I prefer the last system. I tried some others but at least they confuse me a little bit while playing. It distracts me and I lose my focus. I prefer to visualize and feel the shots. Perhaps I use the ghost ball system naturally by checking the lines and angles. But thank you and Valerie for another great video.
Yes, I'm pretty sure some pros use NO system while aiming, at least on simple shots (not banks or complex caroms , combos, or kicks, or multirails probably) and basically just know exactly where to hit for each pocketing angle without consciously thinking about it at all. I wrote that before the end of the video when he talked about HAMB, which is exactly what I'm talking about. Obviously, it actually always requires thought at some level, but I think it's kind of like when you are driving somewhere and your mind is wandering a bit, and all of a sudden you realize you are not where you thought you were, and can remember nothing about some part of the drive there, if that makes any sense, and yes when you are on autopilot like that you would have reacted fine if something abnormal had arisen. Or maybe better, like a diver who has practiced a complicated dive many many times where he's thinking nothing about the actual body movements that are required and just implementing the dive he's done tens or hundreds of times. If none of this makes any sense, just ignore. In other words, I hope this helps, rather than just confusing the bejesus out of you. :-/
the main thing with the ghost ball is on all cuts have to be overcut by 1 to 3% ish depending on the angle and the speed of the shot. and table and ball conditions. This is also why most people use outside english on cut shots. They are trying to roll the cueball across the object ball. Eliminating that friction and need to overcut visually . Problem with english is it creates swerve to the cue ball which is like a masse and is amplified by the angle of the cue. I like ghost ball . parallel for this cuts. and fractional aiming somewhat. I also seem to cut more accurate if you get your dominate eye in line with the contact points. not always the center of both balls. This is key for those outside cut shot and gives your brain a clearer picture of the overlap. If it is correct and they you adjust a little thicker or thinner. Long cuts almost always need some fine tuning because your playing shape with english. So imagination and feel is key. and hitting a million balls. You need to be able to pocket all shots with all English's.
I mostly use the ghost ball method, but recently I have started also using CTE and edge of feral methods. I just learned about the parallel method from this video. The CTE method I use is slightly different from the one you explained. What I understand from your explanation, you set up your aim line from the right or left edge of the cue ball to the aim point on the object ball (i.e. A, B, C or D). You then shift that aim line to 1 cue tip to the right or left of centre of the cue ball and do your pivot. The way I do it, I set up the aim line directly from 1 cue tip to the right or left of centre of the cue ball to aim point on the object ball, then do the pivot. Doing it this way you don't have to worry about the reverse pivot or sweep. You will always pivot away from the direction you want the object ball to go. What I just realized is that when I am doing a really sharp cut (i.e. almost 90 degrees), I am essentially using the parallel method.
Thank both of you very much for this excellent tutorial. I’m a hobbyist pool player and enjoy learning about as many techniques of the game as possible. I really liked everything you taught us and especially the way you explained the ghost ball aiming method. Am practicing it and it is going well. Appreciate how you present yourselves on camera-nicely dressed, well spoken, terrific explanations and demonstrations, and the classy pool hall venue behind you. It’s inspiring to see how much thought you put into making your videos.
@@Blessed.2.Teach.4God wtf I use CTE pro one taught to me by Stan Shuffett and I could whoop your ass so bad it ain’t funny🤣 my aim system has 3 aim lines and site lines that connect with the geometry of the table for every single shot! I don’t think yours does that but okay👍🏼👍🏼
@@zackdavis7567 It was a light-hearted comment, never ceases to amaze me how easily people's ego comes roaring out over the most trivial things in life lol... Take care Efren.
Just learning to play and really liked the explanations in your video. However, with the CTE portion, I think seeing the setup and shot from your point of view would be a clearer example to understand the system better. Thanks for your expert help.
The CTE aiming system as demonstrated here would have been more well understood if Florian used a video camera behind the balls in every demonstration. The CTE is a complicated method to follow especially for beginners, and without the camera behind each shot it will make the method more difficult to follow.
