Newsgroups: rec.sport.billiard Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 21:28:19 Subject: Re: Hal's secrets? dalecue wrote: > balls being knocked into pockets is a real world example of the > specific application of some of the rules that govern > the workings of the physical world > these rules are not open to interpretation > the-followers-of-Hal don't seem to comprehend this rather simple fact Well, yes, but.... My experience is that the majority of people cannot make the connection between abstract geometry (such as a half-ball hit) and what happens while they play pool. It may be true that cut angle is a continuous function of the fullness of hit, but most people have neither use for nor understanding of a concept such as "function of". For such people, I think it is not helpful to go into any more detail in a system than is required to draw their attention to the shot. It is not important what the system is as long as they believe in it and it sort of gets them into the right ball park. Their subconscious will do the rest, as it does for all players who can play a lick, Iron Willie and Virtual Pool excepted. Ask players what the cut angle is for a half-ball hit and the majority (or a substantial minority) will say 45 degrees. This is in spite of their having shot hundreds of half-ball hits and hundreds of 45-degree cuts but never in the same shot. Many people need an explanation of what a "right angle" is for the kiss-line for position play -- people have even built special fixtures for the pool table to illustrate two perpendicular lines. Most people are not geometrians. Aiming is as much psychology as it is physics. Arguing that the physics of a system is wrong doesn't prevent the psychology from working, one way or another. On the other hand, it's not clear to me why people who know a system works for them psychologically argue it to be valid physically. There's no point. -- Bob Jewett http://www.sfbilliards.com/