The Most Important Shot in Pool - Part 2 | Aim, Alignment, Stroke

[@tonyrobles9070]

Scott, as a professional player who's been playing for 45 years and teaching for 35 of those years, I can honestly say that this is one of the best instructional videos I've ever seen and you deserve all the credit in the world for it. I've always been big on teaching/explaining the game in Layman's Terms to the point where a child can understand it and you have that in spades! Thank you for your contribution to the game we all love. Congratulations on a job well done and keep up the fantastic work Sir! 👍 😊 🎱

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks so much Tony! Not sure if you remember but we met in 2009 or 2010 at Predator Pool School in Jacksonville. I was in the "advanced" group and I really, really enjoyed your teaching and we got along very well. You were in NY at the time and I wished you were closer as I would have taken lessons from you regularly. Thanks so much for the compliment! I try very hard to explain things well and cover things that aren't just regurgitated by everyone else. Shoulder surgery interrupted my doing the videos, all good now and playing decently as well just lost the drive and motivation to do them. Comments like these give me a kick in the butt to start again so thanks! Hope you are doing well!

[@tonyrobles9070]

@@ScottsPoolSchool Wow I completely forgot about that! Thanks for remending me Buddy! I have to admit that I miss doing those pool schools. They were a lot of fun. Thanks so much for your kind words and support always! I really appreciate it and appreciate you Pal! If you hang in there during the tough times, I'm sure you'll get your desire back! You play too good not to plus every time I wanted to quit in the past I would always remind myself that I've come so far and put a ton of time to quit now. Take notes of the bad times so that when you're finally back or in a slump, you'll have lots of helpful gems to remind you of what you were doing wrong and how you got out of it. Doing that has helped me for years! Thanks again for your contribution and keep up the AMAZING WORK Buddy! 👍 😊 🎱

[@johncalbeck935]

Just starting to play at age 73, and I was struggling. This Most Important Shot series is a Godsend; the best and most thorough I've seen online. The shoulder tension (archer) tip was a huge help to me, but the whole series was just so beneficial. Thank you.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

You are welcome, glad you enjoyed it!

[@MrBobZack]

Very nicely done, Scot. I’m an old former BCA recognized instructor who appreciates your outstanding teaching abilities and demonstrations. My playing has degraded with age and you’ve helped me immensely with my stroke and for me it all boils down to stroke NOT poke. You deserve recognition for your tutorials and methods you deliver on this forum. Congrats for all your such highly professional teaching and coaching...thank you so much.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@jasonnieuwenhuis335]

Hey man, this series helped me immensely a year ago. I’ve watched every other pool video possible since, I figured I’d circle back around. You explain alignment better than anyone else. I was bringing my head in from beside the cue before. Couldn’t understand my inconsistency. Good as good now again! Thanks!👍

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Awesome, glad it helped, thx!

[@punanie05]

