Another sighting/dominant eye question

[Ethanat]

I am right handed/ right eye dominant. If I cue with centre chin and nose facing straight ahead along the cue, then the shot doesn't look straight when I close either eye. (Which is similar to what you have described I suppose)

To solve this I have to tilt my head to the right. I have tried moving the cue to the right of my chin but the change in the setup is so big that I decided that it's not worth it.

[laverda]

I am right handed/ right eye dominant. If I cue with centre chin and nose facing straight ahead along the cue, then the shot doesn't look straight when I close either eye. (Which is similar to what you have described I suppose)

To solve this I have to tilt my head to the right. I have tried moving the cue to the right of my chin but the change in the setup is so big that I decided that it's not worth it.

Same... only I am turning slightly to the right (as opposed to tilting)

[Terry Davidson]

The dominant eye thing is not as important as a lot of people think it is. If a player uses just one method, no matter what it is, and keeps his head down at the end of the shot the brain will soon learn how to play using that method as it will be getting the feedback it needs.

The real danger here is players start changing the head position or else the cue position on the chin and now they have to learn a whole new method of sighting plus they have to sometimes change their set-up to balance out the new set-up position.

It's just not necessary to cue under the dominant eye UNLESS when you get down to sight along the cue you feel you are not on the correct line of aim.

To answer the original question, I am right-handed and now left eye dominant (I was right eye domiant my whole life until eye surgery changed that). I have 20/10 (slightly far sighted) vision in my left eye with contacts and about 20/40 in my right eye (although my new contact has changed that to 20/10 now).

If I aim my cue at the edge of the leather on one of the top pockets using both eyes as I normally would to sight, then when I close my right eye (the non dominant one) and use just the left the cue looks to be aimed correctly. When I close the left eye I seem to be looking from the side and can't tell if I'm aimed correctly or not.

Terry

[vmax4steve]

The dominant eye thing is not as important as a lot of people think it is.

If I aim my cue at the edge of the leather on one of the top pockets using both eyes as I normally would to sight, then when I close my right eye (the non dominant one) and use just the left the cue looks to be aimed correctly. When I close the left eye I seem to be looking from the side and can't tell if I'm aimed correctly or not.

Terry

I disagree there Terry, it's very important for those who do not have a naturally good hand/eye co-ordination and who, for some inexplicable reason, don't use their dominant eye naturally.
As I said in my earlier post the brain uses only one eye to address the cue ball even though both eyes are open, the rest test proves this, and those who somehow address the cue ball without using their dominant eye the shot will look and feel wrong either everytime, and sometimes from one side of the table and not the other, and from certain cut pots and not others.
A simple slight turn of the head or body to favour the dominant side is sometimes all that is needed to sight the shot correctly and address the cue ball with the dominant eye.

In your last paragraph you state that you seem to be looking from the side using your submissive eye, that's entirely normal, and you will also find the same is true when using the rest, for the brain has to take information from two eyes, so the brain sees two cues but chooses one to address the cue ball and that is the dominant one and to address the cue ball correctly the cue has to be nearer to or under the dominant eye. Just how much depends on just how dominant it is and I think that depends on the difference in clarity of vision between the two eyes as well as which eye the brain naturally chooses.

[vmax4steve]

Can anybody answer this question in the first post of this thread:
When you are down cueing a straight shot, when you close your NON-dominant eye (i.e. you are only seeing with your dominant eye), does the shot look straight to you?

Or does the shot look perfectly straight only when both eyes are open, and not with only either eye open.

Thanks!

You have read the advice given to find out which is your dominant eye and how it's used, so it's up to you now.

[vmax4steve]

Same... only I am turning slightly to the right (as opposed to tilting)

Don't you mean favouring your right side by turning slightly to the left ?

[throtts]

I have never sighted under one eye, in fact I do not even know which of my eyes is the dominant one. However, I guess it's my right eye. I just positioned pointing my index finger using both eyes at my carriage clock on my fireplace, then closed my left eye and found the finger was still on the clock, when I closed the right eye my finger was off line. So if that exercise is correct then my right eye is the master one. Would I toy with moving my head to the side or cueing under my right eye?, no, because my game coming on so well.

