"Nightchalker" writes to ask:
"...Matt, won't the technique for this aiming drill you mention in Don't Aim At The Ghost Ball" always result in too thick a hit and an undercut? In another article you outline this technique and include the following: "The pro subconsciously makes any needed adjustment to aim while firing right at the contact point." Is this drill intended to help the player develop an instinctive sense of the cue ball so that subconscious adjustments can take place as needed?"
I answer that the geometry of pool insists that aiming directly at the contact point does as Nightchalker described.
Therefore, countless books, articles and websites say aim at the ghost ball instead. However, 1) most players can't focus accurately at an invisible point in space exactly 1 1/4 inches off the contact point (and staring through empty space causes the eyes to lose focus anyway and 2) most pros forgot the ghost ball decades ago and just observe the contact point with their eyes. Also, a slightly thicker hit on most true aimed cuts helps cinch the shot due to through and slow/control the cue ball.
If you must use a ghost ball, visualize the cue ball's edge impacting the object ball's edge surrounding (cut in half by) the object ball's contact point. See more at:
Billiards illustration (c) Matt Sherman, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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