Hey scott. I just wanted to pop in and say thank you!!! I honestly cannot thank you enough. I have been shooting for a few years now 5/6 give or take and i think of myself as an above average player (at least for my local competition ‘city and state level’). That being said ive always had a problem with consistency. Some days ive shot great, some days not so much, and some days id start out shooting very well and then somewhere along the way i would “lose my vision” is what i would call it, as sometimes i would have to stand up off of a shot 2-3 times because once i was down on a shot i just could not visualize my lines or visualize the shot any more, and early on i had someone far better than myself tell me if i wasn’t comfortable with a shot to stand up and take a step back instead of just going against my gut feeling and blasting away at a shot that i did not feel comfortable with and just that alone i felt like was a huuuge victory for me as i think alot of people have a hard time not just shooting the ball once they had addressed and were down on a ball even if they were not confident that they were going to make the ball. What i mean is for some reason i think alot of people have a hard time taking the time to take that step back to line everything up again if they have lost their aiming line and are no longer confident that they will make the shot and instead of stepping back they just take the shot and almost always end up missing. That being said again having the discipline to step back and line up my shot again helped me to make i imagine a ton of shots i likely would have otherwise missed (however no way of knowing for sure and there is no way to measure or count the shots i didnt take), but even still there are plenty of times where once i lost my aiming line i was toast and could rarely ever find it again not only for that shot but going forward as well with future shots. And again i cannot thank you enough as i have tried to solve this problem over and over and watched sooo many hours of tutorials and instructional videos trying to correct whatever it was but for some reason could never find the root of the problem and for some reason had never found a solution. Im not sure if in all of the videos ive watched that noone has ever mentioned to line up snd come straight in or if it was just never said in a way that made sense to me or what it was as it seems fairly straightforward (no pun intended) so it seems unlikely that this is a fundamental that i have not heard of or been taught before. But after recently watching your video “how to play pool masterclass #2 on shotmaking” where you went over this in depth it all clicked with me and it literally was like a missing piece to an unfinished puzzle and just in a moments time tied EVERYTHING together. Now thats not to say i am a finished puzzle or have it all figured out now but it was definitely and ahh-hah moment and i immediately paused the video and went to the table and started implementing it in my game and i cannot tell you just how much of a difference it has made. So much so to the point where ive had other people notice and point out the improvement in my game literally almost overnight. I actually had one of my friends come over and we shot around for a while and eventually he wanted to do a little race to 15 in 9 ball and about halfway through i was up apx 8 games to 2 and he looks at me and was just like “is this the best you have ever shot?” I kinda laughed it off and he goes “no seriously, and not just as an excuse cause your kicking my a**, is this the best you have ever shot?” Now honestly i dont think it was but i knew i was shooting very well and truth be told now that it has been a week or so and looking back it probably was at the very least definitely the best ive ever shot at 9 ball as in the past 9 ball has not been a game ive been particularly fond of and not that im no good at it ive just always kind of preferred 8 ball on a bar box as i like the mental challenge of it and how to pick apart a rack while dealing with all of the clutter and congestion and the tightness the bar box creates. Anyways im sorry i kinda got carried away and made this post far longer that it likely should have or could have been, but if you have stuck with me and read it all the way through again words cannot explain how grateful i am for your videos. You have a way of teaching and explaining things that just makes sense and works with my brain. There are soo many great players out there that unfortunately do not make for the best teachers because they have vast knowledge of the game they just unfortunately have not developed a way in which to explain or help get that knowledge out to there in a way that large groups of people can understand, and that sir is something that in my opinion at least you have mastered. You have the tools to play the game as well as the knowledge to help others understand how to utilize those tools in a very unique manner and that in itself is a great skill and a gift to all of us that watch your videos with the goal of learning something. Im moving slowly as after gaining from your aiming video as much as i have i like to watch a video and then take the time to practice what i learned while rewatching the same video over and over again to engrain that knowledge and cement it in stone so i do not just forget what i learned by next week. So a huuge shout out to you for taking the time and putting forth the effort to teach people like myself these tools and tricks that are utterly invaluable and have likely taken you a lifetime to curate and acquire and gift it to us free of charge. That being said if you have a pay pal or patreon or somewhere a pupil like myself could donate to express my gratitude you should put a link in the description of your videos and or reply to my comment as i would be honored to be able to donate as im sure countless others would as well

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thank you so much for your reply! Lengthy for sure but I'm like that too sometimes and I read it all... :) I do not have a link setup yet but might do that in the future. I do get donations from time to time. If you would to do that my paypal is [e-mail]. I'm in the processes of editing and posting some new videos soon and hope to get back into a regular cadence so keep an eye out for new stuff soon! Thanks again!

[@kelsmanning4847]

Scott.. Thanks so much for taking the time to do these videos.. This one has been very helpful.. I would like to point out the part that addressed my issue the most... 1st) The head placement was a biggy.. BUT the biggest aid from your video was the using the bottom of the cue ball apex to locate center ball!! This was something I had never heard of and proved to be a major part of my issue.. So, please keep up the great vids and never leave out the little details like that one!

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Glad it helped, thanks for watching!

[@rhaazy]

Excellent no-nonsense content! Can't wait for more!

[@williamsheppard8738]

This just completely changed my game I played well already but now that I'm doing this I'm really not missing much but I still have to let the lower level player make more mistakes and then make sure I get out when I'm supposed to

[@jasonnieuwenhuis335]

Really helpful again. I can’t wait to get back on a table. Your set up looks amazing!❤️

[@hahnasty13]

LOVE this setup... beautiful pool table with nice art around - can't beat that!

[@Deep_Divers]

Great video. Wish I had seen something with this level of detail when I first started shooting. Follow this advice and you will save yourself countless hours trying to figure out why you can't shoot straight. I like how you show different ways of doing it and not just your way as sometimes what works for one person doesn't work for another. In the end though that initial alignment as you stated is the most crucial. Keep the great advice coming.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks!

[@dangoldenberg704]

He has the best stuff out there.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks, appreciate it!

[@rnjeezus575]

Youre the man Scott, keep up the great content. We all need something to watch and learn during these times of boredom lol. Cant wait for the next one!

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks!

[@jamesdavis8731]

I am right eye dominant but ABSOLUTELY must have my left eye over the cue, or at least have the inside of my left eye over the cue. It is amazing how much of a difference that can make. A good example of a player that is right eye dominant but has to put his left eye over the cue is Ralf Souquet. In fact, watching a video of a tournament he was playing in changed my game more than anything else. I listened to the commentators talk about how Souquet was right eye dominant but had to put his left eye over the cue to shoot the most effectively. I then started watching a lot of players and there are a fair amount of players that have this same issue. So I slightly changed the way I looked at the aiming point and then got down with my left eye on that line (and the rest of my body as you have described in this video) and suddenly I was consistently making shots that had caused me huge problems in the past. This is an excellent video covering alignment and why it is so important. It is the same thing in golf, batting, throwing a ball, and many other sports. Golf is probably the best example of how you can know exactly where you want the ball to land but if you line up improperly it will not matter how great your actual swing is - you will be off. Same goes for pool and your stroke.

