Aim analysis

Do you successfully find and stay on the line of aim (centre of the cue ball to potting-point on the object ball) throughout your approach to the shot?

If you don’t, then it’s a way to potentially make big improvements to your game. Many players think they are successfully sighting every shot, but in actual fact their eyes are not fixed on the line of aim until very late in the process. Some only find the line when they are down and readying themselves to play the shot and some never find the line at all. I would suggest by the time you are down on the shot 95% of your sighting should already have been done, with only instinctive micro-adjustment necessary. You should even be able to close your eyes at this point and successfully play the shot if you deliver the cue straight. If you are still searching for the line of aim when you are down on the shot, you will be taking away valuable time and focus that could be better spent ensuring a straight, smooth, well timed delivery of the cue. You may also be pulling your cue, head, body, cueing arm out of position as you move them about searching for the right line.

The images below show you some aim analysis throughout the shot-sighting process.

As with everything, you have to find your own way and these are just ideas and suggestions. There are lots of ways of doing things, but in my opinion a fundamental is keeping your head on the line of aim throughout the shot process to give yourself the best chance of getting your cue on the correct line and increasing consistency. In the end, if your cue ends up on the line of aim with the tip at the point of the cue ball you’re after and you deliver the cue straight, then it doesn’t matter how you get there.

Right foot and grip on line of aim. A slight lean to enable the head to position over the right foot and therefore the line of aim. No lean would mean a head position to one side of the line: off line.

Head, grip, right foot still on line of aim. Bridge hand coming on to line of aim. Grip and bridge on the line of aim equals cue on line, which is what we’re all after. The left leg is getting into position and starting to bend which also gets the right hip out of the way of the grip.

Right foot, head, grip, v of the bridge, cue arm and cue all on the line of aim.

The three snapshots blended together show everything is on the line of aim pretty well throughout the shot process. My eyes were not fully on the line at the outset and only came onto it after starting to get down to the shot. Only slight though and something that may well improve instinctively after a few shots. With analysis I’m happy my process is good enough to leave instinct to take care of things. I’m happy I’m giving myself the best chance possible to get my cue on the line of aim, and with a straight delivery, to pot the ball. If I had been wildly out I would certainly be looking at working on this and trying to get an effective process, working instinctively over time.

 

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