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Aiming the Cue Ball and the "Ghost Ball"

By , About.com Guide

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Starting with... the ghost ball

The ghost ball method, and...

Photo (c) Matt Sherman 2008, licensed to About.com, Inc.
The ghost ball method of aiming pool balls describes imagining a cue ball's impact position (“Ball G”) so that it will be aligned with its center (the topmost part of the ball you can see, or its exact geographic center, or its base where it rests on the table) upon the aim line, the line bringing the object ball’s center to the center of the pocket opening.

Note the subtle adjustment between playing the cue ball straight into the ghost ball (the purple line) and aiming the cue ball straight toward the contact point where the two balls are to meet (the black line).

This method requires some creativity for several reasons. One important reason is the cue ball’s center will be a distance away from the object ball at a point in empty space. Many of pool’s professionals use a slightly different method.

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