He is only Partly right about the Pivots. Pivots can be left OR right pivot's from Either side of the ball that your cutting. Not just on the cutting side of the cue ball. Depending on the thickness of the cut needed. If you are just pivoting to the Left for left cuts, and to the right for Right Cuts, you are missing half the shots on the table. Inside pivots, Exe Left for Left, and Right for Right, only work on steeper angle cuts. If the cut is farther down on the table, and the angle is not a sharp cut, you will have to pivot in the opposite direction, the (outside away from the cutting edge) to compensate for the thicker cut. Otherwise you over cut the ball, and will miss the shot by a mile. ALSO, He spun the cue on it's access, rather than gear the cue ball to center cue ball from an offset, which brings the cue to true center ball. Just spinning the cue on it's access / bridge point, serves no purpose, and doesn't work for CTE. There is No (D) in CTE. This man is a great trick shot artist, but his understanding of how CTE works is minimal at best. :(
I prefer a combination of OCP (opposing contact points) and H.A.M.P.S (hit a million practice shots). Just hitting a million balls in games doesn't make you better much faster. Setting up your problem shots and practicing them until you get them down will improve your game in a fraction of the time. And I don't think any aiming system should be more complicated than OCP. It works at every angle, at any distance, and simplifies the addition of using spin to your shots.
For me the ghost ball method just feels like the most natural one. I don't want to think of angles, parallel lines and so on. Many good players don't really use a real aiming system. They just know where to aim because of practice and their experience. That's what I want to achieve to make the game less complicated (of course on a different level than pros). I recently started playing with sidespin which was a bit overwhelming at first. Would I combine that with one of the other aiming systems I would need forever to go down to a shot. I had some problems with the ghost ball method at first because I simply tried to get the cueball to the ghost ball. However aiming at something imaginary felt strange. I have to imagine a line through the ghost ball and find a spot on that line (for example where the line touches the object ball). Now I have something I can actually see to aim at.
Thats a great method. I use the cue tip as my aim line, even when using sidespin. It works at medium speed. Where you have to adjust is when you hit softer or harder with sidespin. You have to allow for deflection (hard hit), or extra spin induced throw. (Soft hit) using the cue tip for aiming (including with sidespin) at medium speed is the baseline i like to use.
In snooker we use running and check side . And its sinple that more the side spin is used in running sidd the more the thin meed be aim and on check side vice versa . Bcz balls deflects by force and spin . So compensate the aiming . Its simple . But in order to execute it . First ur pottting angle remembrance should be accurate . Unfortunately for theirs in no methodology for imagaination of ghost ball . U just need to increae ur guess by practice . And i learn all this from steve barton and ronnie saster class
Hi Florian, normally I love your explanations, but I cannot like the video today because of the CTE. To me, CTE is always a scam. I want to believe that there is an "automatic" system and I was also researching and even proving the correctness of CTE geometrically myself. However, the more I look into it, the less I am convinced. Several quick points here: 1. Whenever there is a "sweep", or "pivot" on the cue ball, would different bridge lengths lead to different results? 2. You mentioned that you need to do a "reverse sweep" when the distance is more than 4 diamonds apart. But is it exactly 4 diamonds apart? What is the threshold that it SUDDENLY jumped from a left sweep to a right sweep?... I have not mentioned the fact that even everything about CTE was correct, according to CTE, you will still have to estimate the perception, and estimate the ABC points on the object ball, which, IMO, is not a simpler task than estimating the ghost ball or estimating the fractions.
You are incorrect. Cte is not automatic until you learn it correctly. What you are wanting to believe is that there is a magic system and nothing exists that will magically get you to the shot line.
@@jbcasesoriginal Then consider my response as a direct message just to Florian's explanation. But to be honest I have not seen anyone explaining CTE clear enough, even Mr.Shuffet himself.
@@jbcasesoriginal I don't believe there is a magic aiming system. That's why I used quotation marks around the word "automatic". You are right on the point that any theoretically correct system would still require years of practice for precise execution. However, for CTE, I can't even prove the basic correctness from it. And if a world class player like Florian can't get it right from his own research, how would you expect any average players to make sense from such an obscure system.
I could never see the ghost ball properly. I just got better at aiming using HAMB. On the ghost ball, I never knew that you could visualize the contact point better by simply identifying the aim point (the middle of the ghost ball from a 2D top down perspective). That's easier to spot and remember.
I understand part of the CTE. But I just don't understand the sweeping left or right and pivot one cue tip. I think i'm mixing the CTE with ghost ball. Oh well.
I think the one tip thing has to do with allowing for cue ball collision induced thow. Its a step just to be be mechanical about it, and subconsciously your instinct does what it needs to make the shot. Its hocus pocus until i find the real reason explained using physics.
Never seen it before so I can only explain what I saw in the video. You imagin a line from the object ball to the pocket. And remember where that line touches the beginning of the object ball (the point on the object ball that's the furthest away from the pocket). Then you imagine a parallel line through the cue ball and remember the point where the line touches the end of the cue ball (the point closer to the pocket). Now you aim so that both of those points line up.
