bonnie Arnold: sticks with visualizing where the ball has to hit the pocket when I'm aiming, I look at the pocket and I visualize
where the ball has to go in the pocket. Then I look at the spot on the object ball, and visualize the cue ball to the object ball
to the pocket.
Steve Mizerak: The way I find the target or contact point on the OB (object ball) is to visualize an imaginary line from the
back of the pocket through the OB. During my warm up strokes, my eyes move back and forth between the cue ball and the
target point. I use one or two low strokes, as if I'm going to draw the ball, on all shots because that gives me confidence in
hitting the cue ball correctly -- because the bottom of the cue ball is the
Strongest foundation to build on. [My note - I still don't understand why
Some pro's do this] I have no special tricks for cutting the ball or
Shooting a ball down a rail....It's very hard to tell a person how to aim.
Pocketing balls is an instinctive skill that is learned from trial and
Error. It can't be mastered from playing once a week. Instead of hitting twenty balls to learn a shot, I hit two hundred balls. I
haven't found an easier way yet.
BASIC INSTINCTS
"Steve brings up a solid point that was repeated by many professionals.
Aiming has become second nature, muscle memory has taken over. Trial and error over hundreds of thousands of shots
made and missed by top pros over dozens of years of competition -- heck, who needs to visualize anymore?..."
Kelly Oyama: There is no set way for me. I just look at the pocket and look at the ball and assume I then know where to hit it.
But I'd like to read the article-- maybe there's a better way.
Lorie Jon Jones: Aiming comes naturally for me, where I've always just known where to hit. It's very difficult for me to teach
people to aim because of this.
Mike Massey: I've tried a lot of systems but mostly you have to play from feel. You have to practice all types of feel, practice
all type of hits. To start you can use the angle of the half ball hit a lot because it's easy to judge. You just build your instincts
and you muscle memory -- that's
What I did.
Tony Ellin: I would say that aim is basically trial and error and instinct, using your judgment, I may look at the path from the
pocket through the object ball, but I hardly do that anymore. You develop an instinct for aiming from playing all the time.
Howard Vickery: There's no real way for me to explain it except to hit it with the right impact. Your hand-eye coordination
compensates for the difference in the roundness of the balls.
"...whatever your original aiming method...does the hand-eye coordination eventually begin to compensate for failings in your
method, optical illusions or tired eyes? If so, how long does it take?"
Earl Strickland: I've played so much that I don't have to think about it. But I also spin the balls in, as I think many of the pros
do; they're using so much English all the time. Pros spin the ball in the hole and that's mostly from feel. If youre really going
to learn to aim, you have to know better how to spin the ball, and what effect that's having on the OB. Amateurs who don't
spin the ball will have an easier time with straight aiming.

Mark Jarvis: I aim by portions of the ball, I don't aim at one particular spot -- but then again, I'm on the loser's side! But
seriously, the portion of the ball I'm looking at depends on where I'm sending the cue ball. For me, most of it is feel and
memory from shooting each shot many times. X MARKS THE SPOT - in contrast to a portion of the ball and basic instinct
theory is the "single spot."
Ewa Mataya Laurance offers the most detailed explanation of this theory. Aiming is a four-step process. First, draw a line
from pocket through the center of the ball to find the spot you want to hit. Then make up your mind, before you get down on
the shot, as to whether or not you need to apply English. Find your new exact spot and just keep your eye on that. Once
you're down on the shot, move your eyes back and forth between cue ball and OB. Everybody says look at the OB, but that's
not enough, look at that tiny spot. If you miss then, it could be a problem with your mechanics, not your aim.
Nikki Benish: This is how I learned, but I doubt if I use it anymore because when you're a pro every shot you see you've seen
and shot a least a hundred times before. On the toughest shots I was taught to try to pick out a spot on the OB, combined
with the imaginary cue ball method. By finding the spot, I mean like if the OB was a stripe ball, maybe I could mark my aim
spot as right at the edge of the stripe and the white on the ball, or say to myself, on this one, hit just to the left of the number.
Allen Hopkins: "I aim at a spot on the OB with center cue ball. A lot of it
Is feel, when you play as often as I do? You start finding that spot real easily. Occasionally I'll aim the cue stick toward the
pocket through the ball to find that spot.
George Breedlove: I know when I'm shooting, I'm looking at the OB when I pull the trigger, but I find my spot on the ball on
the table, looking at the base of the ball where it touches the table, not at any actual spot on the ball.
Tommy Kennedy: I look at the OB straight ahead, and then look little by little to the right or left of the ball. I keep going until I
see the spot where it's going to hit the bigger part of the pocket.
Michelle Adams: I stand behind where the cue ball and OB are in a straight line, and then I move to where I know I have to
hit it. Somebody explained this to me once, and I thought it wasn't very smart, but it works!
Jim Rempe: First of all you have to aim differently with different cues, because some cues deflect more than others. A cue
also deflects more or less depending on how hard you hit the ball. I play with a Meucci, that doesn't deflect, so I aim directly
at the contact point. I also use the ghost ball theory, but it's more repetitious in you mind when you play a lot. In other words,
I don't really visualize the ball anymore, it's automatic.
Belinda Bearden: I pick out the point on the OB in line where the pocket must be struck. Depending on the angle, you can
tell which part of the cue ball must hit the OB. But any time English is applied, a slight adjustment for deflection must be
made. Depending on the amount of English applied, you will be aiming with a different part of the cue ball to hit the OB.
AIMING WITH ######
Another theory, aiming with the cue ball:
Nesli O'Hare: The technique I use was taught to me by Efren Reyes.
According to Efren, there are three kinds of hits on any OB. First, there's looking at the center of cue ball to the point of aim if
the shot is a full ball hit. If not, you can divide the OB into four quarters, sighting your cue ball edge to the point of aim. When
using inside English with a medium to hard stroke, you don't change the point of aim. With outside English, you aim a
sixteenth of an inch fuller on the OB than you normally would. But, all bets are off when using a soft stroke, because of
deflection, etc.
Efren Reyes: further explains...When you put a lot of English on the cue ball you adjust a little bit, often aiming exactly at the
contact point of an OB. So it very much depends on my next shot how I will aim.
Sammy Jones: (husband/coach of Lorie Jon Jones) agrees. It depends on the shot itself. When aiming at a straight in shot,