[@williamsheppard8738]

Been doing this for awhile now it's the most important thing i have ever done

[@Malfeasance455]

Good stuff, Scott. Appreciate the time and thoughtfulness that goes into making these. Some interesting art on the walls there.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks!

[@ThiccEagle]

Thanks for your videos. In depth and definitely from a teacher. It reminds me to really key in on my fundamentals... like the boring fundamentals, but are essential to getting my game from intermediate to advanced

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

lol... definitely can be boring, but super mportant. I strongly feel it's a key component to why people don't improve. They don't want to hit the repetitive, boring, straight in shot and diagnose different parts of their stroke. Everyone wants magic aiming systems, instant shot making ability, etc. Thanks for comments and for watching!

[@madhatter2012]

@@ScottsPoolSchool What a lot of people don't realize is that by going through all of that boring practice and developing their technique, it will soon become second nature and automatic. That's when they start kicking some serious butt! Great video!

[@MikeyD22]

Phenomenal presentation Scott! A huge thanks for sharing! I immediately saw improvement in my shotmaking.

[@Zowkander]

I had problems sometimes hiting center ball, when I can practice I'll work on it. Thanks a los for the videos, can't wait for next part. Greeting from Ibiza, Spain

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks, hope you are doing well, stay safe!

[@dannyuttam8693]

Good explanation

[@mickortaleza777]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and you have an awesome set-up! Is that a 9 footer?

[@BangTimePool]

Good stuff as usual!! Keep it up!!

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks!

[@dannyuttam8693]

Good coaching...

[@richarddombakly413]

THROW,TROW,THROW,not miss aim ,is the reason most straight in shots are missed.

[@durdicamac9662]

Awesome

[@joshuastover5533]

I constitently miss shots to the right. When I miss 97% to the right of pocket. Should I be making sort of fundamental change you think or just keep practing? I can "aim to miss" for a few shots and temporarily fixes the problem but comes back. Sometimes doing drills its not an issue. Also, when I switch to a Jim Rempe training cue ball doing long stop shots, my success rate will go from 2/10 to 19/20. When im in the stroke doesnt seem to matter. I think Im just not seeing center ball sometimes and it causes me to steer or not see the correct aiming line. 1/4 tip of left looks center to me but I would swear that I am seeing center. When I do apply accidental spin, its always right side. Doesnt make sense because left looks center. This sport is driving me crazy. Wish I had a coach nearby

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

It's common for students I work with to have an issue where they are slightly left or right of center when cueing, which can also cause issues consistently missing left or right and also the other issue you described with applying spin. Usually this is dominant eye / vision center issue or an alignment issue, sometimes a perception issue or a combination. Without seeing you, I would guess it's a perception issue, possibly caused by another factor, as you said when you use the training ball you are more accurate. It is giving you a smaller area to focus on, therefore you are able to discern true center more accurately. Because of the factors associated with side spin (deflection, swerve, throw, etc.), hitting left or right when you intend to hit center will cause a lot of misses, even with today's low deflection cues. Not sure where you are located - I'm in Jacksonville, FL. I'm sure there is a decent instructor near you that hopefully can put eyes on your fundamentals and help. If you want to take a few videos I can take a peek. Take one shooting a 2 or 3 foot stop shot directly into the pocket on the diagonal, set the camera up in front facing you and make sure it's directly on line. Then reverse so the camera is directly behind you doing the same thing. And ideally another side view so I can see your arm and stance position. Shoot a few shots in each position and you can upload the video to KZbin as unlisted (or listed if you want) and send me a link or send me a link via Dropbox or something. Email is [e-mail]. Good luck!

[@joshuastover5533]

@ScottsPoolSchool thanks Scott. I am a lefty, and my shoulder is definitely outside the shotline so my forearm is inward to be online. This causes me to swoop my stroke around my hips it looks like. I just started last night the bert kinister alignment drill and kept in mind to get down like an Archer as you described. It was working wonders for 3 hours or so but was all forced. When I missed a few to the right, I started being more deliberate and focused on aiming more and it messed me up bad. The following 2 hours I couldn't repeat what I was doing the few hours prior that seemed perfect. It seems the more I try to lock on my target, after a miss, the more likely I am to get down wrong. I will get some video. Thanks a lot

[@lucaselvaggi9795]

Mr Scott a simple question : i'm right hand player but my dominant eye is the left. If I understand well this lesson I have to go over the cue with my chin and after turn my head to the right until my left eye and my vision are perfectly aligned. It's correct?

