How to Play Pool - Aiming and Alignment

Welcome to another installment of Scott's Pool School!
In this episode I'm discussing aiming and alignment principles that are critical to playing pool. These are things I see almost all top players do correctly, and many beginning and intermediate players do incorrectly.
Several of the concepts I'm discussing and highlighting are concepts I mentioned and demonstrated in my Most Important Shot in Pool series, if you missed that series see the links below.
Most Important Shot in Pool complete series:
- Part 1 | Introduction - • The Most Important Sho...
- Part 2 | Aim, Alignment, Stroke - • The Most Important Sho...
- Part 3 | The Stop Shot - • The Most Important Sho...
- Part 4 | Drills and Practice - • The Most Important Sho...
Hope you enjoy the video, I work on these concepts with many of my students so I think they are very important. I plan on publishing new videos regularly, so like and subscribe to be notified of new content when available. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future videos please let me know. You can also check out my website at mypoolschool.com for more articles and info.
Thanks!
Scott

[@playpool12fyao]

Great video. I don’t think anyone ever analyze where the shoulder should be. Everyone has feet alignment and how the elbow should be. Your analysis on shoulder alignment is attention to detail. Thank you for posting.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

Recently started working to improve my shoulder alignment. Great video - just what I needed.

[@jackdestories6819]

This was eye opening for me. Now I can see when alignment is right everything comes much easier.

[@jackdestories6819]

This video made me think more about my fundamentals than anything I've seen. Nothing else matters much if you don't get this stuff right.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

YESSSSS! Glad you liked it, thanks for the comment!

[@mokirkham]

Great work Scott, a master class in what a successful pool body looks like when down on the shot. Your videos allow me to hit the practice room and make real goddamn progress man, cheers to you!

[@lindafaust1511]

Just came back from my table and am so excited. I'm an intermediate, but committed player(485) that has been working and really struggling to fine tune some alignment issues that consistently affect harder strokes. Nothing has seemed to work consistently and it's been frustrating. I really liked the Stop shot series, particularly about stepping into the shot with your head inline. This one showed me something else that really made a difference when I tried it. Now have to set up the video camera, :-) and put in the time to make it mine. Thank you so much for what you do.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Awesome, glad that the videos helped! If you get some footage and you want me to take a quick look, post it on KZbin and send me a link or send via dropbox etc., email is [e-mail], be glad to check it out!

[@ervingmesa902]

I came to your channel today, just to say coungratulations for your knowledge and to say: Thank you so much for sharing it. I am learning a lot from you, more than what I had imagined I would. Thanks a lot.

[@tonyrobles9070]

Hi Scott! Fantastic and VERY IMPORTANT video in my opinion! The gentleman at the 5:10 mark is Jim Gutierrez. He's a buddy of mine who plays regularly on our tour. Thanks for taking the time to make this video. Hope you're safe!

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks so much Tony, appreciate it, especially from you! Still one of my favorite players/coaches I've worked with, wish you were closer! Thanks for the intel on Jim, was so funny how I saw him in the background while watching the final run through of the video and I made extra time to squeeze him in because he was a perfect example as well. Take care!

[@poormanintexas]

I knew about aligning my back toes, stepping in and elbow being the hinge but i did not know about my back shoulder being too far out. This i believe causes unwanted left hand spin on med to hard stroke shots. Ty very eye opening.👍

[@stevecampana9876]

Scott. Great video and commentary. Was looking for a simpler solution to alignment and there are several nuggets in here. Well done and thank you

[@lonniebiz]

I'd like to see more videos like this, where you can see directly down the shot line of pro players.

[@MrChrisJ74]

This was a great follow up to your previous series with examples. Thank you so much for sharing. It has helped my game alot.

[@ThiccEagle]

What's helping me with my shoulder/elbow/arm alignment is placing my shoulder and elbow above the cue and make sure my forearm is perpendicular with the ground. After that's good, I get my head as square as possible above the cue... my mistake was getting my head in the ideal position and then making my back arm/shoulder aligned with the cue.

[@kevinbransky1817]

I've noticed playing straight pool on a pro sized table helps with center ball hit, and all the reactions off the tangent line, helps with gauging the effects of the pendulum. The beautiful sound of the center-ball hit tells me I made a good shot!

[@BakerNo.9]

Hey Scott. Thank you for your videos. I might not be commenting on the exact video that helped propel my game but the square shoulders and alignment video is what I personally needed. I won a tournament tonight after focusing on the tips for the last month. Yes, everyday for a month. I have more work to do by far but I feel like I’m on the right track.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Awesome, glad to hear it, congrats!