you're aiming both balls directly in the center. If aiming at a thin cut shot, you imagine the edge of the cue ball hitting the
edge of the OB.
Ray Martin: I use parts of the cue ball. In other words, if you were to have a straight in shot, you're aiming with the middle of
the cue ball to the middle of the OB. Now let's say the OB stays in the same place and you move the cue ball six inches to
the left. Now you're aiming with only a part of the cue ball. I'm not going to stress 1/2 ball, 1/4 ball here, because that's way
too broad -- the difference could be two degrees or a sixteenth of an inch! The important thing to remember is the spot on
the OB never changes. It is a constant.
ON CUE
...Some aim with the cue stick itself, but with a great diversity in their methods.
Reed Pierce: I take the cue stick and try to line it up in line. I just pick the spot in the center of the OB, and aim towards that.
Even if you need to cut a ball real thin, you just still need a square hit, so you aim for the contact point with your cue.
Robin Bell: When I line up on the cue ball to the OB, I first visualize the actual location on the OB where I need to hit it. Then
I put my cue down towards that spot. When I'm down shooting I'm sending the cue straight through the cue ball to that spot
on the OB. Picturing it that way allows me to always follow through.
Mary Guarino: I aim with the shaft of my cue stick. If you're hitting a straight-in shot, obviously, you cue is in the center. I
imagine the cue ball is in quarters. In example for 15 degree cuts, you split the quarter. For a thirty degree cut I split the edge
with my shaft and 45 degree cuts I use the edges of my shaft.
Nick Varner: What I do is use parallel lines. The first line I see is a line from the edge of the cue ball toward the contact point
on the OB. I keep my shaft on a parallel line to that and if you're cutting the ball to the left of that line, it will be on the right.
But if you're using left English, it will be the same line, and with center or right English, it will be parallel. Once I shoot, my
eyes are actually focused on the contact point on the OB.
YET ANOTHER ANGLE
Lorie Jon Jones: Sometimes I look at the angle between the cue ball, OB and pocket, and stroke through to that spot,
looking at the OB last.
Jeff Carter: [edited out first part]...What you look at first or last, the cue ball or OB varies from shot to shot. On a long shot, of
course I'm going to watch the cue ball go up to the OB. Let your eyes do what they want to do naturally, but keep you head
down, that's what's most important.
Michelle Adams: [leans towards looking at the OB last], except on the break shot, or a masse or jump shot, where you need
to pay more attention to where you cue tip will contact the cue ball.
Sammy Jones opts for honesty. "I wish I knew! I'd lean towards looking at the OB last, but I have never figured that out.
What's interesting to note is that when the top pros line up, Buddy Hall is a good example, the cue tip is the distance of a
razor blade's width from the cue ball."
Lorie Jon then explains that this only proves the OB last theory. "It's like that trick shot where you line up, take the cue out of
your bridge hand, slide it back in, look away and shoot. Once you've lined up, you don't need to see that cue ball, a top
player is going to know they're there."
Summing up the more commonly heard theory is Allen Hopkins who says, "I look first at the cue ball, then OB, then back
and forth from the cue ball to OB, always looking at the OB last."
THE FINAL SECRET
There you have it, the secrets of aiming from dozens of the top players who do it best. But then again, is the secret really
out? #2 ranked CJ Riley offers that you must aim before you get down on the ball by lining up correctly, of course, but adds