Anyway, Steve and co, I stand to be corrected. Fire away.

[vmax4steve]

I have never sighted under one eye, in fact I do not even know which of my eyes is the dominant one. However, I guess it's my right eye. I just positioned pointing my index finger using both eyes at my carriage clock on my fireplace, then closed my left eye and found the finger was still on the clock, when I closed the right eye my finger was off line. So if that exercise is correct then my right eye is the master one. Would I toy with moving my head to the side or cueing under my right eye?, no, because my game coming on so well.

Anyway, Steve and co, I stand to be corrected. Fire away.

You may not cue under your dominant eye, but you do have one and you do use it to address the cue ball. If your game is sound then don't worry, this thread is for those whose game is poor due to not using their dominant eye as they should.
I am not advocating everyone should change, but for those who have trouble seeing the shot and for whom the line of aim looks or feels wrong when down in the stance, then this could very well be the reason why.

[throtts]

You may not cue under your dominant eye, but you do have one and you do use it to address the cue ball. If your game is sound then don't worry, this thread is for those whose game is poor due to not using their dominant eye as they should.
I am not advocating everyone should change, but for those who have trouble seeing the shot and for whom the line of aim looks or feels wrong when down in the stance, then this could very well be the reason why.

Thanks for the clarification, Steve.

As you say if one's game is not moving on then its worth a go for sure..

[laverda]

Don't you mean favouring your right side by turning slightly to the left ?

oops... you are correct Steve. I checked my positioning again this morning during another couple of hours practising. My stance in approaching the shot is slightly to the right as you suggest with a square stance but as I go down and address the shot I am in fact tilting my head to the left - which brings my chin to the right which is why I was thinking I was turning to the right.

Thanks again for your help with this. The improvements from yesterday have continued today and I'm surprised at how quickly comfortable and natural my stance feels now even with these new adjustments.

Cheers
Mick

[vmax4steve]

oops... you are correct Steve. I checked my positioning again this morning during another couple of hours practising. My stance in approaching the shot is slightly to the right as you suggest with a square stance but as I go down and address the shot I am in fact tilting my head to the left - which brings my chin to the right which is why I was thinking I was turning to the right.

Thanks again for your help with this. The improvements from yesterday have continued today and I'm surprised at how quickly comfortable and natural my stance feels now even with these new adjustments.

Cheers
Mick

Just to clarify what Mick is doing here, as a right handed right eye dominant player he is now favouring the right hand side of his body by turning his head slightly to his left in order to sight the shot from his right side and address the cue ball with his dominant right eye.
Doing this makes him take a natural square stance which automatically favours his right side and as his dominant right eye is now addressing the cue ball the shot is not only lined up correctly but looks and feels that it is.
This takes away any anxiety as to whether the shot is lined up correctly or not giving more confidence for the pot which equates also to being able to give more attention to position.

Correct me if I'm wrong Mick and best of luck with the improvements in your game,
Steve

[j6uk]

Any chance of a video mick?
Sounds like you got a bit of a diary going on your progress so, it would be good to see what your up to

[vmax4steve]

Try approaching the shot from your dominant side, either turn your head or your body slightly to your dominant side and sight (look at the contact point on the object ball), step into the shot, get down into the stance and address the cue ball from there.

I would like to re-phrase this to take away any confusion as to which way the head or body should turn to favour ones dominant side.

First find out which is your dominant eye, then turn the head or body slightly away from that eye, which will favour the dominant eye more ie: turn the head or body slightly left if right eye dominant and slightly right if left eye dominant.
Sight the shot by looking at the contact point on the object ball, then step into the shot and get down into the stance all the while with the head or body turned slightly to favour the dominant eye.
If all looks and feels correct when down in the stance and the cue is addressing the centre of the cue ball with the submissive eye closed, check the position of your feet to see if you have a square or boxer stance.