[@ttunderbridge5762]

alignment is usually where i start looking first when my game is "off". nearly always this solves my problem. it doesn't take much misalignment to cause you to miss a routine shot and it is an easy thing to overlook. most times people know that "something" feels off or weird but cannot recognize it. A great resource to go to if you want to develop a great stance and alignment, look for Mark Wilson's book, Play Great Pool. Rock solid information in there. I believe he has a few videos on youtube as well.

[@jimfaughn8002]

Scott, Great video and examples. I just had shoulder surgery prior to this event which has kept us all off the tables. Took the opportunity to change my stance and approach to the shot. I don't have a table but the time is helping. You have reinforced what I have been working on. Thank you for the time and effort it takes to create these videos and your very logical and thorough explanations.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thank you! I've been managing with a torn labrum for some time now, but it's progressively gotten worse (I think it went from partial tear to full tear), so I can relate... :) Good luck with your recovery, and glad the videos are helping!

[@jimfaughn8002]

@@ScottsPoolSchool mine was a complete detached ligament of my rotator cuff. 4 anchors, shaved bone spur and 8 stitches to pull it back for reattachment. I'm making great progress and should be able to get back on a table when Florida allows it. If you do it, do the Physical Therapy just as much as you started pool. It is worth it.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

@@jimfaughn8002 what was your recovery like? I heard it's painful. How long before you were able to play pool comfortably again? I'm hoping to get surgery soon to get it over with... 😁

[@jimfaughn8002]

@@ScottsPoolSchool I was operated on Jan 22. Recovery for me wasn't easy but I worked very hard at physical therapy. I have almost 100 percent range of motion. I could start practicing today if I had access to a table. I will tell you that I have learned that every surgery is different. Recovery is different. Most, do not do the Physical Therapy as I did taking it very serious. They don't get the results. You can relate that to your students who practic and those who just go play. I have only met 1 more person with the results I gave had. They took it serious too. The rest quit or just slacked off. If you send me a private message, I would be happy to talk on the phone.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

@@jimfaughn8002 Wasn't sure if I found the right person on Facebook. Would love to talk about it. Feel free to email me your info at [e-mail] or call me at 904-476-5078 this week, thanks!

[@apexpredatorbilliardstraining]

Thanks Scott..... Appreciate your video ....

[@josephsabato3763]

Great information! Thank you Scott.Very helpful.

[@chinuind]

Very nice...shoulder rotation is a great way to prevent steering

[@ThiccEagle]

Hmm, so I should take down my picture of Tom playing pool who’s form I’ve aspired to? Boo :( Lol nice video! I like watching Hunter play

[@rnjeezus575]

Great vid! I was hoping you’d go over players that have drastic alignment differences such as Albin Ouschan. I’ve been going crazy trying different stances and alignments. Being cross eyed dominant seems a bit tricky to get down. I’ve tied head positions such as Albin’s and it seems to work as well as a centered head position. I can’t find a perfect stance for me! Hope one day to get lessons from someone like you or Mark Wilson. Keep the great content up!

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Funny enough I had a clip of Albin in the video, when I posted it was blocked for copyright infringement and I had to take it out and reorganize my video, what a pain... I'm cross eye dominant as well, and many of my students are. You can even look at the clips of Jayson Shaw and see he is over his right eye and left handed. It's all about finding your proper vision center, no right or wrong way to do it for everyone. Some people stretch out more to engage their opposite eye, some lean out over the cue more, some line up their heel on the shot line instead of middle/instep/toe, etc. Don't try to copy any one person, everyone is built differently.

[@motomoran8173]

Great lesson Scott! Thank you very much.

[@andykurka312]

18:00 Wladimir Putin 🤣🤣🤣 really goid video, thanks👍👌

[@howardberger3676]

Really like your video's and get the idea but more it seems more for a beginner's. We all like to key in on the stance, stroke and shot line stance but the pro's have WAY more time on the table to develop this concept.

[@wideglide2153]

I wanna see more lauren!

[@RickHovey]

Any intention on making anymore videos? I love your videos and always look forward to them, they are the best instruction videos on KZbin in my opinion.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thank you so much!!! There are a few others doing some really nice ones as well, but I appreciate your comment! I'm a bad KZbinr - lol - I had shoulder surgery in June, just coming out of recovery now and starting to play. I could have pre-filmed some things but my shoulder was hurting even when I was shooting before, and then Covid, and then surgery... Doing ok now, starting to play well again, I just filmed some stuff 2 days ago so should be starting to release some more vids soon. Comments like yours inspire me to stop being lazy and get it done, so thanks!

[@TimZ007]

I used to shoot all my right cuts left eye dominant. and all my left cuts with my right eye. Im right handed and right eye dominate. normally. It gets your head in a good position be more in line with the contact points. I was trying to eliminate the weakness most players have which the feeling of having an outside shot. My left eye is much stronger so know I just should left eye seems to work better as its much sharper but I do shift my vision center from left middle eye slightly center to past edge of left for very thin cuts. This creates clearer edges for my vision line. I also note on follow though and getting through the ball is easier and with less elbow drop with a slightly higher cueing position. Cory Duel. But it seems to take away from outright accuracy. Power is nice though. All the way down and cramped if you have a high draw shot you kind of end up moving during shot to try to generate more power. Correct eye patterns and a quiet vision center seem to contribute to good overall fundamentals as well. Cheers.