that as far as his aiming method itself,

"There are certain things you don't tell. Last time I wrote anything about aiming; somebody copied it and started selling it."
I considered Chinese water torture, but I don't think he wouldve cracked.
I guess the secret may still be out there...somewhere. [End of Article]
The article paraphrased and quoted above was written by Sheri J. Stauch.

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Posted 19 September 2008 - 07:26 PM

FASTLARRY, on Sep 15 2008, 08:24 PM, said:

AIM HOW DO THE PROS DO IT?
9 pages preface by Fast Larry Guninger 10-14-04, rev 12-14-07, 9=15-08, published in DC, bpn, czm, upp, rsb.
AIMING THE FAST LARRY AIMING SYSTEM
I HAVE NO SYSTEM. I JUST PLANT MY HAND WITH ZERO THOUGHT AND SHOOT. I JUST SEE THE SHOT. Am I a moron? No, I am just being
totally honest with you about it.
It is all what I call, a leap of faith. But I have years of experience and millions of ball potted and plotted into my computer. So what I can do, the newbie
cannot. He needs aiming systems so he can one day, get to where I am, and no longer use them. That is the main point; you see them like training
wheels on your bike as a kid. You cant wait for the day when you can throw them away and ride with the wind using no thought or direction. So learn a
system, and then get rid of it ASAP.
When I miss a shot or a cut, I set it back up and keep shooting it until I make it. To master a new shot I will shoot it 500 times. To perfect it I will have to
shoot it 5,000 times. To really perfect it 15,000 times. Soon my on board cpu, my brain, stores the image and will match every shot that then comes up
with the perfect image of a previous shot perfectly made. My cpu can run through my 10,000,000 shots on file and find a match in less than a second.
There is your aiming system.
I even let my cpu frame and see the shot. I then let cpu plant me, it puts my body and hands down on the shot in perfect alignment every time without
me thinking or directing anything. Now all I have to do is a couple of strokes and boom, in she goes. It does not get any deeper than this and that is how
I play, by feel, by imaging. All the pros play the same way. We all turn the shot loose in 2 to 3 seconds or less after our hand plants on the table so you
tell me how much time we have to think or be calculating any aim lines within 2 seconds. The answer is we dont think. We free wheel in dead stroke

