Finding the center of vision with the SightRight® tool

One of the most important aspects of the preshot routine is to envision a line from the cue ball to the object ball that the cue ball will travel along to reach the object ball to intersect the desired contact points on the object ball and cue ball. In order to obtain a stance and lower into the shot, the player must retain this image of the proper shot line while contorting the body in a manner that allows for smooth, straight action of the arm and cue stick. Commonly, coaches tell players to orient to the shot line by place ment of what will become the rear foot, and then to step into the shot. This results in the player often not having their eyes directly in line with the shot line, causing them to have to compensate with their stroke when they come down on the shot line. Recently, Jim Brauker, PBIA/ACS pool instructor, and Robin Hamlet, interviewed professional coach and pool player Alex Lely. He discussed the importance of alignment and introduced them to the SightRight® alignment tool, which is used to find the proper center of vision when the player is standing behind the ball. Jim purchased this tool and the accompanying online workshop from SightRight. After several weeks of testing, he determined that 100% of the players he tested were not in proper alignment when they came down on the shot. Here, he tests Robin Hamlet with the device and determines where her center of vision is when she is properly aligned, which is at the midpoint between her eyes. The center of vision is usually not the same as dominant eye, which most pool coaches routinely identify. Once the center of vision was determined, Robin began to practice stepping into the shot after determining the line. Her homework assignment is to repeatedly get into proper alignment for 40 times per session as prescribed in the great book by Mark Wilson "Play Great Pool". To purchase a SightRight® device go to the SightRight® Cue Sports page at https://sightrightcuesports.com