All the good players have a combination of a solid stroke and an exceptional sense of aim. Having learned the fundamentals of a superior stroke, you are now ready to learn the proper technique for aiming and you'll be on your way to becoming a good pool player.
Contact Point
The biggest question that a new player always asks is "Where do I hit the object ball to make it go into the pocket?". The answer is simple... you need to find the "point of contact" on the object ball. In other words, figure out the area on the object ball that needs to be hit by the cue ball. In Figure 1 below, imagine a line of aim indicated by line "a, b". This is a line that goes thru the center of the object ball towards the pocket. The "point of contact" or "contact point" is indicated by "cp". This is the spot on the object ball where the cueball needs to come in contact with to pocket the object ball.
Cue Ball Contact
Figure 2 displays where the cue ball should be when it makes contact with the object ball. Notice how the cue ball makes contact with the object ball... this is the "point of contact" that I am talking about. Let's say for example that you have a straight in shot at the one-ball, the "point of contact" will then be at the center of the "one" ball. For a straight in shot, you simply aim straight towards the center of the object ball to make the shot.
Contact Point versus Aim Point
Aiming for a straight-in shot is fairly simple because the contact point would be the center of the object ball. However, aiming for cut shots or angle shots are a little more difficult. Look at the Figure 3 below... as you'll notice the "point of contact" (cp) is no longer at the center of the object ball, instead it is located a little bit on the left of center. One of the most common mistakes that a newer player makes on cut shots is aiming at the "point of contact" (cp) on the object ball instead of aiming at the "aim point" (ap) as shown. Aim Point is the spot where you aim the center of the cue ball at to pocket the object ball. In the illustration below, line "x, y" is your aiming line. Along the aiming line is the center of the ghost ball and the Aim Point.
Ghostball Aiming Technique
One technique for aiming is using an imaginary ball besides the object ball that lines up directly towards the pocket. Refer to Figure 4 below. The imaginary ghost ball is represented by a solid circle. Now all you have to do is aim at the center of the imaginary ball as if you are doing a straight-in shot with the imaginary ghost ball.
It takes a while before you can feel comfortable with your sense of aim but if you spend enough time practicing it you will slowly learn to aim even without using an imaginary ball
Cue Stick Aiming Technique
Another technique for aiming is by the use of your cue stick. Refer to the Figure 5 below.
Figure 5: Cue Stick Aiming Technique
- First, you need to determine the line of path of your object ball to the pocket and point your cue stick in that direction.
- Measure the diameter of the object ball. A pool ball has a diameter of 2 and 1/4 inch.
- Place the tip of your cue stick at half the diameter (1 and 1/8 inch) from the object ball along the line of path of your object ball to the pocket. This is your aim point
- Next, you need to do is simply draw a line from your aim point (ap)to the center of your cue ball. This is your aim line (x,y).
- Lastly, line up your cue stick along the aim line and shoot.
Margin for Error
Depending on the size of the pocket opening (which varies between different types of tables), you normally have an allowed margin for error. Just remember that the closer the object ball is to the pocket, the larger is your margin for error and the farther away the object ball is from the pocket, the smaller your margin for error will be. However, it is always a good idea to strive for a perfect shot right in the middle of the pocket so you won't have to worry about your margin for error regardless of the size of the pocket opening.
Exercises
Start by practicing the techniques you have just learned above - The Ghostball Aiming and the Cue Stick Aiming technique. Setup your cue ball and object ball at different angles and keep shooting until you have a good grasp of the techniques described in this article. Repetition is key. Keep aiming and shooting until it becomes second nature to you.
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