and usually in the zone. All we are doing is feeling, seeing, doing. Its all emulation by experience.
But I am using aiming systems. I am just not thinking about them. When I apply English I am using backhand English. My cue begins straight pointing
at the center of the cue ball and if I want to use one tip right at 2:00 the tip then angles off to the right. The butt goes to the left and the tip to the right.
That is the way I teach you to learn it. I am doing my aiming standing up from the port arms position. When my hand plants I already know I am using
one tip right to make the next position and my cue tip automatically goes to that spot on the cue ball without any thought or direction from me. I am
completely on auto pilot.
I don't use the common fractional-ball aiming systems as that causes the brain to be thinking and calculating which is what you are trying to shut off. A
beginner may do them for a while just to learn these geometrical angles but he needs to lose this in time.
I personally use a combination of straight intuition which is just "seeing the angle. Yes I see and use the ghost ball aiming with running English but stop
and recalculate on no English and reverse English to re aim for the cling and throw. I use my POL, point of light visualization. I just visualize the aim
without using any kind of fractional on fixed-reference compensation system and allow it to put me on the POL which I then tightly focus into. I certainly
don't use any kind of math or numbers when I aim, like some people have suggested. I think my aim is usually very good; although, my stroke isnt
always perfect. Aim all you want, but if your stroke is not perfect in and out, it all falls apart.
One of the reasons newbies miss so many cuts are they shoot them using center ball on the CB. The pro hits most of his cuts using running English
which cancels out the cling so where he aims the ball goes. The newbie is never taught cling and throw and on center ball he has to over cut and on
reverse English which he never rarely uses he has to double over cut. All of his aim lines are wrong and if he makes a cut it just slops in. Therefore
teaching a ghost ball system without teaching the effects of cling and throw IMHO is wrong. I have another article which goes into this in detail.
When you get the real pro players to tell the truth, many and maybe even most of them would say that aiming comes naturally. They admit it is totally
intuitive or they just "see the angle, because they have played so much this is very hard for them to admit. You want to know if there is some super
inside secret here, and they want to sell it to you in a lesson or tape. Allow me to bottom line it all for you. Once you pot a million balls, you know how to
aim. Once you pot 2 million balls, you are one with the shot without thought. The balls just go in for you. For many of the top players, they do not have a
clue how that happens, not do they ever think about it.
Aiming is difficult because it involves 3D visualization, visual perception, physical and visual alignment, and compensation for no English, running and
then reverse on different shots and then cling, squirt, swerve, throw and the more English you add the crazier it all gets. You have 3 things to contend
with. You have to get on the CB right using the correct English, align to the POL on the OB, then align into the correct path into the pocket so as to not
hit a rail or point going in. Play for 10 to 15 years and one day it will all kick in. It is all far above the newbies comprehension.
Aiming isn't a science, despite what some system people think. It involves many kinds of estimation and guess work which gets good by time and
experience.
Estimating where the OB contact point is, the POL, is by aligning it with the pocket, picking out an aim point into it, from a distance and an angle. This is
not easy to do and there is no way to perfect it.
Estimating how to adjust the OB contact point for throw is all feel, forget trying to calculate it. It will drive you nuts and it will never work. Turn it over to
your cpu and it will learn to do it for you automatically without any thought or direction from you.
Even with a perfect stroke aiming isn't a simple, mechanically repeatable process. The more you practice, the better it will get.
You will have to learn how to have a perfect body plant and alignment. If that is not right, and most have flaws in theirs, then you aim will always be
affected.
You want to set up on the CB, be looking at it and make 3 really fast little jabs. They your eyes move up to the OB, where they re acquire the total aim
angle seen in the upright port arms position. You establish the POL, the next point into the pocket, and now do 3 slow slightly longer slower jabs, with
your eyes fixed tightly on the POL. You are locked on the shot, good or bad. You are committed to it. If it does not feel right, you pull up, if you get cpu
green go, you shoot. You do not change angles, or think in this spot, and you have your monkey brain, turned off so it cannot jabber at you or question
what you are doing.
We want you to now devote double the amount of time you are now spending in the final focus on the OB.
If you look at the quiet eye studies, you will find one bit of consistency about the studies of pool, of putting, of basketball free throws, and of other aims
involving stationary targets. Consistently a group of experts is compared to a group of beginners.
Consistently the group of experts focuses on their target on an average for a notably longer period of time in the "set" position. Normal players will be at
2.5 seconds versus 1.5 seconds for the very experienced pro. It has become increasingly clear that this slightly longer focus time to be locking on to
your target for enough time is crucial for processing the information necessary to aim successfully. Double the time over the OB to 3 seconds, 3 long
strokes. When you master this, that time over that ball can be, or will be automatically be cut in half. Do this and your potting success rate will climb.
You need to tighten up your entire aiming process because it is sloppy. You now look at a fuzzy OB, focus on a very small exact aiming point, or POL.
You now just look up and glance at the OB and shoot. Now, focus on it longer, stare at that POL. You now look at a black pocket. See an exact aim
point in it the size of a dime. When you do that many of your new aim points will not be into the black area of the pocket, but into the correct entry which
will be an aim point on the facing covered with cloth.