Once again, another video on CTE that makes absolutely no sense to me; at 12:30 he says he's aiming the left edge of the cue ball to the center of the object ball (point B?). Why? "Because the pocket is on the left." Very next shot, he's aiming the left edge of the ball at point A... but this time the pocket is on the right. So, why wouldn't he have aimed the right edge of the ball at A? Then there's always the question about bridge length. What's the ideal bridge length to use for pivoting? Does it change for short range shots versus long range shots? CTE is like a solution looking for a problem to solve. I really like Venom's ability to explain things (Like the Corner-5 system for aiming 3-rail kicks--best explanation I've seen yet!). And he did a much better explanation of CTE than all of the videos I've seen. But even with his excellent explanation, I'm still left with more questions than answers. The simplest aiming system I use is simply pointing my cue through the object ball at the center of the opening of the pocket (or the point on the rail I'm wanting to aim through). Slide the cue up towards the ball until the reflection of the light above the table shows the tip of the cue at the center of of the height of the object ball. This is where you need to contact the ball to make it through the point you aimed at. All you have to do now is aim the cue ball to hit the object ball at that point. If you need to use side spin, use BH English, FH English, Parallel English or a combination of BH and FH English. If you don't know when or how much of each to use, I'd have to refer you to Dr. Dave's videos on SAWS. With my method, the only thing you need to practice is hitting the object ball where you intend to hit the object ball. I'd also highly recommend watching Dr. Dave's video where he goes over a myriad of aiming systems. My favorite is the one where you find the center point between the center of the object ball and the center of the cue ball; aim that point at the contact point... then you just shoot the cue ball parallel to that line. It's basically a simplified way to visualize the other system Venom covered where you try to make the two points connect. It's probably the easiest to internalize and make it 2nd nature without thinking about it. It fits the best for my aiming system of using the reflection of my cue tip on the object ball. The only way to miss (assuming you have good fundamentals) is being inaccurate on finding the contact point or not trusting the point because sometimes it looks wrong, as if you will slightly under cut the ball. Trust in the light.
Exactly. Where do you need to hit the object ball with your cue to go in the pocket, that’s where you aim for the cue ball to hit. They make it so complicated. People don’t miss because there’s a magical formula for cue ball travel, they miss because their stroke is not level or straight and not hitting the cue ball where they think they are aiming.
What if the light is inconsistent? I've been to pool halls where their overhead lights differ vastly. Bulb might be bigger or the lights are higher up in the ceiling
The cue ball is cut into quarters, each of those lines has a name, A B C or D. A is the first quarter, B is the center, C is the third quarter, D is the edge. What he means when talking about practicing to find what letter to use, he is referring to finding what letter works best for what angle of cut shot, which is more of a personal thing.
You learn to divide the ball visually. The center and edges are clear and then you mentally slice the object ball half in half to get the a and c lines. D is not the edge. There is no D. The edge is the edge. Go to www.justcueit.com for the actual and complete center to edge system. Everything else is not cte but is instead just methods based on CTE that so work for a range of shots but nowhere near the range that correct cte gives to the user.
Lol, there is no system, with all deflections and swirls plus when those combines with the variety of the speed of your shots, the only way you can master it is by doing it thousand times 😉
No matter what system or how many systems, if you line the object ball up with the pocket, the contact points are all the same [ DEAD CENTERL ] IF IT NEEDS TO GO LEFT, YOU GONNA HIT THE CENTER OF THE OBJECT BALL, NO WAY AROUND IT !!! LINE BALL UP WITH POCKET, IT NEEDS TO BE HIT RIIIGGHT HERE !! GUESS WHAT??? YEP CENTER OF OBJECT BALL!! LOL
CTE in physics is nonsense. Yes, it's sort of a perception. The aiming steps used in CTE is "just nice" well within the margin for error because of the constraint the size of the table and the size and way pool pocket is... While the "adjustments" for CTE to get into the line of shot is a vague "cheat code" to fall within these margin to pot. Your bridge length and other factor plays apart to bring you into this margin too... End of the day, it's like: Instead of practicing and better the skills in accuracy with proper technical aiming, rather use a vague guide for aiming which also "achieve the results... sort of.".
