When sighting where do your eyes go line/point of aim or point of contact

[Rod]

Would be interesting to hear how other members sight the object ball.

This link tells you look up along your line of aim to check that you are still aiming your cue correctly,
and when you are ready to play the shot ensure that you are looking at the point of aim, not the point of contact.
http://www.snookergames.co.uk/tuition2.html


This link tells you eyes on the spot on the object ball that needs to be hit.
http://www.fcsnooker.co.uk/basics/sighting/sighting.htm

[checkSide]

Hi Rod.

I have been struggling with this exact question as I try to improve my potting.

I believe the correct method is to look at where the centre of the white is going, so your cue projects the cue ball along the intended line. I find this method fine if the shot is straightish, or the cut thick enough that the centre of the cue ball is still hitting some point on the object ball.

Once the cut becomes more than half ball, you have to start focussing on a point that is in essence empty space to the side of the object ball. This is when I start to find the method difficult. If the object ball is near the cushion you can use a point on that. If it is in the open, and a thin cut, I find i have nothing to focus on after lining up the pot.

I'm not sure this helps at all, I'd like some advice myself! lol

[Littlesense]

This can be differant from player to player some will picture the white ball over the object ball while others will see the line or the point, it helps with practice once you know what kind of player you are and what method you use

[Martin76]

I've got sort of a basic question:
When pausing at the backstroke and focusing on "the object ball", what point are you focusing on?

The main reason for focusing on the object ball when playing a shot is (as I understand it) to benefit from the "natural aim" so to speak. That is, when playing a shot or firing a gun or something similar the body tend to align itself in the direction your focusing on.
Another benefit is that by focusing on the object ball, you tend to play through the cue ball better, similar to when marshal art people break bricks by focusing below the bunch...

Obviously, once the contact point on the object ball have been identified the objective is to make sure that the cue ball center, the object ball center and the middle of the pocket (usually) is in a direct line at the moment of impact.

When aiming a shot, the natural thing ought to be to visualize a line going through the cue ball center where the cue ball currently is and the point where the cue ball center need to be at the moment of impact and then align your cue on that line. The problem for me is that this Point of Aim is a bit tricky to see (or visualize), since it is typically just a point in space, whereas I normally find it fairly easy to confidently identify the Point of Contact. So I typically focus on that when playing the shot, and I sort of hope that my brain will automatically correct for the fact that the cue ball is a globe...

So, should you focus on the Contact Point on the object ball or the slightly more vague Point of Aim?
If you should focus on the Point of Aim, how do you pick it out in a systematic way? Project the Point down on the felt to get something tangible to focus on?

Ok, that was more than one question... I hope I make sense (at least grammatically)...

from: http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ead.php?t=9626

I've asked pretty much the exact same question on here earlier, and would be very interested in more input/responses.

Since then I typically keep my eyes focused on the contact point on the object ball after I have lined myself up, as I find this point so much easier to identify and focus on. The only time this feel a bit strange for me is when I have a thinnish cut and a short distance between cue ball and object ball, since then it becomes very noticable that my eyeline isn't parallell to my "cueing line".

[bongo]

I look at the 'Back and Belt of the Ball'. This is the furthest part of the object ball away from your target. That is the Back of the Ball. The Belt is the central line across the centre of the ball, horizontal to the baize. Unless the cue ball is jumping, The belt is the only part that the cue ball can contact when you play a shot. Just like when we wear a belt, it is about halfway up our bodies, the belt on the object ball is exactly half way up.

When I look there to the Back and Belt of the Ball, I do not just look across the whole Belt, I look at a point on the belt which is the furthest from my target, I imagine a point and that point is usually quite a small point. If different people used this same techinque, the point that each person imagines would be in different size, my 'point' that I imagine is not too small, but a small point that I feel comfortable with.

It is different to imagining a cue ball in front of the object ball, as I am actually aimijg for this point, not slightly in front as where the imaginary cue ball would be, so imagining is easier.


When I get down to the shot, as I'm getting down, I look at the imaginary point which I found when standing up. When my bridge hand touches the table, my eyes go the the cue ball. On my first preliminary backswing (or feather) I look at the cue and then the cue ball when I've finished the first pre-backswing. With the second I do the same but I look at the object ball after. After the 3rd and final pre backswing and forward motion with my cue I look at both. That is possible when looking at the cue ball, you can see the object ball too. On the pause before my final backswing and strike, I make sure I am still and relaxed, there is about a 2 second pause. As I bring the cue back, I move my eyes up to the point on the object ball. I pause, then look at both balls as explained earlier, then strike, while looking at both, and then after i've completed a proper my stroke properly, I just let my eyes follow the object ball, hopefully to the pocket! I do not let my eyes follow the object ball too early. I do not pause after and before each feather (or pre-backswing) when completing my 3 feathers, feathers being bringing the cue back and forward. I want to keep on topic of sighting and not changing to a cue action explanation.

That sounds very confusing for ones still reading! It seems to much of an effort and too much for a Snooker shot, but believe me, it is not a confusing as it sounds and it would be a lot easier to explain if I was on the table and explaining. It may sound incorrect, but I believe it is correct, it may just be my poor explaining skills when typing this.

I do not look at the pocket as Stephen Hendry does.

Sorry for the long, possibly confusing and mind-boggiling (is that spelt right?!!!) explanation but as said, If I were at the table, it would be a lot easier to explain, to professional coaches, some of my sentences my seem incorrect, but some sentences like when I said about imagining a point is easier than imagining a cue ball in front of the object ball, that is just my opinion.

I may have gone too far with this essay as it seems and possible life story!!! but I hope this helps people!!!

See the line! (as it said in the Snooker book 'Just One Frame'!)

bongo.

[davyp26uk]

I was always taught that, you look at where you would strike the object ball to pot it without using the cue ball and then make the cue ball strike that part of the object ball. However maybe this is a little simplistic.