"Approximating" systems include those taught by Hal Houle, Cue-Tech, RonV, Stan Shuffet, Joe Tucker and others, going by such names as "fractional
aiming", "3-angles", "S.A.M.", "center-to-edge", "Pro 1", etc., etc. Some users and teachers of these systems will tell you that they are "exact" systems
that need no adjustments, but they're wrong. All of them are approximation systems and all of them require you to adjust your aim by feel. The only one
that I'm aware of that actually admits this fact openly is Joe Tucker's system. I had a student, a very bright guy who had told me has fully understood
the Tucker system and had it mastered. I filmed him and was going to put it on my next DVD. It would take him 30 to 45 seconds to calculate the cut
angle and the shot which IMHO is ridiculous.
Since they do not really work, then why even use them. Why, because beginners think they have to have one and they will buy any one coming down
the line. You will waste years of valuable time going down the wrong road with these. Just admit now, there is no system. System players, are all losers,
none of them ever get on top. Feel players are the winners.
Do not be a system player, avoid all systems. Several of our greatest players of all time never went to school and were virtually illiterate such as Willie
Hoppe and Minnesota Fats. They could not add 2 and 2. They proved you can play the game without any systems.
When they asked Fatty what did he think about that book on the physics of pool he said, what does physics have to do wit shootin pool?
This is a feel game, it must be learned and played, by feel. That is my message, that is my lesson, but few believe this, which is sad. They will never be,
one with the shot, Grasshopper.
The most difficult thing any one new to the game faces is trying to make cuts. They just can not see the cut angles. I have long written and taught that
you have to pot a million balls until the game gets easy and you see the cut angles. How long does that take most people who dont play every day, 10
to 14 years? I teach when you miss a cut in practice, keep setting it up until you make it. If you miss a cut in a match, diagram it and then make your
self shoot it 100 times. You must drill these cut angles into your brain. There is no shortcut to this, no magic system that gives it to you over night. To
really learn and master any shot or cut angle, you must shoot that shot 375 to 500 times. You can not practice these too much.
I agree with almost all of what is written by Mizerak, Massey, Ellin and Hopkins on how to aim. Greenleaf lined up this way. If he then wanted to use one
tip right English to twirl the cut in, when he moved the shaft now one tip over right maintaining that same parallel line to center, he allowed his head to
float with the shaft and both settled in on this new line of aim. This in time happens automatically with no conscious thought or direction. I use this on
some short shots and on all artistic shots because they are up close as well. On longer 9 ball shots it tends to cause more deflection than backhand
does.
My POL aim system is not covered here which is part of my system I only go into one on one with a private lesson with a student.
The Ghost ball method taught today does not work and is flawed. Anyone teaching it then does not have a clue what throw or cling is.
I use a modified ghost ball aim system that takes into account cling and throw and then it will work for you. More on that later.
There are so many other issues here the pros did not get into but they did give you a lot.
This discussion about aim occurred on RSB and here is a copy of that post.
>In the July 1995 issue of P&B is an article by Shari Stauch that
>is the best thing I've seen in print about the question, "How do
>the pro's aim?"
Several people were interested in the Pool and Billiard article that had aiming 'secrets' of several pros. I found the article, which is in the July, 1995
issue. For brevity, I'll just post the relevant points. For my 2 cents worth, I don't see any secrets here. Just look at the spot you need to hit, and practice
until it becomes second nature. Anyway, here goes:
Excerpts from article written by Shari J. Stauch (who hopefully won't mind this):
AIMING- THE SECRET OF POOL? OR BASIC INSTINCT...
Dozens of Top Pros Give Up Their Aiming Secrets.
[Paraphrasing the opening paragraphs]: The "ghost ball" teaching method is best, and several, though not all pros agree. Instinct eventually takes over
when aiming, but it is nice to have a system to fall back on when you're not seeing the shots very well that day.
THE GHOST BALL AND OTHER CREATIVE VISIONS
Vicki Paski: I picture the ghost ball; seeing a ball behind the object ball that I want to replace with my cue ball.
This is easier for most people than finding an exact spot on a round object that you must hit with another round object.
Dawn Hopkins agrees: The ways I do it is look at object ball to pocket, and picture the ghost ball, and then extend a line straight from the cue ball to the
object ball.
Roger Griffis: slight variation to this. I use the ghost ball and dissect the ball into 90 degrees. Both kind of give you a picture of where you hit the ball,
then, once you learn it you begin to play by feel.
Bonnie Arnold: sticks with visualizing where the ball has to hit the pocket when I'm aiming, I look at the pocket and I visualize where the ball has to go

