90/90 Sighting

I know there's been a lot of talk about eye placement, dominant eyes, etc, when it comes to pocketing balls. How does all of that apply to pivot aimers? Short answer: It's EVERYTHING.

Let's use Ron Vitello's 90/90 system as an example. We all know that the 90-position is exactly 1-tip within the inside edge of the cue ball or object ball (where the edge of your shaft is equal with the inside edge of the cue ball). Some people who learn Ron's 90/90 system call it "life changing" while others scratch their heads because they can't get it to work. It all comes down to perception.

When I first learned the 90/90 system, I wouldn't make all of the shots within the 90/90 range.

Ron Vitello would stand on the other side of the table and say, "Dave, your cue isn't even on the 90/90 alignment line!"

"Bullshit," I would think. "I'm staring straight down the line. What the hell is he talking about?!"

My face was at the inside edge of the cue ball looking straight to the inside edge of the object ball - or so I thought. What I later discovered was that Ron's 90/90 system WAS center-to-edge; it was just a different beginning reference (a different starting point, if you would). Ron also has a different pivot philosophy (hip pivoting all the time versus adjusting the pivot arc with the length of the shot). What this means was there was no way I was sighting the shot from the proper reference point.

Your head/eyes must switch from one side of the center-to-edge line (CTEL) to the other for proper sighting. For all shots that fall within the 90/90 range, your head/eyes must be on the OUTSIDE of the CTEL while determining your cue alignment. The moment the cut angle falls within 90/half or 90/reverse-90, your head/eyes must move to the INSIDE of the CTEL.

This follows basic center-to-edge methodology. All pivot systems with a 1/2 ball pivot such as CTE, Pro1, 90/90--- they're all the same core system. You can't change your perspective and keep everything else the same from one system to the other and expect to make the ball with the same frequency.

Anyways, I thought I'd throw that out there. For those who are knowledgeable with 90/90 and CTE - this might be an "Ah yeah?!" moment. For those who tried 90/90 and got tired of missing the 90/90 shots (the easy shots) and quit--- make this sighting adjustment and re-evaluate.

Dave

Ball Pocketing Using Reflections

I see the question coming up once every 6 months or so:  "How do I aim/bank using light reflections?"  I seem to be posting the same stuff over and over so I thought I'd make a blog post (man, it's been a LONG time since my last post!).

The main thing is knowing how to determine the shape of your reflection (since all lights have a different shape and configuration/location, etc).  The image above shows multiple bulbs.

Fluorescent lighting will create a crescent(s) on the balls.  Something like this:

So, depending on the shot/bank, you have to do one of the following:


[*]Align the edge of the CB shape to the edge of the OB shape
[*]Align the edge of the CB shape to the center of the OB shape
[*]Align the edge of the CB shape to the opposite edge of the OB shape


Now, which edge of the CB shape to which edge/center of the OB shape depends on the shot.  This only really works if there is one single light source and it should be centered over the table.  I used to think it didn't matter if the lights were centered until I played on a table where the lights REALLY weren't centered--- and then you can see the difference big time in results.

When you're aligning the CB shape to the OB shape, you have to do so on the same vertical plane... something like this:

I think if you're on a particular table / equipment where this works well, I think you can swear by it.  Coming from someone who has put a TON of time into this system, I can say it "works" really well --- but only under certain conditions.  Therefore, I've come to the conclusion:  "Why base your game on a technique that can't be used ANYWHERE/ANYTIME?"

Banking w/ reflections is a great baseline for your body alignment.  If you're not using a systematic psr method for aligning shots and/or banks, this is worth exploring.  There are, however, much stronger systems/methods such as CTE, Pro1, 90/90 or SEE that work under any lighting conditions.

In conclusion, this is great information to have and another tool in your toolbox.  You can also use the shadows under the balls--- and that's an entirely different method.

Pivoting with Center-to-edge (CTE)

The CTE SHOT CIRCLE:

The shot circle is the exact arc for your pivot. If you think of each shot in pool as being a circle – with your bridge being the center of the circle and the OB being the edge of the circle – you must pivot along the arc of that circle in order for your shot to go.

While pivoting along the shot arc, stop the pivot when your tip reaches the center of the CB. This is the solution to pocket your shot.

You’ll see that if you pivot/rotate the cue from where the shaft touches your bridge (as if there was a nail through the shaft at that point), you will rotate the cue with too strong of an arc (bridge circle = bad).

Another reason why the hip pivot is so strong is that it prevents you from rotating the cue around your bridge. Always pivot along the shot arc with your stopping point (pinnacle of the pivot) being the center of the CB.

A bridge length of 10-12" gives the player the best length in order to arc to the proper shot distance for 90% of all shots. If the CB/OB distance is shorter than 10-12", you must shorten your bridge to a distance closer than the CB/OB separation. For very close shots, it's easier to "air pivot" and then slide into the CB at a "post-pivot" position.

BASIC CTE PIVOTS (as taught by Hal Houle):

For thick cuts: Your cue is parallel to the CTEL with your tip pointing at the outside edge of the CB (the edge of the CB that’s farthest from the pocket). You then pivot your tip towards the pocket until it reaches CB center.

For thin cuts: Your cue is parallel to the CTEL with your tip pointing at the inside edge of the CB (the side of the CB that’s closest to the pocket). You then pivot your tip away from the pocket until it reaches CB center.

If you’re not sure which side to pivot from, only one will work. One will look right – the other will not.

For straight-ins: It doesn’t matter which side of the CB you address, just make sure you perform a thick-cut pivot. Many people wonder why use a system for straight-in shots? Hal once told me, “How do you KNOW it’s straight and not a 3 degree cut?

If you were successful in identifying the outermost-edge correctly, this will result in a perfect 1 1/8" offset in-line with the center of the pocket.

Pivoting with English:

Let me begin by saying whenever you stray off the center axis with CTE, all bets are off as far as the system goes. Meaning, CTE does not have an automatic mechanism to auto-compensate for deflection/squirt/etc. Although there are different methods of applying English with CTE, I’m only going to cover one: using backhand English from the pivot point of your cue once you initially pivot to center ball.

Therefore, you make two pivots. I know many might think that’s overkill; however, it only takes 2 seconds. Once you pivot along the shot arc to the center of the CB, a slight turn on your back-hand will give you the best results. An aiming pivot and backhand-english (BHE) pivot are two different types of pivots. An aiming pivot is always done along the shot circle and a backhand-english pivot is done along the bridge circle.

If you don’t know where the pivot point of your cue is, I highly recommend searching for Colin Colenso’s video on backhand English on Youtube. Colin covers the topic perfectly.

I’ve heard of some people pivoting directly to their English position; however, I haven’t been as successful with this method (and I don’t think it’s possible).