[@lesterweinheimer665]

Another fantastic video and something for me to work on tomorrow. Along with straight ins off the rail Etc

[@seanstapelfeld6448]

Hey Scott, love your content. What advice would you give someone trying to analyze this shoulder alignment on there own?

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

It's not easy, sometimes not easy or obvious even when I'm helping someone. Some people struggle to turn their shoulders enough or get their neck to move enough to get the head in the right position once shoulders are turned. Sometimes some changes in the stance are necessary or helpful at least. Set up a camera directly in front of the line of the shot to the pocket. Make sure it's directly in front, if a little to one side or the other it can be tough to tell accurately what you are seeing. I've had success setting up the same straight in shot and shooting one or two shots with a certain setup, then I will for instance turn my shoulders more and do another shot or two, then move my stance and try a shot or two, etc. Talk to the camera before each shot(s) and explain what you feel you are doing differently. Sometimes changes will result in no real change in alignment but can still feel different to you. Then you can review the footage and see which if any of the changes helped align your shoulder more to the shot line. Doing the trial and error this way should help

[@ttunderbridge5762]

set up a mirror directly in front of you while you're at the table. instant feedback

[@ctprocess]

I have the same problem with my neck, but I can't get close to my cue with my chin like you can. My chin is around 6+ inches from my cue. I'm re-learning how to aim again.

[@yes2crypto]

6:05 cross-eye dominate FTW

[@batuhan6712]

No clip of SvB? ... In my opinion he has one of the purest strokes out there!

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

He's a great player but actually from a pure fundamental standpoint he does several things in a non-standard way. But that's not why I didn't include him, I just went through matches and the first 6 or 7 good examples I found I used. Not easy because usually the camera angles are not good for what I was trying to show. Almost all of the top players, including SVB, do the things I mentioned, and next time you watch your favorite player you will notice it as well.

[@batuhan6712]

@@ScottsPoolSchool I see your point! He has a sort of upwards downwards motion much like Earl Strickland.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

@@batuhan6712 Yes, that among other things. But it works for him, and is repeatable for him, and he's a phenomenal player, better than most will ever be... pretty amazing... Related to the video, the interesting thing is that he does all of the things I'm trying to highlight - he stands diagonally to get his head on the shot line, he takes great care when aiming and aligning, his head stays on the shot line all the way down, and his shoulders are rotated perfectly to get his arm in alignment with the shot.

[@mikechalk1562]

SVB has more practice on HIS own game then most people will ever have in thier entire life. A true specimen of what hard work can do for a player.

[@procrastinator6902]

How can I avoid the backing into the stance issue? I do it myself. It's not anything intentional, I just often misjudge where I need to be standing at the table to get down perfectly into the shot. What do I need to do to be sure I'm at the correct distance before I get down to shoot?

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

I think a lot of players do it occasionally, I've even seen pros get lazy or get in stroke and rush through shots. But it's best to try and 99%+ of the time have the same routine. Analyzing the shot while standing, stepping into and down to the shot the same way, etc. As for judging distance, in my experience this happens pretty quickly. I can even switch from a stand in place approach (which I do most often), so using a mini-step in, to using a full step in, and it only takes a few minutes for my body to judge the distance correctly. As with anything practice and repetition should help. You can try holding your cue in front of you, either at your side or in front of you, and gauge the distance that way in practice. Not something you want to do in play but for practice it's ok. Try first holding with your grip in it's natural position, and either holding the stick next to you or perhaps extending it a bit to measure the distance. This will also help to make sure when measuring that you are always stepping into the shot. Hope that helps!

[@bigjerm210ify]

Really enjoyed this video tried getting everything in line and it feels like I’m contorting my body feels very odd. Will keep trying.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Not everyone can get perfectly straight, especially without some help. Even some top players and pros are not perfectly straight but their cue action is. When not straight, typically their upper arm is still parallel to the cue, shoulder maybe just over a bit. You rarely see top players with elbows sticking out, chicken wings, poor stroke paths, etc. So definitely don't hurt yourself trying to get into the ideal position... :)

[@bigjerm210ify]

@@ScottsPoolSchool Thanks Scott I appreciate your comment!