in the pocket. Then I look at the spot on the object ball, and visualize the cue ball to the object ball to the pocket.
Steve Mizerak: The way I find the target or contact point on the OB (object ball) is to visualize an imaginary line from the back of the pocket through the
OB. During my warm up strokes, my eyes move back and forth between the cue ball and the target point. I use one or two low strokes, as if I'm going to
draw the ball, on all shots because that gives me confidence in hitting the cue ball correctly -- because the bottom of the cue ball is the
Strongest foundation to build on. [My note - I still don't understand why
Some pro's do this] I have no special tricks for cutting the ball or
Shooting a ball down a rail....It's very hard to tell a person how to aim.
Pocketing balls is an instinctive skill that is learned from trial and
Error. It can't be mastered from playing once a week. Instead of hitting twenty balls to learn a shot, I hit two hundred balls. I haven't found an easier way
yet.
BASIC INSTINCTS
"Steve brings up a solid point that was repeated by many professionals.
Aiming has become second nature, muscle memory has taken over. Trial and error over hundreds of thousands of shots made and missed by top pros
over dozens of years of competition -- heck, who needs to visualize anymore?..."
Kelly Oyama: There is no set way for me. I just look at the pocket and look at the ball and assume I then know where to hit it. But I'd like to read the
article-- maybe there's a better way.
Lorie Jon Jones: Aiming comes naturally for me, where I've always just known where to hit. It's very difficult for me to teach people to aim because of
this.
Mike Massey: I've tried a lot of systems but mostly you have to play from feel. You have to practice all types of feel, practice all type of hits. To start you
can use the angle of the half ball hit a lot because it's easy to judge. You just build your instincts and you muscle memory -- that's
What I did.
Tony Ellin: I would say that aim is basically trial and error and instinct, using your judgment, I may look at the path from the pocket through the object
ball, but I hardly do that anymore. You develop an instinct for aiming from playing all the time.
Howard Vickery: There's no real way for me to explain it except to hit it with the right impact. Your hand-eye coordination compensates for the difference
in the roundness of the balls.
"...whatever your original aiming method...does the hand-eye coordination eventually begin to compensate for failings in your method, optical illusions
or tired eyes? If so, how long does it take?"
Earl Strickland: I've played so much that I don't have to think about it. But I also spin the balls in, as I think many of the pros do; they're using so much
English all the time. Pros spin the ball in the hole and that's mostly from feel. If youre really going to learn to aim, you have to know better how to spin
the ball, and what effect that's having on the OB. Amateurs who don't spin the ball will have an easier time with straight aiming.
Mark Jarvis: I aim by portions of the ball, I don't aim at one particular spot -- but then again, I'm on the loser's side! But seriously, the portion of the ball
I'm looking at depends on where I'm sending the cue ball. For me, most of it is feel and memory from shooting each shot many times. X MARKS THE
SPOT - in contrast to a portion of the ball and basic instinct theory is the "single spot."
Ewa Mataya Laurance offers the most detailed explanation of this theory. Aiming is a four-step process. First, draw a line from pocket through the
center of the ball to find the spot you want to hit. Then make up your mind, before you get down on the shot, as to whether or not you need to apply
English. Find your new exact spot and just keep your eye on that. Once you're down on the shot, move your eyes back and forth between cue ball and
OB. Everybody says look at the OB, but that's not enough, look at that tiny spot. If you miss then, it could be a problem with your mechanics, not your
aim.
Nikki Benish: This is how I learned, but I doubt if I use it anymore because when you're a pro every shot you see you've seen and shot a least a
hundred times before. On the toughest shots I was taught to try to pick out a spot on the OB, combined with the imaginary cue ball method. By finding
the spot, I mean like if the OB was a stripe ball, maybe I could mark my aim spot as right at the edge of the stripe and the white on the ball, or say to
myself, on this one, hit just to the left of the number.
Allen Hopkins: "I aim at a spot on the OB with center cue ball. A lot of it
Is feel, when you play as often as I do? You start finding that spot real easily. Occasionally I'll aim the cue stick toward the pocket through the ball to
find that spot.
George Breedlove: I know when I'm shooting, I'm looking at the OB when I pull the trigger, but I find my spot on the ball on the table, looking at the base
of the ball where it touches the table, not at any actual spot on the ball.
Tommy Kennedy: I look at the OB straight ahead, and then look little by little to the right or left of the ball. I keep going until I see the spot where it's
going to hit the bigger part of the pocket.

