THE EYES HAVE IT!

The answer rests in another question, that is, what information does your brain need to execute the shot successfully? And this is where it breaks down. For the majority of pool shots, your brain needs to know where you want to put the cue ball. And for those shots, it’s usually to focus on that spot. Take note we are about to get very specific here. Even with most shots, we don’t want to focus on the object ball. We rarely want to focus on the contact point. Instead, our focus should be directed to a specific aim point for each shot. The aim point may or may not be found on the object ball. On any cut shot greater than a 30-degree cut angle, the aim point is near but not actually on the object ball. And, of course, on a kick shot, our focus is directed to a spot on the cushion. And all of these are options for “normal” shots.

There are other unique shots where your eyes should be directed toward a spot on the cue ball. The best example of this is a jump shot. Once you have your cue lined up for a jump, the most critical piece of information your brain needs is where is the tip going to contact the cue ball. So that is exactly where we should have our eyes focused. Another example might be a very short soft safety, where ball pocketing isn’t our goal, as long as we deliver the cue ball with the proper speed.

Ihave seen a few discussions online lately discussing where your eyes should be focused when you are executing your final forward stroke. Some say you should be looking at the cue ball, others vote for the object ball, and a few even suggest the pocket where you’re hoping the object ball is going. (Please tell me that last option isn’t your answer!) The answer to the question isn’t quite that simple. There are shots where one answer is right and some shots where it’s not. So, how do you know where your focus should be?

Your eyes collect information wherever they are focused. That information is then sent to the brain to process and make decisions. Without the proper information, the brain can’t make good decisions. And poor decisions often result in poor shot execution. And poor execution can send you back to your chair. So, does this mean we shouldn’t move our eyes while we’re shooting? Of course our brain needs to gather that information in an orderly, logical way. Our eye movement should be closely aligned with our shooting routine. When we are getting our alignment set, we focus on our cue and shooting line. During warm up strokes, we need to know where the tip will contact the cue ball. That;s when we need to focus on the tip and cue ball. And when we are ready for the final stroke, our eyes should be locked in on our final focal point. We must always consider what are we looking at, when and why.

In the immortal words of Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane, Feed Your Head!

Until next time.