[@stevenwhiteman2419]

Great job!Could you recommend any books on one pocket or any author. Thank so much

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

I don't play one pocket. I took an interest during my recent shoulder surgery rehab, I saw a match on KZbin and then watched about 50 hours of footage... :) So I have a reasonable understanding of the game, but have only played maybe 20 games in my whole life. That being said, I have about 100 books on pool, including some one pocket books, just haven't read them yet. I would recommend One Pocket: A Game of Controlled Agression by Tom Wirth. You can also check out his KZbin videos, they are pretty good. I glanced through the book and I know it got good reviews. I've also browsed through Upscale One Pocket by Jack Koehler, and his Science of Pocket Billiards I also have and read several times when younger, great book. There are also some older books by Eddie Robin - Winning One Pocket and Shots, Moves, & Strategies. They are leather bound and expensive but contain a lot of information. For general books on pool, I still think my favorites are anything by Robert Byrne or Phil Capelle, they each have multiple books on various disciplines and aspects of the game and are all amazing. For general coverage try Standard Book of Pool and Billiards by Byrne and Play Your Best Pool by Capelle. I also liked 99 Critical Shots by Ray Martin (that was the first book I even bought). There are a few other decent ones and some specialty books I liked a lot (Play Great Pool, Pro Book, Mastering Pool) but if you start with the ones I recommended you can't go wrong, can learn a LOT from those books. Good luck!

[@stevenwhiteman2419]

@@ScottsPoolSchool Thanks I have Tom Wirths book but looking for more

[@jonasbygden]

Did Filler really miss the shot at 7:45, or did he intentionally play safe?

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

I watched the match, generally you would thin cut the ball to play an intentional safe. He went for a difficult shot knowing he had shape on the next ball and a safety component if he missed

[@cakins1986]

Scott, great video. I started with a chicken wing elbow position that obviously killed any hope of having a straight stroke. I worked hard to straighten it, but that wasn't enough, because while my elbow was now straight up and down, it was parallel to the cue and not directly on the shot line. For me the change to make that happen was mostly just turning my body slightly at address and making a bigger step forward with my front foot. Also, here's a video of Thorsten Hohmann addressing the same issue: amateurs addressing the shot too square and getting into their stance without ever turning their shoulders: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIHRZIqwpZmBipo

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks for link! Thorsten is a friend of mine but I didn't play pool from 2001 until about 2009 and I never saw this video so will check it out to see what he has to say on the subject! And yes, turning body, stretching the shoulders, and foot movement/orientation help tremendously in getting the proper alignment.

[@cakins1986]

@@ScottsPoolSchool I'm cross dominant so that's where the chicken wing came from. It's really difficult to be consistent when you see the shot on the opposite side of your body from where your grip hand is. I've tried so many different stances and approaches and the only thing that works for me is taking a really big step forward with my right (front) foot. I much prefer a more compact stance like Shaw, Kazakis, Woodward, etc., but it seems I have to really sprawl out with my feet and use a wide, almost lunging stance like Niels Feijen to properly rotate my shoulders and get my elbow both behind my head and straight up and down.

[@Zowkander]

Hi Scott, I've missing your videos. Is everything Ok? Are you Okay and family? Hope everyone's doing good on this times. In case you are working on a new vid, I would love to see a more in depth video about kicking systems. All you didn't mention on your masterclass series.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Doing well, had shoulder surgery in June and still recovering. Hopefully will be playing in another 4 to 6 weeks in a limited way at least. Next series planned is an in depth look at kicking systems, including stuff I've never taught before, so stay tuned... Thx for comment!

[@Zowkander]

@@ScottsPoolSchool Nice to hear that. Take it easy with the shoulder have a good recovery so u can come back at 100% We will wait patiently for the new videos. But not gonna lie, I'm quite excited to what is going to come on those.

[@francker5510]

What do you mean by shoulder rotation?

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Like I mention in the video, your upper body / shoulders have to rotate to bring the cue into alignment. If the ideal set up is to have the head and upper arm in line with the cue, the only way for the upper arm to align is to get the pivot point (shoulder) behind your head. If you look at top players - some of which I highlighted - I would say 40 to 50 percent are perfect or near perfect in this rotation. Most of the rest are close or parallel, where the upper arm and shoulder line are not exactly in line but parallel with the cue line. This has to do with body types, flexibility, stance etc. Very few top players are open with their shoulders or crooked with their arm alignment.

[@jasonparker6138]

You have won 4 more games vs Jayson Shaw than most people ever will

[@rickvassell8349]

Is a more erect posture a disadvantage?

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Most top players in the modern era get down pretty low to the cue. There are a few top players that are a few inches above, but no one I can think of that plays like the players of old. That being said, if you have neck/shoulder/back issues and it is painful to get down super low, then do what is comfortable by all means. I believe when lower on the cue you have better sighting and certainly a better perception of center CB and various tip offesets from there. Stand a foot or so above the cue, and see how difficult it is to see true center cue ball from that elevated position. Again though, players that shoot like that for one reason or another learn to figure it out... :)