Michelle Adams: I stand behind where the cue ball and OB are in a straight line, and then I move to where I know I have to hit it. Somebody explained
this to me once, and I thought it wasn't very smart, but it works!
Jim Rempe: First of all you have to aim differently with different cues, because some cues deflect more than others. A cue also deflects more or less
depending on how hard you hit the ball. I play with a Meucci, that doesn't deflect, so I aim directly at the contact point. I also use the ghost ball theory,
but it's more repetitious in you mind when you play a lot. In other words, I don't really visualize the ball anymore, it's automatic.
Belinda Bearden: I pick out the point on the OB in line where the pocket must be struck. Depending on the angle, you can tell which part of the cue ball
must hit the OB. But any time English is applied, a slight adjustment for deflection must be made. Depending on the amount of English applied, you will
be aiming with a different part of the cue ball to hit the OB.
AIMING WITH ######
Another theory, aiming with the cue ball:
Nesli O'Hare: The technique I use was taught to me by Efren Reyes.
According to Efren, there are three kinds of hits on any OB. First, there's looking at the center of cue ball to the point of aim if the shot is a full ball hit. If
not, you can divide the OB into four quarters, sighting your cue ball edge to the point of aim. When using inside English with a medium to hard stroke,
you don't change the point of aim. With outside English, you aim a sixteenth of an inch fuller on the OB than you normally would. But, all bets are off
when using a soft stroke, because of deflection, etc.
Efren Reyes: further explains...When you put a lot of English on the cue ball you adjust a little bit, often aiming exactly at the contact point of an OB. So
it very much depends on my next shot how I will aim.
Sammy Jones: (husband/coach of Lorie Jon Jones) agrees. It depends on the shot itself. When aiming at a straight in shot, you're aiming both balls
directly in the center. If aiming at a thin cut shot, you imagine the edge of the cue ball hitting the edge of the OB.
Ray Martin: I use parts of the cue ball. In other words, if you were to have a straight in shot, you're aiming with the middle of the cue ball to the middle
of the OB. Now let's say the OB stays in the same place and you move the cue ball six inches to the left. Now you're aiming with only a part of the cue
ball. I'm not going to stress 1/2 ball, 1/4 ball here, because that's way too broad -- the difference could be two degrees or a sixteenth of an inch! The
important thing to remember is the spot on the OB never changes. It is a constant.
ON CUE
...Some aim with the cue stick itself, but with a great diversity in their methods.
Reed Pierce: I take the cue stick and try to line it up in line. I just pick the spot in the center of the OB, and aim towards that. Even if you need to cut a
ball real thin, you just still need a square hit, so you aim for the contact point with your cue.
Robin Bell: When I line up on the cue ball to the OB, I first visualize the actual location on the OB where I need to hit it. Then I put my cue down
towards that spot. When I'm down shooting I'm sending the cue straight through the cue ball to that spot on the OB. Picturing it that way allows me to
always follow through.
Mary Guarino: I aim with the shaft of my cue stick. If you're hitting a straight-in shot, obviously, you cue is in the center. I imagine the cue ball is in
quarters. In example for 15 degree cuts, you split the quarter. For a thirty degree cut I split the edge with my shaft and 45 degree cuts I use the edges
of my shaft.
Nick Varner: What I do is use parallel lines. The first line I see is a line from the edge of the cue ball toward the contact point on the OB. I keep my shaft
on a parallel line to that and if you're cutting the ball to the left of that line, it will be on the right. But if you're using left English, it will be the same line,
and with center or right English, it will be parallel. Once I shoot, my eyes are actually focused on the contact point on the OB.
YET ANOTHER ANGLE
Lorie Jon Jones: Sometimes I look at the angle between the cue ball, OB and pocket, and stroke through to that spot, looking at the OB last.
Jeff Carter: [edited out first part]...What you look at first or last, the cue ball or OB varies from shot to shot. On a long shot, of course I'm going to watch
the cue ball go up to the OB. Let your eyes do what they want to do naturally, but keep you head down, that's what's most important.
Michelle Adams: [leans towards looking at the OB last], except on the break shot, or a masse or jump shot, where you need to pay more attention to
where you cue tip will contact the cue ball.
Sammy Jones opts for honesty. "I wish I knew! I'd lean towards looking at the OB last, but I have never figured that out. What's interesting to note is that
when the top pros line up, Buddy Hall is a good example, the cue tip is the distance of a razor blade's width from the cue ball."
Lorie Jon then explains that this only proves the OB last theory. "It's like that trick shot where you line up, take the cue out of your bridge hand, slide it
back in, look away and shoot. Once you've lined up, you don't need to see that cue ball, a top player is going to know they're there."

Summing up the more commonly heard theory is Allen Hopkins who says, "I look first at the cue ball, then OB, then back and forth from the cue ball to
OB, always looking at the OB last."
THE FINAL SECRET
There you have it, the secrets of aiming from dozens of the top players who do it best. But then again, is the secret really out? #2 ranked CJ Riley offers
that you must aim before you get down on the ball by lining up correctly, of course, but adds that as far as his aiming method itself,
"There are certain things you don't tell. Last time I wrote anything about aiming; somebody copied it and started selling it."
I considered Chinese water torture, but I don't think he wouldve cracked.
I guess the secret may still be out there...somewhere. [End of Article]
The article paraphrased and quoted above was written by Sheri J. Stauch.

