Pool Tips
When shooting, try to imagine a path (black arrow) between the cue ball and the object ball. If the shot is made correctly, the cue ball and object ball will both be in line with the pocket at the moment of contact....ALWAYS! When you are aiming, your perspective down the stick will be different than that shown in the illustration, because your head should be lower. The overhead illustration at the top of the page also shows how the object ball and cue ball are on the same line to the pocket at the moment of contact. Sorry folks. There is no magical secret to aiming. Everybody is confused at first, so don't give up. You will doubt my advice when you first start trying, but when you finally catch on you will never forget.
Now, I just gotta make an observation here that I believe is important if you are a student of pool, or anything else. So please don't skip it.
A couple of years ago, when I was teaching Pat, I told her that the impact of what I was explaining would not hit her until much later. Every now and then, when later arrived, she would turn with a big smile and exclaim, "I know what you were talking about now. I see it!"" She glowed! I have always enjoyed watching the light go on when a student finally "discovers" the meaning behind an instruction. The discouraging thing about teaching is the delay between the instruction and the enlightenment, because too many students give up before their light comes on. Everyone has a light inside covered by doubt, apprehension, and even anxiety. It is the brightest light known to man. The switch is faith in your own value as a human being. While this may sound all too philosophical for something so menial as pool, it nonetheless applies equally to kings and pool players. If you can't learn from my advice, find another teacher. But don't give up too soon.
Knowing contact points is obviously important. What is tragic, is that too many players are taught by those who do not insist on correct shooting posture, and good posture is critical to effective aiming. The major purpose of body position is to assure that our dominate (aiming) eye is properly aligned for the shot.
We aim with our dominant eye. The dominant eye is the one that focuses on specific points. The
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