If you are right handed and right eye dominant you should find you have a square stance, and for those who are under five feet ten inches tall, then the right foot should be on the line of aim and could even point down the line of aim. Taller players will need to have the right foot pointing 45 degrees to the right of the line of aim in order to get down low enough in comfort and for this reason the stance could be slightly between boxer and square with the head turned more to the left rather than solely letting the position of the body dictate head position.

Players who are right handed and left eye dominant should find they have a boxer stance. For these no matter how short or tall you are your right foot should be on the line of aim and pointing 45 degrees to the right of the line of aim as having the right foot pointing down the line of aim will tend to take the stance more square and favour the submissive eye which is not what is required when the dominant eye is the one that addresses the cue ball.

Reverse all this for lefties.

Now I know the coaches will now say that once the body position has changed then surely the position of the cue arm has now changed with it and will not be on the line of aim. I would counter by saying that it wasn't anyway and that was the reason why the shot always looked and felt wrong and as the eye places the hand and the hand follows the eye, getting the two eyes working naturally should put the cue arm on the correct line.

Once again I must stress that this is not a given for everyone because although everyone uses their dominant eye to address the cue ball, for a lot of players the head position can be central as the dominant and submissive eyes work closer together.

This advice is purely for those who have a lot of trouble seeing the shot because for some reason they don't use their dominant eye naturally and are overiding their natural sighting in the chase of what is considered to be the correct and proper stance and head position that doesn't work for them because it puts their eyes out of the natural position that their brain uses for aiming and clarity of focus.

But for anything to work everyone must sight the shot correctly in the first place by looking at the contact point of the object ball when standing behind the shot, while getting down into the stance and when striking the cue ball.

[horriefic]

Thanks for the posts vmax!

I am right handed, and right eye dominant. HOWEVER, after many trials (by trying to pot many long straight to 3/4 shots, and high blacks), I find that I am most accurate and can cue where I want to (the majority of the time) if I have the cue slightly to the LEFT side of my chin. My stance is boxer stance, with right feet 45 degrees to line of aim. Left foot slightly forward in the boxer stance.

I did try having the cue to the right of my chin, but I was just not as consistent and confident this way, compared to when the cue is to my left (just slightly) of chin. Strange, as this set-up would suggest I am left eye dominant. But I am very almost certain (from all the various tests carried out etc), then I am right eye dominant. Even when the cue is to my left of chin, my mind is still 'focussing' on sighting with my right eye. But with the cue in the left of chin position, the straight shots truly looks straight, and the angle shots look clear/confident for me to pot.

I've been playing around with my sighting, stance, grip etc etc for the last 2 months. I've decided to stick to what is most consistent for me now, and try to build from there.

Anyway, just sharing notes.

[vmax4steve]

Thanks for the posts vmax!

I am right handed, and right eye dominant. HOWEVER, after many trials (by trying to pot many long straight to 3/4 shots, and high blacks), I find that I am most accurate and can cue where I want to (the majority of the time) if I have the cue slightly to the LEFT side of my chin. My stance is boxer stance, with right feet 45 degrees to line of aim. Left foot slightly forward in the boxer stance.

I did try having the cue to the right of my chin, but I was just not as consistent and confident this way, compared to when the cue is to my left (just slightly) of chin. Strange, as this set-up would suggest I am left eye dominant. But I am very almost certain (from all the various tests carried out etc), then I am right eye dominant. Even when the cue is to my left of chin, my mind is still 'focussing' on sighting with my right eye. But with the cue in the left of chin position, the straight shots truly looks straight, and the angle shots look clear/confident for me to pot.

I've been playing around with my sighting, stance, grip etc etc for the last 2 months. I've decided to stick to what is most consistent for me now, and try to build from there.

Anyway, just sharing notes.

The only reason for putting the cue to the left of your chin would be to address the cue ball using your left eye, so are you certain that the cue is left side of your chin ?

You say you are very almost certain that you are right eye dominant, it's an easy test to open and close both eyes when down in the stance to see with which one the cue is pointing straight at the cue ball, so you should be absolutely certain rather than very almost certain.

You should also take into account that there are varying degrees of dominance and the left foot will be well forward for a very dominant left eye yet with the left foot only slightly forward the stance is closer to square than boxer and will favour the right eye more than the left.