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))))))))))))))))))
Pool is being taught wrong by almost everyone but me and a small group who actually know. Very few actually do know and have the knowledge to
take you there. Most of what you know and paid for is dead wrong which is why you are reading this now, it did not work for you. You thought it was you.
It never dawned on you. You had a bad teacher that did not know. If you want the truth and methods that do work come see me.
All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Second it is violently opposed. Third it is accepted as being self-evident. - Arthur
Schopenhauer (1788-1860)
Do not reprove the fool lest he hate you. Reprove the wise man and he will love you. Proverbs 9:8.
Those who seek me seek inside knowledge and receive it from a high end finisher and Grand Master level instructor who can actually play. Those who
seek it from big names writing books receive bull crap from a guy who cant run 3 friggen balls and they get what they paid for. Big time Bull crap that
does not work which leads them into paralysis by analysis. They live on the premise that a sucker like you is born every minute and you will keep
buying their crap. Come to me, Ill give you the straight story on every facet of the game.
Power in pool does not come from muscles. It comes from the know how to produce a shot. Most power shots are from advanced knowledge and using
acquired special techniques, or secrets to these shots which can be learned by almost any one in time with practice and determination.
Therefore: Knowledge is Power.
Originally quoted by Sir Francis Bacon in Meditationes Sacrae (1597).
Seek out an advanced level teacher, who has this advanced knowledge. Never waste your time or money on beginner teachers. Become a student of
the game.
The more knowledge a player possesses, the more power he acquires. The more shots he knows, the more chances he has to get out on you. The
more he knows, the more confident he becomes. The more confident he becomes turns him into a champion and a winner.
A beginner in pool is like a golfer playing 18 holes with just one club. I can easily defeat Tiger Woods with my 14 clubs if I make him play with just 1
club. I have many options and shots, he only has a few. When I graduate a student, he has 30 clubs. His quiver is full of many arrows to shoot. There is
no shot he does not know about and cannot produce.
The better players are defeating you because they simply know more than you and have greater experience. You are in the 3rd grade, the best players
beating you just graduated from College and are about to begin their MBAs. You can cut this distance down between you two fast with a good coach,
study, practice and hard work. It wont happen by you just beating balls around. It will only happen if you acquire knowledge by expanding your
repertoire of shots.
May God bless and peace be with you. May there now be peace between us. If you are a real pool player, then fast truly loves you. May the wind be
always on your back and all 9 balls fall.
VENI VIDI VICI, OMNIA VINCIT AMOR. Latin for I came, I saw, I conquered, love conquerors all. Yes I really did do it all and you can believe it, or
not. If you dont believe it, Cest La Vie. " Shoot straight, innovate, never give up, just run out on the other guy then there is no way for you to lose.
Either lead me, follow me or get the **** out of my way. Do one of the three please. Come celebrate the wonder of this beautiful game with me and
become a student of it.
Be my friend, walk my way, flow with what I teach you and you will soar like the Eagle into levels of excellence you never dreamed possible. Play by
feel, not by systems, do not make a simple game complicated. Go with what you know, go with what is natural.
"Winners make things happen. Losers let things happen." In the words of Vince Lombardi, "When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of
people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened." Vince said youve got to pay the price. Winning is
not a sometime thing, its an all the time thing. Winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing.
Vince Lombardi once said, The quality of a persons life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of
profession or endeavor.
This is a feel game and a mind game. When the mind is pure, pure perfect pool will follow. Perfect pool comes from being taught how to practice
perfect. Being in dead punch is the ultimate trip and reward from that. FL
If you can dream it, see it, believe it, you can be it and perform totally out of the box. Then you are a person with no limits who can achieve anything he
can imagine that a human body is capable of producing. FL
Rack em sausage, Go play fast and loose. Ride em hard, put em up wet, leave the ladies smiling. Live free, die well with your boots on owing no man
nothing. May you be in heaven an hour before the devil knows youre dead. In time, its all dust in the wind anyway. Dont take yourself, or anything too
serious, just be happy and healthy. Laughter, good whiskey and song is the best medicine. If you have a library, a garden, a good woman and a barrel
of Scotch, 4 to 6 good dogs, you have all you need. Be sure to take the time, to smell the flowers along the way.
Aristole said Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. People will forget what you did, what you
wrote, what you accomplished. People are like Elephants, they will never forget you if you are rude or cruel to them, also, they will never forget you if
you are kind and loving towards them. Each person you meet, give them a warm smile and show them the love you have for everyone no matter what
their status or position in life is, treat them all the same. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. So live this day, like it is your last one, who knows, it
just might be.
Die happy and you lived a good life. God bless American, the land of the free and of the brave
THE POWER SOURCE POOL SCHOOL GOES ON THE ROAD. Email us at fastlarrypool.com to see if the school is coming to your town in the near

future. As you can see from last years schedule, we do teach all over the country and were in 40 of the 48 states.
You can take your game to that next level you have dreamed about. Come to our work shop and learn
from a former world champion and master level instructor Fast Larry Guninger. Two days of intense all day training on the weekends Saturday and
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Then your lesson is free and you are the 6th student at no charge.
The pool schools have sold out for the last three years they have been
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For more details or to sign up and reserve your spot
You may call 770-381-6609 to discuss it.
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))))))))))))))))))))

"Fast Larry" Guninger

The Power Source Traveling Pool School. To see my web page come alive click
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