Aiming pool shots are an important part of the game of pool. You have to make shots, right? There are several techniques that people use to aim shots toward the pocket. The main shot that pool players have to make during the game are cut shots. Cut shots can make up 90 percent of the shots in the game of pool. What is a cut shot? It is when a player needs to make a shot that is to the left or right of the cue ball. You cut the object ball into the pocket by hitting it at an angle or off-center.
To get good at making cut shots, players can use a self-created technique or one of the pool aiming methods. Some players have a self-created technique that they have acquired by practicing the game. They hit the cue ball based on their experience with the movement of the cue ball and the object ball. They can cut the ball based on the estimation of where the object ball will travel if the cue ball is struck in a certain way. Other players use a pool aiming system that follows a set of principals or guidelines. Some of these pool aiming systems include the CutShots Method, the Fractional Aiming method, the Ghost Ball aiming method, and the Center to Edge aiming system.
CutShots Pool Aiming Method
CutShots is a pool aiming system that is focused on helping pool players find the right spots to hit on the object and cue ball for a cut shot. CutShots is one of the easiest ways to aim in pool. It works by first locating the spot that would sink the object ball into the pocket if it was hit straight into the pocket. After locating and remembering that spot, the player moves to the cue ball and then finds the location that mirrors the spot on the object ball. This is the spot at which the cue ball needs to strike the object ball to sink it into the pocket. To not miscue the shot, a player then makes a parallel shift of the cue from the spot to the center of the ball and takes the shot.
To view this in action, take a look at the video below that goes into detail on how it works. The video is made with the CutShots Aim Trainer balls. You can learn more about them here.
Fractional Aiming Method
The fractional aiming method involves visualizing fractional marks on the cue ball. In a simple version of the method, the ball is split into the ¾, ½, and ¼ portions. When a player aims the cue ball to hit the object ball at one of the fractions, the object ball will move in the angle that corresponds with the fraction. The cue ball can also be cut down into smaller fractions to give additional angles. This is a popular method because it uses geometry to explain how the cue ball will hit the object ball.
Fractional aiming can be hard to get accustomed to as it requires that players remember the locations of the fractions and the angle that the ball will travel in response to a fractional hit.
Ghost Ball Aiming Method
The Ghost Ball aiming method is one of the most popular pool aiming systems as it is rather simple to understand. The system works by having players place an imaginary pool ball behind the object ball. The ghost ball has to line up with the object ball and the pocket. A player then aims the cue ball toward the ghost ball. The resulting hit will sink the object ball into the pocket as the object ball will be struck at the right angle to move it in the direction of the pocket. To help “see” the ghost ball in a game, a player can point the cue right behind the object ball, in the direction toward the pocket, and then move the cue back and inch or two. That is the position of the ghost ball. The player then pivots the cue toward the cue ball and moves to the cue ball to take the shot. By “striking” the ghost ball, the cue ball will hit the object ball at the position that will move it at the angle that sinks it into the pocket.
The easy steps involved with the ghost ball method make it one of the easier methods to aim in Pool. Aiming toward a ghost ball can be hard, however. It will take some practice to get good at the method. Even those that have mastered the ghost ball method can lose accuracy as a ghost ball is just hard to see.
Center to Edge Aiming System
Center to Edge is an interesting aiming system that can be easy to use; however, is hard to explain. The basis of the system is that the cue is aimed toward the edge of the object ball and is then pivoted to the center to take the shot. When reading more about CTE, you will find that it does get more complicated. For example, the ball is split into three locations where the cue is pointed toward depending on where the edge of the ball is. Other versions of Center to Edge have split the cue ball up into more positions so that it has 5 spots to hit. Players can then take the appropriate shot based on the location of the edge of the object ball. Every time a shot is taken, a player pivots the cue to the center to make the shot. The cue ball will hit the object ball at the right angle to the pocket. On the surface it seems that Center to Edge is simple; however, when getting to know more about the method, it becomes complicated.
Summary
The CutShots, Fractional, Ghost Ball, and Center to Edge (CTE) methods are pool aiming systems that people can use to get accurate at making cut shots in pool. All of them have some drawbacks; however, we believe that our method, the CutShots Method, is the easiest and the most accurate out of all of the systems.
If you want to learn more about CutShots visit our learning page. You can buy CutShots on this page.
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