Your aiming perception gets lost when attempting longer shots. All you think about is trying to hit the object ball at a particular point and end up missing the pocket by miles and scratching your head afterwards. I've tried many methods that gave me the impression it's working but coming to crunch time playing in tournaments with added pressure, all those technical points get blurred and everything falls apart. Trying to break things down technically will only end in disappointment. Working on perfecting your cue action/timing would be more affective as once that breaks down, it affects everything. There are no shortcuts to getting to the top. I doubt the top players are using any kind of aiming system. They focus on their stance, keeping the cue straight, deliverance and making one pot at a time.
You said a mouthful sir I’ve recently gotten back into the game after many years of not taking it seriously I’ve been watching so many videos and trying to apply everything at once and at time I feel it’s making me worse
I noticed you said the perception is from the of the to the point (A, B, or C) on the . But I just watched Stan Shuffett's video and he said the perception is from the of the cue ball to the point on the . I find that your way pockets more balls than Stan's method.
Stan is definitely an expert of the CTE so his version is probably the correct one but as I mentioned in the video this is sort of my take on it as far as experimenting with it etc. Honestly whatever works works right? :) Glad you enjoyed my method :)
Florian you have described cte incorrectly. You are the power in it but the fact is that you are not doing it correctly. There are several people doing what you have done which is to show the barest essence of cte with wrong instructions. Thing with cte is that anyone can learn enough to see the power in it but they don't bother to really learn it and start telling people the wrong instructions.
It amazes me how many people have an issue with cte because they simply don't understand it. But once you do, it will elevate your game to the highest levels. The sames ones who don't work on the other emelemts of the game like perfecting their fundamentals want to be shane van boening over night and bash cte lol
What in the name of god... This parallel system? Couldnt understand :/ Truth is that you cannot teach aiming systems. This subject is probably the biggest bluff on youtube. CTE has so many variables.. When balls are close or far.. For instance. Im a big fan of yours, florian.. But I cant really find this video helpful. Hope others find it useful. For more informative details about aiming and how the balls are affected, I recommend dr. Dave. Regardless of that, I would love a thorough video about deep screw... Technique.. And things to pay attention to. Thanks for all the content florian! Youre the best!
@@MrSacman88 I have so much to say here, and sorry if it sounds hostile.. 😅 Im speaking to everyone through this comment, so I beg your pardon if its too much 💓 1. If CTE only made the game enjoyable for you, its some kind of an issue with this hobby. 2. In order to prove that CTE is not consistent, put 2 balls within 7 cm distance between each other with a 30-50 degrees cut shot to the pocket, and tell me if CTE works. (Spoiler: You will find that its not). CTE isnt handy in a lot of shots. It maybe works with easy and basic shots. If you guys want to learn how to aim.. The solution that every pro/decent player will recommend (especially snooker players who are considered to be the most accurate players): Shoot 5 hours a day straight shots.. For 1 month. Plain simple. Not a single professional player will tell you he plays with a consistent "method" such as CTE. The only thing that comes close to consistency is muscle memory and visualizing "images" of how a shot is supposed to look from a specific point of view. Hence the "shoot straight shots". Please guyyyysssss Stop buying this whole "method" for aiming. Its a grotesque idea that has nothing but drawing attention and clickbait. Yes, Sorry to bust the bubble for all of you, but wasting time on aiming with CTE or any other method.. Is just a time consumer. Spend your time on shooting straight shots and thats practically it. Btw, "ghost ball" clarifies good ideas and understanding of how to hit a ball, and its rather alright to imagine where u need to shoot. The problem is when you have a very good approximation of where your Ghost ball is supposed to be, but........ YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SHOOT IN A STRAIGH LINE TO REACH THAT POINT , CAUSE KNOWING WHERE THE GHOST BALL IS, IS NOT ENOUGH. TO SUM IT UP, every professional player relys on his/her "angle detection" which is just a derivative of the amount of times he/she pocketed a ball that had a same/close position to what they need to shoot. Straight line gives you a very solid indication of how much you need to "move" from the middle of the object ball (to the left or to the right). This is why the easiest shots are 10-20 degrees. For example.. Straight shots considered a bit tougher for some , but for people who know almost precisely where the middle of the object ball is.. Its the same as shooting 10-20 degrees shot. Of course.. 10-20 degrees shot on a 12ft snooker table.. With a distance of 2 meters... Will be much harder.. But this is why snooker players practice more straight shots.. Cause they have less room for error. 🤪 Good luck to you/us all!!