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

It's not quite that simple... :) I mentioned in teh video that is what I do - under my chin, head turned slightly. I never read that, never did it on purpose, I just naturally I guess got into that position so I could see straight, so to speak, and only many years later as I started to see myself on video and teach others that were in incorrect positions did I understand the critical components of my own setup and why it worked. I think most people that have some sort of natural eye/hand coordination figure it out without any instruction or knowledge of dominant eye. As you are learning, you miss shots, you adjust, miss some more, adjust, etc., and find a position where you can see the shot correctly. From teaching 100's of lessons though I will tell you not everyone is so lucky... I've helped people make dramatic, overnight improvements in their pool game by adjusting their stance or face/chin position of the cue. Many were lined up a certain way because they heard you have to have your chin directly over the cue or they just didn't naturally know how to setup. For you my friend, we are in the minority being cross-eye dominant and it just makes things more difficult to set up properly, stretch over to get the opposite eye involved, etc. Look at John Morra - extremely left eye dominant, and he had such bad neck and other issues from stretching to get way over under his left eye that he switched hands! Quite amazing actually considing the physical component and perspective change, and it didn't happen overnight, but to play at a professional level right handed for years and then switch and continue to have success is super impressive. If you are not familiar with him look him up on KZbin from a few years ago and now. Another strong player that is obviously right handed and left eye dominant is Albin Ouschan, watch him and his position to get ideas how to align. Without seeing you, it's hard to know where your vision center is. Some cross-eye dominant people have trained themselves to see out of their right eye or more in the middle, perhaps they are not as strongly cross-eye dominant. I would say in general to try lining up in the center and turn head slightly (like I do), or maybe line up under the left side of the chin etc. Doesn't have to be a lot, just enough to engage that left eye. I will be discussing drill in part 4 of this series, probably released in 2 weeks or so, that will help as well. I just worked with someone on this a few weeks ago. If your stroke is reasonably good and you can make repetitive straight in shots and hit the pocket where intended, then you know your vision center is correct. Hope this helps, study those players I mentioned, and keep an eye out (pun intended) for future segments of this series. Thanks!

[@jaimemolina1777]

I was watching Darren Appleton practice today and I noticed that when he comes down on the shot he always aims high on the cueball. I wonder if he is checking center ball before moving to the final desired aim point on the CB.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Not sure, but more than a few of the snooker and english 8 ball players do something similar. Next time I talk to him I will ask, you peaked my curiousity now... :)

[@jamesdavis8731]

Yes! That is a technique for aiming that many use. It is similiar to what Scott was mentioning that some players do when they are aiming at the bottom of the cue ball to the target ball. I am here in the Philippines where billiards is HUGE. This place, per capita, produces an amazing amount of really good players and I see many Filipinos aiming at the bottom of the ball. I have asked a number of them why they do that and there answer is "it helps me find the center of the cue ball better." So I really do think there is something to aiming high or aiming low (initially) and then hitting the cue where you want to on the follow-through. It seems to work for a lot of players.

[@bucksniper65]

Scott where are you located? When do you do personal lessons? I would love to come for some education when all this craziness ends.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

That would be great! I'm in Jacksonville, FL, and normally it's a great place to visit. Right now though beaches and everything else is shut down... :( I schedule lessons throughout the week and weekend, just depends on work, your schedule, etc. Reach out when ready, you can email at [e-mail] or text/call at 904-476-5078. Look forward to it!

[@relaxandsleepmeditation50]

as i get down my cue goes offline, i dont know why. i dont bring the cue to the chest. i try holding the cue with one hand and go down, and also with 2 hands and go down, and also bring the cue from left side as i go down but it goes offline what am i doing wrong?

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Hard to say from description without seeing it. Often the head is not on the shot line in the beginning or all the way down, causing the cue to be slightly inside out without the player realizing it. I've also seen players with improper bridge hand placement or tucking the grip hand in or out at the end of the alignment process which would also cause the cue to be off the line of the shot. Try watching my alignment video, see if that helps.

[@relaxandsleepmeditation50]

@@ScottsPoolSchool thank you sir for the reply, i wish i could see you in sydney/australia. you have 2 videos of alignment and i watched both, but not sure whats causing my problem. where do you live? i really need to see you

[@dwsnsgp]

Sometimes it is the shot you don’t make or the one you foul on.

[@donh1537]

Hey buddy, I hope all is well with you. (Don)

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Hey man, doing good! Hope things are going well for you!

[@andykurka312]

12:13 cut? 🤣🤣🤣

[@cmfoo437]

Too long winded. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Dozed off a few times.

[@richarddombakly413]

You dont appreciate what he is TEACHING you schmuck