You are so far off in your assumptions about CTE I'm going to cut this response short. Fact: My shooting prior to using CTE: approx. 30%. After CTE = approx. 70%. I don't have 5 hours a day. I work 8-10 and have a priority of music of about 2 hours/day. I play 1 time per week for about 3-5 hours. I get CTE and it (with the exception of the latest enhancements) isn't that difficult. 3-4 shot perceptions make all the balls on the table. BTW - I can shoot relatively straight conventionally ... because CTE taught me how to use my eyes to find the center ... as in Center-To-Edge. There's so much more. 'Nough said.
Well done Florian. I'm looking forward to trying some CTE at various angles now. I assume it is somewhat the same as backhand English, in that you need a specific bridge length to get this to work. If you said that, I missed it, wouldn't be the first time, but if you didn't could you (or someone else that really knows) verify that please? Also, unless you ARE implementing back hand English, doesn't that CTE system only work for center ball hits? If so, that is a pretty severe limitation. I have tried backhand English, and once you get your bridge length nailed for your specific stick (there are specific methods for doing this), it works. I think pros that you see always aiming center ball on the cue ball, usually right at the bottom on the cloth, and then just adjust their stroke for warm up strokes and shooting are using this system. It is amazing but it really does take away the squirt/swerve part of the equation (actually blows my mind that it works). Maybe you could do a video on that if you intend to continue a series along these lines?
Question- In CTE you are aligning the left edge of the cue ball with either A or B or C ( or even D) on the object ball and the diagram shows that line. But when you place the cue ( say to the right of the cue ball before changing to center using pivot) is the cue line parallel to the first line ( the line from edge to A or B or C)? Can you please do one video showing the original line and also a line when you actually place a cue for the shot..
there is one more method.. where in instead of "imagining the ghost ball", point your stick on the OB, you get a reference point on the felt behind the OB where your CB will pass thru and aim the CB at that reference point behind the OB.. .works perfectly!
That's what I do. But it's still based on the ghost ball. There are actually ghost ball trainers that work the way you describe except that it uses a "hat" on the object ball that has an arrow pointing at the pocket and something dangling where the center of the ghost ball would be. That's your target. Anything on that vertical line from that reference point on the cloth through the center of the object ball should work.
Ce qui est dingue c’est que quand je jouais, j’utilisais également des systèmes de visée mais aucuns de ceux-ci. Ghost ball ça n’a jamais marché pour moi. Center to edge je suis très septique sur le fait de changer sa visée une fois en position, je pense qu’un bon joueur de snooker trouverait ça totalement aberrent, et la visée est bcp plus dure au snooker. Celui avec les parallèles, c’est pas mal mais ce qui me gène c’est que tu ne vise pas un point, tu essaye de faire toucher un point de blanche sur la bille objet, or pour ça la position basse n’est pas la meilleure, on remarque d’ailleurs que tu utilises la position haute quand tu fais tous ses systèmes parce que tu ne vises pas un point. Ce qui est fou c’est que sur internet c’est tout ce qu’on trouve. Moi j’utilisais deux systèmes, un que j’appellerais le double du point de contact, impossible à expliquer sans montrer, et le deuxième c’est les quantités de bille en fonction des angles. Ses deux systèmes te donnes un point de contact précis avec de l’habitude, ce qui est bcp plus rassurant sous pression à mon sens. Un des systèmes me permettais de valider l’autre en plus. Ca nous rajeunis pas mais le double du point de contact c’est jean Marty qui me l’avait expliqué à l’époque. Le système a quasi disparu.
CTE is more like pivoting your body. To make it easier, pivot in such a way you can see the POCKET or RAIL, automatically you will see ball relations as well, everything will be easy. But this is an amateur shot. You will get to enjoy the game though, and will win you some games also, but not good enough if you are going to play with pros. Another thing, if you are going to use CTE (basically this is pivoting while you are drop down). Use a conical shaft, or be sure you are using a conical shaft. A constant diameter shaft will not work on this type of shot (CTE).
Just a once a week league bar box player. I know 3 angles fullball halfball and thin that i can always see the angle i need is on them or between them. Of course i miss a bunch but mostly via poor alignment rushed delivery bad follow through and at times hitting where I aimed but I aimed wrong. CTE sounds like you need a two week camp to learn correctly . hamb i think is were it is at for a pro thinking about aiming would not be good
At 12:32 of this video for a right to left cut, you align the left edge of CB to A. At 12:36 for a left to right cut you align the left edge of the CB to A. So, you always use the left edge of the CB? Also, where is the cue tip pointing just before you do the pivot? A or a point parallel to A?
Venom your illustration on the acute right cute is wrong, lining the left edge of the cue ball to A. Should be R edge on the cue to A for that right. cut
